Brunch links: Meet our new intern, Phil Mendelson
Image used with permission.
Meet Phil Mendelson, GGWash’s newest intern
This summer, Council Chair Phil Mendelson will join our team as the newest GGWash intern. Phil is excited to support our policy, advocacy, and communications work. While GGWash’s funding for new interns is limited, this role is funded by the Mayor Muriel Bowser Summer Boomer Employment Program. The project funds one select individual from the Council to spend time somewhere other than the Wilson Building. We’re excited to learn from his decades of experience working in District government. Welcome, Phil!
(GGWash)
Mayor unveils “Bike Free DC” plan
Shouting over the cacophony of rush hour traffic, Mayor Bowser unveiled her Bike Free DC plan at a press conference on L Street NW this week. The plan sets ambitious goals to shift bicycle mode share to 0% by 2030. “We have a tremendous opportunity to spur economic activity by ensuring motorists can get to where they need to go faster. Bicyclists and bike lanes too often obstruct what would otherwise be pristine road, ripe for burning rubber.” (GGWash)
Restaurants announce surcharge for service fees
In response to the response to restaurants charging extra fees for possibly no reason, The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington says they have no choice but to support a new surcharge to compensate for the emotional labor of charging unexplained service fees. DC restaurants say they are “exhausted from trying to explain what the service fees are actually for. We don’t wanna tell you! Please stop asking!” Customers who inquire about any additional fees on their bill will be automatically charged an inconvenience fee of 12%. (DCish)
Jake Day Day
To recognize housing secretary Jake Day’s commitment to tackling Maryland’s housing crisis, Governor Wes Moore has declared today a holiday called Jake Day Day. GGWash will celebrate by hosting a brunch party with all of the secretary’s favorite foods, and you can click this link to RSVP for our Jake Day Day Day Party. (GGWash)
Washington Post apologizes for local news
Washington Post executive editor Sally Buzbee apologized to readers this week after accidentally running a local news story. “We know you come to the Post for quality reporting about national politics, trend stories, and two-ingredient muffin recipes,” she wrote. “Our story ‘Falls Church City Council debates raising parking fees on Broad Street’ fell far short of our rigorous journalistic standards, and we deeply regret running it. As we like to say, Democracy Dies In Darkness, which of course only refers to the President of the United States, Congress, and nothing else.” (This article is behind a paywall). (Post)
‘Council Fearing,’ GGWash’s new podcast
Check out GGWash’s first foray into audio with our new podcast. “Council Fearing” will feature guests who harbor an unnaturally fearful obsession with specific DC Councilmembers, believing them to be responsible for all crime. Our first guests will be those two guys on your neighborhood listserv who have no sense of boundaries, followed by a series of speakers whose full-time jobs are being mad online. (GGWash)
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