Whether you rode the X2 down H Street or the 70 up George Ave., you don’t want to miss the transit edition of Ask A D.C. Native, Live! We’re pullin’ up at metrobar on Oct 22. Tickets are free.

Ask A D.C. Native, Live! The Transit Edition

Watch as two teams of D.C. natives go head to head answering trivia Qs about the District's transportation systems, history, and culture.

eventbrite.com

On Nov. 7, the beloved Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant will open their doors to patrons for the last time. “Some restaurants are more than just a place to eat,” one customer wrote. “They become part of the fabric of a city. Dukem will never be forgotten.” 51st.news/dukem-ethiop...

Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant closes after a nearly 30 year run

As the iconic U Street Ethiopian restaurant prepares to close, thousands on social media shared their praise and memories

51st.news

The Southwest Waterfront is getting a radical new arts space. Its founding partners hope their collaborative non-profit model can support small and midsize arts orgs across the city: One of the founders tells me: "The principles are very mutual aid, very co-op, very solidarity economics."

Southwest DC is getting a radical new arts space

The Revada Arts Center will be home to a theater company, film house, and “anti-opera” collective.

51st.news

One thing I love about @niemanlab.org's redesign is the “This Day in History” on the homepage. Journalism’s future is uncertain. But our past offers perspective on how far we’ve come, what we’ve tried, and what’s worth carrying forward or leaving behind. I will be coming back to this section a lot!

The Sun’s publisher, billionaire Robert Albritton, has had his sights set on building a true competitor to the Post for decades. Now the advertising blitz has begun. 51st.news/washington-s...

The Washington Sun launches an aggressive local ad blitz

The outlet is pitching its newly robust metro section with ads and activations around town

51st.news

So glad you were there to celebrate with us, Martin! You'll always be a part of The 51st! ❤️

Martin Austermuhle@maustermuhle.bsky.social · 4d ago

Happy second birthday to @51st.news! Great people doing really great local journalism, and an amazing print edition modeled on the late Express. To many more years!

Looking to lend a hand? Support book access, testify about tech in schools, and more ways to get involved in D.C. this week. 51st.news/12-ways-to-b...

Volunteer and civic opportunities in D.C.

Support book access, testify about tech in schools, and more ways to get involved in D.C. this week.

51st.news

New: The D.C. Housing Authority was already facing a budget crunch...then auditors discovered an apparent spreadsheet error that left $52M in expenses uncounted. DCHA is considering painful belt-tightening moves. For many, it's "Groundhog Day" at the long-suffering agency: 51st.news/dc-housing-a...

D.C.'s public housing agency faces a budget crunch

The public housing agency is considering cost-cutting measures that could lead to major changes for the 20,000 residents it serves.

51st.news

Great great great article, DC folks ⬇️

Elliot C. Williams@ecwilliams.bsky.social · 2w ago

If you've lived in D.C. long enough, you've likely encountered Nekisha Durrett's work. And yet, she has avoided *becoming* the story. But as her sculptures have grown larger, so too has the pressure to be in the national spotlight. My profile on the artist for @51st.news explores this tension:

NEW: Domo Wells’ women’s soccer merch designs have deep roots in D.C. culture. Read @samdelgado.bsky.social's profile of the creative wizard behind the apparel and design company Dead Dirt:

Meet the local designer behind your favorite Washington Spirit merch

Domo Wells’ merch for the National Women's Soccer League has deep roots in D.C. culture.

51st.news

The personal archive in this 🧵is a treasure trove. As is the lasting impact of the editor mentioned at the end. Seeing it really reinforces what Ernie wrote here for @tedium.co: tedium.co/2019/09/12/f...

Free Daily Newspaper History: A Model for Another Time

For decades, ad-supported free daily newspapers defined commuting. But the Washington Post Express’ demise shows the model is headed towards the history books.

tedium.co

The @ShortFormErnie Archive@shortformernie.bsky.social · 5y ago

Look what I found. I have a sizable number of copies of the @virginianpilot’s Link newspapers after all these years. Fairly yellowed, alas. @license_to_jill, the voice of Kitty, will appreciate this https://x.com/ShortFormErnie/status/1441564279661113346/photo/1

We expect this event to sell out — so get your RSVPs in today! Our newsletter list got an early heads up about this event 👀 Not yet getting our email updates? Subscribe today: www.51st.news/signup

The 51st@51st.news · 2w ago

We’re celebrating two years of being *your* local newsroom! Come out on Thursday, October 8 at 6 p.m. for our anniversary party, hosted and sponsored by Urban Garden Brewery. Plus, we're dropping a *special print edition* with our friends at The Pack World 👀 RSVP here:

NEW: Looking to lend a hand? Each week, we round up ways to work with our neighbors to build a better D.C. Here's this week's list:

13 ways to volunteer and organize in D.C. this week

Crafting in community, an organizing festival, and more.

51st.news

The U.S. media has largely ignored this story, but the union activists, who read Payday Report, have crowdfunded nearly $20,000 to film this! Help us finish it and cover the Brazilian presidential election. Donate here: paydayreport.com/marielle-viv...

Trailer: "Marielle Vive! How an Assassination Changed Brasil & Inspired a Movement"

In 2018, a college classmate of mine, Marielle Franco, a socialist Rio city councilwoman, was assassinated.

paydayreport.com

🧵 Shout-out to the DC Zero Waste workers making today's DPW hazardous waste dropoff go smoothly. 2 folks especially: The woman in reflective gear guiding car dropoffs and stopping traffic on Independence for pedestrians like me (sidewalk closed for road work 🤦🏼) www.eventbrite.com/e/dpw-specia...

DPW Special Waste Collection Event (Thur, Sep 24, 2026, at RFK Lot 8)

The DC Dept of Public Works free drop-off event for household hazardous waste, electronics recycling, and secure document shredding

eventbrite.com

I don't do much for publication anymore. But I did make our rate card and sponsorship deck for these: ✨ a print newspaper ✨and our second birthday bash — both coming up fast next month! So, you could be magic supporter #51, of @51st.news; AND be a part of something really cool: 51st.news/advertise/

The 51st@51st.news · 3w ago

We’ve had 50 clients take part in our advertising program since we launched it in 2024. Will you be ……. the 51st?!

The team behind DC’s viral oxtail pizza spot doesn’t just make delicious slices — they aim to give back to a community they once “tore apart.” My story on 🍕 and redemption for @51st.news: 51st.news/oxtail-pizza...

Behind the scenes at DC's viral oxtail pizza carryout

For the team at Today's Pizza, it's always been bigger than the pies.

51st.news

NEW: Food insecurity in the D.C. region hit a new high in the past year, according to a new report. The District had the third-highest food insecurity rate among seven nearby counties/cities surveyed. Read for more details in @51st.news: 51st.news/dc-food-inse...

Food insecurity in the DC area hits a new high

Cuts to SNAP, surging costs, and federal layoffs are making it difficult for District residents to put food on the table.

51st.news

Undercover videos shown at Trayon White's trial displayed two sides to the councilmember: A public official making plans to help the incarcerated/school kids...but also one lamenting the cost of his lavish vacations/real estate deals. My take on the trial's first day: 51st.news/trayon-white...

At trial, two sides of Trayon White emerge

Undercover videos show the Ward 8 councilmember both deeply involved in the community and taking wads of cash from a businessman.

51st.news

Are you worried about the future of the Kennedy Center? Tonight, @kcunions.bsky.social, Hands Off the Arts, @tarahoot.bsky.social, and more supporters are gathering at the closed arts complex for a protest. More details in @ecwilliams.bsky.social's reporting:

How to support DC arts amid the Kennedy Center drama

Patronize theaters, join a protest, and other ways to get involved.

51st.news

Great read regarding eviction and discussion of @brian-goldstone.bsky.social's book There Is No Place for Us from @dissentmag.bsky.social (cc @evictionlab.bsky.social). I am really looking forward to reading the research on mutual aid funds! dissentmagazine.org/article/afte...

After Eviction - Dissent Magazine

Brian Goldstone’s There Is No Place for Us challenges the widespread public perception of homelessness as a reflection of individual choices, but it also looks beyond the assumption that soaring home ...

dissentmagazine.org

The end of summer is upon us. But festival season is in full swing with a plethora of celebrations, cultural events, and fairs. What are you up to this weekend?

15 things to do in D.C. this weekend

Explore the globe right from our hometown at an Oktoberfest gathering, an international street festival, or an Ethiopian New Year’s party.

51st.news

A better world is possible. Take five minutes to help us build our independent newsroom by and for D.C.: www.51st.news/2026survey

How do Smithsonian employees around DC feel about this? DMs open / Signal: ecwilliams.30

Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social · last mo.

Lonnie Bunch will step down from his position as head of the Smithsonian Institution by the end of the year, he announced

Immigration enforcement including Midway Blitz cost Cook County more tha $1 billion, the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago found, and we first reported over the weekend www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/06/c...

Operation Midway Blitz, one year later: A changed Chicago forges on after the resistance

For 64 days, the federal government carried out a militarized immigration enforcement operation under the guise of making Chicago safer. A year later, why do people still feel so unsafe?

chicagotribune.com

"Yes, D.C. has to do a better job with public safety," Dr. Kevin Beckford writes in an opinion piece for The 51st. "But this curfew does nothing to make neighborhoods like Navy Yard any safer."

Opinion: D.C.'s Black teens deserve better than curfews

Policing in Navy Yard is already out of control, and criminalization is likely to only make things worse.

51st.news

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Join The 51st

The 51st is a worker-led nonprofit news source for D.C. Our reporting is rooted in our conviction that local journalism is meant to make people’s lives better — no paywalls, ever. But that's only…

51st.news

I finally got my hands on some pawpaws last summer but am not totally sure what I think about them. They seemed to be one of those fruits that skip from not-quite-ripe to treacly/borderline-alcoholic overnight without much of a pause in the middle. Advice welcome

The 51st@51st.news · last mo.

NEW: September is peak pawpaw season in the mid-Atlantic. As @ecwilliams.bsky.social learned, once you start looking for the tropical-tasting fruit, you'll see them everywhere. Here's where to find one for yourself — and why you shouldn't miss the window:

BREAKING: After the Washington Post fired me last year for speaking the truth in the wake of the Charlie Kirk killing, I fought back. And I'm happy to announce: I won my case against the Washington Post. They have been ordered to reinstate me immediately. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/b...

Washington Post Ordered to Rehire Fired Columnist Karen Attiah

An arbitrator ordered the newspaper to reinstate Karen Attiah, who was fired after posting about “white men who espouse hatred and violence” following Charlie Kirk’s killing.

nytimes.com

NEW: Looking to lend a hand? Each week, we round up ways to work with our neighbors to build a better D.C. Here's this week's list:

20 ways to volunteer and organize around D.C. this week

Fundraiser happy hours, collective bike rides, neighborhood cleanups, educational trainings, and more ways to get involved around the city.

51st.news