Guys, this is how D.C. does carved pumpkins. Amazing, 10/10, no notes.

Meep meep meeeeeeeeeep meep

D.C. and Virginia are suing the Trump administration over the president’s proposed triumphal arch, seeking to block its construction by arguing that the project is not authorized by Congress: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-vir...

D.C., Virginia Sue Trump Adminstration Over Proposed Triumphal Arch

The lawsuit from the D.C. and Virginia attorneys general joins a growing collection of legal challenges to the 250-foot tall structure.

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A few hundred runners, cyclists, nature lovers, rollerbladers and more rallied at East Potomac Park this morning in opposition of President Trump’s plan to close the park and potentially renovate it for use only as an 18-hole golf course.

Today the Attorney General filed a lawsuit, challenging, the proposed monumental arch at Memorial Circle. As a member of the National Capitol Planning Commission I submitted a declaration in support of the case. My full statement below:

Interesting: D.C. is continuing to close down unlicensed weed shops; the most recent was this week with Cleveland Park's D.C. Tobacco and Gifts Palace. There have been 114 shops closed since 2024. Beyond weed and mushrooms, D.C. police confiscated $23,467 and made an arrest.

It’s official: @robertwhitedc.bsky.social will resign from the D.C. Council next Monday, the final coda in a dispute over a city law that doesn’t allow paid public officials to be elected to serve as D.C.’s delegate to Congress. By resigning Monday, White keeps his eligibility for Tuesday.

Interesting: D.C. has applied for a temporary hardship waiver to new federal Medicaid work requirements for childless adults, but only in wards 7 and 8. The waiver exists for counties with high unemployment rates; D.C. officials say wards are effectively the city's counties.

I asked @mayorbowser.dc.gov about Trump's plans for East Potomac Park, and getting rid of the three-mile road around the island: "East Potomac Park needs a road. It could have a road and a golf course, just like it does now. So East Potomac Park needs to be redeveloped with a road."

This is the official artwork for next year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, by Southeast-born and raised artist Chris Pyrate. “There’s a lot of things here that call back to D.C. culture and the international presence in the city,” he says.

Today the National Cherry Blossom Festival is announcing a new tradition for its 100th year in 2027: a night parade in Navy Yard. (This is an AI rendering of what it could look like.)

It was a split-screen moment at the Wilson Building yesterday: A D.C. Council hearing on a bill to raise the next mayor's salary, and unions representing 10,000 city workers protesting outside because they're not getting any cost-of-living adjustments. www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-may...

A Pay Bump for D.C.’s Next Mayor? Janeese Lewis George Says No.

The likely next mayor opposes a bill that would raise the position’s salary from $250,000 to $290,000.

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NEWS: @robertwhitedc.bsky.social says he will resign from the D.C. Council on Monday, Nov. 2 “unless a clear legal solution is secured” regarding the provision of D.C. and federal law that prohibits a sitting public official from being elected as delegate to Congress.

The D.C. Council is holding a hearing today on a bill from CM Anita Bonds that would increase the next mayor's pay to to $290,000 a year, up from the $250,000 that @mayorbowser.dc.gov has been making since 2023. @janeese4dc.bsky.social tells me she didn't ask for it and will vote against the bill.

D.C. residents can't duck the question any longer: Should foie gras be banned in the city? I talked to voters, influencers, restaurant owners, and @mayorbowser.dc.gov about Initiative 86, a ballot fight over banning a very niche French food: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc/foi...

D.C.’s Biggest Election Debate: Should Foie Gras Be Banned?

Star chefs and social media users are hotly debating a ballot initiative that would ban the sale of foods that result from the force-feeding of fowl.

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Gotta commend this homeowner in 16th Street Heights for the excellent Halloween decorating.

Weird day in D.C. politics: Due to a quirk in the law, At-Large Council member Robert White may have to resign from the D.C. Council by next Tuesday if he wants to serve as delegate to Congress, a race he is expected to win easily. www.washingtonsun.com/metro/robert...

Robert White Is Rushing to Preserve His Eligibility in the D.C. Delegate Race

The Democratic nominee to be the District’s nonvoting congressional delegate is currently exploring options to navigate a 1970 law that threatens his eligibility.

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As a reporter it's easy to always be cynical, but yesterday I got to witness a heartwarming event: the announcement of D.C.'s teacher of the year. My colleague Shamira Muhammad talked to Ramon Griffin from Thurgood Marshall Academy in Ward 8: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-tea...

D.C.’s Teacher of the Year Calls Himself a ‘Griot’

Thurgood Marshall Academy’s Ramon Griffin uses creative strategies to reach students.

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Interesting: A new report from @dcpolicedept.bsky.social says that in 2024 police recovered 2,895 guns in the city. Forty-six percent were in the police districts covering wards 7 and 8. Of the guns that were tracked, most were Glocks and most came from Virginia, followed by Maryland.

Let's be honest: D.C. isn't exactly a swing state that could help determine which party controls Congress. But that hasn't stopped the city from preparing for a new possibility: election interference or intimidation by federal agents or troops. www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-ele...

As Early Voting Begins in D.C., Some Prepare for Federal Interference

“Voter intimidation can take many forms,” says one activist.

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D.C. has rolled out a new generation of electronic voting machines. (You can also vote traditional paper.) These machines are much smaller and faster, and the screens are more responsive. The old machines were sluggish with the ranked-choice voting ballot in the June primary.

Republican candidate for D.C. attorney general Manuel Rivera is leaning into regulating e-bikes as part of his campaign.

Sign of the times: Someone chalked “National Guard Stay Away” outside an early voting center in Columbia Heights. There have been local and national concerns around federal agents (or the National Guard in D.C.) appearing at or near polling places ahead of next week’s elections.

Early in-person voting starts in D.C. today! Here's where you can go cast your ballot: earlyvoting.dcboe.org

D.C. United wants the city to pitch in $300 million to help add 8,000 seats and a roof on Audi Field, saying it would expand the number of events there. Critics say it's an unnecessary public subsidy, and the Washington Spirit is an X factor in the debate: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/audi-f...

D.C. United Wants Public Money to Expand Audi Field. It’s Not an Easy Goal.

The team says more seats and a roof would allow more events, but the path through the D.C. Council could be complicated.

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Interesting: The Trump administration is suing Alaska for what it says could be voter confusion over the fact that there are two Dan Sullivans on the November ballot. www.washingtonsun.com/legal/trump-... Anyone in D.C. will remember when there were two Michael Browns on the ballot...

Trump Administration Lays Out a Path to Challenge Alaska’s Senate Results

A lawsuit filed this week claims that a candidate who shares the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan is only running “for the purpose of confusing or misleading voters.”

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Today the D.C. Council is holding a hearing on @chairmanmendelson.com's bill that would put $300 million towards a $620 million proposal to add 8,000 seats and a new roof to Audi Field, as well as build new housing on a lot adjacent to the stadium.

Interesting: @ddotdc.bsky.social has finalized rules changing the discount program for low-income residents for e-scooters and e-bikes offered by companies like Lime. Instead of unlimited rides under 30 minutes, those riders will now get 300 minutes a month.

Investors are avoiding D.C.'s housing market these days, but there's a bright spot: the conversion of office buildings to residential. City officials say 15,000 new people could live in 10,000 units in Dupont Circle, West End by 2028. @zaraleinorman.bsky.social: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-hou...

A New Lease on Life for D.C.’s Vacant Offices

The success of a program incentivizing office-to-housing conversions is a rare bright spot in D.C. housing development.

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Ward 8 Council member Trayon White says he will launch a legal defense fund to continue paying for attorneys for a possible second trial that federal prosecutors say they want to bring on bribery allegations. Today his current attorney alluded to the high cost of the defense.