ReportWire

Tag: dc mayor muriel bowser

  • DC set to resume trash collection, give out free salt as snow and ice persist 1 week after storm – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    With National Guard support and warmer weather ahead, D.C. officials expect faster service restoration as residents receive free salt and prepare for renewed sidewalk‑clearing requirements.

    After a punishing snowstorm Sunday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city is making progress and garbage removal and other city services will return this weekend.

    City officials said they plan to resume home trash pickup this weekend, starting with homes that have their garbage removed from the front of the home.

    “If your household normally gets front side collection, we will begin to pick up your trash tomorrow,” Bowser said Friday. “This weekend, we want to do the front side collections for Monday and Tuesday.”

    The city is about a week behind on trash collection, so on Monday, they will collect for last Wednesday; and Tuesday’s pickup is actually last Thursday’s. It will be like this until the city gets back on a regular schedule.

    For homes that have alley pickups, the city plans to use Bobcat machinery to get garbage cans that are trapped in snow and ice.

    Mayor Bowser gave an optimistic status report on the snow and ice removal, despite many residents voicing complaints about snow- and ice-covered streets and sidewalks days after the storm.

    In her three terms as mayor, Bowser said she’s never seen a storm that began with 6-plus inches of snow and then 10 hours of sleet, leaving streets and sidewalks coated in ice.

    The mayor also said National Guard troops, which have been on D.C. streets since the summertime, are also pitching in.

    “Some National Guard personnel have been approved to work with us, and we will be giving them some assignments related to clearing pathways for pedestrians to get to and from buses,” she said.

    The D.C. National Guard also announced Friday evening its members would be helping remove snow at D.C.’s public schools, at the request of D.C. government. Those efforts will begin Saturday.

    Overall, the mayor would not give herself or city officials a letter grade on the city’s performance — she said that is up to residents to decide. But she said 250 city plows and 130 contractors have been on the job since the first snowflake fell and she pointed to the fact that numerous downtown events have still been held, including the Washington D.C. Auto Show.

    The mayor pointed out that the extreme cold temperatures have made the snow and ice removal even more difficult, because there has been no day above freezing this week and no melting.

    “We are also urging our residents to take advantage of the sunlight and the increased temperatures next week to take care of your walkways and sidewalks. And if you don’t have that equipment, work together, in your neighborhood,” she said.

    The D.C. Department of Public Works offers a sidewalk shoveling exemption to qualifying residents 65 or older for not removing snow from their sidewalks. D.C. workers do not shovel residents’ sidewalks, but the city has multiple programs, including D.C. Snow Team Heroes, that can help.

    There’s no word yet when the city will restart its enforcement of fines for sidewalks that are not shoveled.

    This weekend, the city will be distributing free salt at five distribution sites to help residents address the icy conditions. Signing up in advance is recommended.

    From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., noon to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., residents who bring their own bucket or bag to carry salt can pick it up at the following locations:

    • Deanwood Recreation Center (1350 49th Street NE)
    • Greenleaf Recreation Center (201 N Street SW)
    • Kennedy Recreation Center (1401 7th St NW)
    • Turkey Thicket Recreation Center (1100 Michigan Avenue NE)
    • Wilson Aquatic Center (4551 Fort Drive NW)

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Dan Ronan

    Source link

  • DC officials acknowledge challenge of ‘snowcrete,’ say progress has been made – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday that following Sunday’s winter storm, the city’s government agencies have been making progress in clearing the hardened snow from city streets.

    D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday that following Sunday’s winter storm, the city’s government agencies have been making progress in clearing the hardened snow from city streets.

    “I want to just really start by giving a big thank you to the many people who have been working day and night, the last five days in the lead up to this storm and responding to this storm,” Bowser said at a news conference. “Our approach, our values when we go into these responses are very simple: how do we keep people safe and how do we get open?”

    The mayor also made it clear that when the city reports roads are passable, that doesn’t mean cars are dug out or you can easily cross the street.

    “We do need people to continue to focus on their sidewalks — businesses and residents,” Bowser said.

    D.C. residents voiced frustrations on social media about uncleared crosswalks and unplowed streets days after the storm and questioned the city’s now response.

    D.C. Public Schools is one of the few school districts in the region that will open Thursday, operating on a 2-hour delay both Thursday and Friday. Buses from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education and Metro will be helping get students to school.

    Though Metrorail service operated on a weekend schedule Wednesday, Metro CEO and General Manager Randy Clarke said 122 of the region’s 126 bus routes are now operational, and continue to open day after day.

    “I’m happy to announce we will run normal, 100% weekday service out on the system,” he said. “We believe by close of business today, we actually will have transported a million customers since the storm on Sunday.”

    D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said the school system’s decision to close from Monday through Wednesday gave them ample time to prepare school campuses and adjacent streets for when they reopened.

    “We feel very confident in all the assessments that we’ve done over the past three days to ensure that our campuses are ready,” he said.

    Clint Osborn, the director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, called the snowstorm “exceptionally dangerous” because of the amount of snow that was covered in a “very thick layer of ice,” causing what he called “snowcrete.”

    A cold weather advisory is in effect for most of the region as temperatures overnight into Thursday are expected to be in the single digits.

    Agency leaders reiterated how the frigid temperatures contributed to the “snowcrete,” making it difficult to traverse and remove, and impacting their response to it.

    Anthony Crispino, the interim director of the D.C. Department of Public Works, said clearing roads has been challenging due to extremely low temperatures and layers of ice, but crews have been working with 311 to identify service calls.

    “We are going to … start moving in new heavy machinery on some of the more problematic streets to break up the hard pack, or the snowcrete, and then get it out of the way so that it’s passable, with the goal of making sure that everybody can navigate the streets safely,” Crispino said.

    Crews have been hauling snow to the former RFK Stadium site, where a snow field is developing for storage, Crispino said.

    The city is also suspending fines for residents and businesses that have not cleared sidewalks within the first eight hours after a storm due to the hard, packed-down nature of the snow.

    D.C. Department of Transportation Director Sharon Kershbaum added that they’re hoping to soon allow cars to park in areas marked as “no parking on snow emergency.”

    “Getting the snow out is critical, and I think you’re going to start to see over the next few days, big changes,” Kershbaum said.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Ciara Wells

    Source link

  • Incoming interim DC police chief wants to rebuild community trust – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    Carroll wants to improve department morale and engage with community members. He’s planning to meet with and listen to citizens advisory councils, businesses and other community groups, and is hoping to recruit and retain more officers.

    This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
    In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.

    Incoming interim police chief on the future of the investigation into DC’s crime numbers

    Jeffery Carroll has always wanted to be a police officer.

    Growing up, he was a Law Enforcement Explorer, a program that allows young people to learn about career possibilities by working with local law enforcement. For three summers in college, he worked for Ocean City’s police department as a seasonal police cadet.

    When D.C. police hired him, he was in the agency’s seasonal police academy with the hope of becoming an officer.

    Carroll has worked for the department for decades, spending time in the first, third and sixth police districts, the Internal Affairs Bureau, the Special Operations Division and the Homeland Security Bureau.

    “One of the goals I’ve always had is to be the chief of police anywhere,” Carroll told WTOP. “But really here, at the Metropolitan Police Department, it’s such a great honor. It’s such a unique agency.”

    On Jan. 1, Carroll is set to become the interim D.C. police chief. Mayor Muriel Bowser tapped Carroll for the role to replace Chief Pamela Smith, who announced she will be stepping down at the end of the year to spend more time with family.

    Carroll’s tenure will start with department under scrutiny

    Reports from both the Department of Justice and House Oversight Committee accused Smith of encouraging leadership to manipulate crime data, with the intention of making D.C. appear safer than it is.

    D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked the city’s inspector general to launch its own investigation, and Carroll said Monday that an independent audit team with the department will look at crime reports to “make sure they’re being classified appropriately.”

    Officers will also be retrained on classifying crime, he said, to make sure the reporting system has “checks and balances that are built into it to make sure that if things are changed or modified, it’s making the appropriate requirements for revalidation approval.”

    When Carroll learned about concerns related to crime data, he said he notified the Internal Affairs Division, which launched an investigation. When reports are finished, he said, department leaders will review recommendations for other changes that need to be made.

    “Obviously, there’s concern from the community,” Carroll said. “It does raise a level of distrust or concerns about the numbers. That’s why, I talked a little bit about this when the mayor nominated me, but going into it, the reports aren’t done.”

    Separately, Carroll will start the role in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge. While the crime emergency expired in September, National Guard troops and other federal officers remain in the city.

    After two West Virginia Guard members were shot near Farragut Square during Thanksgiving week, D.C. police patrolled the city alongside the National Guard.

    “MPD members are not actively going out with the National Guard members every day, but we do have a strong relationship with the National Guard. We use them every year for July 4. They support us for a variety of the national special security events,” Carroll said.

    The Guard has liaisons in D.C. police’s Joint Operations Command Center too, Carroll said.

    Some community members have criticized the agency for collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, but Carroll said the department “does not engage in civil immigration enforcement by policy. We don’t inquire about people’s immigration status.”

    D.C. police officers who are part of the city’s Joint Task Force are “not out with ICE members. MPD is not a part of any team that has ICE members on it,” Carroll said.

    While D.C. officers won’t inquire about immigration status, other federal law enforcement agencies “do have the authority and they might,” Carroll said.

    As is described in a mayor’s order that came after the crime emergency expired, D.C. police regularly collaborate with “every federal law enforcement agency except for ICE,” Carroll said.

    According to D.C. law, the council has to confirm a new police chief within 180 days, and Carroll said Monday he’d be interested in the permanent post if offered. But Bowser isn’t running for reelection, so it’s unclear how long his time leading the department will last.

    Separately, Carroll has been named in lawsuits that describe police misconduct against protesters.

    Ushering in ‘new era of honest leadership’

    In a statement after his appointment, the D.C. police union said it’s confident Carroll “will usher in a new era of honest leadership.”

    Carroll said he wants to improve department morale and engage with community members. He is planning to meet with and listen to Citizens Advisory Councils, businesses and other community groups, and is hoping to recruit and retain more officers.

    “It doesn’t feel like it’s working, just feels like you’re coming, you’re meeting people,” Carroll said. “Sometimes it’s in a bad situation. Sometimes it’s in a good situation. But at the end of the day, it really is to try to make things better.”

    When he isn’t focusing on work, Carroll said he spends time with his wife and three kids, “just same thing that any other father would be doing — sporting activities and cheer activities and things like that.”

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Scott Gelman

    Source link

  • Kenyan McDuffie eyes run for DC mayor – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    At-Large Council Member Kenyan McDuffie announced he was stepping down from his D.C. Council post on Tuesday, a move that all but paves the way for a mayoral bid.

    WTOP’s Nick Iannelli speaks with D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie about his resignation and potential mayoral run

    At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie announced Tuesday he was stepping down from his D.C. Council post in January, a move that all but paves the way for a mayoral bid.

    After serving on the D.C. Council for over a decade, McDuffie told WTOP that his resignation came from his belief in “moving on to other ways of serving the more than 700,000 residents across all eight wards of the District of Columbia.”

    McDuffie said that it was bittersweet to attend his final legislative meeting, while alluding that he isn’t finished with his career in politics.

    Since D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she would not be seeking reelection, McDuffie’s name has repeatedly come up as a potential candidate. Ward 4 Council member Janeese Lewis George has already launched her mayoral campaign.

    “I think that’s fair, and I think residents have already heard me say as much,” he said, regarding a potential mayoral run. “I’m excited about what is to come in the new year.”

    In order to run in the Democratic primary for mayor, McDuffie can’t retain his at-large seat.

    Due to a stipulation in the Home Rule Act, only two of the D.C. Council’s four at-large seats can be held by the same political party. McDuffie switched to an independent to run for an at-large seat in 2022, after being a registered Democrat for much of his political career.

    WTOP’s Nick Iannelli spoke with McDuffie about his plans for the future, what issues D.C. residents are facing and how he thinks the next mayor of D.C. will have to navigate President Donald Trump’s administration’s challenges to Home Rule.

    ‘The next mayor is going to have to fight tooth and nail’

    While McDuffie wasn’t ready to discuss his decision, he told WTOP he plans to talk about it in the near future.

    “I think it’s going to be important for me, when I am ready to discuss that decision and what my plans are, that I have a conversation directly and personally with residents across the District of Columbia,” he said.

    He added that residents have been encouraging him to run and have shared with him the challenges they’re facing.

    “Residents are still feeling the pressure of rising costs. They’re talking about this federal administration and Congress, together, posing the greatest threat to our city’s autonomy since the establishment of Home Rule,” he said.

    The next mayor of D.C. will need to navigate a challenging political terrain for the city. Since the start of President Trump’s second term, the federal government has repeatedly tested D.C.’s autonomy and self-governance.

    “The next mayor is going to have to fight tooth and nail to protect the city’s autonomy and to protect our citizens’ basic human rights and civil rights,” McDuffie said. “We cannot have federal officers and law enforcement from other states, National Guard or otherwise, tearing families apart on the streets of the nation’s capital.”

    “We’re going to fight to make sure that we are partners when we need to be with the federal government,” he added.

    Some council members and D.C. residents have criticized Bowser for her efforts to placate the Trump administration, particularly as it relates to the law enforcement surge in the city.

    WTOP asked McDuffie if he believes Bowser has fallen short in pushing back against Trump.

    “I believe that she loves her hometown. I know that to be the case,” McDuffie answered.

    McDuffie then pivoted to his own vision for the nation’s capital: “When I think about what the future holds for our city and my role in it, I know that I want to continue to fight to protect our residents and really create pathways for residents to have a fair shot at economic prosperity.”

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Sam Delgado

    Source link