Downtowner News Briefs: Congressman Carjacked, Biden Dog Bites Again

October 10, 2023

Congressman Carjacked in Navy Yard Neighborhood; High Rate of Juvenile Carjackings Reported  Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) was carjacked recently by three armed attackers in the Navy Yard neighborhood. Police are […]

Crime: D.C. Summer Crime Spree Continues; Youth Curfew; Local Reports

September 2, 2023

Guns, Yes, But Any Weapons Will Do … Mayor Muriel Bowser and Acting Police Chief Pamela A. Smith cite illegal gun-trafficking in the District as a major factor in the […]

Public Safety: Criminologists Puzzle Over D.C.’s Rising Homicide Rates; Local Reports

August 21, 2023

Once again, rising homicide rates in the nation’s capital are drawing national attention. And criminologists are puzzling over why the District appears to be regressing relative to other major U.S. […]

Crime: City and Its Council Need to Get Real  

August 16, 2023

On Aug. 7, Ward 8 Council member Trayon White made headlines as he suggested the use of the D.C. National Guard to combat the city’s unrelenting lawlessness and violence.  “The […]

Back-to-School Briefs, Aug. 2023


Gearing up for Back-to-School, Georgetown students and families can look forward to new school programs and fresh faces. While D.C. public schools will begin Monday, August 28, private schools often […]

News Bytes: Microbursts, GU’s Selective Admissions, GWU Lawsuit


Microbursts Hit Washington   A series of microbursts hit D.C. late last month, causing extensive damage around the city. A microburst occurs when a thunderstorm’s updraft collapses, sending air rushing down […]

Crime: Gun Violence Raises City Homicide Tally to 20-Year High

August 7, 2023

In addition to police sirens wailing around the city in the early days of August, national newspaper headlines again blared messages of out-of-control shootings and homicides in the nation’s capital.  […]

Crime: Organized Theft Groups, Grim Year-to-Date Stats, Local Reports

July 31, 2023

Compounding local crime concerns, a new illicit phenomenon – Organized Theft Groups (OTGs) – have arrived in northwest D.C., terrifying shoppers and bystanders and forcing shops and stores to hire […]

News Analysis: House Budget Riders Could Impact D.C. Funding, Voting Laws

July 17, 2023

For months D.C. officials have been roiled by proposals from the U.S. Congress to restrict and tighten up some of the District’s crime arrest and detention policies. President Biden actually […]

Crime: New D.C. Police Chief Selected; Local Crime Report


Historical first this morning: Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the selection of the first African-American woman as permanent Chief for the Metropolitan Police Department. Pamela A. Smith – formerly MPD’s Chief […]