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Deborah Simmons

Deborah Simmons was a senior correspondent who reported on City Hall and wrote about education, culture, sports and family-related topics.

Articles by Deborah Simmons

D.C. to target zombie properties

The District has long kept tabs on vacant properties, blighted buildings and so-called nuisance properties. The city even went a step further and began using tax dollars to blast graffiti off other's people's property. Published September 19, 2017

Deborah Simmons

D.C. Council to take on taxes, spending

The D.C. Council finally returns to the lawmaking business this week and its first order of business is, well, the business of taxing and spending. Published September 18, 2017

D.C. storm warning means braving the financial headwinds

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is a perfect teaching tool for the D.C. government, particularly since the string of storms pounded the theme that all lives matter and that it is important to keep track of your assets. Mother Nature constantly reminds us that it ain't over 'til it's over. Published September 14, 2017

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said removing the Taney statue was "the right thing to do." (Associated Press/File)

Larry Hogan’s hard cash offer puts other Metro stakeholders on the spot

So far, only one reasonable suggestion to raise new funds for troubled Metro is worthy of discussion. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan revealed Monday that the state is ready contribute an extra $500 million over four years toward funding the region's transit system -- if the District, Virginia and federal authorities hitch themselves to his wagon. Published September 12, 2017

Deborah Simmons

As U.S. debates Dreamers, Mexico puts out the welcome mat

As expected, President Trump's decision to repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy is causing quite a kerfuffle. What you might not have heard, though, is that Mexico is sending its own message: Ven a casa — "Come home." Published September 11, 2017

XQ Super Schools look to the future

Proponents of XQ Super Schools began a revolution of sorts -- urging, funding and digging a refreshing new trench for high schoolers. Its supporters don't sit around and merely drum their fingers while awaiting the next results on standardized tests. Published September 7, 2017

Labor Day 2017: Get a post-Harvey job

The U.S. Department of Labor is expected to release on Friday the latest unemployment/employment/jobless rates, but don't expect those numbers to remain static for the remainder of 2017. The clouds of Hurricane Harvey already have seen to that. Published August 31, 2017

Free speech now, free speech tomorrow, free speech forever

In the beginning was the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And it was good, guaranteeing freedom of religion, speech, the press, peaceable assembly and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Published August 29, 2017

Colin Kaepernick, the NFL and the NAACP

Some people are threatening to boycott televised NFL games because mixed-race quarterback Colin Kaepernick has yet to land on a team and he took a knee during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Published August 24, 2017

Dick Gregory and his legacy

Richard Claxton Gregory ran one hell of a marathon. A messenger of many messages, he began engaging the public square in the military and in Chicago as a stand-up comedian and never stopped traveling the globe to relay the constant themes of universal humanity and universal love until heart failure led him from this earth. Published August 23, 2017

Geography matters outside of class

Geography and its global cultural and political roles in the public square are taught in America's schoolhouses. However, the courses obviously have not been reaching all Americans. Published August 21, 2017

Stand up for children’s sake

As we spend considerable time tweeting, texting, yakking, emailing and debating America's most noticeable birth defect (and its statues and memorials), now is the time for all good women and men to renew discussions about solutions. Published August 17, 2017

Teaching history amid America’s history gap

America has an American history gap. The violence that erupted this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the push to rid America's landscapes of certain reminders of American history are not as bloodied as past clashes. Published August 15, 2017

Simone Askew marks a first at West Point

Simone Askew. Remember her name. She is the leader of the pack, so to speak, of the Class of 2021 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the first black woman to hold the position. Published August 14, 2017

Getting students safely to and from school is a top priority. The AAA School Safety Patrol Program helps ensure that kids can do that. Ushers lead kids across intersections. (AAA)

School safety patrols: Priority No. 1

When it comes to education, it should go without saying that teaching and learning are the top priorities inside schoolhouses. Getting students safely to and fro, then, is Priority No. 1. Published August 10, 2017

On Tuesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged keep in place automatic tax cuts triggered by the city’s recent financial success. “What we did was, we looked at what we needed and what we could invest in this year and in the whole financial plan and what those investments would turn into. And this is where we landed,” she said. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

D.C. should focus on public health, not public hospital

If your thing is having a ring-side seat for Round 2 of the Vincent Gray-Muriel Bowser battle royale, however, start making plans. Just make sure you and your pregnant significant other also have a Plan B. That's because the District has shut down obstetric services for 90 days at United Medical Center, the lone full-service hospital on the southeast end of the District. No deliveries and no neonatal care, which can place hardship on some mothers-to-be, especially those who had planned to have their bundles of joy there. Published August 9, 2017