Deborah Simmons
Articles by Deborah Simmons
‘Modern Family,’ reverse microaggression
So, learned men and women, separately and/or together, find themselves at the forefront of something labeled "microaggression," and the current crop of millennials and college-age kids falls into the claptrap. Published June 27, 2016
D.C. Metro to cut 500 jobs
D.C.'s Metro is set to eliminate 500 jobs that no longer are "deemed critical" and positions considered "non-essential." Published June 27, 2016
Three strikes against Baltimore’s Marilyn Mosby
A third Baltimore Police officer charged in arrest and death of Freddie Gray has been acquitted of all charges, including murder, manslaughter and misconduct. The trial of the first officer, William Porter, ended in a deadlocked jury, and he will be retried. A second officer was acquitted in May. Three cases remain against three other officers. State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby has a lot of explaining to do, and whether her prosecutorial team wins or loses those remaining cases easily appears to be, at this juncture, of considerable consequence. Published June 23, 2016
Anacostia, D.C. poverty snapshots, poverty profiling
It's noontime, and the front porches and sidewalks of the shotgun houses and apartment buildings in the Uniontown area of Anacostia are dotted with people, residents perhaps. Published June 20, 2016
Alzheimer’s patients forget, we should remember
It is like a thief in the night, an unwelcome visitor whose entrance robs you of people you love, people who love you and, eventually, steals their lives. Published June 16, 2016
Whatever happened to conservatives, Republicans in D.C.?
Ever tried to kill ivy? It is an onerous vine if ever there were one. Published June 15, 2016
D.C. Democrats perpetuate election fraud in primary
Tuesday is Democratic primary day in the District of Columbia, and no surprises are expected. Published June 13, 2016
Westboro Baptist Church: ‘God sent the shooter’
Westboro Baptist Church has blasted its thoughts on the horrific bloodbath that occurred in the wee hours of Sunday morning at the Pulse club in Orlando, Florida: "God hates f**s. God sent the shooter. God hates murderer Omar Mateen. Omar Mateen and slain f**s are in hell. REPENT!" Published June 13, 2016
Mayte Lara Ibarra, ‘undocumented’ valedictorian, reminds immigration still an issue
It has been incredibly easy to live with your head in the sand regarding immigration. Hopefully, a girl who recently graduated from Crockett High School in Austin, Texas, has you shaking the sand from your eyes, nostrils and ears to get the full breadth of the immigration problem at hand. Published June 9, 2016
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Yvette Alexander talks D.C. welfare reform, future policies
Watch out, D.C. Welfare reform is heading for the table — if Yvette Alexander is re-elected to the D.C. Council. Published June 6, 2016
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Prince George’s County Public Schools report on school pedophile, porn falls short
Remember the news from a few months back of an adult elementary school "aide" filming kids engaging in sex acts with each other and him engaging in sex acts with them? Well, the remedy has come back to haunt Prince George's County Public Schools. Published June 2, 2016
DEBORAH SIMMONS: D.C. parking meters are curbside robberies
Drive, park in a garage and go about your merry way. Published June 1, 2016
DEBORAH SIMMONS: D.C. blows school modernization money: audit
Dates, digits and dollar signs are arguably the three most important items regarding building and/or modernizing public school facilities. Suffice it to say, elected and appointed D.C. officials blew it on all three fronts. Published May 31, 2016
DEBORAH SIMMONS: D.C. raises taxes on military, teachers, police, other retirees
The D.C. government giveth, the D.C. government taketh away. This being Memorial Day weekend and all, now is the time to put the D.C. government on notice: Raising taxes is not the way to honor our veterans and military retirees, and our school teachers and police deserve better. Published May 26, 2016
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Memorial Day holiday without leaving Capitol Hill: 5 things
Memorial Day. It's the special day when we honor our war dead, the men and the women who paid the ultimate sacrifice to make us whole and keep us whole. Published May 25, 2016
Obama post-White House house: The details on the $6.35 million mansion
By now you've probably heard that Barack and Michelle Obama plan to relocate from the White House to a home in the upper-upper scale Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood in northwest Washington. Published May 25, 2016
Obamas choose Kalorama for post-White House home?
Won't you be their neighbor? It won't be official unless Barack and Michelle Obama sign on the dotted lines, of course, but the National Journal is reporting that the haute Kalorama neighborhood north of Dupont Circle and adjacent to Rock Creek Park will be the Obamas' new house. Published May 24, 2016
DEBORAH SIMMONS: D.C. 2017 budget: Pork barrel politics fill safety net
Oink, Oink. There's plenty of fatback on the table, but barely a streak o' lean. Published May 23, 2016
DEBORAH SIMMONS: The D.C. safety net
Out of sight, out of mind. This is about the D.C. safety net. As best we know, little Relisha Rudd was last seen alive on March 1, 2014. She was seen in a surveillance videotape recorded in a hallway of the Holiday Inn Express off New York Ave. at the Northeast gateway to the city. Holding Relisha's hand is her suspected abductor, Kahlil Tatum, who later killed himself after her disappearance. No one reportedly has seen her since then. Published May 19, 2016
DEBORAH SIMMONS: Privatize D.C. Metro?
Many of you do not know and do not remember that public transit used to be privately owned and operated. Published May 18, 2016