Deborah Simmons

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Paris attacks, Black Lives Matter prove the cultural revolution is upon us

For the revolution is not only being televised, it's being Facebooked, YouTubed, Instagrammed and tweeted, too. Published November 16, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Transgender-only VA clinic segregates veterans’ health care

The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center made distinct headlines this week when its transgender-only clinic opened. You read that correctly: transgender-only. Published November 12, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: University of Missouri is no Ferguson or Baltimore — for now

It was the money, honey. Published November 9, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: What’s the return on investment in D.C.-China ties?

This weekend, while many of us will be glued to a TV or mobile device for college football or tending to a "honey-do" list as fall settles in, 40 inside-the-Beltway leaders are heading to China. Published November 5, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Pray and pray alike? Just not in public schools?

Should Satanists be permitted to pray on public school grounds while others are subjected to religious persecution? That is the question. Published October 29, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: D.C. raises test bar, sets students up to fail

Teach students what they need to know, because what they need to know will be on a test, and it might help them get a job down the road. D.C. and Maryland officials released the results Tuesday of the new standardized test that is tied to the Common Core standards, and they said the low scores are a reality check. Published October 27, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Obama, Hillary, unions reset Jimmy Carter’s education ‘partner’ policy

Hillary Rodham Clinton likes the Obama administration's new recommendation to put the brakes on the amount of time students spend taking tests during a school year. The president has even put a cap on his proposal -- 2 percent of classroom time. Published October 26, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Michael Bloomberg aims anti-gun barrel at Virginia elections

Voters and other residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia have much to ponder this year ahead of 2016's presidential election. Published October 23, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Fresh big-money PAC and Vincent Gray on the move

There's a new group of movers and shakers in town, and they call themselves FreshPAC. They are pro-Muriel Bowser and plan to raise $1 million by year's end to back the mayor's agenda. They are a third of the way to their fund-raising goal. Published October 19, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: The lid is coming off in Baltimore

Brace yourselves. Baltimore is a pressure cooker, and its lid is ready to blow off. Thank goodness the Baltimore Ravens will take on the Browns in Cleveland on Nov. 30, the day the first of six police officers goes on trial in the death of Freddie Gray. Charm City doesn't need to repeat what happened with the Orioles, who had to lock themselves in and shut the public out of a game because violence and mayhem had erupted. Published October 15, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Thank you, Chris Christie, for your D.C. statehood insight

So, Chris Christie hasn't given much thought to D.C. statehood. Published October 12, 2015

Water-soaked South Carolinians need your help

Hurricane Joaquin is long gone, but hard-hit South Carolinians are bracing for more rain and evacuations while still in post-flooding mode. Published October 9, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Are we ready for 6,000 prisoners to return home by Nov. 2?

Most of those 6,000 men and women who are in federal prisons will be sent to halfway houses and other such institutions. But not all of them are "returning citizens." A heads-up to folks who live in a sanctuary city: About one-third of them are noncitizens facing deportation, something else that has made some people nervous Nellies. Published October 8, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: D.C.’s fire-ambulance crisis is a life-and-death matter

'Both our people and equipment are overwhelmed on a daily basis." Published October 5, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Is D.C. using or abusing eminent domain?

It's official: D.C. is exercising or abusing eminent domain in the name of the "public good." The latest "good" deed is on behalf of D.C. United, the Major League Soccer team that grew green with envy after baseball returned to the nation's capital. Published October 1, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Community policing taking turns for worse

Is community policing what we think it is supposed to be? Published September 28, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Family matters: A global snapshot inspired by Pope Francis

Pope Francis is laying a lot on us during his visit to the United States, and he's not yet done. His remarks in New York at the United Nations shouldn't be cast aside, and we should pay attention to what he espouses as a way forward in Philadelphia at the World Meeting of Families. Published September 24, 2015

Obama-Pope Francis event a cultural, political who’s who

There were more than 15,000 ticketed guests at Wednesday morning's gathering for Pope Francis on the South Lawn of the White House. Published September 23, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: Pope Francis, official Washington and the rest of us

We've been told to mind our P's and Q's while Pope Francis is here -- no fist bumps or handshakes, please and thank you -- and to wear our patience on our sleeves, because it's anticipated there will be massive vehicular tie-ups and foot traffic from Tuesday, when he arrives at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, until he departs Philadelphia for Rome on Sunday. Published September 21, 2015

DEBORAH SIMMONS: The new D.C. sports arena and the Marion Barry factor

Alphonzo Walker and Eric Clark among the 14.1 percent who are unemployed in Ward 8 according to June statistics, live in Congress Heights, and don't see anything positive or substantial about the $55 million sports and entertainment proposal that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and NBA mogul Ted Leonsis announced this week. Published September 17, 2015