Deborah Simmons

SIMMONS: Women set themselves apart in D.C. mayor’s race

If you're interested in reading tit-for-tat rhetoric being spewed in the "war on women," this isn't the column for you today. Published February 10, 2014

SIMMONS: Time for D.C. libraries to start a new chapter

Virginia Spatz is a lover of mystery, an independent journalist and a lifelong lover of books and learning, explaining why she lives in her Capitol Hill public library — plus the Wi-Fi is free. The past few days she's been like a "junkie who can't get a fix," Ms. Spatz said, because the library has been closed with system problems. Published February 6, 2014

SIMMONS: Norton playing politics in debate on school choice

There's a tug of war taking place in the nation's capital, and school-choice advocates should push forward with all deliberate speed. Published February 3, 2014

SIMMONS: Heroin Happy Meals point to larger problem

A few weeks ago, on Jan. 8 to be precise, the governor of Vermont used his State of the State address to underscore a problem many of us do not think about: heroin addiction. Published January 30, 2014

SIMMONS: Williams was D.C.’s ‘first mother,’ and she will be missed

She was a wife, mother of eight, grandmother and great-grandmother. Published January 27, 2014

SIMMONS: Indicted McDonnells likely to pay price for elegant tastes

Maureen McDonnell made a heck of a fashion splash in that 14-count federal indictment filed Monday in Virginia. Published January 22, 2014

SIMMONS: Streets named for MLK mark line of urban despair

In neighborhoods across America, MLK represents a line of demarcation — much like the Mason-Dixon line, a Colonial-era demarcation that also came to distinguish Dixie from Northeastern abolition-favoring states. Published January 19, 2014

SIMMONS: Capitol Hill councilman Wells wants to be mayor, too

If you live, work or play on Capitol Hill, or perhaps own a business there, start paying close attention. Published January 15, 2014

$D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's campaign has collected more than 8,200 signatures to get his name on the April ballot, but that is a fraction of what he will need to prove himself worthy of re-election. (andrew s. geraci/the Washington Times)$

SIMMONS: Catania could be the one causing Gray ‘great pain’

In his campaign kickoff speech on Saturday, Vincent C. Gray offered an apology for the "great pain" caused by his 2010 mayoral run, which remains under federal investigation because of "shadow campaign" activities. Published January 12, 2014

SIMMONS: Gray ready to spike the ball, but has yet to score

Now that the Washington Redskins have taken the mystery out of who will be driving the bus for the next few years, D.C. stakeholders get to read and hear why Vincent Gray thinks voters should give him another shot. Not that he's done anything particularly extraordinary. Published January 10, 2014

SIMMONS: We’ve become a society of wusses

There was a time. There was a time when even to a man, an open-handed slap on the rump following a remarkable run on the gridiron was an A-OK, asexual gesture. Published January 8, 2014

D.C. area offers unique displays for Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the basilica, every creature was stirring in God's blessed house. Published December 24, 2013

SIMMONS: The D.C. tax Grinches will come a-calling in ‘14

If you've been busy this holiday season pricking your fingers on holly bushes and closing your company's books on 2013, this news is for you — and it's good and bad. Published December 22, 2013

SIMMONS: A season to be jolly all around the world

It's not a most wonderful time of the year for all Americans, as 1.3 million face a loss of unemployment benefits if Congress doesn't act by Dec. 28. Published December 18, 2013

SIMMONS: A little girl’s life shows scars of domestic violence

Kodi is one of our littlest victims of domestic violence, only 23 months old when she witnessed her dad mortally wound her mom on a bus. At such a young age, she doesn't remember everything, which is a blessing in and of itself. Published December 15, 2013

SIMMONS: Pictures of Obama and ‘Dane’ lady don’t lie

Big Mama didn't much care for the pictures of President Obama and the Danish prime minister horsing around taking pictures at Tuesday's memorial service in Johannesburg for Nelson Mandela. Published December 11, 2013

SIMMONS: Mandela: May the man of many roles rest in peace

Nelson Mandela was a lot of things to a lot of people — the father of South African democracy; a son, brother and Christian. He also was a visionary and an anxious man. Published December 8, 2013

SIMMONS: Obama visits Southeast D.C. with minimum wage on his mind

President Obama was definitely in the right spot when he stood practically smack dab in the middle of Southeast in Ward 8 in the nation's capital, and chatted up the economic disparities many Americans are facing. Published December 4, 2013

SIMMONS: Mayor Gray has only himself to outrun in campaign

After studying the tea leaves, Vincent C. Gray has decided to make another run in the race for mayor of the nation's capital. Published December 3, 2013

SIMMONS: Jack Kent Cooke’s legacy continues to produce winners

The lives of young scholars have intersected with a lasting legacy of Jack Kent Cooke, the late Redskins owner whose foundation rewards high-achievers who are not only academically worthy and in need of financial help, but also promising self-driven entrepreneurs, artists and career-focused individuals. Published December 1, 2013