Deborah Simmons

Jack Evans to get the boot for scratching his own back

The comeuppance for the incestuous nature of City Hall politics finally came calling Tuesday afternoon -- and aims to boot D.C. Council member Jack Evans out the door. Published December 3, 2019

Community service benefits young students and athletes

Young people like Mayce Wood and others who volunteer to do good for their communities' sake aren't so jaded. They don't just see a need; they feel the need. Sometimes, again too often, young people only do things merely because an adult tells them to do it. Published December 2, 2019

Thanksgiving postscript

As the turkey's roasting -- or frying, if that's your thing -- and the family's trying to keep young ones and grandfolks occupied with that old invention called television, there are behind-the-scenes fixins and people to be grateful for. Published November 28, 2019

Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump, meet Gladys Harrison of Nebraska

Republicans, Democrats, independents: Lend me your eyes and ears -- and if Michael Bloomberg and President Trump are paying attention, here's the American voter you both need to court. Her name is Gladys Harrison, and she lives in Omaha, Nebraska, where she runs a restaurant called Big Mama's Kitchen and Catering. Published November 25, 2019

Divisive Democrats in D.C. City Hall?

Leave it to a D.C. politician to pick up on the far left's scent. As if Ms. Pelosi had handed him a rod and staff, D.C. Council member David Grosso appears to be training for a run against the chairman of the council. Published November 21, 2019

‘Overhauling’ DCRA will not solve safety issues

Three months ago, I asked a simple question following a house fire that killed a 9-year-old boy: Who knew what all was going on inside the row house? Published November 18, 2019

Drug testing Ohio school kids

Now the opioid crisis is upon us, with folks old and young using what they know are deadly compounds. America's opioid epidemic is so out of control, antidotes such as naloxone are part of first responder and schoolhouses across the country. So, what's a schoolhouse of 550-plus eighth- and ninth-graders to do? Just say no? Published November 14, 2019

When the public strikes against the public

Some transit workers in Northern Virginia are jawing about their pay or lack thereof. Indeed, one bus driver told WRC-TV that he and his coworkers plan to strike later this week if they don't get a raise in pay that's comparable to the cost of living. Unfortunately, that action would mean that riders of Metrobus and the Fairfax Connector would be inconvenienced. What a bother for negotiators on both sides. Published November 11, 2019

Kamala Harris’ school-dazed proposal

Sen. Kamala Harris, the California Democrat who wants to occupy the Oval Office, has proposed building her own school-to-prison pipeline and she wants you to pay for it. Published November 7, 2019

Flagging the thin blue line

The crime-related headlines about Germantown, Maryland, could be a testament to those routinely published about for D.C. Yet the politician chiefly responsible for ensuring public safety in Germantown has decided to backhand law enforcers and effectively stifle their free speech. Published November 4, 2019

D.C. Council probes job training agency

When "Ruth Black" lost her job a few years back, she began staying in close contact with the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES). Now 58 years old, she's still in search of employment -- and she's at wit's end. Published October 31, 2019

Democrats’ education plans should focus on students

The truth is that Ms. Warren would have gained a measure of respect had she said "I'm here to stand with children," because it's children who deserve her time and attention and it's children who will, at some point, have to pay the salaries and benefits of future teachers, presidents and members of Congress. Published October 24, 2019

Why fake news is newsworthy

Fake news doesn't always spin on what politicians and their friends actually say. Often, it spins on what they don't want you to know. Published October 21, 2019

It’s un-American to tell China’s critics to ‘shoosh’

"Shoosh," as Big Mama would say. "This is 'Merica, and in 'Merica we have the right to free speech." We do, indeed, and that's why Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey is one of my heroes of the week for tweeting that we Americans, here and abroad, should support the protesters in Hong Kong demanding the basic human right to speak their minds. Published October 10, 2019

Dan Snyder’s Washington Redskins and the sad lessons to learn

If he plans to hold on to the Redskins as owner and continue to turn a profit, he must play his hand like a kicker who guides his foot to avoid the left post, the right post and the horizontal bar. Mr. Snyder should look at the franchise as a team and determine which sectors aren't winning and why. Published October 7, 2019

D.C. wants to run up public money on adequate dog shelters as if public well never runs dry

The idiots in City Hall are at it again, planning to spend the public's money as if they're Paris Hilton and drumming up other policies as if the public well will never run dry. Published October 3, 2019

D.C. overspends on bureaucracy, not student achievement

It's time for parents and other taxpayers to adopt the erstwhile financial control board's cardinal rule, because here's what happens when school funding doesn't follow students into their classrooms. The central bureaucracy sucks it up, and -- worse -- the educrats bleed the system and create a deficit. Published September 30, 2019

The Joker and Victor Hugo’s ‘L’Homme Qui Rit’

The Army is concerned about Joaquin Phoenix's "Joker," which is due to hit movie theaters next Friday, and the "disturbing and very specific chatter" online that was discovered recently. Published September 26, 2019

D.C. protesters: Climate change activists or glue sniffers?

The Super Glue Gang advocates climate change. They've decided that God can't make up his mind and that Mother Nature is confused. Published September 23, 2019

D.C. should stay a federal district as it was written in Constitution

Understand, the founders of the capital never intended for D.C. to be a state but a federal district to house the federal government. Yet, some advocates for statehood want to flip the script of the U.S. Constitution, and some quasi-supporters even want to grant the District's nonvoting House delegate full voting rights. Published September 19, 2019