Free Republic

Fix the schools. That appeal has become the self-serving mantra of the anti-ballpark brigade in the city. The purpose is to disarm those who embrace the vision of a publicly funded ballpark along the Anacostia River waterfront in Southeast.

Tracy Tucker considers herself one of the lucky ones. Her children, Nicholas and Noelle, are enrolled in Community Academy Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., which provides its students with a quality education. But when she looks across the street, she sees a neighbor who has tried time and again to rescue her daughter from the public-school system, only to be disappointed by long lines and waiting lists. As Tracy says, "I believe all mothers deserve to control where their children go to school." In the next few days, Congress will determine whether or not hundreds of D.C. parents get...

In his recent bestseller, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell describes the magic moment when an idea, product, or trend achieves mainstream status. Cell phones, for example, "tipped" in 1998. Cellular technology and sales improved steadily throughout the 1990s, but it wasn't until 1998 that people realized the phones were everywhere. News from the nation's capital suggests 2003 could be the "tipping point" for school choice. If that's the case, events in the District of Columbia may impact Arizona politics. Anthony Williams — the Democratic mayor of a city where Republicans are outnumbered nine to one — recently bucked party loyalties...

(CNSNews.com) - A homosexual motorcycle club expects thousands of leather fetish enthusiasts and dozens of erotic merchandise vendors to fill the streets and hotels of the nation's capital over the upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. But City Hall and one animal rights group are at odds over the social merits of the Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend. According to Mike Dembski, spokesman for the Centaur Motorcycle Club (MC), "The office of the mayor and the D.C. City Council routinely present Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) Weekend organizers with a city-wide declaration honoring and recognizing Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend for its commitment in...

DC Mayor Williams Accused of Using City Dollars to Help Write-In Campaign Washington, DC… CapitolGrilling.com today accused District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams's administration of suspect use of taxpayer dollars to bolster the incumbent's write-in candidacy for mayor in the Democratic primary on September 10th. "I've lived in Washington, DC for five years and have never received any material, by mail or otherwise except at the polling place on election day, that instructs the voter how to cast a ballot," said Guru, co-founder of CapitolGrilling.com. "Even more astounding was the section in this expensive direct mail piece instructing the voter...

<p>The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics unanimously decided last night not to allow Mayor Anthony A. Williams' name to appear on the ballot for the Sept. 10 Democratic primary, citing numerous forgeries among the signatures on his nominating petitions.</p>

People often ask for an easy description of the District of Columbia, that area of converted swampland that serves as the capital of the United States. At its best, DC is a microcosm of all that can go wrong in a city where racism rules and political corruption is the norm. At worst, DC is a pathetic third-world country stuck right here in the good old USA. Case in point: A decision this week by the DC Boxing Commission to allow a convicted felon and known thug named Mike Tyson to stage one of his mayhem-filled boxing fiascos in...