One by one, the men and women took the microphone and spoke out about their plight. The District government has sharply cut back on emergency rental assistance. It has temporarily restricted which residents qualify for the assistance, as a result, many of them are facing the threat of eviction.

“I’m here because I’m facing eviction,” said Melvine Perkins, of D.C. “I have been at the door, knocking, knocking, knocking, knocking for help, and I can’t get any help, and I’m facing eviction 鈥� and I have been in this ERAP abyss of fighting to get help while I’m looking for a job.”

The renters were brought together by a community organizing group called Empower D.C., whose staff is helping train the renters to testify on Friday, Nov. 15 to the D.C. Council, in a hearing on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

“ERAP, I applied for it, I was approved, and my landlord sent all the paperwork, and they said they never got it, so they denied me, and now I’m so far behind my rent, it’s hard for me to catch up,” said Keith Holder, a D.C. resident. “I do have two job interviews for next week, but once I get the job, I’m still going to owe back rent.”

Holder said he’s afraid that he’ll come home one day to find his furniture out on the street.

On Saturday, more than 50 renters, stepping up to the auditorium microphone and looking out over an audience, had the chance to try out the remarks they’re expected to deliver Friday at D.C. Council chambers.

“There’s a huge need for rental assistance, and one of the biggest issues is that the budget was cut and there’s not enough 鈥� Rental assistance is a stopgap to prevent homelessness,” said Farrah Fosse, community development director at Empower D.C.

Friday’s council hearing will discuss whether to make a temporary law permanent that changes how applicants receive assistance and removes protections that prevented evictions.

The temporary law changed the requirements to apply for assistance. Applicants need to provide documents or explain the emergency in writing. To qualify, the emergency needs to be something unexpected, whereas before it could be a situation the renter knew was coming and documentation wasn’t required.

That law also made changes around when evictions are allowed. Now, an eviction can move forward even if a renter has applied for assistance and is waiting for the application to process. A judge may grant one “stay” in the eviction case but is not required to.

Landlords can schedule evictions unless the resident has been approved for assistance that would cover unpaid rent.

Under the previous law, pending assistance applications would prevent landlords from evicting residents and eviction cases in court would also be on hold.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program was funded at $63 million last year, but an emergency bill cut the funding to $27 million this year. That means fewer residents will receive assistance.

Fosse wants the bill amended to make improvements to the emergency rental assistance program.

“What we want is for them to at least fix up this legislation 鈥� they can fix up the court process 鈥� the court process could be more efficient, and part of what they could do is have better timelines on the ERAP process 鈥� they could encourage landlords to submit their paperwork on time,” said Fosse. “They could encourage Department of Human Services to process claims faster. So there’s a lot that could be done outside of just penalizing tenants.”

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In D.C., where Democrats dominate and Republicans are hardly heard from in citywide results, elections tend to be won or lost in the primary 鈥� months ahead of the November election.

Lisa Rice, a D.C. resident and the lead supporter of the initiative, was motivated by her frustration as an independent voter who was shut out of primary elections.

“There are 75,000 of us who will be enfranchised and we will be able to vote in the election of consequence here in D.C. 鈥� We’re going to have politicians working harder for the people, by letting independents vote in primary elections,” said Rice.

While Arlington County continues with its pilot program of ranked choice voting, Initiative 83 will bring the same procedure to D.C.

“You vote for your favorite candidate and then you rank your backed up choices. If your favorite doesn’t win, your vote simply moves to your next choice until a candidate wins with 50%,” said Rice.

鈥淚鈥檒l be voting 鈥榥o鈥� on the initiative,鈥� D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a high-profile critic of the idea, said last month.

She called ranked choice voting 鈥渁 very complicated election system.鈥�

鈥淚 am totally against ranked choice voting,鈥� Bowser said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that our very good experience with elections suggests that we need to make any change.鈥�

Rice said she thinks the system is 鈥渄ifferent,鈥� rather than 鈥渃omplicated.鈥�

鈥淰oters like it and voters get used to it,鈥� Rice said.

The measure has been approved by the voters, next it must be funded by the D.C. Council.

“Before the end of the year, it will be before them. We really are excited about that and we look forward to being part of the discussions about the budget process. 鈥� Our hope is this will be implemented in time for the 2026 election cycle 鈥� the June primary,” said Rice.

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D.C. Police have released on a gay man two weeks ago.

Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro, 22, was beaten up by a group of people inside the U Street McDonald’s location on Oct. 27 around 1 a.m.

He had stopped by the fast food restaurant to get a quick bite after a night out at bars nearby, but decided to leave because of the long lines. As he headed toward the door, a young woman screamed at him, allegedly saying that, 鈥淗e needed to watch where the f鈥� he was going, and to say, 鈥榚xcuse me,鈥欌�� his husband, Stuart West, told 草莓传媒 last week.

Police are investigating the assault as potentially being motivated by hate or bias.

The police incident report says Lascarro was attacked following an argument, and indicates the attackers used a gay slur against him while assaulting him with their hands, fists and feet.

While Lascarro was on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, he tried to FaceTime call his husband and accidentally filmed a clip of trash and drinks being dumped on him.

Lascarro received non-life-threatening injuries in the attack and is set to make a full recovery.

The Metropolitan Police Department is asking for the public’s helping in finding those involved in the attack. Police are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved.

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Sgt. Patrick Kepp is bouncing back from the tragedy in a big way.

Police said Kepp was intentionally struck by a driver who made a habit of provoking officers into a chase.

Raphael Mayorga, 23, of Frederick, Maryland, has since been charged with attempted first-degree murder for driving his speeding car into Kepp, who was laying stop sticks to deflate the driver’s tires when he was struck.

“I had told Chief (Marcus) Jones when he came to Shock Trauma, right away, maybe stubbornly, that I’d be back working. And I didn’t mean just working in an office and things like that. I wanted to be back on the road and back keeping the roadway safe, doing traffic safety, locking up drunk drivers, like I’ve done for my whole career, and it’s really important to me,” Kepp told 草莓传媒.

Following multiple surgeries at the University of Maryland聽Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore and rehabilitation at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Kepp returned to training recruits in DUI enforcement in June.

Later this month when the police department gears up its annual Holiday Task Force to detect impaired drivers, Kepp plans to resume his duties as one of its leaders of DUI enforcement.

“My next goal, that’s going to be very attainable, is to be back on the road at some point in the month of November, as we start our holiday alcohol task force 鈥� that are out there looking for drunk and drug impaired drivers every night. My goal is to be back for that and be out there working with them through the months of November, December and January,” said Kepp.

On top of his job with the Montgomery County Police Department, Kepp works as a line judge in Division 1 college football. Since coming back to the field, he’s on track to聽become the first official with prosthetic legs to officiate a Division 1 game.

“I’ve been traveling the last few weeks and been able to just work games in the replay booth and stay involved in the game,” said Kepp.

“No two games are the same. No two plays are the same. You have a front-row seat to the best game of that day 鈥� you have a team of officials that you’re with, outside the football field, that camaraderie that we have as a crew 鈥� you build a lot of bonds.”

While working from the booth above the field, Kepp’s said his goal is to get back on the playing field.

“I think I would have been there a little bit earlier this season, if we hadn’t had to work through some prosthetic issues that were just a little bit out of my control. That’s part of the whole process 鈥� but I fully anticipate that by next season 鈥� that I’ll be back on the football field,” said Kepp.

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The library, collaborating with the African American Music Association, chose to celebrate the exhibit opening with a dance party on the library’s top floor, saluting “Teenarama Dance Party” 鈥� a historic D.C. TV program.

“‘Teenarama’ was a teen television dance show that was created for Black teens here in Washington, D.C. during the 1960s when they were not allowed to dance on ‘The Milt Grant Show.’ ‘The Milt Grant show’ was where the white teenagers dance,” said Beverly Lindsay-Johnson, board member of the African American Music Association and the organizer of Sunday’s dance party at the library.

“If you weren’t on the show, you ran home every day and watched the show,” said Lindsay-Johnson.

Many of those who turned out Sunday for the library dance party were original dancers on “Teenarama.”

“I was on ‘Teenarama’ in 1963 鈥� for like 6 months 鈥� it was a phenomenal experience because we didn’t get a chance to see other Black kids on TV only once a week, but we got a chance to see them every day, Mondays through Fridays,” said Maxine Grant, of Southeast D.C., one of the show’s original teen dancers.

The show began on radio and moved to TV.

“They made the ‘Teenarama Radio Show’ into the ‘Teenarama Dance Party’ television show and it was on from 1963 to 1970,” said Lindsay-Johnson, who was also producer/director of the 2007 Emmy Award-winning documentary “Dance Party 鈥� The Teenarama Story.”

The white-casted “Milt Grant Show” aired on channel 5 WTTG TV. The “Teenarama Dance Party” aired on channel 14 WOOK TV.

The library dance party celebrated the legendary D.C. TV program, that presaged the nationally broadcast Soul Train a decade later. The “Teenarama” show, like the Green Book, existed during the period of segregation. , created by , is on display until March 2.

草莓传媒/Dick Uliano

草莓传媒/Dick Uliano

草莓传媒/Dick Uliano

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The point guard sported a University of Kentucky T-shirt as he told a gym full of people he’ll play for the Wildcats and head coach Mark Pope following his 2025 graduation.

“Honestly, just grateful that I get to play at the University of Kentucky 鈥� outside of basketball, the system being a fit and everything, Pope and his staff made me feel like the priority, like the only person they really wanted,” said Lewis in a briefing with reporters following his announcement.

Lewis spoke of his affinity for the Trinidad Recreation Center, the Northeast D.C. neighborhood gym where he developed his basketball skills.

“This is actually where I started my career. My first workout ever was on this court,” Lewis said. He particularly appreciated Coach Pope and his staff making multiple visits to the gym and neighborhood he loves.

“As much as they were here, they came to Trinidad, they came to the barbershop, those are two places that really mean a lot to me. I’ve had the same barber my whole life, lived here my whole life,” said Lewis.

Among those surrounding Lewis on the day he announced his decision were his parents, coaches, teammates and neighborhood friends.

“We’re super excited for him. He’s put the work in and it’s coming to fruition. It’s been a long journey but deserving end,” said Jarett Lewis, father of Acaden. “He’s extremely disciplined and extremely committed and he was willing to make the sacrifices to get to this point. This is the compilation of a lot of hard work.”

Just outside the door of the rec center, dads manned the grill, cooking up hot dogs and hamburgers for the hungry crowd of admirers.

“I’m very proud of him, this is my first year playing with him, I’m a freshman on his team, he’s been teaching me a lot and I’ve definitely seen his grind, he’s been working a lot,” said Jadah Washington, a freshman on the Sidwell Friends team.

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With the holidays just around the corner, the Red Cross is reminding everyone about the critical need for blood donations, and is even offering gift cards to donors.

There’s a need for all blood types, but especially type O blood and blood platelets. will get a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice, and donors will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of two $7,000 gift cards

The Red Cross said it hopes to maintain a stable supply of blood during the holidays, despite a disruption in blood collections during the recent hurricanes.

The Red Cross is the primary provider of lifesaving blood products to 60 hospitals in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

People interested in donating can download the American Red Cross blood donor app, available at , or call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767.

A blood donor card or driver’s license and two other forms of ID are required at check-in.

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Niti Srivastava, executive director of the Indian Cultural Association of Howard County, described the swastika as a sacred symbol of divinity that was misappropriated by Nazi Germany.

“There are about 1.8 billion people worldwide (who) believe that swastika is a holy symbol,” Srivastava said. “It is over 10,000 years old and it is a symbol of peace and well-being, and Diwali signifies the victory of knowledge over darkness.”

It’s not unusual to see the swastika during the holy festival Diwali, as Srivastava said: “You will see the symbol in every Hindu home.”

The symbol was predominantly a religious one until 20th century Nazis in Germany took the religious image and transformed it into a highly political antisemitic tool.

Given the infamy of the image, which can no longer be displayed in some countries and in the United States, Hindus have kept their sacred symbol in the shadows. Srivastava said there’s a desire to reclaim the symbol for its original purpose: peace and prosperity.

“For Hindus, this is a very meaningful and a very sacred symbol. And it’s not something that can be easily switched out with something else to replace it. It has a much deeper connection and it is a religious symbol,” she said.

Srivastava also said people should remember Hindus are also in the fight against racism and bigotry.

“Hindus have provided shelters to persecuted communities, including Jews, Parsis, Christians, Buddhists and others,” she said. “I hope when people see the sign, they realize that it is not the symbol of hatred and Hindus don’t intend to mean ill toward anybody. 鈥� It is a symbol of peace.”

On Saturday, practicing Hindus will continue their Diwali celebrations, heralding the start of a new year in the Hindu calendar on聽the biggest day of the five-day festival.听

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“Diwali is the biggest festival in India. It celebrates the victory of good over evil,” said Niti Srivastava, executive director of the Indian Cultural Association of Howard County.

The Diwali holiday in the northern states of India is, according to Srivastava, celebrated as the days “when Lord Rama returned to his kingdom 鈥� after defeating the Demon King Ravan.”

“For Hindus, it is of great significance. It’s the biggest festival in India, and there’s lots of firecrackers and sweets and gifts exchanged. 鈥� It is also time for new beginnings, celebrating life with your loved ones, and it’s the start of the Hindu year,” she said.

Thursday is the first day of the festival, known as Dhanteras.

“We start with cleaning the house, and then we decorate the house with clay lamps, with lights. Then we do puja. And so it’s like Christmas for us. Then we pray to 鈥� remove the obstacles and for prosperity and well-being of the family and loved ones and everybody around,” Srivastava said.

People typically buy gold or kitchen utensils to help bring good fortune inside their home.

The biggest day of the festival will be on Saturday, when people celebrate the beginning of a new year in the Hindu calendar.

“Day three is the main day of the festival, the biggest of them all, Diwali. It signifies the victory of good over evil, the triumph of light over darkness, which is the central theme of Diwali. And families, they gather around for Lakshmi Puja, a prayer to Goddess Lakshmi, followed by a feast, and then fireworks,” said Srivastava.

The in Bethesda, Maryland, is holding a Diwali celebration on Sunday, Nov. 3, from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and is partnering with the group Hindus for Human Rights. Tickets are free, but

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One self-acclaimed witch who wants to tell you your future is especially popular.

“I think of myself as a witch and, for me, it’s a lot of setting intentions,” said Skye Marinda, who is known in the D.C. area . “I like to cast spells based on those intentions.”

It almost goes without saying that witches relish Halloween.

“Halloween is what I wait for all year long,” said Marinda. “It’s the time when everybody is a little more open to getting 鈥� witchy.”

In the days before Halloween, Marinda is booked at parties doing tarot card readings. In her own time, she has already has taken part in a pre-Halloween ritual with other witches.

“We got together in a circle 鈥� calling in the different elements, like water, air, fire, earth. We cast a spell together for Halloween,” she said.

Marinda said she typically dresses in black, accented with crystal jewelry. While she forsakes wearing hats most of the year, she will occasionally wear the traditional, black-rimmed, pointed hat 鈥� most identifiable as a witches’ hat.

Whatever you’ve heard about witches (of the good or bad variety), Marinda insists the spells she casts are always aimed at self improvement 鈥� and never to curse another person.

“I don’t personally cast spells on people, because I think it’s not a good use of your energy,” she said. “It’s more about (helping) yourself out.”

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The White House said the president will unveil $147 million in EPA grants for the port, part of $3 billion in EPA Clean Ports grants for facilities in 27 states and territories.

The money will be used to buy zero-emissions cargo handling equipment, including trucks that carry shipping containers, also charging infrastructure and improvements to port electrical power.

The goal is to provide cleaner air for port workers and neighboring communities and counter the planet’s changing climate. U.S. ports are important assets in the nation’s supply chains and the Port of Baltimore is one of the busiest on the East Coast.

The money earmarked for the Port of Baltimore also includes nearly $2 million to help the port plan more emissions reductions in the future.

The president last visited Baltimore in April, following the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster, which killed six construction workers and temporarily closed the port to ship traffic.

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Early voting is underway in D.C., Maryland and Virginia in this historic presidential election cycle.

More than a million people have voted in early voting centers with high turnout even during the weekends.

Here is the early voting turnout so far:

Maryland

Virginia

In Montgomery County, Maryland, 69,712 voters have cast a ballot in-person so far, while 63,258 have done so in Prince George’s County.

“I think that Marylanders are excited and wanted to participate in this election,” Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis said, adding that at its current pace, 500,000 voters will cast an early ballot before Election Day.

What voters are saying

“I look at it as an obligation to vote. A lot of people sacrificed a lot of things for us to have this opportunity to vote,” Elizabeth Goodloe-Vaughn, of Riverdale, Maryland, said. She voted on Oct. 27, at the College Park Community Center, where a steady stream of voters filed in throughout the day.

Jared Lucero, 18, said he was glad to cast his first ballot in a presidential election.

“I’m pretty excited 鈥� I’m just glad that I’m here to vote and feel like I have a voice in the government,” Lucero said, encouraging other young people to vote, “I just say do it 鈥� I feel like there should be more young voices.”

Another first-time voter among those casting ballots in College Park was Luis Mendoza.

More Local Election 草莓传媒

• Virginia鈥檚 2024 election voter guide
• DC鈥檚 2024 election voter guide
• Maryland’s 2024 election voter guide
• Election 2024 on 草莓传媒聽

“I just became a citizen last year 鈥� It’s very exciting but it’s also a big responsibility, I think, because this is a very important election,” Mendoza said.

Maryland’s eight days of early voting will end on Halloween this year, while Virginia, which opened early voting Sept. 20, suspends early voting Nov. 2. D.C.’s early voting will run until Nov 3.

草莓传媒’s Kyle Cooper contributed to this report.听

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The D.C. Department of Transportation has added new red light cameras at South Capitol Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, Southern Avenue and Wheeler Road SE and Rhode Island Avenue and North Capitol Street NW.

The bring the number of cameras in the city trained on intersections to catch red light runners up to 50, according to a news release from the department.

The newest camera installations will issue warnings to drivers for 30 days. After that, the city will issue fines starting at $150 for drivers caught running a red light signal.

By far, the District’s 211 speed cameras make up the majority of automated traffic enforcement cameras in D.C.

As of Oct. 25, it uses for law enforcement 鈥� 140 cameras monitoring bus lane infractions, 33 stop sign cameras meant to catch drivers who don’t stop for three seconds, 25 school bus cameras and 10 cameras monitoring roads for truck restrictions.

The department said speed and red light cameras are installed in areas where the city is trying to reduce the number of injury-producing crashes.

Officials with the transportation department encourage drivers to for real-time notifications on any tickets received.

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Each wore a stylish hat, called a “Hat of Strength,” symbolizing their personal journey and newfound empowerment during Saturday’s event at the county’s police headquarters.

“This all started really because six brave women approached us at different times throughout the year,” said Mariela Leon, the Hispanic community liaison for Montgomery County.

The women were all “victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or rape,” according to Leon, and had reported the crime because they felt “afraid, alone.”

Leon, herself a childhood victim of sexual assault, recognized her own ability to speak out had played a central role in her healing. She felt compelled to provide a voice for other women survivors.

First six, then 40, then 90 women stepped forward to take part in the program of workshops called “Voces Importantes” 鈥� Important Voices 鈥� a message to the women that their stories mattered and they need not suffer alone.

The women took part in a monthlong program of workshops at the police training academy, designed to empower survivors of domestic violence.

“We’ve met every week in the month of October 鈥� did different workshops, just teaching about different things, from all the resources the county offers in the police department for victims of sexual assault, rape or domestic violence, but also talked about the financial aspect,” Leon said.

The workshops aimed to teach the survivors that “they have power, they have skills” and show them how to “start making your own income 鈥� because a lot of the reasons they stay in those relationships are because they’re not financially independent,” Leon added.

Therapists and counselors from the Department of Health and Human Services were present every week throughout the program to offer support.

Police explained that this particular outreach was aimed at victims reluctant to contact law enforcement, specifically in the Hispanic communities of Gaithersburg and in the southern part of the county.

“I’ve seen this kind of stuff before, and I’ve seen people who have been reticent to come to us because of their past experiences with law enforcement,” said Capt. Jordan Satinsky, director of the Montgomery County Police Department鈥檚 Community Engagement Division. “This was one of those workshops that really brought those people together,”

Satinsky is a former homicide investigator. He created and supervised the department’s sexual assault unit and also redeveloped the police department’s domestic violence unit.

“When I first started in ’99, domestic violence was one of the most responded to calls we had, and many of the things that we did in law enforcement and even our judicial system 鈥� it was looked at more as a family problem,” Satinsky said.

However, according to Satinsky, “that mantra started to change” over time.

“We’re here to help, and we really are open. We want to help. We’re not here to judge. We’re here to assist and get you the resources,” he said. “If you call the police and want our help, we’ll help. If it’s something that we can’t help you with, for whatever reason, we will get you to the right resources.”

At Saturday’s event, a jazz duet of tenor and alto saxophones blew cool tunes, alongside singing and dance performances.

“This program doesn’t end just in the month of October. We’re going to continue meeting, to figure out what they need based on that,” Leon said. “We’re going to be connecting with other partners to provide them with those resources as well.”

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