Ranked-Choice Voting and Open Primaries Discussed as

Constitutional Matters

D.C. Board of Elections Has Yet to Approve ‘Make All Votes Count’ Ballot Initiative

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

When it comes to ranked-choice voting (RCV) and open primaries, those on opposing sides of these polarizing issues base their reasoning on what they call a high regard for democratic values.

In the midst of D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE) deliberations about an RCV/open primaries ballot initiative, there have been questions about how the District's Home Rule Charter interprets partisan elections and whether RCV/open primaries would incur an additional cost to

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Roots Public Charter Founder to Soon Retire Dr. Bernida L. Thompson, Others Explore Legacy of the African-Centered Public Charter School

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

For more than 50 years, Dr. Bernida L. Thompson, with the help of several conscientious mamas and babas, has provided an African-centered education for hundreds of Black children who’ve walked through the halls of Roots Activity Learning Center and Roots Public Charter School, both located in Northwest.

As she gears up for her retirement and emeritus status, Thompson, who goes by Mama Bernida, remains steadfast in her assertion that Black children in the District benefit from an ed ucational model that promotes the greatness of their African culture and heritage, immerses them in a fami ly-oriented environment, and expos es them to academically enriching material.

In making her point, Mama Ber nida points to what she describes

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4 Dr. Bernida L. Thompson, founder and soon to be principal emeritus of Roots Public Charter School and Roots Activity Learning Center (Courtesy Photo)

D.C. Sues Makers of ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Joining Nationwide Litigation Surge

By Kayla Benjamin WI Climate & Environment Reporter

The D.C. attorney general sued more than 20 companies over allegations of toxic contamination July 18, joining more than half of U.S. states in an effort to hold the producers of ‘forever chemicals’ accountable for widespread pollution issues.

The complaint filed by Attorney General Brian Schwalb alleges that 3M, DuPont and other major chemical companies produced and sold a fire-fighting foam that contains chemicals they knew could cause health harms.

Tests have found measurable traces of those man-made chemicals—commonly

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