2020
WINNER OF FIVE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS Washington Shuts Out Eagles Page 44
47 DAYS
Vol. 55, No. 48 • September 17 - 23, 2020
Little Relief in Sight as D.C. Joins Other Cities Facing VirusRelated Budget Crises By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia
5 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. (WI file photo)
As negotiations for a coronavirus stimulus bill remain at a standstill, millions of Americans continue to grow doubtful over the prospect of the federal government providing a lifeline. In a battle rooted in partisanship, the Republican-led Senate and the White House have turned a deaf ear to Democrats’ stimulus proposal that would include aid for states and municipalities, including the District of Columbia, and money for essential services like healthcare and unemployment benefits.
With less than 50 days left until one of the most consequential elections in the nation’s history, some public officials at the local and state level continue to make strides in ensuring that voters can vote easily and in a variety of ways, not only on Election Day, but in the days leading up to Nov. 3. For decades-long voter and District resident Lydia Curtis, not even mail-in ballots and the launch of a voter super center in
Capital One Arena, will suffice if she and other voters haven’t outlined the steps they’ll take to circumvent long waits at the polls that discouraged primary voters months earlier. “Everyone should have a voting plan. It’s very empowering. I learned that during the last election cycle and the one before that,” said Curtis, an activist who has been involved in voter mobilization efforts, particularly among the homeless population, for nearly five
ELECTI0NS Page 52
BUDGET Page 46
Fast-paced Plans for COVID-19 Vaccine Spark Concerns among Blacks
DCBOE, Voters Prepare for Upcoming General Election By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
Both sides had previously agreed to a second round of direct payments to Americans for roughly the same $1,200 per individual as determined in the earlier CARES Act. “It’s becoming plain that all Congress will do before the Nov. 3 election is pass legislation to avert a government shutdown,” the Associated Press noted. “The outcome of the election promises to have an outsized impact on what might be possible in a post-election lame-duck session, with Democrats sure to press for a better
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
5 The D.C. Board of Elections and Monumental Sports unveiled the Capital One Arena as an early voting location super center for District of Columbia residents. (Courtesy photo/nba.com)
For one notable contingent of Blacks, a recent polio outbreak in Sudan which the World Health Organization tied to an oral vaccine confirmed long-held apprehensions about the side effects of vaccines and what’s been criticized as an increasingly longer, profit-driven immunization schedule. Meanwhile, as members of the global medical community continue their efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, some local parents, like Najai Knox, have not only voiced fears about the dangers ahead for Blacks who participate in medical trials,
VACCINE Page 22
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