Articles by Deborah Simmons
Teachers are being urged first to give instructions and lessons to those students who are virtual, and then repeat themselves for in-school kids. It's fairly clear who benefits from that academic deal.
Published
February 22, 2021
Shares
Forget, momentarily, that Joe Biden is president; Nancy Pelosi is the speaker of the House of Representatives, which controls the nation's purse strings; Chuck Schumer of New York rules the Senate roost; and a relatively unknown union leader oversees the federal Department of Education.
Published
February 18, 2021
Shares
The global music scene ain't what it used to be. Indeed, if DJ D-Nice hadn't taken to online music airwaves from his kitchen in March as the world shut down clubs, bars and concerts because of COVID-19, we all would have been deprived of one of the few things that unite us.
Published
February 15, 2021
Shares
To lean in on the words of Donald John Trump, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is a "swamp" creature, a member of the silent generation who's waded in Washington waters since 1973.
Published
January 18, 2021
Shares
A lot depends on what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer do in the next few weeks and months. All four will be trying to placate young people, who have been moved to protest for the past couple of years and allowed to skip school in the name of free speech and civics lessons.
Published
January 14, 2021
Shares
Martin Luther King Jr. Day won't be the same next week, neither will Inauguration Day two days later on Jan. 20.
Published
January 11, 2021
Shares
Having been duly sworn in on Jan. 2, the new D.C. Council should be preparing to wrestle with the No. 1 and No. 2 issues facing the nation's capital: spending and the pandemic.
Published
January 4, 2021
Shares
It's time to refocus on what really and truly matters -- unity -- especially as we turn the bend to 2021.
Published
December 31, 2020
Shares
There's something not quite right with the Dwayne Haskins Jr. backstory. The bio for the former "starting" quarterback for the Washington Football Team never seemed, well, to square with his pre-2019 NFL draft story.
Published
December 28, 2020
Shares
If you or someone you care about lives in or around Baltimore, beware. Some COVID-19 test sites are rip-offs.
Published
December 21, 2020
Shares
You know what no tickets will be allocated for Inauguration Day means for the D.C. region in general and its Metro system in particular: A day off is likely, and losses in revenue are certain. So now the burning question: Does the buck stop at Joe Biden's desk, with Congress or the ambitious Pete Buttigieg, the boy wonder slated to hold the reins of the Department of Transportation?
Published
December 17, 2020
Shares
Mass transit systems from coast to coast are drumming the same tune: They need a congressional bailout and they need it now.
Published
December 7, 2020
Shares
It's not easy being the mayor of the nation's capital.
Published
December 3, 2020
Shares
Some kids are so fearful they're even writing letters to you about the germ and how they want the germ to go away.
Published
November 30, 2020
Shares
Well, Peter Newsham is on his way out the door as chief of the D.C. police. He plans to leave after Inauguration Day events. His departure is not the end of the world, but it does beg a pertinent question: What, precisely, is the role of a police chief?
Published
November 26, 2020
Shares
Faith, family, village, food and football -- all stirred with loving and giving hands -- and never, ever argue when preparing and cooking food. In other words, ignore the acid and criticism on reality TV and social media, temptations that can lead to "acidic" food, which, in turn, can bring on acute indigestion. Stick to the basics.
Published
November 23, 2020
Shares
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has been juggling budgets since the pandemic hit. However, what he has yet to do is hold a press conference to announce how much money the city has spent so far battling COVID-19.
Published
November 19, 2020
Shares
As the husband of an educator who stayed home with their children when they were young, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden likely appreciates the similarities of teaching and learning.
Published
November 12, 2020
Shares
The complete list of winners and losers from the Nov. 3 elections is lengthy. The District of Columbia, though, is a unique fishbowl. Not only because it is the nation's capital, but because its hybrid status allows RINOs, DINOs, Libbies, Greenies and Shadows to game the democratic system. Women candidates latched on and, if Tuesday's elections results run the current course, will control the political, cultural and socio-economic strings.
Published
November 4, 2020
Shares
Tuesday's the day. Election Day. And the day after, if you live in the nation's capital or around the Beltway, all eyes and ears will be focused on election results after what happened on Election Day 2016, when The Donald beat Hillary.
Published
November 2, 2020
Shares