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Deborah Simmons

dsimmons@washingtontimes.com

Deborah Simmons was a senior correspondent who reported on City Hall and wrote about education, culture, sports and family-related topics.

Articles by Deborah Simmons

** FILE ** D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray speaks in Washington early on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010. Voters in the nation's capital chose Mr. Gray as the Democratic mayoral candidate over current Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, a backer of education reform who some said had become out of touch with his constituency. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Rhee’s status still unclear after meeting with Gray

D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray, widely expected to be the city's next mayor, and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee emerged Thursday from their first private meeting since the Sept. 14 primaries with her employment status likely still up in the air.

September 23, 2010
The new Howard Theatre, now a neglected shell of its former glory, is slated to reopen in November 2011 as part of continuing revitalization efforts to the U Street corridor - one of Washington's liveliest entertainment sections. (The Washington Times)

Howard Theater restoration part of national trend

Communities across America are spending taxpayers' money when it comes to building new performing arts venues or restoring historic old ones, and D.C. residents are proving no exception.

September 21, 2010
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee

Full slate of education issues on tap in D.C.

The fate of D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee dominated last week's post-mayoral primary debate, but her position isn't the only issue facing city and school officials as voters head back to the polls in November.

September 20, 2010
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray, presumed to be the next mayor, makes a victory speech Wednesday surrounded by members of his family, including daughter Jonice Gray Tucker. He reiterated that jobs and school reform were his priorities.

D.C. unions will welcome Gray

Top union leaders said Wednesday that D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty fell victim to his own politics and policies, and they are looking forward to working with Tuesday's Democratic primary winner Vincent C. Gray, who made a lot of promises on the campaign trail regarding jobs and school reforms.

September 15, 2010

D.C. Mayor Fenty loses to Gray in Democratic primary

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty fell to challenger Vincent Gray in a grueling Democratic primary that left candidates and voters waiting until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday before definitive unofficial results were announced.

September 15, 2010

Delays occur in results for D.C. primary races

Logistical delays pushed a decision on the D.C. mayoral primary late into the night Tuesday, with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and challenger Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray still awaiting the first announcement of votes more than 2 1/2 hours after the polls closed.

September 14, 2010
Vincent C. Gray (left) and Adrian M. Fenty (Associated Press)

D.C. mayoral campaigns target racial divide

Rivals Adrian M. Fenty and Vincent C. Gray haven't agreed on much in the months leading up to Tuesday's D.C. mayoral showdown, but last-ditch get-out-the-vote efforts of both campaigns underscore their common task ahead of the vote: Close the racial divide.

September 12, 2010

SIMMONS: Haynesworth lesson in not playing nice

Are you ready for some football? Whether your answer is no or in the affirmative, a professional athlete is offering a perfect learning tool for parents whose children play team sports.

September 9, 2010
Fenty

Fenty puts out feeler to Obama

Mayor Adrian Fenty wants an endorsement from the other chief executive in town, President Barack Obama.

September 8, 2010
Vincent C. Gray (left) and Adrian M. Fenty (Associated Press)

D.C. mayor race defined by race

The three leading candidates seeking the Democratic Party nod to be the next mayor of Washington are black, yet the issue of race and racial divisions remains an inescapable theme in the campaign as voters prepare for Tuesday's primaries.

September 7, 2010
Fenty

Fenty, Gray talk unemployment

Jobs. The one-syllable word remains a central theme in D.C. elections, where two Democrats, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray, are vying to remain employed as the employment situation for other residents remains grim.

September 5, 2010

Groundbreaking begins Howard Theatre’s second act

Entertainer and philanthropist Bill Cosby says the Howard Theatre is a gem "in our community's crown," and on Thursday, D.C. officials and well-wishers held a groundbreaking ceremony to restore that jewel of a historic playhouse.

September 2, 2010

Fenty vows to listen; Gray mum on if Rhee will stay

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on Wednesday apologized for his aloof management style, vowing to do better by the city's residents as he tried to use the latest one-on-one debate to cut into the considerable polling lead that D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray is riding into the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.

September 1, 2010
**FILE** D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty

Fenty ally dismisses fund probe as politics

A staunch ally of D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty defended the activities of his anti-violence group Peaceoholics and its receipt of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds, dismissing a probe by the Office of the D.C. Auditor as an electoral ploy.

August 31, 2010
**FILE** D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (The Washington Times)

Early voting in D.C. stirs fear over ballot security

As D.C. voters withstood 90-plus-degree temperatures on Monday to be the first in line to cast ballots in the contentious contest for D.C. mayor, some voters are concerned about the scope of election-law changes made this year and the possibility of tampering.

August 30, 2010