DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Did you enjoy your weekend?

South Draws U.S. Blacks “We can save, we can travel, and we can get out of debt,” she says of the lower taxes and cost of living in her new state. All this is slowly unwinding the so-called Great Migration, the 20th-century movement of blacks from the South to the growing industrial cities of the East Coast, Midwest and West…Since 2000, the South has had three quarters of the nation’s Black population growth…In 2009 the metro area with the largest share of college-educated blacks was Washington D.C., just ahead of San Jose, Calif., which had the largest share in 2000.” (Wall Street Journal)

Georgetown neighbors fighting new growth plan “…neighbors say the university has not done enough to control student behavior, especially late at night and on weekends. In the spring, some residents began decorating their front yards with signs reading, “Our Homes, Not GU’s Dorms.” That prompted a student blog, Vox Populi, to solicit student suggestions for their own signs. The most popular were, “Georgetown University, Raising Property Values Since 1789,” and “Complain to my landlord, not my school.” (The Washington Post)

DYRS home for wards of D.C. lacks records “D.C. officials say no records exist documenting inspections, escapes or unusual incidents at a Northwest Washington group home for troubled youth run by a politically connected nonprofit that has seen at least one teenager in its care accused of homicide and another brutally slain in the last year. “My understanding is the documentation is supposed to be there for Dupree House, but it is not,” former interim DYRS Director Robert Hildum told The Washington Times in November, before he resigned.” (Washington Times)

Because of Heller Decision, D.C. Man Will Appeal 1996 Gun Conviction “The decision would seem to be good news for any District resident who’s been convicted of carrying a pistol without a license, even if they pleaded guilty to it. As long as cops found the gun inside a home, and the occupant gave the impression that the weapon was for self-defense, things could be looking up. Magnus’ lawyer, Gaillard Hunt, says the National Rifle Association has lent support to Magnus, who, except for a similar gun possession conviction that’s being similarly appealed, hasn’t been in trouble with the law. Hunt says his client insists on keeping a gun around because in the 1990s, he was jarred by two events: His brother was murdered, and, in a separate incident, Magnus was carjacked.” (Washington City Paper)

Forcing the horses to drink “For decades, elected officials and advocates have decried the government’s so-called lousy treatment of residents east of the river, particularly in Ward 8. The recent record disputes their contention of disinterest and neglect. Despite its meager revenue stream, the District has nearly exceeded other states in the free or low-cost health services it provides to residents — many from Wards 5, 7 and 8…Last year, the city invested millions of dollars to shore up United Medical Center, the only hospital in Ward 8.” (Washington Examiner )

A better road to the vote: Retrocession, with a twist “Few disagree that it is unfair that 600,000 D.C. residents lack full representation in Congress. The time to address this is now, before the redistricting from the census becomes finalized in 2011. Doing so would also give President Obama and both parties in Congress a chance to show the American people that smart breakthroughs on long-deadlocked issues can still be achieved in today’s Washington.” (voices.washingtonpost.com)