DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Welcome back from your weekend.

More Young Americans Identify as Mixed Race “How many mixtures do you have?” one young man asked above the chatter of about 50 students. With her tan skin and curly brown hair, Ms. Wood’s ancestry could have spanned the globe. “I’m mixed with two things,” she said politely. “Are you mulatto?” asked Paul Skym, another student, using a word once tinged with shame that is enjoying a comeback in some young circles…The crop of students moving through college right now includes the largest group of mixed-race people ever to come of age in the United States…” (The New York Times)

Snowy chaos worsened by poor regional coordination, officials say “The massive gridlock caused by Wednesday’s snowstorm so alarmed government leaders across the Washington area that they say they will reevaluate plans for winter weather, evacuation and transportation. After commuters reported being stuck in their cars for hours – 13, in one woman’s case – elected officials in the city and suburbs said the storm’s crippling impact indicates that the region remains woefully unprepared not only for the next storm but also for any event that could require large numbers of people to be on the move at the same time.” (The Washington Post)

GW Says Students in Egypt Are Safe “There are currently 14 GW students in Egypt: two in Alexandria and 12 in Cairo. “We are in communication with our students and staff who are supporting their programs and have confirmed that they are safe,” the university said in a statement Sunday. “We are also in regular contact with their parents to be sure all parties have the most up-to-date information.” The school contacted the students via e-mail before the Internet was shut down, reminding them of precautions to take and advising them to avoid demonstrations. The students were also asked to stay in contact with both parents and administrators.” (NBC Washington)

Woman Says Metro Bus Driver Ordered Passengers Off During Storm “Another Metro bus driver took pity on the passengers, and took them to the Wheaton Metro station, which, — by then — was closed. The small group eventually stumbled onto an all-night donut shop. After a 90-minute wait, Mrs. Moss managed to get a cab; she returned home at 3:00 a.m. — eleven-and-a-half hours after her journey began. Reminded that Metro had ordered drivers to end service by 9:30 p.m., Maria Moss shook her head. “There were people on the bus,” she replied. How can you put someone out in the snow with nowhere to go? How can you do that?” (myfoxdc.com)

D.C. go-go bounces back “This wasn’t “Bustin’ Loose.” This was a whole new kind of go-go rapture. It’s been over three decades since Brown minted go-go as Washington’s official dance music. And while the genre never found the national audience it deserved, it finally has its own generation gap. Old-school go-go fans have dismissed bounce beat as discordant, chaotic, defiantly slow and nightmarishly loud. They’re right. And that’s exactly what makes it some of the most thrilling live music you could ever hope to experience.” (The Washington Post)

Report: Former D.C. parks director lied about residency, hired friend “A former interim director of the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation hired a close friend while living rent-free in the friend’s basement in the city, then claimed D.C. as her home when she was actually a Virginia resident. Those findings by the D.C. inspector general in a recent report serves as late vindication for the D.C. Council, which voted Ximena Hartsock out of office in October 2009. At the time, several council members said they believed she was breaking the law…She “appeared to simply be flouting the law,” then-council Chairman Vince Gray (said)…” (Washington Examiner )