City Cast DC

Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post reporter who co-reported on D.C. truancy and policy, and Robert Samuels, Washington Post reporter focused on education and crime, discuss rising truancy and youth disorder in D.C. They trace trends before and after COVID. They examine data gaps, why kids skip school, after-school program effects, enforcement vs services, and policy moves to reroute truancy reports.

Here in DC the nice spring weather is right around the corner. And you know what else is right around the corner in DC? Delaware. You may not think it, but this tiny state offers some of the best hidden gems for a charming getaway. Tim Ebner’s here with your guide to the best Delaware trips for around $150.  Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.  Learn more about the sponsors of this March 17th episode: Folger Shakespeare Library DC Environmental Film Festival Nace Law Group Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

More than almost any local industry, dining is reliant on a workforce that doesn’t always have legal status to work. Which means that the recent hints of a new round of federal enforcement could have a big impact not just on the affected employees, but also on the businesses themselves, and on the universe of people who enjoy our city’s dining scene. Tim Carman of the Washington Post has been following the news and is here to explain what it means for the workforce, the restaurants — and you. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 16th episode: Folger Shakespeare Library DC Environmental Film Festival Nace Law Group Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Mike Schaffer, co-host and executive editor at CityCast DC who covers D.C. politics and policing, joins the conversation. He breaks down new rules to release bodycam footage and log federal officers. He explains how federal tactics clash with local training and why that strains trust. He also touches on the politics around emergency legislation and how Washingtonians are responding.

Axios’ Cuneyt Dil is here to talk about the fallout from the newly released video of DC cops helping DOGE guys take over the US Institute of Peace, congestion pricing in DC, and mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie’s quiet start. And in a member-only fourth segment, an interview with the reporter behind a scoop on the latest federal presence in DC: rookie FBI agents.  Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 13th episode: Johns Hopkins University Folger Shakespeare Library Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Wesley Sturhan, a writer on D.C. land-use and neighborhood change, argues that local review processes and neighborhood commissions slow development. He discusses procedural delays, real costs for small businesses, and how rules that once fit 1970s civic life now block growth. He compares looser permitting elsewhere and proposes faster reviews and clearer timelines to spur neighborhood evolution.

Anyone paying attention to the DC mayor’s race knows that for all the talk of affordability or crime that all mayors have to deal with, there’s one central issue that’s unique to DC: Home rule. Today we’re revisiting a conversation we had last year with Howard University’s Robinson Woodward-Burns about what home rule is, how it happened, and how it might go away.  Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this March 11th episode: Johns Hopkins University Folger Shakespeare Library Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

If you've been to great spots like Purple Patch in Mount Pleasant, then you already know there's a rich history of Filipino culture in the DMV. Erwin Tiongson is an amateur historian who walks folks through the area's Filipino historical and cultural landmarks — literally, on a walking tour. Erwin joins us to share DC's hidden Filipino history. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.  Learn more about the sponsors of this March 10th episode: Johns Hopkins University Folger Shakespeare Library Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

It’s one of the DMV’s grisliest, and weirdest, crime stories in years: an 87-year-old millionaire shot to death inside a Potomac nursing home. When the news first broke, it petrified residents of the luxe assisted-living facility. Now that there’s been an arrest and cops have laid out what they say looks like an elaborate pre-planned scheme — there’s a bigger question: Why? The Washington Post’s Dan Morse has been covering the story and he’s here to tell us the latest. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.  Learn more about the sponsors of this March 9th episode: Johns Hopkins University Folger Shakespeare Library Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Homelessness is one of the major issues that cities like DC are trying to solve. The state of Utah is planning to build a 16-acre homeless campus on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, where unhoused people with mental illnesses or addiction issues could be sheltered and in some cases involuntarily committed. This controversial idea is the brainchild of conservative think tanks, and it’s one that’s very much being embraced by the Trump administration and the Utah legislature. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Salt Lake podcast host Ali Vallarta about how this plan is meant to work, the concerns about forced institutionalization, and why the state is pushing for this even though it goes against the recommendations of local experts and service providers. Mentioned on the show: Interrogating Controversial Homeless Policy Proposals (City Cast Salt Lake) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.