⚖️ Councilmember pleads not guilty to bribery charges

What's CITY Talking About?

White Pleads Not Guilty On Bribery Charges

Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White plead not guilty to the federal bribery charge against him, rejecting a plea deal, according to prosecutors. White stands accused of accepting $156,000 in bribes related to violence prevention programs. [NBC4, City Cast DC 🎧]

• White is still up for reelection this November. We’ll be getting into that and other juicy election issues at the next City Cast DC live taping on Oct. 9.

Plenty of Police, Review Says

A new city audit says D.C. police are sufficiently staffed, despite claims by the MPD and Mayor Bowser that they require hundreds more officers to fight crime. The report suggests increasing the number of detectives, but says patrol – the bulk of the force – is well staffed. [Washington Post 🔒]

Sports Betting Kiosk Take Over

Sports gambling company Caesars is launching sports betting kiosks in bars, gas stations, liquor stores, and grocers across D.C., replacing the long-struggling GambetDC machines. The new Caesar kiosks go live at the end of the month. [WBJ 🔒, City Cast DC 🎧]

NSCIMBY’s (No Strip Club In My Backyard)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. really doesn’t want a new strip club to open next to its D.C. headquarters. They’ve appealed a decision by D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis board that would let a club with a nude dancing permit move in across the alley. [WBJ 🔒]

DC Insider Trivia

First, Let’s Answer Last Week’s Question:

What animal was never a D.C. local news icon?

• Franklin the Bear
• The Capitol Fox
• Caddy The Rock Creek Crocodile ⭐
• Rusty the Red Panda

Only older-timer D.C. news junkies will get this one. D.C. has seen a lot of strange animals, but we have never had a crocodile on the loose (however, two alligators were found in the park in 1916 under very mysterious circumstances).

As for the other animals:

🐻 Franklin the bear was a young black bear who made a tree in Brookland his home last summer until animal control brought him back to the woods.

🦊 The Capitol Fox was a rabid fox on Capitol Hill that ran around biting staffers in 2022 until she was sadly euthanized, but not before capturing the hearts and minds of Washingtonians, even her victims.

🐼 Rusty the red panda escaped the zoo in 2013, kicking off a wild city-wide search before the youngster was found napping in a tree in Adams Morgan.

🏅Nice work, Erin O., Kaitlin B., and Elise A. for being the first three to get it right!

Now, For This Week’s Question:

If you’re renting in D.C., your landlord cannot legally do any of the following, except …

1. Evict you because your lease term expires.
2. Require a security deposit that is more than one month’s rent.
3. Not provide heat in the winter.
4. Not provide A/C in summer.

What To Do