In today’s rundown: The D.C. council ranks low when it comes to the number of women members. | The District is once again paying for hotel rooms for homeless families. | Details about a summit on working conditions at area restaurants. | New regulations are in the works for commercial colleges. | What one teenager thinks about being “ladylike.”
— In a 15-city ranking of city councils, D.C.’s council ranked fourth from the bottom for the number of women members. The Washington City Paper reports that 53 percent of the District is female, but 25 percent of seats on the city council are held by women. Ranking beneath D.C. were Phoenix, Boston and L.A. And a new report from The Women’s Foundation takes a look at women in leadership positions across our region. Click here for details in Portrait Project 2010.
— The District has started paying for hotel rooms for families that need shelter, according to The Washington Post. A 145-unit shelter in Southeast Washington is currently the only shelter in the District for families and it is difficult to get into. “The practice of using hotels for emergency shelter for the homeless fell out of favor under Mayor Adrian M. Fenty,” reports the Post.
— On Monday, February 14th, you’ll have an opportunity to take a look behind the kitchen door. Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner Restaurant Opportunities Center-DC (ROC-DC) is hosting “Behind the Kitchen Door Summit: Inequality and Opportunity in Washington, DC’s Thriving Restaurant Industry.” Speakers include D.C. Councilmember At-Large Phil Mendelson, Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed, and Andy Shallal, owner of Eatonville & Busboys & Poets. Click here for details and to RSVP.
— The U.S. Department of Education is preparing to issue final regulations on federal student aid eligibility for commercial colleges, and new reports and litigation show how contentious the new regulations may be, reports The New York Times. Officials from for-profit schools say their efforts to help low-income and minority students may be stymied. Critics say that many commercial colleges leave students with huge loans they can’t re-pay.
— McKinely Technology High School senior Katisha Frederick has a lot on her plate right now: graduation is approaching, she’s waiting to hear back from colleges, and she’s navigating the dating world. On top of that, she wonders what expectations people will have of her as a woman now, and as she gets older. She shares her thoughts on WAMU.