CLOSING THE GAP: Lawmakers present $20,000 for community building project
State Senators Mike Oliverio and Joey Garcia stopped by to present a $20,000 check to help the center build new ADA-accessible restrooms — a project they say will make the building more welcoming to every neighbor who walks through its doors. From left to right, Senators Joey Garcia and Mike Oliverio and Commissioner Jeff Arnett look over the Brookhaven Community Building's construction plans with council members Alice Wilmouth and Elena Dennis, right, on Tuesday evening. Cassidy Roark/ The Dominion Post
'Today we want to present you $20,000,' Oliverio said. 'We are excited about what you guys are doing, we know the hurdles you face in raising money.'
Garcia said backing community projects like this one is easy, 'when Senator Oliverio came to me about this, it was an easy yes.'
The check brings a boost for the project, which recently secured a $126,000 loan to get started. But, the Brookhaven Community Building still needs to raise about $106,000 to see it through.
Board members hope the community will help close that gap in a way that feels personal. A raffle is happening in memory of Cindy Blosser, the beloved board president who helped keep the building alive for years before her passing. The raffle winner will take home $3,000 in cash this October, but the real prize is knowing Cindy's legacy will live on in every gathering the center hosts.
'It's not easy raising money,' Oliverio said. 'But this place matters. We hope folks will hear about this and remember what the Brookhaven Community Building means to them.'
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Dominion Post
7 days ago
- Dominion Post
CLOSING THE GAP: Lawmakers present $20,000 for community building project
BROOKHAVEN — Excited to grow the community together, state lawmakers and local leaders gathered at the Brookhaven Community Building on Tuesday evening. State Senators Mike Oliverio and Joey Garcia stopped by to present a $20,000 check to help the center build new ADA-accessible restrooms — a project they say will make the building more welcoming to every neighbor who walks through its doors. From left to right, Senators Joey Garcia and Mike Oliverio and Commissioner Jeff Arnett look over the Brookhaven Community Building's construction plans with council members Alice Wilmouth and Elena Dennis, right, on Tuesday evening. Cassidy Roark/ The Dominion Post 'Today we want to present you $20,000,' Oliverio said. 'We are excited about what you guys are doing, we know the hurdles you face in raising money.' Garcia said backing community projects like this one is easy, 'when Senator Oliverio came to me about this, it was an easy yes.' The check brings a boost for the project, which recently secured a $126,000 loan to get started. But, the Brookhaven Community Building still needs to raise about $106,000 to see it through. Board members hope the community will help close that gap in a way that feels personal. A raffle is happening in memory of Cindy Blosser, the beloved board president who helped keep the building alive for years before her passing. The raffle winner will take home $3,000 in cash this October, but the real prize is knowing Cindy's legacy will live on in every gathering the center hosts. 'It's not easy raising money,' Oliverio said. 'But this place matters. We hope folks will hear about this and remember what the Brookhaven Community Building means to them.'
Axios
09-07-2025
- Axios
D.C. stalls popular public bathroom program amid funding cuts
D.C.'s popular public bathroom program is on hold — and people are pissed. Driving the news: Throne, the startup behind a fleet of luxe loos, shut down its six free toilets on July 5 after the city let its contract lapse over funding issues. City officials say they've identified funding to keep the bathrooms running through September, but they gave no timeline for reopening them. Why it matters: D.C. is desperate for bathrooms, especially with massive events for America's 250th birthday and beyond. Catch up quick: Throne launched 18 potties in DMV in 2024 — all free, mobile, ADA-compliant, and equipped with baby stations, sinks, AC and menstrual products. So yes, popular — D.C. Thrones attracted around 71,000 visitors between the start of the pilot and May. The city used six in a pilot program for high-traffic areas like Dupont Circle, Eastern Market and near the Mall. The latest: City officials told the Washington Post that Throne's funding was wiped after the congressional GOP spending bill slashed $1 billion from D.C.'s budget and forced the city to terminate contracts. Yes, but: The mayor's office seemingly reversed its decision after pushback from neighborhood organizations and public officials. A petition to reopen Thrones garnered more than 740 signatures. As one Throne supporter told Axios: "There's nothing like the wrath of someone approaching a bathroom and finding it closed." Zoom in: The D.C. Council is helping fund 10 Thrones in the new fiscal year, Councilmember Brianne Nadeau tells Axios. Nadeau, who championed the program as chair of the Committee on Public Works, says it's still unclear why the contract lapsed. Multiple committees pitched in for the pilot in FY26, she says, and council members sponsored their own, covering new Thrones in Wards 7, 8 and 1. Claims that Throne funding will cost Public Works jobs are "completely inaccurate," Nadeau tells Axios. What they're saying: "Ultimately, this is really scalable. They're easy to use, easy to place, people love them," Nadeau tells Axios. Her next step: Introducing legislation to make the pilot permanent.
Dominion Post
04-07-2025
- Dominion Post
NASA IV&V in Fairmont faces drastic funding cut
dbeard@ MORGANTOWN – NASA's Katherine Johnson Independent Verification & Validation Facility in Fairmont could see a drastic budget cut under President Trump's Fiscal Year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request. But members of West Virginia's Congressional delegation are working to prevent it As part of an overall proposed NASA budget cut, Johnson IV&V would see its funding fall from its current $43.3 million (from FY 2024) to $13.8 million in FY 2026 – just one third of the current budget. NASA is working on answers to questions from The Dominion Post about the ramifications of the cut and will provide those next week. In its 2026 Budget Technical Supplement, the agency says, 'In FY 2026, NASA plans to significantly reduce and restructure both the NASA Engineering and Safety Center and Independent Verification and Validation program as part of the effort to consolidate the overall Agency Technical Authority program. In FY 2026, NASA will allocate $9.9 million for IV&V to ensure the program can provide software assurance support to the future Moon to Mars programs.' The Dominion Post reached out to Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, and Rep. Riley Moore for comments on the proposal. Capito spokeswoman Kelley Moore (no relation) said Capito 'is aware of the proposed cuts to NASA that would impact the mission and the facility at Katherine Johnson IV&V.' She has been in contact with leadership at the facility, Goddard Space Flight Center, which oversees the work at IV&V, and NASA Headquarters. 'It has also been conveyed to NASA and to the Senate Appropriations Committee that Sen. Capito will oppose any cuts to this facility that would impact workforce or its mission,' Moore said. Moore noted that since NASA does not have an administrator or a nominee at this time, there has not been a budget hearing where this topic could be raised. 'Regardless, Sen. Capito is working hard to protect this facility that she so proudly helped name around this time in 2019.' Justice did not respond to several requests for comment. Moore said, 'I am closely tracking the proposed cuts to NASA's Fairmont facility. I have been in constant communication with the appropriations subcommittee chairman who oversees its funding, and will use my position on the Appropriations Committee to fight for the important work being done there.' Here's a breakdown of the numbers that factor into IV&V's budget – with several layers of authority above IV&V. IV&V overall falls under NASA's Safety, Security and Mission Services. That budget was cut from $3.131 billion in FY 2024 to $3.092 billion in FY 2025 and will fall to $2.118 billion in FY 2026 the federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1). Under SS&MS, is Engineering Safety & Operations. Its budget will fall from $1.088 billion in FY 2024 to $620.3million in FY 2026 and $446.5 million in FY 2027. And under ES&O, the Agency Technical Authority funding will fall from $196.1 million in FY 2024 to $69.6 million in FY 2026. 'The Agency Technical Authority program protects the health and safety of NASA's workforce by evaluating programs, projects, and operations to ensure safe and successful completion. ATA capabilities provide expert technical excellence, mission assurance, and technical authority agency wide.' IV&V falls directly under the Agency Technical Authority, with funding from several accounts. Funding from the Safety, Security and Mission Services account will be cut from $39.2 million to $9.9 million – for software assurance support for Moon and Mars programs, as mentioned above. Funding from the Exploration account will go from $3.3 million to $2 million. Funding from the Space Operations account will go from $800,000 to $700,000. One account source will see an increase: Science account funding will go from $0 in FY 2024 to $1.2 million for FY 2026. A footnote hints at some flexibility: 'The IV&V program will work with Mission Directorate to adjust FY 2026 allocations as the FY 2026 operating plan is developed.' Some information provided to The Dominion Post noted that cuts to IV&V have been proposed in the past, but not to this extent.
