Maddie Poore

I’m back For a little while now. Sorry for not writing, we’ve been busy.

In dire need of some good news and this update from @rangemedia.co has me grinning - I <3 coop media. Congrats y'all. www.rangemedia.co/im-back/?ref...

What You Can Do About High Pepco Electricity Bills in D.C. Financial assistance, energy audits, and avoiding third-party suppliers can help.

What can be done about your expensive Pepco bill?

Financial assistance, energy audits, and avoiding third-party suppliers can help, @samdelgado.bsky.social reports:

D.C. residents saw Pepco bills skyrocket this winter The cold weather is only part of the story.

Dozens of readers reached out to tell us about the drastic increases they've seen in recent electricity bills from Pepco.

@samdelgado.bsky.social dug deep into why this is happening, and what’s being done about it.

Anywho, there's no better time than now to put your ideas out there and invite other people to do things with you. Might as well try. You don't have to know everything before starting. You can just start.

The overall fundraiser is over $150k, and y'all have contributed more than $1000 for me to match (+follows/reposts)!

Let's keep it going; this weekend, sign up for a membership with or make a donation to The 51st (any amount!) - and I'll match it *and* send $50 to a food bank of your choice.

DC Statehood yesterday

ahh the gift of reading something written by an actual human!

I don't have the personal capital to do much of anything. But I believe wholeheartedly in our effort to hire more local journalists for DC in the wake of the Post layoffs.

And after seeing Russ's extra contribution for Minneapolis (⬇️), I had to give that same amount here. 51st.news/the-51st-is-...

I'm gonna toss in a sweetener here because Valentine's Day sucked and I need a pick-me-up.

TONIGHT ONLY: if you make a donation to/buy a membership for @51st.news tonight - of any amount - not only will I match it, but I will send $50 to a good cause in Minneapolis (TBD, but it'll be legit).

Someone has sure already made this observation but the fact they can convert all those empty warehouses into prison camps means they could have converted them into housing, community centers, job training centers or, hell, libraries or schools all along. It’s always a matter of will not resources.

A Worker-Led Alternative to Billionaire-Owned News in DC A Q&A with two founders of the 51st, a worker-led nonprofit newsroom launched after the closure of the beloved local outlet DCist.

"What we all need to agree and commit it to is that journalism is a public good. Journalism is a thing that we need. Particularly when it comes to local news."

For @inequality.org, @millsrodrigo.bsky.social interviewed two 51st co-founders, @abigailhiggins.bsky.social and @maddiepoore.bsky.social:

The 51st has produced so much valuable reporting in just a single year, with only one full-time reporter. Can you imagine what a second year could look like if this newsroom had triple the reporting capacity?

The good news is that we don't have to imagine — we can make it happen. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Breaking: Washington Post gutting its climate team Clean energy dies in darkness. Courtesy of Jeff Bezos.

I don't say this often but: I'm so proud to be a climate and environment reporter. We cover an issue that is vitally important to humanity and the natural world. 14 of my climate colleagues at the Post were laid off today and I'm devastated.

www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/washington...

unraveled is *two* people, doing work that much bigger newsrooms aren't

i really need more people to understand that the musk - bezos killing media thing extends to substack. if you're on substack, you're in the line of fire.

Anyone reporting on WaPo's gutting and failing to mention this is doing free propaganda for one of the richest men on earth. This wasn't a simple business decision, let's be CLEAR about the conditions.

🧵 1/ We’re devastated about the layoffs at The Washington Post, which are gutting D.C. reporting. These journalists are an incalculable loss for our city. The 51st’s mission has always felt urgent, but now we know it needs to kick into high gear.

Bezos isn't destroying the Washington Post because it isn't profitable. He's destroying the Washington Post because he's calculated that a robust free press threatens the ability of his class to warp society around their interests

‘Backing down isn’t an option’: Minnesota ICE shootings mobilize Americans to join ICE observer groups The killings of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti have inspired people across the US to document federal agents’ activities in their communities

for over 3 weeks, I've spoken to ICE watchers and organizers across the country: first right after Renee Good's killing — then 2 weeks into my reporting, Alex Pretti was killed.

ICE watchers are being detained and harassed — but they're also stopping ICE abductions and inspiring others to join them

A caregiving social movement IS political.

Thrilled to share this news!

Learning about @dc-bci.bsky.social's SELF loan was so possibility expanding, not just for The 51st, but also for what could be possible in this world!

People who are leaving TikTok for Substack. I feel like maybe you're unaware these are the same flavor of bad guys.

It's not an "all platforms are bad" situation. It's a "Substack is already owned by private equity and bad venture capitalists and its business is NOT IN GOOD SHAPE"

@coyotemedia.org is so COOL. i love this so much!!

An office building lit up in the dark with a crowd of people holding signs in front of it.

HAPPENING NOW: A massive crowd is gathered in freezing temperatures outside ICE headquarters in DC to demand ICE OUT OF ALL COMMUNITIES NOW.

Homeland Security @DHSgov X.com Electoral power is being transferred from the hands of criminal illegals, back into the hands of American citizens. Polymarket * @Polymarket • 4h BREAKING: Trump has deported so many people from Minnesota they're projected to lose a Congressional seat after next census. 2:54 PM • 1/16/26 • 2.3K Views

Another data point indicating that Polymarket is not a “prediction market” but a public persuasion operation—here it spreads disinformation about Minnesota and DHS signals boosts the disinformation:

ICE AGENT: “I love my job. I can’t believe they pay me to do this. I’d do it for free. I only went to high school and I make $200,000.”

ICE's use of force policy released under FOIA was almost completely redacted until it was accidentally released in court filing un-redacted. Read the full document here: www.kenklippenstein.com/p/exclusive-...

D.C.'s 'protest restaurant' brings Palestinian food and culture to U Street Nesrin Abaza says Nabiha isn't just a source of home-cooked food, it's a safe gathering space for local Palestinians and activists.

Nabiha isn't just a source of home-cooked food, it's a safe gathering space for local Palestinians and activists, owner Nesrin Abaza says.

This story about the "protest restaurant" was one of the team's favorites we published this year:

The whole Kennedy Center thing simply underscores again that fascists do not make good or even popular art that anyone wants.