Yes. And a few years back, I wrote about how 18 DC playgrounds had elevated levels of lead found in their crumb rubber. After that happened, DC pledges regular testing and what was discovered at Parkview is a result of that.

I'm the WUSA9 reporter who's been looking at lead in playgrounds for the past four years. Long story short, one playground at Parkview Rec Center near Bruce-Monroe Elementary was closed by DCPS & DGS for 470ppm of lead. 400ppm is the federal limit. The other playgrounds there passed the lead test. DC government blames the lead on the surround environment. Back in 2019 and 2020, we gather the recycled tire crumb rubber that forms the playground mats and The Ecology Center out of Michigan said the crumbs itself tested high for lead. Some parents we interviewed say it's time to replace the recycled tires with mulch or something more natural. I can try to answer any redditor questions.

1. Sleeping area were within arms reach of each other for several months in the day room, while they are farther apart in the other floors. Residents were concerned about a lack of dividers in the sleeping area, fearing the spread of illnesses through coughing.
2. The elevators were broken down several months according to DC DHS and residents. DC blames supply chain part problems. Residents reported the elevators had been fixed earlier, but only employees were allowed to be on them until recently.
3. Henry’s Food Kitchen is beginning to ramp up their takeover of the kitchen. I’m still hearing that breakfast, for example, is cold cereal or microwaveable oatmeal where only one microwave is available for dozens of men. As for dinner, that’s where the major improvement is expected. So far, I am hearing of no kitchen training underway.

I’m the WUSA9 reporter on this story and will try to answer any redditors questions. Long story short, the new men’s shelter in SE, at the old St. Elizabeth’s campus, was promised to be a lot of things when it opened January 2022. But we talked to several men who tell us the food is often cold, too little, not enough microwaves to even heat it up, no more lunch available, hard cots, elevators broken for months and extremely close quarters. Things are getting better according to DC Dept of Human Services after we started our investigation in September.

The previous issue had to do with a particular brand of guardrail that was prone to failure. The problem here is when you mix and match two different brands. By themselves, they could work perfectly. But when Brand A is used with Brand B, then the guardrails and end terminals are prone to fail.

I'm the WUSA9 reporter on this story. There's something called "Frankensteined" guardrails. That's when you have Brand A of a guardrail attached to Brand B of an end terminal. If a car hits that, the guardrail doesn't collapse and becomes a spear which can kill a driver. With the help of a dad who lost his daughter in a guardrail crash, we spotted some of these on and outside the Beltway. MDOT is now launching a statewide inspection expected to be complete April 2023 and has already begun to replace the frankensteined rails that exist. Virginia is replacing them too, but has not announced a statewide inspection. I'll try to answer any redditors questions!