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Washington Blade to produce Pride Guide

glossy magazine-style publication consisting of more than 180 pages of participants, schedules and performers for annual Capital Pride festival and parade

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Capital Pride Festival, gay news, gay politics dc

Capital Pride goers use the Pride Guide to navigate the busy several weeks of events. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Capital Pride, the entity responsible for organizing D.C.’s annual LGBT Pride celebration, and the Washington Blade announced in a joint statement on Tuesday that the Blade will produce the official 2012 Pride Guide publication.

The Pride Guide is a glossy magazine-style publication consisting of more than 180 pages that includes, among other things, the schedule, participants and performers of the annual Capital Pride festival and parade. It also includes a listing of the nearly month-long series of Pride-related events that precede the parade and festival along with articles about other Pride-related subjects.

Under a proposal submitted by the Blade and accepted by Capital Pride through a competitive bidding process, the Blade will produce an official Capital Pride mobile app to help guide attendees to Pride events in addition to the traditional printed Pride Guide.

This year’s effort will also include expanded distribution of the Pride Guide to Richmond, Philadelphia, Rehoboth Beach, Del., Baltimore and other locations.

ā€œThe Blade is excited to work with Capital Pride on this year’s Guide,ā€ said Washington Blade publisher Lynne Brown. ā€œProducing the Pride Guide is another terrific way to serve our local readers and the local business community and we’re already hard at work on it,ā€ Brown said.

ā€œCapital Pride looks forward to a successful collaboration with the Blade,ā€ said Ryan Bos, Capital Pride’s executive director. ā€œAs more and more visitors look to social media and mobile devices for information, we appreciate the Blade’s attention to creating new, innovative ways to reach our audience.ā€

In a newly adopted procedure, Capital Pride last year issued a request for proposals from publishers interested in producing the Pride Guide. The Capital Pride board voted late last year to accept the Blade’s proposal.

The proposal calls for several new components, including the mobile app and a spring party to unveil the Pride Guide, which will be distributed in May, according to the statement.

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District of Columbia

Rooftop Pool Party postponed

Capital Pride Alliance moves official event to June 22

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A scene from last year's Capital Pride Rooftop Pool Party. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Capital Pride Rooftop Pool Party, originally scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. tonight, has been postponed until Thursday, June 22, according to a statement released by the Capital Pride Alliance on Instagram. This action comes amid an international climate event created by the Canadian wildfire that has resulted locally in poor air quality and a haze around the region.

The Capital Pride Alliance Instagram account posted, “As with all concerns regarding health and safety issues, the Capital Pride Alliance will closely monitor the air quality situation resulting from Canadian wildfire smoke and take necessary precautions in consultation with our partners in the DC government.”

“What does this mean for the pool party?” a question one private Instagram account user posed in the comment section.

“Important Update:” A representative of the Capital Pride Alliance responded through the group’s official Instagram account. “Tonight’s Capital Pride RoofTop Pool Party at VIDA The Yards is being postponed until Thursday, June 22 at 8:00 pm, due to the current air-quality situation resulting from the Canadian wildfires smoke. Please note that this postponement only applies to today’s event.”

The Capital Pride Alliance has yet to cancel or postpone any further events.

The White House earlier today rescheduled a large outdoor Pride reception planned for this evening to Saturday.

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District of Columbia

White House postpones Pride event due to wildfire smoke

Thousands expected for celebration bumped to Saturday

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The White House on June 8, 2023. A White House Pride reception was postponed due to the Canadian wildfire smoke. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The White House announced Thursday that a Pride event scheduled for this evening has been postponed to Saturday due to the lingering Canadian wildfire smoke.

The smoke has enveloped D.C. in a dangerous haze that triggered a ā€œpurple alertā€ on Thursday, considered worse than a ā€œred alert.ā€

The event, expected to draw thousands of invited LGBTQ advocates and supporters to D.C., has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday on the South Lawn of the White House, the same day as D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade, which kicks off at 3 p.m., and Pride on the Pier celebration, which starts at 2 p.m.

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Rehoboth Beach

Rehoboth election canceled after just 3 candidates file for 3 races

Mayor Stan Mills unopposed in bid for second term

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Rehoboth Beach Mayor Stan Mills gets a second term after no one filed to run against him. (Photo courtesy of Mills)

Rehoboth Beach voters won’t be heading to the polls this August because municipal elections were canceled after just three candidates filed to run for three open seats.

Stan Mills will be Rehoboth’s mayor for a second term, while Patrick Gossett, who’s gay, will remain on the Board of Commissioners and Donald Preston will join the board, replacing Jay Lagree.

Lagree filed to run in the Aug. 12 election but withdrew from the running shortly thereafter. He did not respond to a voicemail asking why he withdrew, but released a statement citing his age and hearing loss as reasons for bowing out of the race.

ā€œAfter much consideration, I am withdrawing my candidacy for city commission,ā€ he said in a statement released on June 6. ā€œI have been honored to serve on the commission and to serve the citizens of Rehoboth Beach, and I had intended to continue my service. However, I am getting older every day. My hearing has become a problem; although, with correction, I can do pretty well most of the time.ā€

Mills was the target of criticism when he ran for mayor three years ago, unseating incumbent Paul Kuhns. Critics were concerned about his stance on development, which surfaced when Mills voted against Clear Space Theatre’s plans to build a new complex on Rehoboth Avenue, killing the already approved deal that was widely supported by the local business community.

More than a decade ago, as city commissioner, Mills used an ordinance to target bars hosting late-night eating and drinking on outside patios. Six of the eight bars targeted were owned and operated by gay businesspeople, former Aqua Grill owner Bill Shields told the Delaware State Public Integrity Commission. Police arrested and fingerprinted Shields before releasing him later as it became clear that Aqua Grill was grandfathered in and did not have to follow the ordinance. In a sharply worded decision, Delaware’s Public Integrity Commission said Mills used his public office for personal gain when targeting the bars, since he owned a bed and breakfast next door, and should have recused himself from the decision.

Asked about it in 2020, Mills told the Blade that it was ā€œold news.ā€

ā€œI’m sorry that happened, I’m sorry the way that was perceived,ā€ he said. ā€œIt’s lessons learned and not forgotten, but we have to move on.ā€

On Monday, Mills raised the Pride flag outside of city hall and presented CAMP Rehoboth, the local LGBTQ community center, with a proclamation honoring LGBTQ+ Pride month along with two commissioners.

CAMP Rehoboth declined to comment on the election, citing its 501(c)(3) status, which does not allow it to endorse candidates.

When Mills ran for election in 2020, real estate agent Joe Maggio called attention to the issue, writing in an editorial for the Blade that Mills ā€œuses his official role to enhance his personal interests and impose his personal prejudices.ā€

Mills did not respond to an email and voicemail seeking comment.

Gossett, who did not immediately respond to a voicemail, has served on the Board of Commissioners for 10 years. He was one of four commissioners that voted to overturn Clear Space Theatre Company’s approval to build two buildings in downtown Rehoboth in 2021. Clear Space appealed to Delaware’s Superior Court but later dropped the lawsuit, citing the cost of litigation and other factors. It has since abandoned plans to build the expansion in downtown Rehoboth, but executive director Wesley Paulson told the Delaware Business Times they will look for a new location ā€œoutside of the city.ā€

Preston is a political newcomer but comes endorsed by Lagree.

ā€œHe’s young, smart, has the same goals and objectives for Rehoboth Beach as I have,ā€ he told WGMD.

Preston did immediately respond to a voicemail. The three politicians will be certified on June 16.

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