Most D.C. neighborhoods might be ecstatic about a new public school going up down the block. The placid, moneyed westernmost enclave of Ward 3 is not like most D.C. neighborhoods.

What’s happening: This year, the city approved a plan to put a 1,000-student high school on MacArthur Boulevard in the Palisades, and a new 550-student elementary school in nearby Foxhall.

• The plans were a victory for outgoing Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh and parent advocates who’d long pushed to alleviate overcrowding at their highly sought-after public schools, particularly Jackson-Reed.

But a sudden shift in the race for Cheh’s seat and an outcry with NIMBYish undertones from neighbors have upended the plans, as the remaining top three candidates all want to rethink the city’s proposals — and likely nix a Foxhall school.

Why it matters: So many District families have settled in Ward 3 — precisely because of the reputation of its schools — that the ward needs at least four new public schools, according to an often-cited 2019 report. Changes to the plans would also reverberate across the city, given that so many families send their kids to upper NW for school.

• Jackson-Reed is so desirable that 38% of its student body comes from other parts of the city.

Details: Candidate Matt Frumin prefers building a smaller high school on MacArthur with fewer out-of-boundary children and says, “We should consider every other possible solution” before Foxhall.

• Eric Goulet completely opposes a school at Foxhall. He prefers that the city explore using the MacArthur site as an elementary and/or middle school instead.
• Phil Thomas says the size of MacArthur high school should be reconsidered and doesn’t want a Foxhall school, despite the fact that he is backed by allies of Mayor Muriel Bowser, who wants the two schools.

The other side: Council member Cheh blasts the candidates for jeopardizing sorely needed progress.

• “To me, what they’re doing is pandering,” Cheh told Axios. “But when they get in office, and they have to confront the reality of serious, serious overcrowding in Ward 3, then I think the public should say to them, ‘OK, fellas, now what?’”

Zoom in: Officials expect that half of the new MacArthur high school — 500 students — would commute from across the city. Citywide critics question the wisdom of sending students on long commutes in a transit desert. Neighborhood opponents have a far more prosaic beef: traffic nightmares. 

• And many are bitter about the Foxhall proposal because they believe they’d have to sacrifice green space at Hardy Park for the building.

Read the full story.

Juneteenth has gotten a lot more national attention since becoming a federal holiday in 2021, but Washingtonians have been celebrating the day for a long time.

The Anacostia Community Museum has hosted Juneteenth events as early as 1989. Additionally, some of D.C.’s Texas transplants can be credited for bringing their Juneteenth traditions to the District. 

What they’re saying: Laquan Austion, founder of D.C.-based The Juneteenth Foundation, says people of all races should view June 19 as an American holiday — not one just for Black people. 

• The group hosts a celebration for the holiday and was founded in 2020 to build awareness around Juneteenth and promote commemoration of it as an American holiday. 

How to celebrate: Here are Austion's tips for recognizing Juneteenth:

• Celebrate mindfully: Austion said it’s important to recognize that for some people, this is a “moment of solace and mourning.”
• On being an ally: “Definitely go out, be an ally, be an asset,” Austion says. “But don’t be tone-deaf and try to hijack it as your own. Don’t try to commercialize it.”

There will be many ways this weekend to observe the holiday locally. 

• We’re eyeing Alexandria’s celebration, which will include the re-opening of the Freedom House Museum. It’s dedicated to honoring the lives of free and enslaved Black people who lived and were trafficked through Alexandria.

Read the full story.

Ahead of next Tuesday’s primary, 41,207 Washingtonians have already cast their ballots as of June 15, per the D.C. Board of Elections.

Context: That’s already 36% of the turnout in the 2020 primary election when nearly 115,000 ballots were cast.

Go deeper: Here’s how to vote, and Axios D.C.’s voter guide for the top races.

A new documentary tells the history of Barry Farm, the subsequent displacement of its Black residents, and their ongoing push for justice.

Why it matters: The destruction of Barry Farm, a neighborhood in Southeast D.C. purchased by the Freedmen's Bureau in 1867 and largely demolished in 2019, isn’t unlike the countless other Black communities across the U.S. that are vanishing to make way for commercial districts and housing.

• The documentary, by filmmakers Samuel George and Sabiyha Prince, aims to be a “mobilizing tool,” Prince says, in the fight of former residents to preserve the site.

Where to see it: The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library will host a free screening of "Barry Farm: Community, Land, and Justice" tomorrow at 4pm.

Read the full story.

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• Attorney General Karl Racine is suing the DC Housing Authority for making residents with disabilities wait long periods of time for accessible housing. (Twitter)
• Union Station released renderings of its renovation plans that will move parking underground, add a bus terminal, and update concourses. (Washington Post)
• The D.C. Council held a hearing yesterday on a bill to establish protections for domestic workers. (Washington City Paper)
• Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is headed to D.C. as a Biden senior aide. (Axios)

This week's roundup of hot homes for sale features five properties between $425k and $4.9 million.

1800 Mount Vernon Ave. #314 - $424,900

Why we love it: This modern condo is conveniently located near locally owned restaurants and shops, as well as parks and a farmers market.

• Neighborhood: Del Ray
• Specs: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 621 square feet
• Listed by: Guy Golan of Better Real Estate
• Features: In-unit washer/dryer, fireplace, central A/C, garage parking

See all five homes here.