PARK FOR MARVIN GAYE

Watts Branch Park in DC will be officially rededicated as Marvin Gaye Park today in Anacostia, says the WaPo. With an accessible stream running through it, the 1.6-mile-long park is well on its way to being turned into what one activist calls the east-of-the-river equivalent of Rock Creek Park. See the park on a map here.

Over the five years, thousands of volunteers -- led by Washington Parks and People -- pulled more than 2.5 million pounds of trash, 6,000 hypodermic needles and 78 abandoned cars from the stream and its surrounding land. Following its success at Meridian Hill park in Adam Morgan/Columbia Heights, WPP is working to restore Marvin Gaye Park as part of its mission to reconnect DC residents with its public lands and waterways.