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Tag: kyle cooper

  • What you’ll learn about DC when you walk every street in every ward – WTOP News

    What you’ll learn about DC when you walk every street in every ward – WTOP News

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    Austin Graff said it took him two years to cover all 131 neighborhoods in D.C., and then write a guide on what to eat, drink, do and see in each of the city’s wards.

    What do you learn about D.C. when you walk down every street and every alley in all eight wards? Ask the man who did it, Austin Graff.

    “Yeah, that’s exactly what I did,” he told WTOP.

    Graff said it took him two years to cover all 131 neighborhoods, and then write a guide on what to eat, drink, do and see in each of the city’s wards.

    Austin Graff made a walking guide of all eight wards around D.C. after teaching his daughter the alphabet based on D.C. neighborhoods. (Courtesy Graff)

    Graff said the idea to do this sprang from the pandemic, when he decided to walk with his daughter and teach her the alphabet.

    “So we went from like ‘A,’ when went to Anacostia, which is really close to where we live, and ‘B,’ we went to Berkley, and ‘C’ we went to Cleveland Park,” he said.

    What did he learn about the city, walking through it, talking to people and taking lots of pictures?

    “D.C. is just small, land-wise, but it is still just so disconnected,” he said.

    Graff said people don’t seem to understand each other’s lived experiences even though they’re in the same city, and that seems to stem from the city’s history.

    “I didn’t realize that most neighborhoods had racial restrictive covenants on housing and excluded different people,” he said.

    Graff said he learned through research that there are only a few neighborhoods in D.C.’s history that didn’t, at one time or another in the past, exclude people from the Black, Irish and Jewish communities.

    “That did cause a divide in the city where’s it’s a pretty segregated city,” he said.

    Graff said even though the divide is present, he hopes his guide might begin to change that.

    “How do we make the city smaller for everyone, and just celebrate the beauty that happens in every neighborhood.”

    Graff said he also learned, as he put it, that “local champions carry D.C.” because they love their neighborhoods and work to keep them great.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kyle Cooper

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  • This Fairfax man says he’ll never forget the people who saved his life – WTOP News

    This Fairfax man says he’ll never forget the people who saved his life – WTOP News

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    Albert Johnson almost died when he passed out behind the wheel of his car in Fairfax five years ago.

    Albert Johnson almost died when he passed out behind the wheel of his car.

    The 77-year-old Fairfax man smashed into a light pole just five years ago after going to the gym and having a cup of coffee at a local restaurant. Once he left the café on April 17, driving west on Route 29, he passed out at the wheel.

    “My heart had stopped functioning due to an arrhythmia problem,” he said. “The location, though, was probably pretty good because the police were, you know, there on the street.”

    Johnson told WTOP he smashed into a poll across from the old Paul VI High School campus — his foot was still against the accelerator and the tires were spinning, giving off smoke.

    That’s when a Fairfax City police officer sprang into action. Paul said the police officer was first to the scene and came up to his car just moments after it happened.

    “He had to break into the car, get the window open, drag me out and started CPR,” Johnson said.

    A camera in the car recorded the crash and, he said, the video showed smoke pouring out of the vehicle just moments after the crash. However, Johnson said he didn’t understand all that had happened during the crash until seven days later, when he woke up from a coma.

    Now, Johnson spends the anniversary of the crash, which he calls his second birthday, thanking the first responders who saved him.

    The first time he decided to commemorate the incident and his recovery was during the coronavirus pandemic.

    “I didn’t feel like I could go to the grocery store and pick something up, make cookies with my own hands … so I decided to order them in,” Johnson said.

    Since then, the Virginian has dropped off snacks and cookies to thank police and fire personnel in the city who saved him that day.

    When asked if he plans to continue celebrating this “second birthday” with the city police, Johnson said he definitely will do so.

    “Oh yes, I certainly intend to. Every year around the end of March I start thinking, ‘Gosh, April’s coming up. I need to get those cookies,’” he said.

    Johnson said his health has improved since the crash. He’s added exercise to his routine and kept working to stay in good health.

    “I’m just awfully glad I live here in the City of Fairfax where there’s policemen coming back and forth and they were there to help me,” he said. “And I’m glad I tried to stay in shape.”

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kyle Cooper

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  • DC-based service agency that helps people without homes is expanding to Northern Va. – WTOP News

    DC-based service agency that helps people without homes is expanding to Northern Va. – WTOP News

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    D.C.-based Central Union Mission, which helps people experiencing homelessness, is expanding into Northern Virginia.

    It’s been helping people experiencing homelessness in D.C. since the Civil War. Now Central Union Mission is expanding into Northern Virginia.

    President and CEO Joseph Mettimano said there’s a great need.

    “There is a tremendous population of low-income families and homeless folks in Northern Virginia as well,” Mettimano said.

    In fact, he said homelessness spiked 17% in Arlington County alone last year.

    The new venture will operate out of Greenbriar Baptist Church in south Arlington. Mettimano said it will offer the essentials, such as food and clothing.

    “But in addition to that we’re going to provide job training and job placement, education, helping people with addictions.”

    He said ESL classes will also be offered, along with after school programs for kids.

    The mission accepts volunteers and donations, but he said you can start helping by doing something simple if you see someone who could use a little help.

    “When you see a person on the street, you know I think we all tend to not want to make eye contact” Mettimano said. “That’s very dehumanizing to a person on the street, to not even be recognized as a person, so I encourage people just to say hello.”

    Central Union Mission began it’s work in D.C. during the Civil War, helping soldiers who found themselves on the street. The organization recently celebrated 140 years of helping vulnerable people in the community.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kyle Cooper

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  • Neighbors upset about Beltway work in Virginia speak out – WTOP News

    Neighbors upset about Beltway work in Virginia speak out – WTOP News

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    The ongoing project to expand the express lanes on Interstate 495 in Virginia has some McLean area residents upset and looking for answers.

    The ongoing project to expand the express lanes on Interstate 495 in Virginia has some McLean area residents upset and looking for answers.

    About 90 people joined in on a virtual meeting Monday night hosted by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Some of the neighbors are not convinced the project solves any traffic problems. Others are upset about rough roads and other construction issues in their neighborhood.

    Bridget O’Toole spoke about a problem with the stop light at Balls Hill Road and Georgetown Pike.

    “I’ve been at the intersection seven, nine, twelve minutes just trying to turn right if the first car isn’t turning,” she said.

    Fairfax County Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, who represents the McLean area, replied, saying: “We need to get that fixed now, that’s really infuriating to hear.”

    Another concern voiced by many residents was that while the project adds more express lanes in Virginia right up to the American Legion Bridge, Maryland’s plans for a new bridge have stalled.

    “For many of us, the project pretty much is going to be of limited utility … until that bridge is wider and we can get more cars. I mean, we’re just moving the traffic jam down the road two and a half miles,” said resident Alexander Dean.

    In November of last year, Maryland urged residents to give their opinion on the Maryland Department of Transportation’s six-step Interstate 270 plan to enhance and remodel the American Legion Bridge. The transportation agency was transparent about how long the project would take and how much it would cost, claiming to follow Gov. Wes Moore’s announcement of bringing multimodal enhancements to improve transportation — and quality of life — for the state’s travelers.

    Michelle Shropshire, an assistant district engineer at VDOT, said the organization continues to coordinate with Maryland.

    “Maryland is currently working on project development and they don’t have construction funds identified at this time,” she said.

    Another concern was voiced about the rough pavement on Live Oak Drive, although VDOT said it will be repaved by May 15.

    April Georgelas has been an outspoken critic of the project for years and voiced her concerns again at the meeting.

    She said she was getting frustrated “because I have submitted questions for several years that have yet to be answered.”

    “Many of the questions that you mentioned this evening have been responded to in various formats, either from staff or in writing,” Shropshire said.

    The project is still expected to be open to traffic by 2025.

    Another in-person meeting on the 495 Project is set for Thursday, April 11, at the Langley High School cafeteria in McLean.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kyle Cooper

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  • Virginia school board member arrested on Jan. 6 charges – WTOP News

    Virginia school board member arrested on Jan. 6 charges – WTOP News

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    More than three years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a Virginia school board member is facing several charges after federal prosecutors say he was caught on video entering the building and taking part in the disorder. 

    More than three years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a Virginia school board member is facing several charges after federal prosecutors say he was caught on video entering the building and taking part in the disorder. 

    Miles Adkins, 40, was arrested Tuesday and faces four charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating and or picketing inside a Capitol building.

    Adkins is a member of the Frederick County School Board representing the Shawnee District, according to the school division’s website. Adkins told WTOP he was “not surprised at all” by the charges against him and believes the Jan. 6 charges are politically motivated.

    “It’s an election year,” he said. “We see how the DOJ has weaponized against people that lean more right than center.”

    Charging documents say Adkins was one of the first to enter the Capitol and “helped an individual enter the U.S. Capitol building through a broken window next to the Senate Wing Door.”

    Miles Adkins (yellow circle) helping a rioter enter through a broken window next to the
    Senate Wing Door. (Courtesy United States District Courts)

    Open-source videos cited in court documents show Adkins walking around the Capitol, drinking alcohol and chanting at some points. The charging documents also say he bragged on Facebook about being in the Capitol that day, telling friends he drank a Fireball and Coors Lite inside the building.

    When speaking to WTOP, Adkins maintains that he was exercising his right to freedom of speech and protest.

    “I don’t regret exercising my First Amendment right,” Adkins said. “I don’t condone any of the violence that happened in there.”

    During the investigation, Adkins first told the FBI he went to D.C. to hear then-President Donald Trump speak and then followed a large group to the Capitol, alleging there were no barriers for entry. He also told investigators that he had traveled to the District before Jan. 6 to act as an escort for members of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing extremist group.

    The Washington Post reports Adkins has faced calls to resign from the school board. In the interview with WTOP, Adkins said he will not be leaving his position, adding that he and current board members try to keep it as “nonpartisan” as possible.

    “I’m not going to be bullied out of this position, I was duly elected here, we’ve gotten a lot done,” he said. “We brought transparency back to the parents, before you couldn’t watch the videos (of meetings) without getting a FOIA request. Now, you can watch the meetings livestreamed.”

    Screenshot from an open-source video of Miles Adkins chanting and demonstrating in the Crypt of the U.S. Capitol. (Courtesy United States District Courts)

    The Post reported that parents have also complained about past controversies involving Adkins, including posting a video on Facebook showing other members of the board with devil horns and Adolf Hitler-style mustaches after they voted for a mask requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Adkins told WTOP he has apologized for the video, stating it was posted by a parent that he also believes was exercising her right to free speech.Developing story,

    When it comes to racially insensitive social media posts that also resurfaced from before he was on the school board, Adkins said those were “personal mistakes” and he hopes students can learn from him.

    “What I do on the board has always been student-first, student-focused,” Adkins said. “That does show students out there that, you know, when you make mistakes, own up to it, atone for it, and then, you know, move on.”

    Adkins is scheduled to appear in D.C. District Court again next week.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Emily Venezky

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  • More than $10K in inventory was taken from this unique DC library. Within days, the community covered the cost – WTOP News

    More than $10K in inventory was taken from this unique DC library. Within days, the community covered the cost – WTOP News

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    There’s a different kind of library in D.C. that, instead of lending out books, lends out tools. And after the D.C. Tool Library fell on hard times, the community answered its call for help.

    The D.C. Tool Library on Taylor Street NW lends out everything from screwdrivers to power tools.
    (Courtesy D.C. Tool Library)

    Courtesy D.C. Tool Library

    Over the last few weeks, the library was broken into several times.
    (Courtesy D.C. Tool Library)

    Courtesy D.C. Tool Library

    The library started a fundraiser with a goal of $15,000 to cover the cost of stolen tools, improve security and buy insurance. As of Monday evening, the library had raised $16,758.
    (Courtesy D.C. Tool Library)

    Courtesy D.C. Tool Library

    In one of the break-ins, security cameras from nearby homes showed four people breaking into the tool library.
    (Courtesy D.C. Tool Library)

    Courtesy D.C. Tool Library

    There’s a different kind of library in D.C. that, instead of lending out books, lends out tools. And after the D.C. Tool Library fell on hard times, the community answered its call for help.

    Over the last few weeks, the library on Taylor Street NW, which lends out everything from screwdrivers to power tools, was broken into several times. More than $10,000 worth of tools were stolen.

    “(They) just cleaned us out of anything that looks like they could sell,” said Annette Olson, team member for the library.

    The library started a fundraiser with a goal of $15,000 to cover the cost of stolen tools, improve security and buy insurance. As of Monday evening, the library had raised $16,758. Olson said the library is hoping to reopen by mid-March.

    But Olson said with the planned security improvements, the facility may never feel the same.

    “We’ve really worked hard to make the space inviting. I mean, there’s a fireplace in the building, and we wanted things displayed, but now we’re going to have to consider putting them in locked cabinets.”

    In one of the break-ins, Olson said, security cameras from nearby homes showed four people breaking into the tool library, which is a historic building on the property owned by the city.

    Olson said it’s frustrating because the unique library is entirely staffed by volunteers.

    “We worked hard to pull these tools together. Two-thirds of them were donated by community members.”

    One thing Olson is grateful for — the library’s snow cone machine, which comes out when it’s warm, wasn’t stolen.

    The library is still accepting donations and has plans to expand. According to the fundraising page, all money raised past the $15,000 goal will go toward opening a second location in Ward 7 and setting up a fund for additional tool libraries in other wards.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kyle Cooper

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  • 3 people found dead in Northeast DC apartment – WTOP News

    3 people found dead in Northeast DC apartment – WTOP News

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    Two women and a man were found dead in an apartment in Northeast D.C. Wednesday night, according to authorities.

    Two women and a man were found dead in an apartment in Northeast D.C. Wednesday night, according to authorities.

    Ramey Kyle, assistant chief of D.C. police, outlined at a press conference that night how police had found the three people during a “wellness check.”

    Officers responded to a call asking them to check in on people living in an apartment on the 5000 block of Jay Street in Northeast just before 8 p.m.

    “When they arrived at the residence they found the entrance door to be slightly ajar, inside three deceased adults,” Kyle said.

    Police told WTOP Thursday morning that all three of the people found had gunshot wounds. Officials also confirmed that two of them were women and one was a man.

    Police have not released any more information about the three people or confirmed how they died. This is still an active investigation.

    Below is a map where the people were found dead:

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kyle Cooper

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