Dozens of protesters marched down the streets of Hyattsville, Maryland, protesting a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
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Dozens rally against proposed ICE facility in Hyattsville
Dozens of demonstrators marched down the streets of Hyattsville, Maryland, protesting a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey and other Maryland elected officials sent a letter this week to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Director Todd Lyons for more information about the project.
“When ICE agents kill people, when ICE agents terrorize people, when ICE agents separate children from parents, and they do not even identify themselves — they hide, they hide their faces — they are given the right to do anything with absolute immunity,” Charles Askins, a Hyattsville resident told WTOP. “That is the worst of the worst, not immigrants.”
Askins was one of the many protesters who marched through Hyattsville, ending in front of the building of the proposed new office on Belcrest Road.
In the letter to DHS officials, Ivey wrote, “Given the significant community concern surrounding ICE operations and the potential local impact of this expansion mere blocks from a church, a sensitive location and in the same building as a local Social Services Office of Family Investment, serving young children and families — we are requesting detailed information regarding this proposed facility.”
The letter was also signed by Maryland senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks. It requests more information about the operations and size and scope of the office, and whether it will be an enforcement arm with holding cells or just an administrative office.
“I’ve seen what those detention centers look like,” Ivey said. “They treat people terribly. They’re horrible conditions. I’ve seen animal shelters that are better than some of the detention centers they’re running. And we don’t want the roving patrols. We don’t want this to turn into Minneapolis.”
When asked about the recent ban of 287(g) agreements signed by Gov. Wes Moore and whether President Donald Trump’s administration will continue immigration enforcement in the state, Ivey said, “Trump’s mode of operation has just been to go do what he wants to do, and he keeps doing it until people push back.”
“That’s what we saw in Minnesota,” he continued. “They rolled in, they sent in 3,000 ICE officers. That’s five times more ICE agents than they had than police officers in the Minneapolis Police Department. The community stood up and pushed back, and they ran them out of town.”
The congressman walked with other local leaders during their short march, including Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy and Hyattsville Mayor Robert Croslin.
“The only thing that I can do right now is to thank you all,” Croslin said to the many marchers waving signs reading “No ICE.” “And to let you know that Hyattsville is a sanctuary city.”
Braveboy announced that she would be signing an executive order Thursday that would further limit local law enforcement from working with ICE officers.
Hyattsville resident Kathy Hogle said many of her neighbors are immigrants and fear immigration enforcement.
“Probably the most important thing at this moment is that we have now hundreds of thousands of families who don’t have their breadwinners, hundreds of thousands of families that have been traumatized and that will have to live with this trauma for generations,” Hogle said.
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At the turn of the 20th century, a revolutionary education program called the Rosenwald Schools built new schoolhouses all across the Southeast for Black children, and the remnants of these schools can still be seen in Northern Virginia and Maryland.
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How the Rosenwald Schools taught a generation of early civil rights leaders
Throughout February, WTOP is celebrating Black History Month. Join us on-air and online as we bring you the stories, people and places that make up our diverse community.
At the turn of the 20th century, Black children were barred from public schools, and many Southern states would not allocate funding to educate them. A revolutionary education program called the Rosenwald Schools built new schoolhouses all across the Southeast for Black children, and the remnants of these schools can still be seen in Northern Virginia and Maryland.
The Rosenwald School building program was the brainchild of former slave and founder of the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington, and Julius Rosenwald, who was the president of the Sears and Roebuck Company.
“These two men create this program where they engage Black communities and white school boards. … From 1912 to 1937, it builds 4,978 schools across 15 Southern and border states, and the results are transformative,” Andrew Feiler, a photographer and author, told WTOP.
He said these schools were revolutionary for the time.
In the early 20th century, “There was a large and persistent Black-white education gap in the South,” Feiler said. “That gap closes precipitously between World War I and World War II, and the single greatest driver of that achievement is Rosenwald Schools.”
Reaching across long divides ‘fundamentally changed this country for the better’
Jeff Clark, a public historian in Fairfax County, Virginia, called the schools “game changing.”
“It was hope in a time where kids didn’t have a lot of hope, families didn’t have a lot of hope. It’s hard for me to explain what that must have felt like,” he said.
Many of the vital leaders during the Civil Rights Movement were educated at these schools, including activist Medgar Evers, author Maya Angelou and Georgia Congressman John Lewis.
“What you realize is that these schools helped create the educational foundation, the economic foundation that helped the Civil Rights Movement happen when it happened,” Feiler said.
The vast majority of Rosenwald Schools were small, one to four-teacher schools. The African American community did not receive bus service from the public school system, so the schools had to serve an area where students could walk there, which led to smaller school sizes.
Only around 500 of these Rosenwald School buildings are left standing in the U.S. Many have been repurposed into city buildings maintained as part of a school system or restored and turned into museums like the Ridgeley School in Capitol Heights, Maryland.
Maryland was home to over 150 Rosenwald Schools; Virginia was home to more than 380.
In Fairfax County, Virginia, before the Rosenwald Schools were built, “if you were African American, your education stopped at grade seven, unless you could afford to pay tuition to go to Washington, D.C., or you had a family member who lived in Washington, D.C., who had an address you could use,” Clark said.
At the turn of the 20th century, “there were not a lot of school buildings constructed for African American children,” Clark said.
Four Rosenwald Schools were built in Fairfax County, which at the time was a much more rural farming community than it is today.
One was built in Fairfax City, not far from George Mason’s campus, another called Guilford in Tysons Corner. The Oak Grove Community on the border of Loudoun County was built in the 1930s and the Seminary Rosenwald School in Alexandria was replaced by T.C. Williams High School, now Alexandria City High School.
“It was hope for communities who had no hope because the county was spending all its money to build new brick and mortar buildings for white children in Annandale and McLean,” Clark said.
According to Clark, the expertly designed school plans developed at the Tuskegee Institute laid out blueprints for schools of different sizes and focused on details that are still being used today.
“About 20 years ago, FCPS got really interested in natural light. How can we bring more natural light into our buildings? Because that’s so important for kids,” Clark said.
“They were talking about that 100 years ago at the Tuskegee Institute, they gave specific instructions for, here’s a plan for the building that will fit the size of your lot. Here is how you should orient that building on your lot to maximize the use of natural light for those kids,” he added.
Feiler said the creation of these schools is a lesson everyone in America can learn from.
“Julius Rosenwald, a white, Northern, Jewish businessman, and Booker T. Washington, a Black, Southern Christian educator, were reaching across divides of race, of religion, and of region; in 1912 in a deeply segregated, deeply Jim Crow America, and they fundamentally changed this country for the better,” Feiler said.
“I think the heart of this story speaks to everybody walking in the streets today, crying out for change, that we are the change, that individual actions matter and that we do change the world,” he added.
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The National Gallery of Art is challenging artists to recreate one of 100 chosen works from its gallery in any way imaginable, in what the museum is deeming an “open call.”
Are you or a loved one an artist with a talent for putting a twist on classic art? One of the most prestigious museums in the world is giving creators a chance to earn some serious money as well as have their talent put on display near the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Claude Monet.
“There is a vast creative ecosystem that’s happening on social media right now, whether it’s painters, illustrators, meme makers … people are creating their work and sharing it,” said Sydni Myers, the National Gallery’s social media manager.
Myers said the National Gallery of Art is challenging these artists to recreate one of 100 chosen works from its gallery in any way imaginable, in what the museum is deeming an “open call.”
“Whether it’s pebbles styled into a Picasso or a landscape artist carving something into the side of a mountain,” Myers said.
Creatives can do everything from creating a water feature in their garden mirroring Fredric Edwin Church’s “Niagara,” or choreograph a social media dance inspired by a ballerina sculpture from Edgar Degas.
“We truly are inviting people to express themselves with us and to co-author culture,” she said.
Artists will need to submit a written proposal describing how they would remix a certain piece. The National Gallery’s team will review submissions in March and the top 50 will be selected to make a vertical video of their idea.
The video of their work will be displayed at the National Gallery of Art as well as on the museum’s social media channels. They will also earn $3,000.
“It’s an opportunity not only to bring new life to our social media channels, but also inside the museum,” Myers said. “So we are cultivating a specific space for those creators, for their work to shine.”
Only one runner, Michael Wardian, a 51-year-old from Arlington, Virginia, holds the record for the fastest time accomplishing the feat.
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Arlington man breaks ultramarathon record racing across the world
Not many people run grueling ultramarathons and even fewer of them try to run seven of them in seven days on seven different continents. And only one of them, Michael Wardian, a 51-year-old from Arlington, Virginia, now holds the record for the fastest time accomplishing the feat.
Wardian and dozens of other motivated runners spent last week pounding ice sheets, asphalt and trails across the world. The first run took them to Ultima Base in Antarctica, where they trekked along a several kilometer loop over a dozen times to complete the distance.
“It was weird because it was during the snowpocalypse here in the D.C. area. So, it was actually colder in D.C. from average temperature than it was in Antarctica,” Wardian said.
Still, he dealt with subfreezing temperatures and 30-mph winds on the icy landscape, where he won the ultramarathon event before packing up with the other runner and traveling to race again in Cape Town, South Africa.
“It’s one of those epic experiences,” he told WTOP. “You wanted to feel like you did something, and you definitely felt when you got done with the run in Antarctica that you had put yourself out there and you’ve done something kind of epic.”
Just two days after running in frigid temperatures near the South Pole, Wardian and other runners were sweltering in 107-degree heat in Perth, Australia.
“I suffered a lot that day,” Wardian said.
The heat was not as severe at their next stop in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, but it still neared 90 degrees.
“I was just trying to survive both those days. I got my big Teva bucket hat on and just tried to douse myself in icy water as much as possible,” Wardian said.
From there Wardian flew to Madrid, Spain, running on an F1 track and then jetted to Fortaleza, Brazil, before ending in an unusually chilly Miami, Florida.
“I continued to expand that winning tradition, winning in Miami, and ended up winning the overall marathon by about eight minutes,” Wardian said.
He also broke the record for the fastest time of all his combined 50Ks for the World Marathon Challenge by over four hours. According to the race organization, he completed the seven roughly 31-mile races in a blistering average time of three hours and 48 minutes.
Wardian has completed this challenge before and even holds the fastest average marathon time for men that he set in 2017.
He said that the toughest part about this race is the travel with flights after each race ranging from eight to 11 hours. The race has its own chartered flight with what Wardian described as semi-lie flat seats, making it a little tough to get good rest.
“There was the ability to kind of get some sleep but then deal with everybody in the plane moving about and you have to calm yourself down after each race because you do get kind of fired up,” Wardian said.
He said, “You just got to be water. You’re not worried about time zones; you’re not worried about how much sleep you’re getting. You just do the best you can recover as much as you can, eat as much food as you can, and then you get ready to do it again.”
His favorite part of the event is the bonding with like-minded people hoping to accomplish something amazing.
“You get to see people grow throughout the event. You get to see people struggle. You get to see people have emotion, either good or bad, but you become like a big family,” Wardian said.
He said doing something really difficult together bonds people rapidly.
“I think that that’s one of the great things about adventures like the World Marathon challenges. like there’s no way that you’re going to ever have the opportunity to bond with people so closely in such a short amount of time,” he said.
And while there is a competitive mood, everyone wanted to see each other succeed.
“I’d have little cheers for different people, and they would cheer for me. And so, it’s a really nice community,” Wardian said.
The song Wardian constantly plays in his headphones when he needs a boost on the course is AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”
“I think that’s the song that we walked out to when I played lacrosse when I was growing up, and it still gets me in the mood. Feels like I’m locking in my helmet and getting ready for a battle,” he said.
Wardian is no stranger to tough challenges, whether it is running the Appalachian Trail or 100-mile races in the mountains of Colorado or even the local Taco Bell 50K. He will continue his pursuit of ambitious accomplishments by attempting to run the Pacific Crest Trail this year and next year attempting to solo row across the Atlantic.
His advice to anyone looking to accomplish a goal others may think are crazy: “I think the biggest bit of advice I could suggest for people is commit to do something. I think that’s the biggest thing. And then once you commit, don’t get overwhelmed. Keep it small … Just focus on what you need to do and work through the process and you’ll get the results.”
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Apple ran around the Rockville, Maryland, home full of joy playing with her “Lambchop” chew toy. She was in a different situation a week ago, when animal control officials in D.C. found her abandoned in a trash chute.
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Md. dog rescued from DC trash chute
A senior dog named “Apple” ran around a Rockville, Maryland, home full of joy, playing with her “Lambchop” chew toy.
She was in a different situation a week ago, when animal control officials in D.C. rescued her from a trash chute at a downtown apartment.
“It was clear that she was really underweight, really matted hair. Had obviously not had a lot of care,“ said Georgia Dodson, the director of Miri’s Haven Senior Dog Rescue, who took Apple in after she was rescued.
Staff at the apartment complex reportedly found the dog abandoned in the trash and reached out to animal control. Dodson told WTOP that there is an ongoing investigation by the Humane Rescue Alliance’s Humane Law Enforcement.
The senior dog is “medically fragile,” according to Dodson, but she is making progress.
“Her coat was really in poor shape. We treated for fleas and intestinal parasites and worms. When a dog is found in the trash and assumed to be eating trash, you really don’t know what they’ve gotten into. So, we were sure to treat her for that and get that out of the way,” Dodson told WTOP.
Apple’s hind legs seemed to be atrophied; Dodson believes it was due to a combination of malnourishment and being cramped into a tight space, such as a crate, which may have caused her limbs to deform. But it is not hampering her spirit.
With her chew toy in mouth, she played, barked and happily snuggled and accepted pets while wearing a cozy mini doggy sweater on her small Yorkie frame. Her name came from when she was found, rescuers said she looked hungry enough to eat a nearby apple.
Meet Apple, who was rescued from a D.C. trash chute.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
With her chew toy in her mouth, she played, barked and happily snuggled and accepted pets while wearing a cozy mini doggy sweater on her small Yorkie frame.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
The senior dog is “medically fragile,” but she is making progress.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Apple was found by apartment complex staff in the trash and reported it to animal control.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Dodson said Apple has made a complete 180 since she arrived at Miri’s Haven Senior Dog Rescue.
“She was hard to get out of the crate when she arrived, definitely very timid. But once I got her out, gave her a good meal and a bath, she was all tail wags,” Dodson said. “She’s been greeting volunteers. She even wagged for the vet today. So, she’s really found her joy.”
Jade Conner, co-founder of Miri’s Haven Senior Dog Rescue, added, “They’re resilient in a way that humans are not really capable of, and I think it surprises us every time to get a dog that’s covered in feces and filth to see that dog happy as soon as you get it off of them.”
The rescue specializes in seniors, dogs older than 7 years old. They founded Miri’s in 2021.
“I think that the reason that we also love seniors is because they’re so overlooked,” Conner said.
Both touted some of the advantages of having a senior dog, the fact that they are already house-trained and are a bit less energetic and demanding, compared to a puppy.
“There’s a sense of predictability when you’re welcoming senior dogs into the house and they really come with a sense of gratitude, I think, especially the ones that have come from a neglectful situation,” Dodson said.
Apple will be up for up for adoption after she receives necessary medical treatments, and the organization will accept applications on its website for her. Meanwhile, the all-volunteer rescue organization accepts monetary donations to support the medical care for all senior dogs rescued by volunteers.
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This Groundhog Day, D.C.’s very own weather forecasting groundhog made a prediction amid a frozen city filled and chilly residents hoping for a little warmth.
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What Potomac Phil, DC’s weather rodent, forecasted on Groundhog Day
This Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter. Meanwhile in D.C.’s Dupont Circle, the city’s own weather forecasting groundhog made a prediction amid a frozen city filled with “snowcrete” and chilly residents hoping for a little warmth.
Some bad news came from the lifeless, taxidermic rodent Potomac Phil early Monday morning.
“I’ve been instructed which scroll to read for Potomac Phil’s weather and political predictions. Potomac Phil saw his shadow, so six more weeks of winter and six more months of political gridlock,” said Will Stephens, a board member of the Dupont Festival who helped organize the polka jam filled event.
Even though it was not the news everyone was hoping to hear, dozens stood by and shivered to hear what the little stuffed mammal had to say.
“I’m not going to lie, kind of a bummer this year,” Sam Edelstein told WTOP. “Kind of bummed about six more weeks of winter, but in Phil we trust, and I believe him, with all this snow.”
This was his fourth time coming to the early February celebration.
“It’s so fun,” he said. “There’s so many things going on in the world and in D.C., and this is just a reminder the importance of community and tradition and it’s just a really special day to be out here.”
Potomac Phil predicted six more weeks of winter and six more months of political gridlock on Feb. 2, 2026.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Even though it was not the news everyone was hoping to hear, dozens stood by and shivered to hear what the little stuffed mammal had to say.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
The forecast came more than a week after a winter storm brought snow and sleet to the D.C. area — much of which is sticking around due to lingering frigid temperatures.
“I think everyone was showing up because they were hoping that this, what are we calling it, ‘snowcrete,’ would melt soon, but Potomac Phil has dashed our hopes and dreams,” Libby Norwood said.
Some even ran for distance, with the route resembling the shape of the event’s signature top hat, hoping it would be good mojo.
“We ran a 5K and then we came out to see Potomac Phil,” Emma Israel said. “I was hoping for more spring, but here we are.”
Afterward the crowd sipped coffee and grabbed selfies with the famous stuffed groundhog.
“I predicted that this is going to be one of our smaller crowds, given the weather and a Monday morning, but it was an amazing crowd,” Stephens said. “I think people just, especially these days, want some time to get together and maybe be silly and get distracted for a few minutes before the workweek starts.”
For the 15th year in a row, Potomac Phil predicted another six months of political gridlock.
“Potomac Phil is getting a little bit bitter, it sounds like, in his old age,” Norwood said.
Potomac Phil predicted six more weeks of winter and six more months of political gridlock on Feb. 2, 2026.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Even though it was not the news everyone was hoping to hear, dozens stood by and shivered to hear what the little stuffed mammal had to say.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
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Bobby Duke spends most of his adventures as chief curatorial officer of the Museum of the Bible studying and teaching about the priceless artifacts in its collection.
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This museum curator takes care of some of the oldest artifacts in DC
In the D.C. region, conversations often start with, “What do you do?” WTOP’s “Working Capital” series profiles the people whose jobs make the D.C. region run.
Bobby Duke thinks many of the world’s treasures belong in a museum for everyone to see. In that way, he is similar to some of the silver screen’s famed history lovers — but he’s no Indiana Jones.
“I don’t wear a fedora. I don’t have a whip, and I don’t have this John Williams theme music in the background,” Duke said.
Even with a name fit for a hero, Duke spends most of his adventures as chief curatorial officer of the Museum of the Bible studying and teaching about the priceless artifacts in its collection.
“It wasn’t like when I was in fourth grade, I said, ‘someday I want to be a chief curatorial officer!’” he joked with WTOP. “It’s not something you aspire to, but it’s something that you realize.”
“For me,” he said, “being at the Museum of the Bible, having a Ph.D. in Hebrew, having researched the Dead Sea Scrolls, it kind of all comes together.”
For nearly two decades, Duke worked at the School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University, where he served as dean.
Duke studied Near Eastern languages including Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac and Greek at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received his Ph.D. He also studied the Hebrew Bible at Jerusalem University College and earned a theology degree from Multnomah University.
“I was a researcher, I was a professor, and all of those experiences have now been woven together to give me the job skills necessary for what I do here at Museum of the Bible,” Duke said.
He now oversees all exhibits, education and research across the museum’s collections.
Duke said he learned early on that he liked studying the documents in a lab rather than digging in the Israeli heat looking for new scrolls and artifacts.
“I became a tech scholar versus an archaeologist, because getting up at 4:30 every morning, digging in 100-degree temperature for weeks and weeks on end was something that I did not see in my future permanently,” Duke said, adding that he still visits dig sites every year.
The museum supports two digs in Israel: Tel Shimron and El-Araj, which is likely biblical Bethsaida, the hometown of apostle Peter on the Sea of Galilee.
“We have an annual lecture every year from both of those sites, just so we can take the discoveries in the field and bring it back here for our guests at Museum of the Bible,” Duke said.
When he is not at dig sites, Duke is simulating them for children’s programs at the museum. The “Dip Deep program” allows students to experiences of archaeology through hands-on exploration.
A recent exhibit at the museum was the return of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a particular focus of study for Duke, whose writing about the ancient texts is widely respected.
Duke also conducts research and explained that new technology has opened the door to many possibilities. The museum operates a digital imaging lab that allows researchers to reconstruct items, like ancient Torah scrolls.
“One of our items in our collection, we’ll actually be heading out in 2026 to Stanford (University) for some special multispectral imaging because it’s what we call a palimpsest. That means a text was written and then it was overwritten, and then it was overwritten again,” Duke explained.
Museum researchers hope digital imaging will reveal all of those layers.
“We’re in a season of scholarship around the world where it does take a team,” Duke said. “One of the things I’m excited about is that it really causes a sense of humility across scholars, because to really do the work we need to do, you need people that are chemists and biologists … to be able to get to the information that we need as text scholars.”
Duke said he is thrilled that D.C. was chosen as the location for the Museum of the Bible, which opened to the public in 2017.
“You cannot do a mediocre museum in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “You’re here right in the shadows of the Smithsonian. We have so many great museums, and it is a wonderful community.”
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While most watched the tragedy in the aftermath from phone screens and television, D.C. Police and Fire and EMS’ divers and crew members had to sift through the wreckage in the icy Potomac River.
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First responders at DCA crash recall ‘devastating’ recovery efforts
On the anniversary of the D.C. plane crash that claimed the lives of 67 people, WTOP takes a look back in our series “Disaster on the Potomac, 1 year later” — and the changes that followed in its aftermath. Find it this week on air and here on WTOP.com.
Nearly one year ago, on Jan. 29, 2025, the capital region and the nation watched with shock and confusion as an American Airlines regional jet collided midair with an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was on a training exercise.
While most watched the tragedy in the aftermath from phone screens and television, D.C. Police and Fire and EMS’ divers and crew members had to sift through the wreckage in the icy Potomac River.
D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said he was driving home from a meeting that night when he heard a fire boat calling in, initially saying there was a helicopter crash at Reagan National Airport.
Ten minutes later, a fire boat reported that it smelled like jet fuel, and they had found a wing and four victims. That’s when he immediately turned around to head to the airport.
“A few minutes later, there was some confirmation it was a commercial aircraft,” Donnelly told WTOP. “That’s a big deal.”
Tim Ochsenschlager, a D.C. police officer with the Harbor Patrol Unit, was working the front desk of at the patrol unit’s pier and received information that a bystander had seen a fireball over the Potomac River, he told WTOP while aboard one of the Harbor Patrol boats.
“At that point, I was pretty sure that there was a pretty serious accident,” Ochsenschlager said .
Donnelly said over 300 first responders were on the scene that night from various agencies trying to recover and find any survivors. But within the first hour, they knew there would not be any. The highest priority then pivoted to providing the victims’ families closure by recovering the remains of everyone on board the helicopter and commercial flight.
“You think of yourself as a police officer in a city; you see some pretty bad things, but I had never seen anything quite like this,” Ochsenschlager said.
“The injuries that we were seeing were just about the most severe that you could possibly imagine,” he said.
“The airplane essentially fell from about 300 feet straight into water, just absolutely devastating injuries. I’ve never seen anything like it before, and I hope to never see it again.”
It was particularly rough because many of the first victims that were recovered were children. It was the first time in his decade-long service in the Harbor Patrol that he recovered the remains of a child, Ochsenschlager said.
“It was very difficult,” he told WTOP.
First responders grieved for the families
Donnelly said the nearly weeklong recovery effort of all the victims weighed heavily on first responders, both those in the water and at casualty collection points.
“There’s anger that they have to deal with this. There’s grieving for the families. There is sort of personification in the sense that, ‘I have kids this age,’” Donnelly said. “We had two employees whose family members were on the plane.”
Donnelly said it was other administrators’ jobs to encourage divers and other crew members, as well as watch out for any mental-health issues related to recovery efforts.
“We normalize things every day,” Donnelly said speaking about the tragic situations first responders see every day. “The difference here is, it’s a lot more people than we’re used to. That affects everybody differently.”
Some first responders initially faced a tough time, while others were stoic during efforts, but dealt with issues months later.
“We have to stay on that,” Donnelly added.
A double-stack trailer carrying D.C. Fire Department’s swift water rescue boats and equipment.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Crews were so thorough that they even found wreckage from the 1982 Air Florida plane crash.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
‘Really intense smell of jet fuel’
Beyond the mental fatigue of recovering the 67 victims of the midair collision, divers had to deal with the physical harshness of the conditions. Near freezing water temperatures, sharp shards of aluminum jutting out from every corner of the crash site and corrosive jet fuel complicated dives.
“Especially the first night, you could smell, just kind of in the back of your throat, the really, really intense smell of jet fuel,” Ochsenschlager told WTOP.
The jet fuel actually began corroding responders’ diving suits, the rubber began failing and new equipment had to be brought in.
It had not rained after the late January crash, leading to clearer visibility for crews diving amid the wreckage looking for remains and personal property.
“The accident did happen in pretty shallow water. Even at high tide, it was probably anywhere from six to eight-feet deep. Then, at low tide, sometimes we were walking around in three or four feet of water. That made the recovery effort a lot better,” Ochsenschlager said.
The water was around 34 degrees for much of the recovery efforts in the weeks after the crash. It only allowed divers to be in the water for an hour or less at a time. Ochsenschlager said most divers were only able to go in once a day.
“February was one of the coldest that I remember, and we would be recovering stuff, and the water would freeze on the deck of the boat as soon as we got it there. That month was especially brutal,” he said.
During the first couple of hours after the crash, around 80 divers cycled in and out every 15 to 20 minutes, partly because they were getting cold.
“And we were worried about people’s mental health, because it was quite a disturbing scene to work,” Ochsenschlager said.
They also had to search through sharp metal debris from the aircraft.
“We had to be really careful when we were moving pieces of the aircraft around, because you could cut your glove. Once you’re cut, glove is cut, water starts leaking into your hand, and it can get into pretty much your entire (diving) suit,” he said.
Finding the remnants of the crash
After the recovery of the 67 victims’ remains, which was completed in six days, Donnelly said the focus turned to recovering and salvaging the wreckage so that the National Transportation Safety Board had everything they needed to complete an investigation.
Multiple local agencies patrolled the shores as far north as Georgetown and as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. The Army Corps of Engineers provided the expertise to lift large parts of the wreckage out of the water.
Both Donnelly and Ochsenschlager were confident that with targeted help, the vast majority of the wreckage and victims’ personal property were recovered in the weeks after the crash.
“We took a bit of pride knowing that no personal property has been recovered from any of the victims by any citizen,” Ochsenschlager said. “They’re not going to get re-victimized in a couple of years if something washes on shore. We took pride in trying to make sure that didn’t happen.”
Crews were so thorough that they even found wreckage from a previous plane crash — that of a Boeing 737.
“We have pretty good indication that it was wreckage from the Air Florida crash,” Ochsenschlager said.
Air Florida flight 90 plunged into the Potomac River on Jan. 13, 1982. Seventy-four people died in that tragedy.
Donnelly said the discovery from that 40-year-old crash helped develop regional cooperation for searching future crashes, including obtaining federal assets, which was essential for efforts during the 2025 tragedy.
And, like that Air Florida crash, both Donnelly and Ochsenschlager noted that the community rallied around rescue and recovery efforts for the January crash. Both thanked the City Cruises ships that anchored near the crash site for offering a warm place for divers to rest.
“They were out there, dedicated their time, effort and fuel. They kept us warm and gave us a command center where we could go and warm up and have good food and dogs to pet and take our minds off it,” Ochsenschlager said.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do it without all of their help,” he added.
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Taking a hot shower after a rough day is a game changer but for many people who are homeless, they could have long stretches without them. One local nonprofit is attempting to change that with new mobile showers that will travel across Northern Virginia and D.C.
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Mobile bathroom brings hygiene to people who are homeless in DC area
Taking a hot shower after a rough day is a game changer but for many people without housing they could have long stretches without them. One local nonprofit is attempting to change that with new mobile showers that will travel across Northern Virginia and D.C.
“We talk to individuals who haven’t had showers in five weeks, in two months,” said Sylisa Lambert-Woodard, the president and CEO of Pathway Homes.
The Mobile Outreach Unit is a retrofitted trailer with three full private bathrooms complete with hot showers that people who are homeless can use. One of the bathrooms is fully wheelchair accessible.
“It’s not just the shower,” Lambert-Woodard said. “The shower is the entree. It’s a way of being able to engage individuals. It’s an opportunity for individuals to engage, to research, receive services, and ultimately restore their own hope and dignity through health and hygiene.”
According to Pathway Homes, only two of the 41 homeless shelters in Northern Virginia offer drop-in shower services for people not living in the shelter. Lambert-Woodard estimated that around five in D.C. allow drop-by bathing.
“It’s 18 degrees out here, and people are still trekking over to get a shower, and what individuals are sharing with us is that the shower actually gives them a new sense of hope and renewal,” Lambert-Woodard said.
Miriam’s Kitchen in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of D.C. will be one of the stops for this mobile shower trailer. CEO Scott Schenkelberg told WTOP they offer, meals, clothes, case management to find housing and advocacy work, “But people are always in need of hygiene.”
“Every time we’ve asked guests, what could we do to make your life a little bit better until we find housing for you?” Schenkelberg said. “They always ask for showers and our facility just is not built to be able to provide showers.”
They plan for the Mobile Outreach Unit to be outside Miriam’s Kitchen every other week.
In addition to providing showers, they will provide health and hygiene kits, with band aids, toothbrushes and toothpaste, that people can take with them.
“Can you imagine going for weeks without having a shower, I mean, we all feel I would think very gross afterward,” Schenkelberg said. “But it also is about affirming dignity and building trust. Because when people ask for something, and you repeatedly say ‘no.’ We can’t do that. It’s really hard. It doesn’t help build trust.”
A local nonprofit has built new mobile showers that will travel across Northern Virginia and D.C.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
According to Pathway Homes, only two of the 41 homeless shelters in Northern Virginia offer drop-in shower services for people not living in the shelter.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
The Mobile Outreach Unit is a retrofitted trailer with three full private bathrooms complete with hot showers that people without homes can use.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
They plan for the Mobile Outreach Unit to be outside Miriam’s Kitchen every other week.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
In addition to providing showers, they will provide health and hygiene kits, with band aids, toothbrushes and toothpaste, that people can take with them.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
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Ten documents from the nation’s founding era are leaving their home at the National Archives in D.C. and hitting the skies for America’s 250th birthday.
Ten documents from the nation’s founding era are leaving their home at the National Archives in D.C. and hitting the skies for America’s 250th birthday this summer.
“These documents are either precursors to the declaration and reflect mounting frustration with British rule, or they document the declaration’s immediate result, how subjects of King George III became citizens of the United States and formed a new nation,” said Jim Byron, senior adviser to the acting archivist of the United States.
From March through August, the tour will go through the following cities:
A special Boeing 737 will carry these pieces of history.
Some of the documents that will be on display include a copy of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War. It is signed by John Adams, John Jay and Benjamin Franklin
“I always think of the Declaration of Independence as like the breakup letter,” said Jessie Kratz, a historian with the National Archives. “But this is the final divorce papers that acknowledged the United States as a country and also gave the borders so we could actually expand westward. So this was the first time that Britain actually recognized our independence.”
The oaths of allegiance by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr will also be a part of the display.
“The Continental Congress decided that they needed to have all army officers sign oaths of allegiance to the United States,” Kratz said. “They sent all these preprinted forms to Valley Forge to have George Washington get all the officers to sign.”
Other documents going on tour include a secret printing of the Constitution in draft form and an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence.
“The Freedom Plane National Tour underscores that the rich history of our nation belongs to all of us, not just those Americans living in or visiting Washington, D.C.,” said Rodney Slater, chair and president of the National Archives Foundation Board of Directors.
The exhibition will be free at all eight venues.
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Whether it is the traditional green, black and brown patterns seen on military uniforms or the more flamboyant “Dazzle Ships” of World War I, a new exhibit coming to the District’s International Spy Museum will cover it.
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New exhibit on camouflage coming to DC’s Spy Museum
Whether it is the traditional green, black and brown patterns seen on military uniforms or the more flamboyant “Dazzle Ships” of World War I, a new exhibit coming to D.C.’s International Spy Museum will cover it.
“This is a phenomenon that has its origins in nature,” said Kathryn Keane, vice president of exhibitions at the Spy Museum. “Anybody that studied evolution or adaptation has studied camouflage, and it’s been adapted by humans in all these super interesting ways.”
Opening March 1, the exhibit will explore the history of camouflage as both the noun, which is the designs of camouflage often seen in military uniforms and the global industry that has developed around it, and the verb, the ability to camouflage and disguise yourself in the real world, and how they’ve been adapted by various military and spy organizations.
The exhibit will also give visitors an overview of the scientific principles of camouflage, to disappear, to distort, to disguise and to deceive.
Keane said the real history of modern camouflage can be traced back over a century ago to World War I and later World War II. Entire “camouflage corps” were created that were made up of largely artists working on deception campaigns.
“Camouflage really was not a thing until World War I,” Keane said. “A group of artists who were really interested in camouflage and the effect of camouflage in nature were able to influence some of the military strategists in the lead up to World War I. They said we should be applying some of these principles that we study in nature to evasion techniques in warfare and on the battlefield.”
The greatest example of art-inspired World War I camouflage, Keane said, were highly colorful “Dazzle Ships.”
German U-boats had been regularly destroying U.S. and British supply and transport ships in the Atlantic. Artists tried to find a way to help these ships with very distinct and flamboyant patterns.
“You can’t hide a ship, but maybe if you paint it in these bright, distorting colors that were inspired by the study of disruptive camouflage that you find in nature, we could distract the captains of these U-boats long enough that they might miss and all it takes is a split second,” Keane said.
The dazzle ships will be heavily featured in the exhibit as one of the most audacious attempts at camouflage. While it may not have worked quite as effectively as intended, the dazzle ships improved morale and even entered the design zeitgeist of the 1920s.
“People started wearing these black and white bathing suits and outfits. They had a dazzle ball at the Chelsea Arts Club in New York. And just really interestingly, sort of coincided with a period in art history where you saw the avant garde art style start to come about as well,” Keane said.
In World War II, Gen. George Patton created a camouflage Ghost Army, with inflatable tanks, jeeps made of cloth and wood, and faux barracks and mess halls in order to deceive Nazi Germany on troop locations in the U.K., and disguise at which point would they invade Northern Europe.
The exhibit will also include information on literally thousands of camo patterns from over 160 countries that the Spy Museum was able to discover in its research.
“A lot of them really don’t have anything to do with actually camouflaging yourself. Camouflage has become such a fashion statement,” Keane said.
The exhibit will also have interactive displays where you can design your own camouflage.
The Spy Museum will also explore more modern takes on camouflage developed by intelligence agencies. Spies have to blend into their environment, and rarely does that mean putting on fatigues with camo print.
“We have some masters of disguise that we profile in the exhibit, including a couple who are involved here at the museum that have worked for the intelligence agencies on how to make somebody look different or adapt to a culture that they don’t belong in,” Keane said.
Going beyond disguising yourself, the exhibit will examine the psychological and behavioral aspects of deception and camouflage, such as how to disappear in a crowd while still surveilling targets.
“It’s all part of the same theme, right? This idea that deception is at the core of effective intelligence, and camouflage is just the best example of that,” Keane said.
With the rise of infrared and heat signature cameras, there are even camouflages that have been designed to deceive beyond the visible spectrum of light.
“For every tool that is developed to try to detect someone, there’s an equally interesting technology that’s developed to evade that detection,” Keane said.
Like many of the exhibits at the Spy Museum, there will be plenty of interaction for kids and adults, including giant LED screens of landscapes where you try to spot camouflaged people. They will even have a display that shows how facial recognition software works.
“It will map your face and show you, in real time, how the how the camera does that, and then it will compare your face to a database of 200 random images of sort of famous, important people that we’ve chosen,” Keane said. “We also talk a little bit about how people are going to extraordinary lengths to avoid facial recognition technology and things that you can do to protect yourself from it.”
The exhibit will open March 1, and will be open through 2029. Tickets for the exhibit are on sale now.
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The Alexandria Police Department is implementing new policies to handle hate crimes after the arrest of a woman charged with a bias-motivated assault.
The Alexandria Police Department is implementing new policies to handle hate crimes after the arrest of a woman charged with a bias-motivated assault in December.
On the afternoon of Christmas Day, the alleged victim filmed the incident inside the Giant grocery store on Duke Street, then contacted Alexandria police.
That led to the arrest of 34-year-old Shibritney Colbert of Landover, Maryland, on Thursday. She can be seen on the video accosting the man and calling him homophobic slurs.
She is currently in jail in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and is awaiting extradition to Virginia.
She faces multiple charges, including assault and battery and destruction of property.
Video of the incident can be viewed below:
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Alexandria revisits hate crime policies after alleged assault
“Ultimately, the suspect began to say slurs as relates to the person’s sexual orientation and also racial slurs. And again, I cannot speak to or say how the victim felt in this incident, but it is very alarming and very disheartening,” Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said.
Among the changes that will be implemented in the department is the creation of regular reports on hate crimes within Alexandria.
“It holds us accountable to ensure that we are deliberately investigating these offenses in a way that we’re going to take immediate action,” McGurie told WTOP.
Additionally, McGuire said cases will be assigned to specific investigators in a timely manner, with an expectation to fully prosecute these cases.
“The last thing I will say is, is that it’s important that I, as a chief of police, am immediately notified when an incident like this happens and occurs in our community,” he said.
A look inside the D.C. facility that’s building the “shovels and picks” for plant tissue culturing and teaching hobbyists how to grow their own plants in test tubes.
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DC lab is helping everyone, from hobbyists to nurseries, clone their plants
A lab that’s just a few floors above Dupont Circle Metro Station may be responsible for that favorite succulent or money tree in your home.
WTOP went inside the facility that is building the “shovels and picks” for plant tissue culturing and teaching hobbyists how to grow their own plants in test tubes.
“What tissue culture is, at its simplest, is we’re growing plants in sugar, instead of plants in soil,” said Yoni Kalin the CEO of Plant Cell Technology.
Whether they propagate the plant in a nutrient rich gel or their new more efficient bio rector, it allows nurseries to clone their bestselling plants. All they need is that nutrient-rich compound and a little bit of light.
“You go to a Home Depot, if you go to a Trader Joe’s, where do those plants come from? Fun fact, they’re all clones or a lot of them are clones,” Kalin said.
This type of technology is also why we can get fresh fruit and vegetables out of season all year long.
“When you eat blueberries in July, or you buy blueberries in September, they all taste the same. Why is that? Because they’re all clones,” Kalin said. “They’re all coming from the same mother plant.”
It allows these producers to give grocery store shoppers roughly the same size, same flavor and same nutritional composition every time.
“That’s the beauty of tissue culture,” Kalin said.
He added that this technology, which has been around for decades can also save crops from being wiped out by pests, flood or other disaster. These tissue culture plants can act like an “cloud” backup for farmers.
Beyond selling to professional nurseries, farms and research universities they also sell and provide education for hobbyists.
It’s a mission to involve more and more people in this field of plant science. Hobbyists can get a starter kit for $120 and create their own tissue cultures of plants they found outside or even their favorite orchid or cactus.
“If we can provide this tool to the masses. That means, hey, if somebody is a carnivorous plant lover, they’re going to focus on carnivorous plant conservation. If somebody is an orchid lover, they’re going to focus on orchid conservation,” Kalin said. “We’re caretakers of the earth species.”
The small lab in Dupont Circle can be seen in videos across YouTube where they have dozens and dozens of videos explaining how to make their own tissue culturing lab equipment or focus on culturing specific plant species like peace lilies and even cannabis.
“Back in 2019 and 2020, you’d go on YouTube, and you might see somebody talking about plant physiology on a whiteboard, but you wouldn’t be able to actually watch somebody in a lab subculturing a plant,” Kalin said.
They also offer online or in-person master classes.
“We have one customer who came to our class, and he had this vision of building a plant tissue culture lab. He showed us pictures of his lab, and now he’s one of the largest suppliers of clones in the industry,” Kalin said.
“The house plants that you buy at Home Depot or plant shops that you buy and kill … We can teach you how to keep them alive, and we can teach you how to grow thousands of them.”
WTOP went inside the facility that is building the “shovels and picks” for plant tissue culturing and teaching hobbyists how to grow their own plants in test tubes.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
A lab above the Dupont Circle Metro Station may be responsible for that favorite succulent or money tree in your home.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Whether they propagate the plant in a nutrient rich gel or their new more efficient bio rector, it allows nurseries to clone their bestselling plants. All they need is that nutrient-rich compound and a little bit of light.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
This type of technology is also why we can get fresh fruit and vegetables out of season all year long.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
It allows these producers to give grocery store shoppers roughly the same size, same flavor and same nutritional composition every time.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
Many nurses in the D.C. area are responsible for taking care of people struggling with severe illnesses, but only a few are doing it for the youngest patients, all while traveling over 100 miles per hour, hundreds of feet above the ground.
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NICU nurse saves tiny lives midair
In the D.C. region, conversations often start with, “What do you do?” WTOP’s “Working Capital” series profiles the people whose jobs make the D.C. region run.
Many nurses in the D.C. area are responsible for taking care of people struggling with severe illnesses, but only a few are doing it for the youngest patients all while traveling over a 100 miles per hour, hundreds of feet above the ground.
For the past 27 years, Janice Berry has been a neonatal intensive care unit transport nurse at Children’s National Hospital in D.C. She originally worked on the floor for about 12 years before turning in her scrubs for a navy blue flight suit.
Berry joined the NICU at Children’s National in 1986 after attending nursing school at Clemson University.
She has taken thousands of flights by helicopter all over the Capital region to pick up infants fighting for their lives.
“Thankfully, with a helicopter, it really cuts a two-and-a-half-hour driving time down to about 40 minutes,” Berry said.
On a typical day for the veteran nurse, she and her team will get a briefing from the pilots about the conditions of the aircraft as well as any weather issues that they may run into.
They pack up the portable isolation box that NICU babies usually need, though theirs comes with a seat belt for the ride.
“We generally have a basic idea of what’s going on with the baby, what kind of equipment, what size team that we’re going to need for that transport,” Berry told WTOP. “Sometimes, it’s just myself and a paramedic and either the driver or the pilot. Sometimes we’ll need respiratory therapy, and occasionally we’ll bring a doctor with us as well.”
Additional nurses, breathing specialists and physicians take the ride, depending on the case.
While most NICU nurses deal with their patients’ health complications, Berry and other transport nurses have the added complication of performing their care for the infants while flying through the air and dealing with turbulence.
As well as a nurse, Berry is part safety officer, having learned extensively about flying during her time.
“When we’re on the aircraft, we’re looking out for any potential problems. All of us are part of that team that helps keep this patient safe and are able to mitigate those safety concerns,” she said.
If the weather is detrimental to flying and could cause any safety concerns, they will take an ambulance instead of the usual helicopter that you may see zipping around the D.C. skies.
“Once I got here and I saw what the transport team did, and how they functioned, and everything that they got to do — which is a really unique job — that was what my goal was and what I strived for,” Berry said.
After a number of years of bedside nursing, she took the position on the transport team.
“I really appreciate that it’s different every day,” Berry said.
“Since we are based in the NICU, I go out as a children’s nurse, meet the families, talk to them about Children’s (National) and the wonderful care that we’re going to give this baby, and help to reassure them. Because generally, this is not a normal birth plan for anyone to have their child transported right after delivery,” she added.
Following up with the families is one of her favorite parts of the job.
“I was invited to a first birthday party recently for someone I transported, which was pretty amazing to get to see that full circle moment of my little guy doing great,” Berry said.
Move over, Mariah Carey. An employee at BWI Marshall Airport is grabbing attention for her rendition of “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
Move over, Mariah Carey. An employee at BWI Marshall Airport is grabbing attention for her rendition of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Desiree is a Transportation Security Administration agent who has worked at the airport since 2023. Her rendition of the iconic Christmas tune went viral, with a TikTok of her crooning garnering millions of views.
“I was amazed at it. It got to that many people around the world. People were tagging Tyler Perry and Mariah Carey. It was amazing, insane,” she told WTOP.
She is now also getting recognized by travelers coming through the security line at the airport.
“They come through, and they’re like, ‘Are you the girl that sings Mariah Carey?’ And I’m doing bag check,” she said.
Desiree and the other TSA carolers welcomed travelers with Christmas classics all season.
“I guess the higher-ups just wanted us to bring cheer around the airport to release some of the stress that the passengers may have trying to fly in, and they have a lot going on with families and everything,” she said.
Desiree has been performing all her life and joined the TSA Choir after hearing about it from a colleague. Though she went viral for singing a Mariah Carey song, her favorite singer is Whitney Houston.
The TSA Choir holds performances throughout the year.
“We just do things involving BWI — assemblies, 9/11 remembrances. We might be able to do something in February, maybe for Black History Month,” she said.
Rent affordability is expected to continue improving in much of the country after a year where incomes rose faster than rents in nearly four out of five major metro areas, including D.C.
Renters could see some relief in 2026, as Zillow predicts home values will stay relatively flat next year — easing pressure across the housing market and helping keep rent increases in check.
Rent affordability is expected to continue improving in much of the country after a year where incomes rose faster than rents in nearly four out of five major metro areas.
Rents increased about 1% year over year, while incomes climbed roughly 4% in the D.C. market, according to Zillow.
In October, a median-income household spent 27.2% of income on the typical U.S. rent — the lowest share since August 2021.
The gap between owning and renting is rapidly closing, particularly in D.C., Orphe Divounguy, a senior economist at Zillow, told WTOP. In the D.C. market, that gap has narrowed to about $400 a month.
“The typical rent in the D.C. market, is roughly $2,400 compared to the cost of owning at about $2,800 in November,” Divounguy said. “With the gap closing, more and more renters will probably consider making the leap into buying their first homes.”
A lot of people who are not able to afford to buy a home yet will keep renting as they start families. Divounguy believes that will lead to more and more child-focused amenities such as imagination centers and homework pods.
“Property managers that invest in amenities that are more kid-friendly are going to be able to attract more renters, especially those with families, and keep them,” Divounguy said.
According to the Zillow consumer housing trends report, nearly three in five renters plan to rent for at least the next year. Even if mortgage rates dropped, only 37% said they would buy, which is down from 45% last year.
Renting is becoming a deliberate choice, reducing home-maintenance costs and supporting mobility.
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Hundreds of volunteers with a Northeast D.C.-based nonprofit woke up early Thursday morning to make sure folks living with serious illnesses, such as cancer and AIDS, have a happy Thanksgiving with their families.
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Hundreds of volunteers make sure families facing serious illness have a happy Thanksgiving
Hundreds of volunteers with a Northeast D.C.-based nonprofit woke up early Thursday morning to make sure folks living with serious illnesses, such as cancer and AIDS, have a happy Thanksgiving with their families.
Food and Friends Executive chef Rasheed Abdurrahman and his staff and volunteers have cooked up a whopping 9,000 pounds of Turkey for around 850 families.
“There’s mashed potatoes, there’s gravy, there’s buttered corn, there’s stuffing, there’s two pies, collard greens, cut green beans. It’s a full Thanksgiving meal,” he told WTOP.
Volunteers made an assembly line packing up the different fixings for a delicious feast.
“I’ve been volunteering with them for 20 years now, and Thanksgiving morning is one of the funnest times. We pack meals that will feed a family of four filled to the gills,” Chris Sasiela said.
More volunteers then delivered the 4,600 Thanksgiving meals to families across the D.C. area dealing with severe illnesses over the holiday season.
“Our delivery area is larger than the state of Connecticut. So we cover nine counties in Maryland and seven counties in Virginia in addition to the District,” said Food and Friends Director Carrie Stoltzfus.
The deliveries are enough for five people to enjoy a holiday feast.
“It is a lot of work to cook 9,000 pounds of turkey, but you know, what really brings us enjoyment is that we have the opportunity to provide a Thanksgiving meal to our clients, and then they can host a meal for their families. And that’s really where the joy comes in,” Abdurrahman said.
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Are you traveling by car on this Thanksgiving eve? One expert says the best time to hit the road this holiday travel season is before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
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Travelers along I-95 in Northern Virginia share their Thanksgiving hopes, excitement
Are you traveling by car on this Thanksgiving eve?
A Google tech expert told WTOP they predict the best time to drive Wednesday in the D.C. area is before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
The worst time to be on the road ahead of Thanksgiving is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
WTOP’s Luke Lukert spoke with travelers along Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia.
Erskine Alexander, a psychotherapist from New York, said he was thankful for being able to get off work and have some family time.
“A lot of patience during this time, especially in New York City. So to be able to get on the highway and listen to some nice music in zero traffic is perfect,” he said.
Stay with WTOP for the latest this holiday travel season.
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The National Archives has officially opened its flagship exhibition, “The American Story,” giving visitors an opportunity to get an up-close look at millions of historical items.
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National Archives show off historical gems in new exhibition
The National Archives has opened its flagship exhibition, “The American Story,” giving visitors an opportunity to get an up-close look at millions of historical items.
From the U.S. Constitution to the Declaration of Independence, the Archives houses some 13.5 billion paper records. But, “that doesn’t count the maps, the photographs, the artifacts,” according to Franck Cordes, campaign project director for the National Archives Foundation.
“We have about 700,000 artifacts in our collections,” he said.
And while not all those will be on display, dozens of important documents and artifacts from the Louisiana Purchase to the Great Seal of the United States appear at the new exhibit, which is located just steps from the rotunda.
The $40 million project is the first major renovation of the National Archives Museum in more than two decades.
How it works
When visitors first arrive, they receive a barcoded ticket to scan at an artificial intelligence portal and proceed to create a profile. They’ll be able to pick things of interest, from the Founding Fathers to national parks to the Civil War.
“Then, throughout the exhibit at our interactives, they can rescan that barcode,” Cordes told WTOP. “The barcode pulls from about 2 million records, and it starts making the connection between the content that’s in the display and your personal interest, and it feeds up documents there that you can then save and retrieve at home later through the microsite.”
Visitors will also see plenty of artifacts, including a display of presidential gifts.
For Cordes, one of his favorite pieces in the collection is a peanut given to former President Jimmy Carter during a foreign dignitary visit.
Other items include a red necktie gifted to President Donald Trump and a crystal drinking boot given to President Ronald Reagan.
Historical gems, plus declassified files
UFO enthusiasts may have a reason to visit, too.
“Some record groups we consciously chose to put in there because of the public interest in that,” Cordes said.
“UFOs are highly popular and a big request for our records to be issued, and a lot of those records were recently declassified. So, it’s an example of our role, doing declassification for the American people.”
On display are also plans for a “flying saucer” aircraft concept that was designed by the U.S. military.
On the declassified front, visitors will also be able to dig into files tied to the Cuban missile crisis.
The gallery also has plenty of film and photographs to round out the collection, including raw footage from the Apollo mission to the moon, and old public service announcements visitors may recognize from their childhood.
From Thomas Edison’s light bulb to the Wright Brother’s “Flying Machine,” a portion of the exhibit is also dedicated to patents that have changed American life.
“I think every visitor who comes is going to find something that’s of personal interest to them, something that they can relate to, something that they’ll want to discover more or look at more,” Cordes said.
Visitors are encouraged to reserve a free general admission ticket, or a $1 timed-entry ticket to visit the museum.
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Since 1921, the Marines have had a specific order on how to celebrate the Corps’ birthday involving traditional birthday cake with a globe and anchor decoration.
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Alexandria Police Department celebrates 250 years of the Marines with cake and a sword
The U.S. will turn 250 years old in July but one of its military branches is already celebrating that milestone this month. The Alexandria Police Department held a traditional Marine birthday celebration complete with cake and swords.
Since 1921, the Marines have had a specific order on how to celebrate the Corps’ birthday. Of course, it involved a traditional birthday cake with a globe and anchor decoration but they cut the cake with a Marine officer’s Mameluke sword.
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire told WTOP, “I’ve never held a sword before. So I was I was happy that I was not the person that was cutting the cake.”
“I’m just really inspired by it being the 250-year celebration,” said Michael Jadoo, commandant of the Marine Corps league detachment in Montgomery County, Maryland. “Also looking back on history and how we as evolved as Marines. I think it’s just really amazing and beautiful.”
The order handed down in 1921 from Maj. Gen. Commandant John Lejeune also prescribes that the youngest Marine present and oldest Marine present share a slice of birthday cake.
Alexandria police officer and Marine Sgt. Maxwell Van Arsdale was the youngest on site.
“In traditional sense, it’s a passing of knowledge, and it’s meaning that, ‘hey, we share and we feast together, and I share my experience with you and pass it on,’” he said.
Van Arsdale told WTOP that it was his seventh Marine Corps birthday and “they get better each time.” The young officer has completed four deployments as a Marine and is transitioning from active-duty service to the reserves.
Alex Trapero, a Marine veteran and 23-year officer with APD, was the eldest Marine at the celebration.
“It’s very sentimental for me to have something like this and be recognized to have served in the Marine Corps,” Trapero said.
Around a dozen police officers who are also reservists or veterans were on hand to celebrate and received a special challenge coin from the department.
Why do so many “Devil Dogs,” a nickname for the Marines, go into law enforcement?
Police Chief McGuire said it’s the calling they have to serve our country.
Trapero believes it is the structure that law enforcement provides as well as Marine’s need to help those in danger.
“We have the courage to be the first one to respond,” he said.
“We put our lives on for people that we don’t know. We respond to any threat. Same thing as the Marine Corps,” Van Arsdale added.
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