Washington, D.C
DC's leaf collection improves with new 'claw' tool, saving time and manpower | WJLA
WASHINGTON (7News) — The second pass for leaf collection is happening in D.C., but this year there’s a new tool that’s helping to make things a lot more efficient.
“It is called the claw, and what it does is it can pick up an abundance amount of leaves at one time, as opposed to us having to send an entire team to pick up large piles,” explained Warnique West, D.C.’s Department of Public Works’ Associate Administrator. “We can cut down with the personnel and the timing by getting that claw here to pick up those big piles and dispose of them quickly. Where at the end, we just may need a sweeper to come through to pick up the remaining debris.”
Typically, without the claw, a full crew includes someone driving the truck, another person holding the vacuum, and a couple of people raking them into place. With the claw, West says they can cut the time they spend on each street down by about 30 minutes.
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“When you have heavy or large piles, sometimes I mean, I’m five-two,” described West. “It can be as tall as me and as long as a pickup truck. And so when you bring out that claw, you’re able to pick up maybe two scoops or three scoops you can pick up all of the leaves.”
She says picking up large piles in previous seasons is like grating cheese. Now, a faster pickup plus fewer people means the operation is running a lot more efficiently. Plus, wet leaves are a lot harder to rake and vacuum.
The attachment costs $60,000, and the department currently has three. If you live in D.C. and are wondering when you need to have the leaves by the curb, you can check out the city’s website here.
Walk for Peace 2026: The Journey to DC
Witness the Buddhist monks’ incredible 2,300-mile journey from Texas to Washington, D.C., as they spread a message of peace and mindfulness across Virginia.
Draped in burnt-orange robes, two dozen Buddhist monks arrived in Washington D.C. on Tuesday on a 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace”, a self-described spiritual journey across nine states that has been cheered on by crowds of thousands.
“I feel like in our country and in our world right now that you have to show your support for peace in every possible way you can,” said Bob Anderson, 74, of Gloucester County, Virginia, during a stop by the monks in Richmond on February 3. “And so this is a great way to do so. That’s why I’m here.”
The monks began their walk in Texas more than three months ago, at times braving frigid winter temperatures, sometimes with bare feet, to raise “awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world.”
The marchers continued on despite a powerful winter storm that spread a paralyzing mix of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from the Ohio Valley and mid-South to New England, compounded by bitter, Arctic cold gripping much of the U.S.
Accompanied by Aloka, a rescue dog, their journey comes amid growing tension in the United States, partly spurred by President Donald Trump’s tough immigration policy that has seen National Guard troops deployed in some U.S. cities, with both American citizens and immigrants killed by federal agents.
“We walk not to protest, but to awaken the peace that already lives within each of us,” said Bhikkhu Pannakara, spiritual leader of the Walk for Peace. “The Walk for Peace is a simple yet meaningful reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to families, communities, and society as a whole.”
They will spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington and end their journey in nearby Annapolis, Maryland on Thursday.
Support and flowers
The walk has garnered support from millions of people on social media, with many sharing messages of support for the monks. Supporters have braved snow and rain to meet and offer flowers to the monks as they passed through their cities.
During their stop in North Carolina, the state’s governor, Josh Stein, thanked the monks for bringing hope to millions with their message of peace, equality, justice and compassion.
“You are inspiring people at a time when so many are in need of inspiration,” Stein said.
The Walk for Peace has made stops in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The monks are expected to meet with spiritual, city and other leaders when they arrive in Washington, where they will visit the National Cathedral and host a meditation retreat.
Although the walk has been positive, it has not been without obstacles. While walking through Dayton, Texas, a truck struck the monks’ escort vehicle, injuring several people, according to local media. Two monks sustained serious injuries and one had his leg amputated.
Despite the accident, the group continued to trek across the U.S. to honor not only their original message of peace but also their brothers.
The Project Impact STEM Academy robotics team, known as The Quackens, is set to represent Idaho on a national stage in Washington, D.C. The team has been selected by Gov. Brad Little to compete in the United States Governors Cup, a prestigious event that brings together elite robotics teams from all 50 states.
Team captain and programmer Kaia Peterson explained the competition’s unique challenges: “We have a playing field that we have to complete different tasks on so this year we have to shoot balls into a goal and our goal is to pick up they look like wiffle balls, there’s purple ones and there’s green ones and we call them artifacts and your goal is to pick up artifacts and shoot them into the goals. And once you shoot them into the goals they roll down into these ramps that are called classifiers and if you put the artifacts in the classifiers in a certain order, you get a motif you get pattern points, for having them in a certain order so you wanna score them in the goal but you also want to get them in the certain pattern.”
The competition will test not only their engineering skills but also their teamwork, problem-solving, and ability to strategize with alliance partners. “One of the reasons we go and talk to other teams is so we can be one of their choices for an alliance because you really wanna talk and develop those connections with teams cause you’re going to have a higher chance to be in the finals, that and having a good robot,” Peterson said.
Being chosen to represent Idaho is an honor the students are taking seriously. “Even now as we’re preparing to go to D.C we’re trying to make as many changes as we can to be better than we were at state when we go to D.C.,” Peterson added.
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However, the trip comes with significant costs, including travel, accommodations, and competition fees. The Quackens have launched a GoFundMe campaign and are only $500 away from reaching their goal to make their dream a reality. Those interested in supporting Idaho’s best and brightest can donate through their GoFundMe campaign.
Washington, D.C. (7News) — Chelsea Handler is headed to the DMV to kick off her new “High and Mighty” comedy show!
On Monday, Chelsea chatted with Megan about the show and what she’s been up to. Chelsea shared a few stories we were all jealous of!
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You can grab tickets to her DC show set for this Friday here.
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