Washington, D.C
75th NATO Summit kicks off in DC
WASHINGTON – The 75th NATO Summit kicked off in D.C. Tuesday, bringing with it world leaders, traffic and massive security.
Fencing went up overnight and the many road closures in the area have caused backups all around downtown D.C., so be prepared.
The Secret Service tells FOX 5 that they know it’s inconvenient for people but they’re trying to make it as painless as possible.
FOX 5 asked Secret Service Special Agent In Charge for the Washington Field Office Matt Stohler if there is anything specific to D.C. that has presented challenges, considering that this is only the fourth time the U.S. has hosted the Summit.
“I don’t think so. This is the 75th anniversary signing into existence of NATO, so as such, one of the buildings behind us is where one of the treaties was signed, so this is what makes this so important for the venue,” Stohler said. “But obviously, it means all eyes are on D.C. for this.”
It’s been 25 years since D.C. last hosted the summit. There are street closures around the White House, the Convention Center and Mellon Auditorium, as well as secure areas where you’ll have to show ID to get through, and some sidewalk closures as well.
There are 37 world leaders here for this NATO Summit, along with their teams and delegations.
The Secret Service told FOX 5 they’ve been formally planning since February. There are 22 subcommittees that cover things like airspace security, communications and transportation, just to name a few.
FOX 5 also had a chance to see inside the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security where analysts and technicians are monitoring every moment in and around the areas where dignitaries and events will be this week.
The Diplomatic Security Service protects the Secretary of State, foreign dignitaries visiting the United States, foreign ministers, former heads of state, members of the British royal family, as well as U.S. citizens, athletes, corporate sponsors and media during major international events like the Olympic Games, Pan Am Games, and the World Cup. The agency has more than 100 years of protection and security experience.
They have been training and planning for this for about six months now, before they head off to Paris to do the same thing for the Olympics.
“We’re part of the overall security package for the summit so we work hand in hand with the Secret Service when you see all those motorcades cutting across the city, chances those are diplomatic security motorcades,” said Scott Kim, Director of Diplomatic Security Service Office of Protection.
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith also discussed how they’ve been preparing for the events.
“Anytime you have these types of events the challenges are always personnel and making sure we have the appropriate resources which is why we’ve been joined at the hip if you will with the Secret Service and our federal partners,” Smith said.
The Secret Service tells FOX 5 they did advise the Office of Personnel Management to maximize telework for those who come into the District this week.
Fencing will be taken down as events take place — some Tuesday night, some Wednesday, and hopefully most of it around the Convention Center will be gone by Friday.
Washington, D.C
Marta’s Orlando Pride defeat Washington Spirit for their first NWSL title
Barbra Banda scored in the 37th minute to give the Orlando Pride their first National Women’s Soccer League championship with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit on Saturday night.
Banda dribbled into the right side of the box and made a move past a defender before kicking the ball on the ground with her left foot and past the goalkeeper. She became the first player in the NWSL to score in each round of the playoffs.
The Pride’s Angelina was nearly called for a push before passing it to Banda, but the VAR determined that the play was fair.
The Spirit (20-7-2) controlled the game and outshot the Pride 25-9, had two more shots on goal and held onto possession 58% of the time. Rosemonde Kouassi had Washington’s best chance in the 47 minute when she headed a ball from about 10 yards away.
Orlando’s win gave Brazilian star Marta her first NWSL title. The 38-year-old Marta, considered arguably the greatest female soccer player of all time, joined the Orlando Pride in 2017 but had never reached an NWSL championship game until this year.
“(It’s a) magic moment for me because I’ve been in this club for so long and (to) wait for this moment, you know, so it’s… I’m just enjoy every single moment,” she told CBS News Friday ahead of the game. “…This year become like the best year in my club life.”
Top-seed Orlando (21-6-2) went unbeaten in its first 23 matches, a league record. They beat the Kansas City Current in the semifinals before hoisting the trophy at CPKC Stadium, their home field.
Orlando is the first team since 2019 to win the Shield and the title in the same year.
Washington had won its last five playoff games when trailing at the half, but that streak was broken with this loss.
Washington, D.C
New mural dedicated to DC’s ‘Mayor for Life’ honors career, contributions of Marion Barry – WTOP News
Ten years to the day after his death, D.C. leaders honored the life of the late Mayor Marion Barry with a new mural hanging in his namesake building.
Ten years to the day after his death, D.C. leaders honored the life of the late Mayor Marion Barry with a new mural hanging in his namesake building.
Mayor Muriel Bowser joined the former D.C. First Lady at the Marion S. Barry, Jr. Building in Judiciary Square on Saturday to pull the curtain down, revealing the new mural dedicated to the “Mayor for Life.”
“My husband really loved Washington, DC and its residents. The mural captures some of the major contributions he made to the City, and some of the people who worked with him to help build the City and empower its residents,” said Cora Masters Barry, Barry’s widow, in a statement.
“I was thrilled that so many residents and visitors were able to join us on this inspirational, entertaining, educational, and historical day, as we honored a man, Marion Barry Jr., whose legacy and love of this city was so deep and strong.”
The mural is broken into three parts, each with a different title and focusing on a different aspect of Barry’s life.
The first panel, titled “Big Vision,” displays Barry’s early years as a civil rights activist and his transition into politics.
The center panel, “Big Impact,” then focuses on his time in office as a Councilmember and four term mayor.
These sections emphasize Barry’s support for Black-owned businesses, summer jobs for youth, programs for seniors and leadership opportunities for women.
The last section of the mural is titled ”Big Legacy.” It highlights the influence Barry still has on the city — showcasing advocacy against apartheid, support for the Million Man March, contributions to the development of the MCI Center, and his work with the DC Control Board.
The many pictures show Barry beside the likes of President Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.
Another focus of this panel is Barry’s political comeback after a high-profile arrest and conviction on crack cocaine possession charges in 1990. Four years later, he returned to the Mayor’s office after a commanding primary run.
“He told me a lot of things, and he taught us a lot of things, but one of the biggest ones was if you get knocked down, you get back up,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser at the unveiling.
Nabeeh Bilal, an artist based in Ward 8, created the mural.
“You’ll notice that there is not a single solo image of Marion Barry, and that’s because, with his accomplishments and achievements, it was always about others,” Bilal said.
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Washington, D.C
Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas to Visit Washington, DC, On International Tour
Friday’s event will begin with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, followed by an opportunity to venerate the relics.
The major relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, “The Angelic Doctor,” are on tour and scheduled to make a stop in Washington, D.C., next weekend as part of the commemoration of the 700th anniversary of his canonization.
Members of the faithful will be able to venerate the relics, including his skull, on two separate occasions: first at St. Dominic’s Church on Friday, Nov. 29, and then again on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Dominican House of Studies. The event is co-sponsored by the Thomistic Institute.
“In a time of renewed interest in the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, the jubilees of his canonization (700 years in 2023), death (750 years in 2024), and birth (800 years in 2025) draw our attention to the masterwork of wisdom and sanctity which God wrought in him,” Dominican Father Gregory Pine, assistant director at the Thomistic Institute, said in a press release.
“The opportunity that we have to receive and venerate his relics makes this grace all the more proximate and precious to us,” Father Pine added.
Friday’s event will begin at 12:10 p.m. with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, followed by an opportunity to venerate the relics of the revered theologian and philosopher from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be solemn vespers at 5:30 p.m. and night prayer at 6:45 p.m. with a Marian procession to follow.
On Saturday, the Dominican House of Studies will begin the day with solemn lauds and a votive Mass of St. Thomas Aquinas at 7:30 a.m., and veneration of the relics will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pine will also preach at 3 p.m. that day.
“‘Get wisdom, get understanding’ (Prv 4:5). One way is to study, another way is to pray for it, but an exceptional way is to pray for it in the presence of the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas,” Dominican Father James Brent, an assistant professor of philosophy at the Dominican House of Studies, also stated in the release.
The relic of St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull comes to the U.S. from the Dominicans in Toulouse, France, and is one of two skulls Church officials claim to have belonged to the 11th-century saint. The other is housed in the Italian city of Priverno. The Dominicans in France commissioned a new reliquary for the skull last year to celebrate the saint’s canonization anniversary.
After Aquinas’ death in 1274, his body was kept in Fossanova Abbey in Priverno until 1369, when his relics were moved to Toulouse, a city in southwestern France, where the Order of Preachers was established. Aquinas’ tomb rests in the Church of the Jacobins.
Researchers are currently weighing the possibility of conducting an in-depth forensic analysis of both skulls to determine their authenticity.
Where do the relics go next?
After two stops in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, Aquinas’ relics hit the road for their U.S. tour:
Charlottesville, Virginia: St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 2
Providence, Rhode Island: Providence College on Dec. 4
Cincinnati: St. Gertrude Priory on Dec. 6
Columbus, Ohio: St. Patrick Priory on Dec. 7–8
Louisville, Kentucky: St. Louis Bertrand on Dec. 10
Springfield, Kentucky: St. Rose Priory on Dec. 12
New York City: St. Vincent Ferrer on Dec. 14
Philadelphia: St. Patrick on Dec. 16
Baltimore: Sts. Philip and James on Dec. 18
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