Washington, D.C
D.C. mayor touts bond rating in arena bid
A proposed plan to build a $2 billion arena complex in Northern Virginia through a public-private partnership that would move two major league sports franchises out of Washington D.C .is attracting pushback from state legislators, local residents, and Washington’s mayor who’s offering $500 million in renovations to the team’s current home.
“The city would leverage our triple-A bond rating to borrow without raising taxes or displacing any planned capital projects,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, via an op-ed in The Washington Post last Friday. “The result would be a new, more profitable, state-of-the-art urban arena, with improved corporate suites and more and better entertainment options.”
Last week, the Virginia House Appropriations Committee voted 17-3 to advance legislation to create a stadium authority that would issue about $1.5 billion of bonds. The revenue for paying down the debt would come from ticket taxes, parking fees, concession taxes, income taxes levied on athletes performing at the arena, and naming rights.
DC.Gov
Despite the vote, opposition remains. Democratic State Sen. L. Louise Lucas, who chairs the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, was quoted on X (formerly known as Twitter) Monday saying, “The more we use the reputation of the Commonwealth to finance billionaires’ projects, the more we risk not being able to finance our own projects.”
Lucas represents Portsmouth, one of the cities making up the Hampton Roads area which charges tolls for several water crossings that thread the area together. Tolls went up in January as Lucas searches for relief in Richmond.
The plan for a new arena complex includes underground parking, practice facilities, offices, media studios, a fan plaza and a performing arts venue. Future development is also being eyed for the area on the western border of the site which is dominated by strip shopping centers and surface parking lots.
The site is near the desirable Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria where opposition has arisen due to traffic and noise concerns along with skepticism about the complex generating enough revenue to service the debt.
“We believe along with a lot of sports economists, who believe that most of these projects generally are money losers, and don’t generate anywhere near the revenue that they claim they will,” said local resident Andrew Macdonald. Macdonald is a former Alexandria vice mayor and former city council member now working as organizer of the Coalition to Stop the Arena at Potomac Yard. “Hence, at some point, somebody’s going to owe something.”
The proposed deal was officially announced last
If the deal happens, the teams will move across the river to brand new facilities built from scratch on a 12-acre site in Potomac Yard, a former rail hub that straddles Arlington County and the city of Alexandria.
The arena jockeying happening in the D.C. area reflects a national trend of metropolitan areas tapping public financing to build new sports facilities that offer luxury class amenities.
In
Last
The D.C. mayor also alluded to existing lease requirements that may come into play. “We intend to keep our end of the bargain and enforce the leases with Monumental that require the Wizards and Capitals to play at the arena through 2047 and the (WNBA) Mystics to play in Congress Heights through 2037,” she said in the op-ed.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A Texas man accused of shooting at a United States Secret Service agent near the Washington Monument earlier this month has been indicted on federal charges, the Justice Department announced Friday.
A federal grand jury indicted 45-year-old Michael Marx with “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon” and “using, carrying, possessing, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence,” in connection with the May 4 incident, in which a stray bullet struck a teenage bystander.
“Today’s indictment reflects the gravity of the defendant’s actions on one of the most heavily visited public spaces in the nation,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Friday, in part. “The evidence shows Marx not only carried an illegal firearm into DC, but he fired it at uniformed officers, wounding an innocent teenage bystander who was simply visiting the National Mall with his family on a spring afternoon.”
Authorities previously charged Marx with assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon, using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, an undercover Secret Service agent initially noticed Marx trying to conceal a gun on the right side of his body near 15th Street and Madison Drive NW shortly after 3:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the shooting.
At the same time, the motorcade for Vice President J.D. Vance was leaving the White House, passing through the area just up the street.
Uniformed Secret Service officers arrived to provide backup, finding Marx along the path of Vance’s motorcade. The attorney’s office said officers began to give the Texas man verbal commands, but he started running through a crosswalk and eventually fired at one of the agents as he reached the sidewalk.
The bullet struck the teenage bystander, who was walking behind the agent, in the leg, according to the DOJ.
Agents quickly returned fire, striking Marx in the hand, left arm, and upper body, according to court documents.
Court documents state that agents used Marx’s Texas driver’s license, which he was carrying, to identify him as the gunman. Investigators also identified various aliases Marx allegedly went by, including Patrick Michael and Michael Zavici.
While in the hospital, he allegedly made statements to officers, including ”F— the White House,” and “kill me, kill me, kill me,” the DOJ noted in a release.
Police found a Sig Sauer P365 handgun loaded with 9mm ammunition from the street where Marx fell.
4 things to know about the weather:
- Abundant sunshine
- Temps slightly cooler than average
- No rain in sight — again
- Mid-week warmup
May is drawing to a dry, comfortable close, in stunning contrast to the very soggy Memorial Day weather we saw last weekend.
That 10-day stretch of rain put a definite dent in our drought, according to the weekly national drought monitor, but it seems that was the end of the improvement for a while: There’s almost no clouds in sight for the DMV for several days.
Enjoy the many hours of sunshine on Saturday. The high pressure coming in from the Hudson Bay brings a stiff north wind, but the day will also be sunny and comfortable, with highs in the mid 70s.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
The wind will die down after dark, and Sunday morning will be bordering on chilly. Expect widespread mid/upper 40s in most of the D.C. area, with urban centers and bayside communities staying just above 50°. Sunday afternoon will be just a bit warmer, in the mid 70s, but with far less of a breeze.
Highs will be back around 80° for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with overnight lows in the comfy 50s. It’ll be a perfect start to meteorological summer (June/July/August).
QuickCast
TODAY:
Sunshine Abounds, Breezy
Wind: North 10-15mph, Gust to 25 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 70° to 75°
TONIGHT:
Clear Skies
Winds Diminish
Wind: Northwest 10-15 mph
Chance Of Rain: 0%
LOWS: 46° to 54°
SUNDAY:
Mostly Sunny Skies
Pleasant Conditions
Light Breeze
Wind: NW 5 – 10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 70° to 76°
MONDAY:
Partly Cloudy
Seasonable
Light Breeze
Wind: West/Northwest 10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 76° to 82°
Sunrise: 5:45 Sunset: 8:26
Average High: 80° Average Low: 63°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
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