Washington, D.C

D.C. sued over ‘failure’ to bus kids with disabilities to and from school

Published

10 months ago

March 7, 2024

D.C. sued over ‘failure’ to bus kids with disabilities to and from school

A group of D.C. parents, along with a disability rights organization, alleges in a new lawsuit that the city has failed to transport students with special needs to and from school on time — causing disruptions that they say deprive children of critical time in classes or therapies, create daily uncertainties over schedules, and, in some cases, threaten students’ health.

Most children in D.C. get to school on public buses and trains. But about 4,000 students rely on a fleet of school buses because they have physical or intellectual disabilities that prevent them from using public transportation or require them to attend faraway schools that offer special services.

Five families and the Arc of the United States nonprofit say the buses often arrive hours after children’s scheduled pickup times and return them home long after school has ended. Parents across the city have reported calling the police because they could not locate their children or using Apple AirTags to track their kids after school, said Kathy Zeisel, director of special legal projects at the Children’s Law Center.

Joann McCray, whose 12-year-old son has autism and who is one of the parents suing the city, said the frequent bus delays forced her to purchase a car. “I didn’t want a car note, but I want to get my son to school on time,” said McCray, who lives in Southeast Washington. She said the busing problems had led to frequent late arrivals at school, affecting her son’s attendance and grades.

McCray and other parents in the city say they have tried other channels — making phone calls, sending emails and complaining to lawmakers — to no avail. Now, they are taking the issue to court. The suit accuses the city, and its Office of the State Superintendent of Education, which manages the buses, of “systemic failures” that violate local policies and federal laws entitling their children to a fair education.

With too few bus drivers, schools struggle to get kids to class

The plaintiffs are asking the court to order D.C. leaders to follow students’ special education plans and provide them with “safe, reliable, and appropriate transportation services.” They have asked for compensatory education to make up for schooling children may have missed, as well as policy changes to prevent future problems.

An OSSE spokesman said the agency does not comment on pending litigation, but officials have previously acknowledged the problems with the school bus service and pointed to a national shortage of drivers. The agency created a website that shows which buses are running behind schedule, reimburses families if they have to make other travel arrangements and is working on a new program to increase the number of drivers.

During a recent D.C. Council hearing, the superintendent’s office shared that 96 percent of buses have left their terminals on time this school year. But that figure does not indicate whether a bus makes it to a child’s house or school on time.

“We do track internally what time the buses get to the school,” Christina Grant, the city’s state superintendent of education, told lawmakers. “What we share out is what time buses leave because that’s the information that gets to parents, and they know that if the bus leaves the terminal 15 minutes late, there’s going to be a trickle-down effect on when the bus is going to show up to … their home.”

But families said the information that the superintendent’s office shares about a bus’s status has been inaccurate. And, according to the lawsuit, families are not notified when their children’s buses encounter delays after leaving the terminal — leaving them unaware of when to expect their children to be picked up or dropped off.

This often triggers a last-minute scramble for different accommodations. Families have reported ordering Ubers or taking time away from work to complete school drop-off or pickup themselves. Crystal Robertson, the guardian of her 11-year-old nephew, who relies on a school bus, has turned to her adult son or teenage niece for help. Robertson’s niece, who is in high school, has been late to school on days when she had to help her brother, she said.

Critics of D.C.’s ‘Safe Passage’ question whether school commutes are safer

Robertson’s nephew has autism and thrives based on routines, she said. When his bus is late, it throws his entire day off — causing tantrums and making it difficult for him to focus when he finally does get to school. “After that, it’s just pure emotion and panic mode,” she said.

Robertson called her experiences with the superintendent’s office “horrible.” On one occasion, her nephew’s bus driver took him to the wrong school, she said, and another time, he was dropped off in the afternoon at his late mother’s house. Robertson said her family had to split up to find him. “As he’s getting off the bus, he’s excited like he’s going to see his mom,” she said. “To me, [the superintendent’s office] didn’t show no remorse about what they were doing.”

Now, Robertson said, the superintendent’s office sends a private van to pick up her nephew.

But other families are still looking for relief. In addition to late arrivals, the complaint claims that bus drivers have picked children up from school early. Sometimes, students are not picked up from school at all, according to the lawsuit.

The suit also alleges that students have had to endure long bus rides where they couldn’t access food, medications or bathrooms. Other times, buses are missing the supports or accommodations — such as wheelchair accessibility, nurses or aides — that riders with disabilities need.

Elizabeth Daggett, who lives in Brookland, told council members recently that her son came home late once because his bus didn’t have the latch for his safety harness. He had to stay at school until another bus could get him, she said.

“It is already a heavy lift for families to care for a disabled child, but when the support services break down, it is overwhelming,” Daggett wrote in her testimony to lawmakers. “It is unsustainable for families to have to continue to figure out student transportation and unacceptable that OSSE allowed this dire situation to happen.”

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Washington, D.C

Report: The Trumps are in talks to buy back D.C. hotel lease

Published

3 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Report: The Trumps are in talks to buy back D.C. hotel lease

The Trump Organization is engaged in preliminary discussions to reclaim the lease on its former hotel in Washington, D.C., reports the Wall Street Journal.

The hotel is currently operating as a Waldorf Astoria.

The Wall Street Journal said Trump Organization executive vice president Eric Trump met with an executive from BDT & MSD Partners at Mar-a-Lago earlier this week to discuss purchasing the lease rights to the former Trump International Hotel Washington D.C.

BDT & MSD Partners currently controls the property’s lease, following a 2023 default and subsequent foreclosure by previous leaseholder CGI Merchant Group. The Trump Organization sold the hotel’s lease to CGI in 2022, and the hotel was reflagged as a Waldorf Astoria.

The 263-room hotel, which occupies the Old Post Office building, opened as a Trump hotel in 2016.

During President Donald Trump’s first presidency, the hotel was a prominent gathering spot for Republican lawmakers, lobbyists and others with business involving the administration. The property came under intense scrutiny because of ethical and legal concerns.

The hotel has some of the largest guestrooms in the city. Top-tier accommodations include the 4,000-square-foot Presidential One Bedroom Suite and 6,300-square-foot Waldorf Townhouse Two Bedroom Bi-Level Suite.

The hotel is home to restaurants The Bazaar by Jose Andres and the Michelin-starred Sushi Nakazawa, plus 38,000 square feet of event space and a 10,000-square-foot Waldorf Astoria Spa.

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Washington, D.C

Man at the center of Washington DC ‘Pizzagate’ killed during North Carolina traffic stop

Published

15 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Man at the center of Washington DC ‘Pizzagate’ killed during North Carolina traffic stop

The man who stormed into a Washington D.C. restaurant with loaded weapons during an incident widely known as “Pizzagate” is now dead after North Carolina police shot him during a traffic stop.

Edgar Maddison Welch, 36, was shot just after 10 p.m. last Saturday, Kannapolis Fire and Police wrote in a news release this week.

Welch is the same Salisbury, North Carolina man who in December 2016, showed up to Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria in Washington DC., with loaded weapons to investigate “unfounded rumors concerning a child sex-trafficking ring” that was allegedly operating out of the restaurant, federal prosecutors said.

He pleaded guilty in March 2017 to a federal charge of interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition, as well as a District of Columbia charge of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Three months later, he was sentenced to four years in prison.

What is ‘Pizzagate’? What happened at Comet Ping Pong?

Welch’s initial reason for making headlines in 2016 stemmed from rumors of a child sex trafficking ring allegedly operating out of the pizza restaurant he stormed into, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia.

Rumors began circulating online that the restaurant was part of a trafficking ring operated by then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton – a fake news campaign targeting Clinton during the general election.

Welch allegedly tried to recruit people to participate in the storming of the restaurant leading up to Dec. 4. He’d texted someone saying he was “raiding a pedo ring” and sacrificing “the lives of a few for the lives of many.”

Prosecutors said Welch traveled from North Carolina to Washington D.C. with three loaded firearms, including a 9mm AR-15 assault rifle loaded with 29 rounds of ammunition, a fully-loaded, six-shot, .38-caliber revolver and a loaded shotgun with additional shotgun shells.

Welch parked his car and around 3 p.m., walked into the restaurant, where multiple employees and customers were present, including children, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia said in a news release.

“He was carrying the AR-15 openly, with one hand on the pistol grip, and the other hand on the hand guard around the barrel, such that anyone with an unobstructed view could see the gun,” the office wrote in the news release.

Once customers and employees saw Welch, they fled the building. Welch was also accused of trying to get into a locked room by forcing the door open, first with a butter knife and then shooting his assault rifle multiple times into the door.

Shortly after he walked into the restaurant, an employee who had no idea what was going on walked in carrying pizza dough, federal prosecutors said. When Welch saw the employee, he turned toward the worker with the assault rifle, which made the employee think he was going to shoot them. The employee then ran out, leaving Welch alone in the restaurant.

Welch spent more than 20 minutes inside the restaurant, then walked out, leaving his firearms inside. Officials then arrested him.

When Welch was sentenced to four years in prison, he was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release, during which he’d have to get a mental health assessment.

He was also ordered to stay away from the Comet Ping Pong restaurant while released and to pay $5,744 in restitution for property damage.

What happened leading up to the Welch’s death?

The deadly traffic stop happened the night of Jan. 4, said Kannapolis Chief of Police Terry L. Spry in a news release.

Around 10 p.m., a Kannapolis Police Officer patrolling North Cannon Boulevard spotted a gray 2001 GMC Yukon. The officer recognized the vehicle because he’d previously arrested someone who frequently drove the vehicle, Welch. He also knew Welch had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, police said.

The officer stopped the vehicle and recognized the front seat passenger as Welch, who had an outstanding arrest warrant for felony probation violation, police said. While the officer was speaking with Welch, two additional officers showed up to help.

As the officer who made the traffic stop approached the passenger side of the vehicle and opened the front passenger door to arrest the individual, the passenger pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the officer.

The initial officer and a second officer who was standing at the rear passenger side of the Yukon ordered the man to drop the gun. After the passenger failed to lower his gun, both officers fired at him, hitting him.

Officials called for medical assistance for Welch who was taken to a hospital for treatment. He was later taken to another hospital, where he died from his injuries two days after the shooting.

None of the officers at the traffic stop were hurt and neither were the driver and back seat passenger in the vehicle with Welch.

The officers involved who fired their weapons were Officer Brooks Jones and Officer Caleb Tate. The third officer at the scene did not fire his weapon, police said.

District Attorney will decide next steps in traffic stop shooting death

An outside law enforcement agency has been requested to investigate the shooting.

“This practice ensures there is no bias during the investigation and the findings of the investigation are presented to the District Attorney without any influence by a member of the department,” the police chief wrote in the news release.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is still investigating the shooting and the two officers who fired their weapons are on administrative leave, which the police said is standard protocol.

Cabarrus County District Attorney Ashlie Shanley will decide what the next steps are, police said.

Contributing: Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

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Washington, D.C

NBC Journalist Who Was Beloved in D.C. Dead At 62

Published

23 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

NBC Journalist Who Was Beloved in D.C. Dead At 62

Viewers and media industry professionals alike are sharing tributes to Derrick Ward, a longtime Washington, D.C., television journalist who died Tuesday at age 62.

Ward’s death followed complications from a recent cardiac arrest and was confirmed Wednesday by NBC 4 Washington (WRC-TV), where he’d been employed since 2006.

“Derrick has been an inspiration and cherished member of our family and his hometown community,” Ward’s family told the outlet in a statement that was shared during Wednesday’s broadcast. “As a distinguished journalist, Derrick’s storytelling, prolific writing, warmth and humor touched countless lives. Our children and our entire family will miss him dearly.”

As of Thursday afternoon, news of Ward’s passing had drawn an outpouring of condolences online.

“Stunned to hear of his passing. Watched that great man for over two decades tell some riveting stories all with class, respect, and precision,” podcaster Lee Sanders wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Well diverse and extremely talented man. Thoughts to his friends, family and colleagues. Not a good start to 2025.”

Watch an NBC 4 report on Derrick Ward’s death below.

Fox 5 DC journalist Tom Fitzgerald felt similarly, describing Ward as “one of the most pleasant people I’ve ever spent time with.”

“I’ll miss the graciousness, professionalism, kindness and glowing smile of this true gentleman,” he wrote on X. “Peace to his family, friends & NBC 4 colleagues.”

A Washington, D.C., native, Ward began his journalism career in radio, where he covered the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the D.C. sniper shootings of 2003, among other major stories. He then transitioned to television reporting when he landed a gig at WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York.

Appearing on the “Architecture Is Political” podcast in 2020, Ward recalled how his love of storytelling inspired him to pursue a career in journalism.

“I want to tell the stories of this town that I grew up in,” he said. “I like doing things that can resonate with somebody ― if you can say something or write something somewhere and it just gets someone’s attention or whatever point you’re trying to make gets off and they can say, ‘Hmmm’ or ‘Uh huh.’ It’s the same reason that people do music and other things, I guess, is to look for that resonance.”

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In addition to his professional background, Ward was known as an avid golfer and guitar player. He is survived by his three children: Derrick Jr., Ian and Marisa.

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