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Debate over potential bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue in DC continues

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Debate over potential bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue in DC continues


Connecticut Avenue is considered one of the busiest channels to get through D.C.

“It is dangerous, it’s fast, and it’s deadly,” said Elizabeth Kiker, the Executive Director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA).

The future of the thoroughfare is up for debate with the possibility of adding bike lanes back on the table.

Last year, the mayor reversed course, and the plan was postponed by the D.C. Department of Transportation.

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The move stunned WABA members.

READ MORE | DC pauses proposal to put bicycle lanes on Connecticut Ave. after major pushback

“This process happened,” Kiker said. “This process included ANCs. It included community members. It included businesses, and it was voted on and it was done, and it was budgeted, and then it was stopped. That’s not fair. That’s not how you run a city.”

However, the chance for barrier-protected bike lanes going in on Connecticut Avenue was given a new life when new language was approved by the Committee on Transportation and the Environment.

“The chairman of the transportation committee, Charles Allen, and Matt Frumin slipped in language in the budget recommendation report that requires any safety improvement on not just Connecticut Ave. but any road to have protected bike lanes or else they withhold all the funds for safety improvements,” said Lee Mayer, President of Save Connecticut Avenue.

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He said this could mean that the D.C. Council’s transportation committee could block all capital improvements to Connecticut Avenue and any street if bike lanes are not included.

7News reached out to Committee Chair Allen’s office.

They said the language has been misinterpreted.

In a statement, Allen’s office wrote:

“The language approved by the Committee on Transportation and the Environment preserves full funding for the project, including 5% to create an alternative design. It does restrict construction from advancing on Conn Ave that does not include protected bike lanes (option C from the many years of discussion includes protected bike lanes). The clause “or any other capital project for the same or similar purpose” was inserted to prevent DDOT from simply renaming or attempting to skirt the law and advance construction. This language clearly applies only to the Conn Ave Street Safety Project and does not apply to other safe streets projects around the District.”

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Still, both sides of the debate remain uncertain of the future and tell 7News they’ll work to plead their case with councilmembers ahead of the vote.

“This is going to hurt the mayor’s plan for revitalization for downtown,” said Mayer.

“It’s going to be massive congestion up and down Connecticut Ave. and people are not going to want to go there,” he added.

“We don’t know what they’re going to say, but we hope they say this is back on the way they said it would be,” said Kiker.

The DC Council will vote on the matter twice. The first vote is set for Wednesday, May 29. The second vote will happen on July 12.

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Between those votes, the public can ask questions during a virtual meeting on June 3.



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Washington, D.C

PHOTOS: Remembering DC’s ‘Snowpocalypse’ 15 years later – WTOP News

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PHOTOS: Remembering DC’s ‘Snowpocalypse’ 15 years later – WTOP News


It was one of those events that makes you remember where you were and who you were with. Snowpocalypse hit the D.C. area with a fury 15 years ago this week.

It was one of those events that you can recall where you were and who you were with. Fifteen years ago to the day, “Snowpocalypse” hit the Washington area with a fury.

One-and-a-half inches of snow fell on Dec. 18, 2009. The next day, another whopping 15 inches fell on D.C., paralyzing the city for days.

Relive the historic storm through photos:

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A man shovels snow at a cab hub in North West Washington, DC on February 11, 2010. A blizzard on February 10, 2010 turned the 2009-2010 winter into the snowiest ever on record for the Washington area with millions trapped at home, many without power, and the federal government shut down for the fourth day in a row. Washington’s public transportation system was still only providing limited service with only a few bus routes operating. AFP PHOTO Eva HAMBACH
(Photo credit should read EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty Images)

Photo credit should read EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 11:  A worker of the Architect of the Capitol removes snow with a front-end loader on the ground of the U.S. Capitol February 11, 2010 in Washington, DC. Washingtonians had to dig out again after the region was hard hit by a second mega snowstorm in five days making 2009 � 2010 the snowiest winter since the record has been kept in 1870.  (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 11: A worker of the Architect of the Capitol removes snow with a front-end loader on the ground of the U.S. Capitol February 11, 2010 in Washington, DC. Washingtonians had to dig out again after the region was hard hit by a second mega snowstorm in five days making 2009 � 2010 the snowiest winter since the record has been kept in 1870.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 11:  A pedestrian walks behind tree branches that snapped from the weight of thick snow following yesterday�s snowstorm February 11, 2010 in Washington, DC. Washingtonians had to dig out again after the region was hard hit by a second mega snowstorm in five days making 2009 - 2010 the snowiest winter since the record has been kept in 1870.  (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 11: A pedestrian walks behind tree branches that snapped from the weight of thick snow following yesterday�s snowstorm February 11, 2010 in Washington, DC. Washingtonians had to dig out again after the region was hard hit by a second mega snowstorm in five days making 2009 – 2010 the snowiest winter since the record has been kept in 1870.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

PHOTOS: Remembering DC’s ‘Snowpocalypse’ 15 years later – WTOP News
WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 11: A worker plows snow outside the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue following yesterday�s snowstorm February 11, 2010 in Washington, DC. Washingtonians had to dig out again after the region was hard hit by a second mega snowstorm in five days making 2009 – 2010 the snowiest winter since the record has been kept in 1870.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Snow covers the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia on December 20, 2009. The Washington, DC  area was hammered December 19 by a fierce snowstorm that dumped more than a foot (38.48cm) of snow. AFP PHOTO/Karen BLEIER        (Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)
Snow covers the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia on December 20, 2009. The Washington, DC area was hammered December 19 by a fierce snowstorm that dumped more than a foot (38.48cm) of snow. AFP PHOTO/Karen BLEIER
(Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)

Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images

TOPSHOT - People walk through the snow-covered National Mall in Washington on December 20, 2009. A ferocious snow storm blanketed much of the eastern United States, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes, paralyzing air traffic and stranding motorists. The governors of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Delaware declared states of emergency in advance of the storm, the worst to hit the region in decades.           AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo by Nicholas KAMM / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – People walk through the snow-covered National Mall in Washington on December 20, 2009. A ferocious snowstorm blanketed much of the eastern United States, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes, paralyzing air traffic and stranding motorists. The governors of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Delaware declared states of emergency in advance of the storm, the worst to hit the region in decades. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo by Nicholas KAMM / AFP)
(Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 11:  A man delivers restaurant supplies on an unplowed street following yesterday�s snowstorm February 11, 2010 in Washington, DC. Washingtonians had to dig out again after the region was hard hit by a second mega snowstorm in five days making 2009 - 2010 the snowiest winter since the record has been kept in 1870.  (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 11: A man delivers restaurant supplies on an unplowed street following yesterday�s snowstorm February 11, 2010 in Washington, DC. Washingtonians had to dig out again after the region was hard hit by a second mega snowstorm in five days making 2009 – 2010 the snowiest winter since the record has been kept in 1870.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Reston Parkway is empty of cars during the height of Snowmageddon in February 2010.  (WTOP/Dave Dildine)
The Reston Parkway is empty of cars during the height of Snowmageddon in February 2010.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)

WTOP/Dave Dildine

US Winter Forecast
FILE – Travis Grout uses his cross country snow skis to get around the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 6, 2010. Federal forecasters are predicting on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, less snow in general for the United States winter, but they said big snow events are possible like Washington’s paralyzing Snowmageddon storm that dumped more than 2 feet on the capital region during an El Nino.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File

Officials work the scene of Joshua Temple Church Ministry in northeast Washington after the roof collapsed under the heavy snow Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010. A massive snowstorm has hit the area with snow expected to continue throughout Saturday evening.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

7News First Alert Chief Meteorologist Veronica Johnson isn’t predicting that much snow for this winter, though she said we can expect a little over 5 inches in the city with up to 15 inches in the northern and western suburbs. She said southern Maryland can expect a little over 2 inches.

So why do these massive snowfall totals seem to be a thing of the past for the D.C. area?

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“It’s a warming climate for us,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to get the colder conditions that will produce snowfall.”

Two months later, another record 3 feet of snow blanketed the D.C. region in 2010, putting flights out of the city at a standstill and leading to snowball fights outside of the Capitol Building. The snowfall was nicknamed “Snowmageddon.”

The mammoth snowstorms during the winter of 2009-2010 led to the region’s snowiest winter of all time. The 2009-2010 winter will be long remembered for its relentless snowstorms that led to a record seasonal snowfall at Reagan National and Dulles International airports.

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© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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Mayor Bowser celebrates federal funding deal that gives DC control of RFK stadium site – WTOP News

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Mayor Bowser celebrates federal funding deal that gives DC control of RFK stadium site – WTOP News


Mayor Muriel Bowser joined WTOP to talk about the legislation that would transfer the land of the old RFK Stadium to the District and her efforts to bring the Washington Commanders back to D.C.

As lawmakers on Capitol Hill come to terms on a stopgap funding bill, one provision could bring the Washington Commanders back to the team’s old stomping grounds in Northeast, D.C.

FILE – District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser takes questions during a news conference in Washington, Dec. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)(AP/Susan Walsh)

Mayor Muriel Bowser is celebrating the bill after years of pushing to bring the team back to D.C.

The legislation, which is expected to pass, would transfer the land of the old RFK Stadium in Northeast from the federal government to the District.

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Read more: 


Bowser joined WTOP anchors John Aaron and Michelle Basch to talk about the bill and her efforts to bring the team back to D.C.

Listen to the full interview below or read the transcript, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser talks about the funding bill with WTOP anchors John Aaron and Michelle Basch.

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John Aaron: You’ve called the legislation a giant step forward. It seems like this was the biggest hurdle to getting a stadium back in that spot, was it?

Muriel Bowser: Well, it’s been a hurdle to for the District to get control of 177 acres that’s been sitting blighted and vacant for several years now. And we think in 177 acres, you can do quite a lot, and we have been restricted in how we can use it because of our lease to only a stadium use. What this legislation would do is give us control and the ability to develop multiple uses, including a world class stadium.

Michelle Basch: So if this bill passes in Congress, as expected, what’s the timeline here? What comes next?

Muriel Bowser: Well, we’re going to have conversations in D.C. with our policy makers. We’re developing a great plan for the site that we will be very anxious to present. We’ll sit down in earnest with the team, talk about our joint goals, and we will be demolishing the current stadium on the RFK site.

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John Aaron: What were your conversations like with lawmakers, and how did you get members of both parties on board with this idea when they can’t seem to agree on anything?

Muriel Bowser: I know it’s been an amazing, amazing kind of story, I think. We sat down. I went early on for a hearing with Congressman (James) Comer in the Oversight Committee, and I think they were expecting to talk about crime, and we were expecting to talk about how they could help us. And I have to give a lot of credit to (James) Comer. He said he would help us, and he did. He introduced a piece of legislation with Congresswoman (Eleanor Holmes) Norton, and he has been with us every step of the way. So we had one of the most comical committee votes I’ve ever seen. People that never agree on anything, agreed that Washington, D.C. should step into place for the National Park Service, develop this land, control our destiny and create a lot of jobs and opportunities for D.C. residents and our visitors.

Michelle Basch: Can we also talk about the Council making the final approval to keep Capital One Arena upgraded and keep the Caps and Wizards in the cities?

Muriel Bowser: Yes. It’s been an amazing kind of a year. Somebody mentioned to me that last year, this time, we were concerned that the Wizards and Caps would leave. Yesterday, the council approved my legislation that it allows us to buy Cap One Arena and keeps the Wizards and the Caps playing in Washington, D.C. until at least 2050 and our landmark legislation that gives us control of the RFK site is almost passed. It was agreed upon, and we expect it to pass this week.

John Aaron: Of course, there’s the issue of paying for all of the upgrades to the RFK Stadium site. How would that work?

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Muriel Bowser: Well, it’s going to work like all of our major developments work, like the Wharf, like Walter Reed, like St. Elizabeth. Whether we have a stadium there or not, the District is going to be a partner in the redevelopment. And so we always go in, we create a great plan, likely we support the development of the infrastructure, and we look for a great development partner that helps us realize our vision for housing and jobs and recreation. What people don’t often mention, and I’m reading all the press coverage today about this site, is it’s on the banks of the Anacostia River, and right now, our residents don’t have great connections. This legislation also requires us, and we’re very happy to comply, with having 30% of the parcel be park space. So we’re going to get a lot of recreation space. I’ve already committed that the District would support our own indoor sports complex for our kids to have indoor track and other activities. And you know, we have a lot of space to meet the goals of our communities.

Michelle Basch: Anything else you want our listeners to know this morning (on) such big news?

Muriel Bowser: Huge news. And I just want to say it’s just a win, win, we think, for the region, and it’s going to allow us to create jobs and attract the types of events to our region that we haven’t been able to attract. Imagine if we were able to have a Super Bowl here, the World Cup, Taylor Swift concerts. All of those things that have passed by our 4 million plus person region can be served at the RFK campus.

John Aaron: All right, that is some big thinking. Thank you. Mayor Bowser, we appreciate it.

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© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



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Man says Donald Trump will be arrested on December 20, urges people to storm Washington D.C. if that fails: Watch

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Man says Donald Trump will be arrested on December 20, urges people to storm Washington D.C. if that fails: Watch


USAF veteran and vocal leftist Jerry Doran claimed that Donald Trump will never make it to the White House because millions of Americans will storm Washington DC on January 20, 2025. Doran, a nurse and substitute teacher, claimed the president-elect will be arrested on December 20 under Executive Order 13848.

Man says Donald Trump will be arrested on December 20, urges people to storm Washington D.C. if that fails (REUTERS/Brian Snyder TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo, @jerrydotan0/TikTok)

Doran also appeared to urge a mass storming of Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day if his prophecy does not come to pass. According to Doran’s social media rant, Executive Order 13848, which Trump signed in 2018, will be weaponized to arrest the president-elect for conspiring with foreign actors to rig the election.

Jerry Doran’s online rant

“Don’t forget, it’s We the People, okay? Executive Order 13848 is coming out. It’s been out, and Donald Trump helped create it. It’s going to come back to bite him because it says how we have to proceed when there’s outside interference in our elections. There definitely has been. They’re going to reveal it on December 20th because 45 days from November 6th brings us to December 20th—six days from today, Friday,” Doran said in his social media rant.

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Doran further said that if the Executive Order 13848 is not implemented next week, then by January 20 “We the People are going to have to show up in Washington and have this guy step down.” He further said, “The 3% rule states that if 3% of a group’s population gathers in mass, they can change everything. We have 330 million Americans. Ten percent of that is 33 million. And what’s a third of that? Eleven million. Eleven million of us need to show up in Washington, D.C., on January 20th and have this guy step down. He’ll see 11 million people—talk about a crowd. He’ll have a coronary and step down. We’ve got to do it. For those of us in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Long Island, Connecticut—everybody—we’ve got to converge on Washington. Black, white, trans, LGBTQ2, drag queens—peacefully and coincidentally—we’re going to meet and have this guy step down. That’s our fail-safe.”

Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the US is set to take place on January 20 next year on the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. He is expected to deliver an inaugural address. Joe Biden has confirmed that he will be in attendance, and has ensured apeaceful transfer of power.



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