Washington, D.C
Hotline between military and air traffic controllers in Washington hasn't worked for over 3 years
A hotline between military and civilian air traffic controllers in Washington, D.C., that hasn’t worked for more than three years may have contributed to another near miss shortly after the U.S. Army resumed flying helicopters in the area for the first time since January’s deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, Sen. Ted Cruz said at a hearing Wednesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration official in charge of air traffic controllers, Frank McIntosh, confirmed the agency didn’t even know the hotline hadn’t been working since March 2022 until after the latest near miss. He said civilian controllers still have other means of communicating with their military counterparts through landlines. Still, the FAA insists the hotline be fixed before helicopter flights resume around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Defense department officials didn’t immediately respond to questions Wednesday about the near miss earlier this month and the steps it is taking to ensure helicopter flights in the area are safe. The FAA didn’t immediately answer follow-up questions after the hearing about how that hotline was supposed to be used.
FILE – Salvage crews work on recovering wreckage in the Potomac River at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Va.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File
“The developments at DCA (Reagan airport) in its airspace are extremely concerning,” Cruz said. “This committee remains laser-focused on monitoring a safe return to operations at DCA and making sure all users in the airspace are operating responsibly.”
The Army suspended all helicopter flights around Reagan airport after the latest near miss, but McIntosh said the FAA was close to ordering the Army to stop flying because of the safety concerns before it did so voluntarily.
“We did have discussions if that was an option that we wanted to pursue,” McIntosh told the Senate Commerce Committee at the hearing.
January’s crash between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people – making it the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil since 2001. The National Transportation Safety Board has said there were an alarming 85 near misses around Reagan in the three years before the crash that should have prompted action.
Since the crash, the FAA has tried to ensure that military helicopters never share the same airspace as planes, but controllers had to order two planes to abort their landings on May 1 because of an Army helicopter circling near the Pentagon.
“After the deadly crash near Reagan National Airport, FAA closed the helicopter route involved, but a lack of coordination between FAA and the Department of Defense has continued to put the flying public at risk,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth said.
McIntosh said the helicopter should never have entered the airspace around Reagan airport without permission from an air traffic controller.
“That did not occur,” he said. “My question – and I think the larger question is – is why did that not occur? Without compliance to our procedures and our policies, this is where safety drift starts to happen.”
The NTSB is investigating what happened.
In addition to that incident, a commercial flight taking off from Reagan airport had to take evasive action after coming within a few hundred feet of four military jets heading to a flyover at Arlington National Cemetery. McIntosh blamed that incident on a miscommunication between FAA air traffic controllers at a regional facility and the tower at Reagan, which he said had been addressed.
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WASHINGTON (7News) — An early Wednesday morning incident at D.C.’s Metro Center left multiple riders injured after a work vehicle made contact with a Silver Line train just before the end of service.
According to Metro officials, the train was holding at the station when the work vehicle struck the rear car shortly after midnight. Officials said there were 27 customers on board at the time.
Officials say 11 people reported non-life-threatening injuries and that Metro personnel were not seriously injured.
SEE ALSO | Metro’s board to vote on budget that calls for fully automated trains on the Red Line
Passengers who did not report injuries were transferred to another train and continued toward Downtown Largo.
The train involved was the final Silver Line run of the night.
Metro said the incident remains under investigation as crews work to determine the cause.
As of 3:30 a.m., it’s not clear what the potential impacts to the morning service may be.
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Here are a few ways to give you a better idea of how much it may cost you if you’re considering moving to a new city.
Problem Solved
Earning enough to be considered middle class has gotten more expensive, with rising housing and everyday costs pushing the income bar higher, according to a recent report from GOBankingRates.
The median range for middle-class income across the country is between $59,000 and $104,000 in 2026, depending on which state you live in. GOBanking Rates used Pew Research Center’s definition of middle class — income ranging from two-thirds to twice a state’s median household income — and added data from the U.S. Census Bureau to report lowest middle-income, highest middle-class income and median income for each state, including Maryland and Virginia, and Washington D.C.
The current national middle-class minimum of $59,000 would have declared you middle class a decade ago in the U.S. In 2016, earning $39,000 placed a household at the lower edge of the middle class — and in regions like DC, MD and VA, median incomes were already far higher than the national median, so the “middle-class floor” was much higher than $39,000 even then.
In the DC region, the income required to be considered middle class is significantly higher than nationally, with the threshold starting around $61,000 in Virginia and nearly $69,000 in Maryland — compared with about $47,000 nationwide, GOBankingRates data shows. To be considered middle class in Washington DC, you’d have to earn at least $70,200. GoBankingRates omitted DC from their report; however, using the same formula and same US Census data cited, USA TODAY Network was able to calculate the low, high and median middle class income ranges. Here’s what the report shows and what we found for middle-class consideration in 2026.
What is middle class in Washington DC?
The middle class is a socioeconomic group in the U.S. that falls between the working class and upper class, earning around the middle of the income distribution for where they live. Middle class households often are able to cover their bills, rely on loans to buy homes or cars, and occasionally eat out or vacation, but not without careful budgeting, according to Investopedia.
Washington DC’s middle-class income in 2024 (the most recent year available from Census data) was between $70,200 and $209,600. GoBankingRates omitted DC middle-class data; however, USA TODAY Network used the same calculation, using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) and the Pew Research Center’s benchmark definition of middle class. Here is the breakdown for middle-class in Washington DC:
- Median household income: $104,800
- Lowest end of middle-class income: $70,200
- Highest end of middle-class income: $209,600
Due to the region’s high cost of living, Washington DC’s middle-class median income surpasses not only the U.S. median, but it’s neighbors in Delaware, Virginia and Maryland. It also slightly surpasses the median middle-class income of New Jersey.
What is middle class in Virginia?
In Virginia, the income needed to be considered middle class starts at about $61,400 and can range up to roughly $184,200, according to GOBankingRates. That is based on Pew Research Center’s definition — two-thirds to twice the median household income. Here’s the breakdown of Virginia’s middle-class income as reported in 2026 using the latest Census data available from 2024:
- Median household income: $92,090
- Lowest end of middle-class income: $61,393
- Highest end of middle-class income: $184,180
What is middle class in Maryland?
To be considered middle-class in Maryland, the income required starts at about $68,600 and can extend up to roughly $205,800, according to GOBankingRates, which used the latest 2024 U.S. Census Bureau data available in their 2026 report.
For many Maryland households, especially in the DC suburbs, earning what sounds like a solid income does not always translate into financial comfort once housing, childcare and community costs are factored in: Maryland housing costs (rent and home prices) are well above national averages, according to Zillow market trends, and commuting costs for DC-area workers are among the longest and costliest, Census data shows. Maryland also consistently ranks among the most expensive states for childcare, often surpassing $15,000 per year per child, according to a Care.com 2024 Cost of Care report.
Highest middle-class incomes in the US
- Massachusetts income range: $69,885 to $209,656
- Maryland income range: $68,603 to $205,810
- New Jersey income range: $69,529 to $208,588
- Hawaii income range: $67,163 to $201,490
- California income range: $66,766 to $200,298
- New Hampshire income range: $66,521 to $199,564
- Washington income range: $66,259 to $198,778
- Colorado income range: $64,742 to $194,226
- Connecticut income range: $64,033 to $192,098
- Virginia income range: $61,393 to $184,180
Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based news reporter covering trending news with USA TODAY Network’s Mid-Atlantic Connect Team. She covers news in the Northeast, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Reach her at LComstock@usatodayco.com.
Washington, D.C
US industry leaders take sport fishing issues to Washington DC – Angling International
The impact of tariffs on the US fishing tackle industry and the need for sound fisheries management were among the topics discussed by attendees of the American Sportfishing Association (ASA)’s first ever Keep America Fishing in DC Fly-In.
It included industry leaders who last week joined together in Washington DC and all walked hundreds of miles across the US Capital Complex to advocate for the interests of the US trade and the entire recreational fishing community.
The group also enjoyed conversations with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Director, Dr Neil Jacobs, Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Brian Nesvik, Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Representative Blake Moore (R-UT).
ASA President and CEO, Glenn Hughes, said: “We look forward to continuing the conversation with legislators throughout the rest of this Congress and to an even bigger Keep America Fishing Fly-In in 2027.”
Above: From left: ASA President Glenn Hughes and Vice President of Government Affairs, Mike Leonard, with Senator Martin Heinrich (centre).
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