Washington, D.C
How Capital One Arena prepares for 9 events in 9 days – WTOP News
Just as athletes may take note of a rivalry game in their hometown before the season starts, some workers at Capital One Arena in downtown D.C. do the same, but for a completely different reason.
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Just as athletes may take note of a rivalry game in their hometown before the season starts, some workers at Capital One Arena in downtown D.C. do the same, but for a completely different reason.
Darius Dunn, the assistant general manager of arena operations at Capital One Arena, said some workers take note when the arena has several different events on back-to-back days. Last month, he said, the arena had what he called a “bucket list item” — hosting five different concerts in five days.
And it’s currently in the middle of another busy stretch.
Capital One Arena is hosting nine games in nine days, a mark that started Nov. 17 and is scheduled to end on Saturday. Over that span, the venue is scheduled to host three Capitals games, three Wizards games and three Georgetown basketball games.
It also includes two doubleheaders — a Georgetown and Capitals game on Nov. 18 and Georgetown and Wizards basketball games on Saturday, Nov. 25.
In total, the arena estimates it will host over 100,000 visitors over the nine-day period.
“It’s a work of art when you see the behind-the-scenes peek behind the curtain, so to speak, of what goes on. Primarily overnight, but a number of logistics,” Dunn said.
The number of people involved in transforming the arena between the events varies, Dunn said, but usually involves 35 to 40 members of the operations crew, and 80 to 100 people on the cleaning crew. There could be another 10 to 15 people who are the “AV, IT and mechanical folks,” he said.
There are some nuances that go into switching between basketball courts, Dunn said, because there are three different variations for Wizards games and one court for Georgetown events.
Dunn said the changes highlight “a lot of moving parts” because seating and other arena configurations are different. It’s a process that sometimes starts as late as 11 p.m. or midnight, once a concert or sporting event ends, concluding at 5 or 6 a.m.
A “basketball footprint sits inside the dasher of a hockey rink. And so there (is) some additional flooring that goes down on top of the ice, an insulated floor, that’s what the basketball court sits on top of,” Dunn said.
When the arena transitions from basketball to hockey, there’s protective netting and glass that also has to be put in place.
“You leave at 11:00 and come back (at) eight in the morning, and it’s a totally different look and configuration from one night to the next,” he said.
When Capital One Arena hosts two events on the same day, Dunn said, extra staff are sometimes called in to help so the switch gets done faster. In those instances, a process that takes six hours overnight takes only about two and a half.
“We kind of move into the fast lane and push the envelope in terms of flipping it over,” Dunn said.
People who linger after the first event on days of doubleheaders could sometimes see forklifts, crews picking up or putting down the basketball court, “probably 175-pound pieces of panel, goes together like a puzzle, with 15 rows” for each court, Dunn said. Then, the TV crew starts to set up.
“National holidays and sporting events kind of go hand in hand,” Dunn said. “When [the public is] home eating turkey for Thanksgiving and watching the NFL, there’s a group of industry professionals that are working that game, and Christmas with NBA, and New Year’s Eve with baseball and college football.
“The role we play, we take pride in that,” he said.
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:
(Photo credit should read EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo credit should read EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty Images
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
(Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images
(Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WTOP/Dave Dildine
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File
(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?
“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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Washington, D.C
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Washington, D.C
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.
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.
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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