Washington, D.C
I was in D.C. for Jimmy Carter’s inauguration. Let’s take a walk down memory lane | Opinion
The sight of many famous government buildings was a bit daunting for this Eastern Oklahoma girl. Yet, I always believed I were among the lucky few to experience working in the nation’s capital.
Inauguration Day highlights: Swearing-in ceremony
Donald Trump was sworn-in as the 47th president in front of a full audience inside the Capitol Rotunda.
These past few weeks I’ve traveled down memory lane, along with many others focused on the pomp and circumstance of inaugurating a new president.
With the peaceful transition of power from one president to another, I found myself locked in memories of deja vu.
This is how it was and the way we were back in our Washington, D.C., days.
I arrived in D.C. just days before the inauguration of Jimmy Carter. It was 1977. Grassroots politics had always been a part of my life. The hanging of political door knockers in the neighborhood, that is. Never did I ever dream of living in D.C.
At first glance, the sight of many famous government buildings was a bit daunting for this eastern Oklahoma girl. Yet, I always believed I was among the lucky few to start a new job and to experience living and working in the nation’s capital.
On Inauguration Day, it was invigorating to know only a short distance away history was being made. The best thing to do was to drive around D.C. and see if I could crash any political events.
Remember, this was a time long ago without body scanners at every door; officials to check IDs and hours of long lines to get into invitation-only events. The action, really, at that time was pretty easy to find.
I wasn’t even dressed up. Heck, it was the ’70s. I don’t think I even owned a dress. I just bummed around in jeans and sweatshirts.
The events of those days are no longer fully clear in my head. But I do recall one gutsy move.
I crashed a sit-down inaugural dinner that I believe was hosted by the Airline Pilot’s Association. Just walked in and headed to a table. Wish I had kept a monogrammed napkin as a memento.
My new DCF friends took me to the local haunt across the Potomac in Virginia ― a revolving bar. As we sat and sipped adult beverages, the floor and our table slowly moved, or revolved, circling the place around the windows. Consequently, this bird’s-eye tour made it possible to see so much of the D.C. area and inspired a “must visit” tourist list.
Look over there! It’s the Pentagon. Probably was the world’s largest office building at the time. In the day-to-day work week, a daily walk through the Pentagon public area was needed to catch a bus into D.C.
I was honored to work in downtown D.C. and in the Virginia suburbs for a little more than 10 years. Eventually some dressier clothing ― dresses and a few skirts ― were hung in the closet. We were headed into the 1980s.
Each day presented new and epic opportunities (we thought at the time) to enjoy the nation’s Capitol. Nearly every night there was a party to attend as invitations from lobbyists and their staffers were distributed around Capitol Hill offices.
Since space for this column is limited, I’ll hit some of the highlights from over the years:
- At my first job, I was issued credentials as a member of the Press Corp assigned to the Capitol. The work included covering congressional hearings, an occasional White House news conference and many unbelievably important D.C. events.
- One year, a surprise birthday cake was purchased for me from the Watergate bakery, and that made quite an impression on this girl.
- At a local meeting, I met a woman who took me to the White House to see the inside Christmas decorations and the beautifully lighted tree. First lady Rosalynn Carter dashed by at one point and left through a hidden door.
- Most spring and summer holidays, everyone rallied on the mall and the Capitol lawn. The celebrants were treated to fantastic music performances followed by fireworks. One night sticks in my mind, the evening thousands of celebrants were entertained by the Beach Boys.
- At a Kennedy Center performance, I once was seated by chance next to U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers from Arkansas. He fell asleep as the legendary Burt Bacharach performed his greatest hits on a stage piano.
- Business often took me to New York, a fast airline commute. One time while waiting to depart, businessmen in Middle Eastern dress boarded. I felt real fear wondering if there was going to be trouble. Months earlier, the Hanafi Muslims had overtaken the Capitol. My heart sank as these travelers took their seats, but all was well.
- A U.S. senator’s wife took me at the end of spring one year to the Capitol grounds where we retrieved flower bulbs that grounds keepers were tossing as trash.
- One work assignment was to cover the annual White House Correspondent’s Dinner. But, what to wear? I borrowed a fancy dress, which made it easier for me to afford a pair of costly heels to complete “the look.”
- Once I spotted an astonishing lack of decorum by one elected official, and I will never forget it.
- A congresswoman walked onto the U.S. House floor for a vote wearing rollers in her hair! Even a small-town girl like me knew that was not cool. What was she thinking?
Andrea Chancellor has more than 20 years of experience in newspaper and magazine journalism and 20 years in corporate public relations.
Washington, D.C
Weekend weather in the DC Area: A little bit of everything
WASHINGTON (7News) — If you’ve got plans around D.C., Maryland, or Northern Virginia this weekend, you’ll want to stay flexible.
The forecast brings a mix of warm temperatures, sunshine, and a few rounds of showers and storms—especially Saturday and late Sunday.
Here’s a simple, hour-by-hour style breakdown so you can plan ahead.
Saturday: Warm Front, Clouds, and Spotty Storms
Morning (6 AM – 12 PM)
Mostly cloudy to start
A few early showers possible, especially toward the MD/PA border
Temperatures climbing through the 60s into the low 70s
What’s happening: A warm front is lifting north, bringing in milder air.
Afternoon (12 PM – 5 PM)
Highs reach the mid-70s
Clouds may break at times
Scattered showers and thunderstorms develop
Storm window: 2 PM – 7 PM
About a 50% chance of rain
Severe risk is low, but not zero
Possible:
Brief heavy downpours
Gusty winds
Maybe even small hail in isolated spots
Good news: Not everyone sees rain—but keep an eye on the sky.
Evening & Night (After 7 PM)
Storm chances linger early, then fade
Skies turn partly cloudy overnight
Lows drop to the mid-50s
Winds become light
Most of the night should be quiet and comfortable.
Sunday: The Pick of the Weekend
Morning
Dry and pleasant
A mix of sun and clouds early
Afternoon
Sunny and warmer
Highs in the low 80s
Light southwest breeze
This is your best outdoor day—great for parks, brunch, or yard work.
Sunday Night (After Midnight)
Clouds increase
Showers likely after midnight (70% chance)
Lows in the mid-50s
Winds shift from the north
Rain becomes more steady and widespread overnight
Looking Ahead (Late Sunday into Monday)
A cold front approaches from the northwest
Best chance for rain: Sunday night → Monday morning
Rainfall totals:
Generally 0.10″ to 0.25″
Locally higher in spots
Storms are possible, but:
Limited instability
Severe weather risk remains low
Weekend Planning Tips
Saturday:
Keep plans flexible—have a backup indoor option in the afternoon
Sunday:
Get outside early—it’s the best weather window
Sunday night:
Expect rain if you’re out late or traveling
The Big Picture
This weekend is part of a warming trend, with temperatures climbing from the 70s into the 80s. But with that warmth comes multiple chances for showers and storms, especially as weather fronts move through the region.
This weekend compared too next
Washington, D.C
Mom finds out daughter with autism was sexually abused at DC school week after it happened
CONTENT WARNING: This story contains content that may be uncomfortable to some readers. Discretion is advised.
WASHINGTON (7News) — A mother said she learned her 13-year-old daughter was sexually abused in a D.C. school when a detective contacted her a week after it happened. She said the school never notified her.
7News sat down with the mother on Friday, while her daughter was being evaluated and interviewed by detectives. We’re not sharing the mom’s identity to protect her daughter.
ALSO READ | Virginia health officials monitor cruise ship passengers for deadly hantavirus symptoms
The mom said she got a call Sunday night, “regarding my daughter and a sexual assault that happened at school involving my daughter last Monday.”
However, it didn’t come from the place or people she said she counted on.
“I never got a phone call from the school, an email, a text, nothing to say,” said the mom. Nothing happened until a week later.
That’s when a detective called and told her what happened.
“She was forced to give oral sex to a student in school,” said the mom.
Her 13-year-old daughter is disabled, autistic, and has challenges communicating.
The mom said she was sending her daughter to school without knowing what happened.
“I noticed a little behavior, emotional changes,” said the mom. “When I got that call now, it makes sense to, you know, what you because of what she had experienced at school and to come home and she didn’t say anything or no one had called me and just like it breaks my heart.”
7News obtained a copy of the police report, which confirms the youth investigative branch is investigating what happened to her daughter as sexual abuse. It shows that a Kelly Miller Middle School social worker reported it to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) last week.
“I just hope that I can be able to get her back on the right track. From all the trauma, on top of trauma,” said the mom. “To be able to grow and not have to hold that in the back of her head that she experienced in school, which should have been her safe place.”
7News started reaching out to DCPS just after 12:30 p.m. to ask if the students suspected of the abuse have been removed from the school, and why parents wouldn’t have been notified about the incident. They did not get back to us until after our first report aired. They did not answer either question. They provided the following statement.
A district spokesperson provided this statement:
At DC Public Schools (DCPS), student safety and wellbeing are paramount, and the district treats any allegation of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness. DCPS will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this matter is investigated.
In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and our obligation to maintain student confidentiality, we are unable to provide comment on individual student cases.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault or abuse, the National Sexual Assault Hotline can be accessed by calling 1-800-656-4673.
Washington, D.C
Canvas cyberattack leaves many DC-area school systems without service
WASHINGTON – A cyberattack on the Canvas learning management system left thousands of schools and universities offline Thursday, disrupting access to grades, assignments, course materials and lecture videos as students prepared for finals.
The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach, according to the Associated Press. Instructure, the company behind Canvas, did not immediately respond to questions about whether the system was taken down as a precaution or knocked offline, the AP reported.
READ MORE: Canvas outage impacts thousands of schools, universities: Hacker group reportedly takes credit
The hacking group posted online that nearly 9,000 schools worldwide were affected, with billions of private messages and other records accessed. Many school systems and universities in the Washington, D.C. region rely on Canvas as their primary learning management system.
In Montgomery County, school officials said access to the platform will remain unavailable “out of an abundance of caution” while they work to understand the impact of the incident and any potential vulnerabilities. Families were urged not to log in until MCPS and the myMCPS Classroom vendor resolve the issue.
The University of Maryland said it does not yet know when Canvas will return to service.
Canvas Cyberattack DC-Area School Systems Affected
Montgomery County Public Schools
Canvas (myMCPS Classroom) owned by Instructure Inc., is used by the school district as its learning management system. Due to a reported global cybersecurity concern involving Canvas, and impacting numerous school systems, universities, corporations in Maryland, other states, and worldwide, thus access to myMCPS Classroom has been disabled.
Out of an abundance of caution, access to the system will remain unavailable while we work to better understand the full impact of the incident and any potential vulnerabilities involving information connected to the platform. Please do not attempt to log in to the platform until MCPS and the myMCPS Classroom (Canvas) vendor have resolved this problem.
At this time, appropriate MCPS technology and security staff are continuing to assess the situation and coordinate with the vendor. We understand this disruption is frustrating and appreciate your patience as this work continues.
myMCPS Classroom provides access to student information such as grades, assignments, attendance, and course materials, and is an important tool for students and families to monitor academic progress. Additional information on how students can access resources and functions in myMCPS Classroom will be provided as soon as possible.
Updates will be shared as soon as additional information becomes available.
University of Maryland
Canvas may appear to be up right now, but please to not use it. DIT Security is not confident the system is safe to use right now. Please check back here before using Canvas.
For our faculty who use Canvas, we have created this guidance, and we will continue adding resources tomorrow. Please stay in touch with your students as we adapt to this evolving situation.
Prince George’s County Schools
There has been a cybersecurity incident involving Canvas, our Learning Management System.
Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, notified us of a global cybersecurity incident affecting 275 million users across numerous educational institutions. We have been informed that PGCPS was one of the many impacted organizations. While personal information including names, emails and Student IDs was impacted, NO sensitive information, such as dates of birth, passwords, financial information, was involved. PGCPS does not store that type of sensitive information or parent information in Canvas.
We are using this as an opportunity to reinforce the importance of exercising caution when communicating by email and remaining vigilant regarding suspicious messages, spam, phishing attempts, or other potentially fraudulent communications.
We will continue to monitor the situation and remain in close communication with Instructure.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Due to the ongoing issues with the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), AACPS will operate schools on Friday, May 8, 2026, without the use of the LMS. The Virtual Academy will also remain open with altered instructional delivery that will also not use the LMS. Further instructions will be communicated from the school principal. The latest information regarding the breach and the status of school district operations can be found at www.aacps.org/canvasbreach.
Prince William County Public Schools
We are aware of the error appearing when accessing Canvas and are actively working with the vendor to resolve it. The issue is not just impacting PWCS, and is widespread and national in scope. We will provide updates when the vendor has resolved the issue.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Associated Press and previous FOX 5 reporting.
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