Washington, D.C

IN PHOTOS: Giant pandas in Washington, D.C. through the years

Published

10 months ago

September 8, 2023

IN PHOTOS: Giant pandas in Washington, D.C. through the years

The end is near for arguably the best tourist attraction at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

Three giant pandas that have been on loan from China — with two of the three having lived at the zoo for more than two decades — are set to return to their homeland.

Tian Tian, age 26; Mei Xiang, age 25; and Xiao Qi Ji, age 3, will travel by plane back to China in late November or early December, with the zoo saying they’ll be leaving by Dec. 7.

The pandas are currently in Washington, D.C. because of a loan agreement established between the zoo and the Chinese government.

A 2000 agreement stipulated that Mei Xiang and Tian Tian would live at the zoo for 10 years in exchange for $10 million, according to the zoo’s website.

The arrangement was extended to 2015, 2020 and then again to 2023.

Xiao Qi Ji was born to Mei Xiang and Tian Tian on Aug. 21, 2020.

In late August, all three pandas celebrated their birthdays, the last time the zoo put on birthday celebrations for them before they depart.

Below are photos of the pandas through the years from Getty Images.

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 21: Male giant panda Xiao Qi Ji relaxes in his enclosure during his second birthday at the Smithsonian National Zoo on August 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. Xiao Qi Ji is the fourth surviving cub of pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. This year the National Zoo is marking 50 years since the first giant pandas came to DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (2022 Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 21: Male giant panda Xiao Qi Ji eats an ice cake for his second birthday at the Smithsonian National Zoo on August 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. Xiao Qi Ji is the fourth surviving cub of pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. This year the National Zoo is marking 50 years since the first giant pandas came to DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (2022 Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 22: Female giant panda Mei Xiang eats an ice cake for her 24th birthday at the Smithsonian National Zoo on July 22, 2022 in Washington, DC. This year the National Zoo is marking 50 years since the first the giant pandas came to DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (2022 Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 20: 22-year-old female giant panda Mei Xiang eats bamboo at the Smithsonian National Zoo on May 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian National Zoo will reopen to the public starting on Friday, May 21st after being closed since November 2020 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (2021 Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 22: Giant panda cub Bei Bei (L) plays with his mother Mei Xiang (R) at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park August 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. The youngest giant panda cub turns one today. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (2016 Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 24: Tian Tian, the 275-pound male giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, moves around in his outdoor enclosure the day after the death of a six-day-old panda cub at the zoo September 24, 2012 in Washington, DC. The preliminary necropsy of the 4-ounce female cub did not immediately reveal the cause of death but zoo Chief Veterinarian Dr. Suzan Murray said the initial exam made it appear the cub was not crushed by her mother. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (2012 Getty Images)

WASHINGTON – AUGUST 30: Giant Panda cub Tai Shan cuddles with his mother, Mei Xiang, while they eat melon balls in the morning at the Giant Panda Habitat at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park August 30, 2006 in Washington, DC. Weighing more than 62 pounds, Tai Shan (who?s name means ?peaceful mountain? in Chinese) turned one-year-old on July 9, 2006 and has helped draw an estimated 1.2 million visitors to the habitat since his December 2005 debut. The new $10 million Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat is scheduled to open Sept. 20, 2006 and will be a state-of-the-art research facility and add more than 12,000 square feet to the pandas’ outdoor exhibit. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (2006 Getty Images)

WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 28: Balmy weather brought 7-year-old giant panda Mei Xiang outside to enjoy a “fruitcicle,” a combination of frozen apple juice and pieces of apple and pear at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park on December 28, 2005 in Washington, DC. With an expected high of 50-degrees, the unusually warm temperatures brought a large number of visitors to the zoo. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (2005 Getty Images)

402955 05: Female panda Mei Xiang sleeps on a rock March 27, 2002 at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Four-year-old male panda Tian Tian jumped the three-year-old female panda, which are both on a 10-year loan program from China, without warning and hit her when he was trying to mate with her on Sunday morning. The two pandas stayed apart on Wednesday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

383925 03: Tian Tian, left and Mei Xiang sleep on the rocks in front of their custom-made grotto January 4, 2000 at the National Zoo in Washington DC. Constructed of natural and imitation rock, the grotto resembles a shallow open cave within a natural rock outcropping. Naturally cold in the winter, this grotto will be cooled by built-in air conditioners in the summer. (Photo by Jessie Cohen/Smithsonian National Zoo/Newsmakers) (Getty Images)

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Washington, D.C

Boil water advisory issued for all of D.C., Arlington County due to algae blooms

Published

37 mins ago

July 4, 2024

Press Room

Boil water advisory issued for all of D.C., Arlington County due to algae blooms

7/3: CBS Morning News

19:56

A boil water advisory was issued Wednesday night for the entire District of Columbia and neighboring Arlington County due to a spike in algae blooms in the Potomac River, officials said.

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority said the advisory, which it described as “precautionary,” also included the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery and Reagan National Airport.

“We have no information that the water was contaminated by this incident, but we issue this advisory as a precaution while we test the water,” the agency said.

The Washington Aqueduct is sourced by the Potomac River and serves as the public water supply for about one million people in the D.C. area, Arlington County and other portions of Northern Virginia.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a news release that the advisory stemmed from “elevated turbidity levels in the water supply caused by increases in algae blooms in the Potomac River.”

Turbidity is a measure of the clarity and cloudiness of water.

“Customers may notice their water looks cloudy or hazy,” Arlington County said in a news release.

The Washington Aqueduct has two water treatment plants. The Army Corps of Engineers responded to the elevated turbidity by temporarily transferring all water treatment operations from the Dalecarlia plant to the McMillan plant, DC Water said.

The Environmental Protection Agency also authorized adding additional copper sulfate and sodium permanganate to the aqueduct’s reservoirs to combat the algae, the Army Corps of Engineers said.

Residents were advised to bring drinking water to a rolling boil for one minute before letting it cool. Water should then be stored in a covered container.

The advisory will remain in effect until further testing deems the water safe to drink.

Faris Tanyos

Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.

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Washington, D.C

DC staring at $4.4 million penalty for errors in paying out SNAP benefits – Washington Examiner

Published

8 hours ago

July 3, 2024

Press Room

DC staring at $4.4 million penalty for errors in paying out SNAP benefits – Washington Examiner

The federal government is fining Washington, D.C., $4.4 million due to what it considers a higher-than-acceptable error rate in its payments to recipients of food assistance programs.

It is the second year in a row that district officials have exceeded the error rate in processing benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Department of Agriculture found that in 20% of cases, the district either overpaid or underpaid SNAP recipients.

The USDA only issues a penalty if the payment error rate exceeds 6% two years in a row.

Roughly 140,000 district families rely on SNAP benefits in order to make ends meet. Instances where an error occurs can have a severe impact on families as it can take months to correct them. Typically, the district’s Department of Human Services won’t even pick up on the errors as it falls on the families to bring it to the officials’ attention.

“Even when these errors are corrected, potentially months later, the impacted recipients and their families are not made whole,” Haley Hoff, an attorney with Legal D.C. advocating families who rely on SNAP, told the Washington Post. “District residents go hungry when [the D.C. Access System] prevents them from obtaining their full SNAP entitlement.”

Laura Zeilinger, director of the district’s Department of Human Services, and Wayne Turnage, deputy mayor of health and human services, attended a city council hearing to address concerns regarding the high payment error rates. The D.C. Access System — which is in control of administering SNAP benefits, the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families program, and about 300,000 Medicaid enrollees — is tremendously stressed, according to Turnage. It has reportedly cost taxpayers $600 million to develop and maintain the D.C. Access System.

Turnage said the staff managing the system have struggled to keep up with its high demands, and the have had to work overtime and weekend shifts. Since 2022, Washington, D.C., has the slowest processing rate for SNAP applications in the nation.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

USDA is allowing the district a few options in dealing with the fine. The agency would allow the city to reinvest half of the penalty in making improvements in the SNAP system.

Turnage said that the department is working to identify the core problems within the SNAP system.

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Washington, D.C

FanDuel Fuels Record Totals For Washington D.C. Betting In May

Published

15 hours ago

July 3, 2024

Press Room

FanDuel Fuels Record Totals For Washington D.C. Betting In May

FanDuel‘s strong May numbers in its first full month as the D.C. Lottery’s primary sports betting operator fueled a record-setting month as the rest of the district’s operator figures were released Monday.

Overall, the nation’s capital reported all-time highs of $5.4 million in sports betting revenue and $35.4 million in handle. It was the second consecutive month with a record handle after FanDuel made an immediate impact on April’s numbers when it replaced GambetDC as the district’s primary operator.

May’s operator revenue was over $1 million more than the previous high of $4.4 million set in November 2021.

The 15.4% hold ranked 14th in 49 months of wagering in Washington D.C. It’s currently the highest among 29 states and jurisdictions with commercial sports betting for May, with only Arizona, Illinois, and Kentucky yet to report.

The district saw an all-time monthly high of $544,600 in tax receipts, and FanDuel’s entrance has put the year-to-date total of $1.4 million in tax revenue $513,300 ahead of the 2023 total through five months.

BetMGM Also Enjoys Strong May

FanDuel accounted for 84% of the district’s handle and 89% of the revenue, as it posted a 16.4% hold on $29.7 million in handle to reap $4.9 million in winnings. Both figures would have ranked first in all-time Washington D.C. monthly totals.

Despite finishing third in handle with $1.6 million, BetMGM pipped second in revenue among all operators with $217,400, posting a 13.9% win rate from wagers placed at and around Nationals Park.

Caesars, which operates at Capital One Arena, had a more modest 5.4% hold as it collected $145,800 in winnings from $2.7 million worth of wagers. FanDuel’s retail sportsbook at Audi Field — home of DC United — had a 5.3% hold on $284,000 in bets placed for $15,100 in revenue.

Among Class B licensees, both of Grand Central’s locations finished in the red as bettors came out a combined $5,775 ahead on $192,400 in handle. Sports & Social had an astounding 49.2% hold in keeping $15,700 ahead of the $32,000 wagered, while the Cloakroom topped $10,000 in revenue for the year after winning $2,600 and posting a 26.2% hold on $9,800 in handle.

Despite the recent upswing in betting fortunes across the district with FanDuel’s entrance, bigger changes still are likely to come. The Washington D.C. Council included the Sports Wagering Amendment Act of 2024 in its Fiscal Year 2025 budget, which would allow numerous sports betting apps to operate in the district.

FanDuel’s entrance came by way of being subcontracted through Intralot, whose performance in the sports betting space was widely derided and criticized by both the betting public and local legislators in the district.

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