San Diego International Airport will soon have a direct flight to Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, thanks to approval Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Alaska Airlines will run the direct flights to the coveted location, after proposing the route when the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 passed. The airline will allocate additional flights to and from heavily regulated Reagan National — also known as DCA.

DCA is significantly closer to the nation’s capital than the next nearest airport, Dulles International.

“We are very pleased with the DOT’s approval of Alaska Airlines to begin service between SAN and DCA,” said Kimberly Becker, president and CEO of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “This route will provide significant convenience for our defense, biotech and communications sectors that require efficient access to the nation’s capital.

“We appreciate the DOT’s thoughtful analysis, and we are grateful to the many elected officials, industry sectors, and communities who spoke up in support of this service,” she added.

Due to DCA’s much closer proximity to Capitol Hill, the White House and other important buildings in Washington, D.C., the DOT requires that nonstop flights from cities farther than 1,250 miles get special approval.

Before Tuesday’s decision, San Diego was the nation’s largest market without nonstop service to DCA.

Resident physicians affiliated with George Washington University Hospital reached a tentative agreement late Monday, averting a three-day strike that was set to go into effect at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

The agreement came to fruition after more than a year of talks. Negotiators worked to secure better pay and improved mental health support for about 500 resident doctors unionized with the Committee of Interns and Residents.

The development marks the first contract win for the union.

The tentative deal, according to the union, includes both substantial pay increases and a $1,000 annual stipend for mental health and physician wellness. A $4,000 ratification bonus is also included in the agreement.

Doctors who were ready to join the picket line previously highlighted their struggles with rampant burnouts, extreme exhaustion and financial stress, the union said.

“This contract has been such a long time coming and it’s truly a historic step not only for our well-being, but for the health of the community we serve,” said Dr. Jason Robart, a resident in anesthesiology at GW Hospital, in a statement.

“This contract is the result of 2.5 years of effort, since before we even won our union. Every person who signed a union card or a petition, every chant, every sign we held up outside the hospital, and even our willingness to withhold our labor — that’s what allowed us to win a contract that will truly transform our lives.”

Eleanor Clifford, an OB-GYN resident, added that the hundreds of doctors were willing to strike in order to get “GW to finally acknowledge the support that we need in order to take care of ourselves and our mental health.”

“We were willing to strike because, ultimately, we know that we can’t provide the compassionate patient care that we want to provide on willpower alone,” she said. “We are incredibly hardworking, but we are also human.”

WTOP has reached out to GW Hospital and the Committee of Interns and Residents for additional details.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

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

A girl “believed to be five years old” is in critical condition at a D.C. hospital for a gunshot wound in the presence of her younger brother Monday night, police said.

D.C. police Chief Pamela Smith said officers were called to a report of a shooting at an apartment in the unit block of Galveston Street in Southwest around 6:30 p.m.

She said officers found “a young female victim, believed to be five years old” shot in the upper-body and immediately provided first aid before emergency crews rushed her to a hospital.

Smith said the girl was “injured after a younger child accessed an unsecured firearm in the apartment,” adding that the younger child is “roughly around three years old.”

“This incident really highlights the danger of unsecured firearms in homes, especially around children,” Smith said.

According to police, the children were left with an adult man, considered to be a friend of the family inside the apartment. The man was tasked with watching and caring for the children while their mother was running errands.

Smith said an adult female, believed to be a sister of the female victim, was arrested for assaulting a special police officer working at the apartment complex where the shooting happened.

Below is a map of where the shooting took place.

This is a developing story. Stay with WTOP for the latest.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

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