Washington, D.C

Nemec Scores Shootout Winning Goal in Washington | GAME STORY | New Jersey Devils

Published

1 month ago

November 16, 2025

Nemec Scores Shootout Winning Goal in Washington | GAME STORY | New Jersey Devils

Here are some observations from the game:

• Simon Nemec has been on a remarkable run. In the past three games he’s scored five goals – the shootout winner included, although those don’t show up on the official stats list. Nemec scored the game-tying goal against the Islanders and a hat trick in Chicago, before adding his shootout winner tonight.

“When Sheldon said I’m up (in the shootout), in my head I’m like, I’ve just got one move, so just go and try it and it worked,” Nemec said. “I’m happy for that.”

“He’s feeling it,” Keefe said of his decision to give Nemec the opportunity in the shootout, “But I also felt we needed a right handed shot to give the goaltender a different look. That was it. And you’re looking at righties, and we don’t have a ton of options there, and Nemo is feeling it, so why not?”

• Without Hughes, the Devils had revamped power play units:

PP1: Nemec, Hischier, Bratt, Meier and Mercer
PP2: Luke Hughes, Gritsyuk, Palat, Cotter and Noesen

Gritsyuk scored the opening goal of the game on the power play, which went 1-for-3 against the Caps, all three Washington penalties coming in the opening 7 minutes of the game.

• Prior to the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe gave some injury updates, with Zack MacEwen and Cody Glass both having traveled back to New Jersey for further evaluation on their injuries sustained in Chicago. Keefe mentioned that MacEwen will be out for “an extended period of time” while Cody Glass is out week-to-week. With both theirs and Hughes’s absence, three lineup spots opened.

The Devils had made two callups prior to the game, Shane Lachance and Nathan Légaré, who both played their first games of the season. For Lachance, it was his NHL debut.

Légaré finished the night with 9:26 of ice time and was bumped up to the third line to play with Ondrej Palat and Juho Lammikko for parts of the game, while Lachance played seven minutes in his debut.

“Guys like Légaré and Lachance coming in today, we need minutes from these guys,” Keefe said. “This game we played tonight is two steps faster than the game we played in Chicago. It was a different league out there today. You can’t get by if you’re not using six defensemen and four lines. We need minutes from those guys and everybody contributed in their own way and that’s what you need. That’s a team win. Full marks for our guys.”

Juho Lammikko re-entered the Devils’ lineup, playing the third-line center role.

• The Devils played their first game this season without forward Jack Hughes. He is expected to miss two months of action after undergoing surgery on his finger. In Hughes’s absence, Jesper Bratt was wearing the ‘A’ on his jersey as an alternate captain alongside Ondrej Palat. Bratt also wore the A in Hughes’s absence last season.

• In a scary incident, Alex Ovechkin threw Jesper Bratt into the boards in the far corner of the Capitals’ net at the tail end of the first period. Bratt lay on the ice while the play continued momentarily. It was one of the more bizarre moments as the Devils capped off the play seconds after Bratt fell to the ice with a goal by Luke Hughes. Instead of celebrating, Hughes went right from the follow-through of his snapshot to Bratt’s aid, putting his hand up to call for team trainers. Bratt was attended to on the ice, eventually making his way to the bench on his own accord. There was no celebration when Luke Hughes scored the Devils’ second goal, assisted by Bratt and Brenden Dillon, with Bratt still lying on the ice.

Bratt’s teammates immediately called for the athletic trainer, who came to his aid. Bratt was able to skate off on his own and remained on the Devils bench.

• The Devils played in their fifth straight overtime. Only two other times in franchise history has the team played five straight overtime games. Both previous times came during the 1995-96 season.

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Washington, D.C

D.C. Police Chief manipulated crime data; new House Oversight report

Published

13 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

D.C. Police Chief manipulated crime data; new House Oversight report

TNND — A new report from the House Oversight Committee alleges former D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to manipulate crime data. The committee released the report on Sunday, less than a week after Smith announced she was stepping down.

You’re lulling people into this false sense of security. They might go places they wouldn’t ordinarily go. They might do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association.

Included in the report were transcribed interviews with the commanders of all seven D.C. patrol districts and the former commander currently on suspended leave. One was asked, “Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?” Their response, “Yes, I mean extremethere’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration.”

Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement.

“They are going to have to regain the public trust. Again, this is a huge integrity issue,” Brantner Smith said.

Among the reports findings, Smith’s alleged pressured campaign against staff led to inaccurate crime data. Smith punished or removed officers for reporting accurate crime numbers. Smith fostered a toxic culture and President Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in D.C. is working.

While Smith has not yet publicly responded to the report, she’s previously denied allegations of manipulating crime data, saying the investigation did not play a factor into her decision to step down at the end of the year.

My decision was not factored into anything with respect to, other than the fact that it’s time. I’ve had 28 years in law enforcement. I’ve had some time to think with my family,” Smith said earlier this month.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also released a statement Monday, writing in part that “the interim report betrays its bias from the outset, admitting that it was rushed to release.”

According to crime stats from the Metropolitan Police Department, since the federal law enforcement surge started in August, total violent crime is down 26%. Homicides are down 12% and carjackings 37%.

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Washington, D.C

National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims

The first candle lit on the National Menorah near the White House in Washington, D.C., marked the first night of Hanukkah — and solemnly honored victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.

The National Menorah Lighting was held Sunday night, hours after gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor, and over three dozen others were being treated at hospitals.

Authorities in Australia said it was a terrorist attack targeting Jewish people.

Organizers behind the National Menorah Lighting said the news from Australia, along with the bitter cold, forced them to consider whether or not to hold the annual event.

After consulting with local law enforcement, National Menorah Lighting organizers decided to hold the event and honor the victims.

Several D.C.-area police departments issued statements confirming there are no known threats to local communities, but are monitoring just in case.

Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich condemned the attack and said community safety is a priority.

“Acts of antisemitism, especially those meant to intimidate families and communities during moments of gathering and celebration, must be called out clearly and condemned without hesitation,” Elrich said. “I have heard directly from members of Montgomery County’s Jewish community who are shaken and concerned, and I want them to know that their safety is a priority.”

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Washington, D.C

READ: Report accuses DC Police Chief Pamela Smith of ‘fear, intimidation, threats’

Published

2 days ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

READ: Report accuses DC Police Chief Pamela Smith of ‘fear, intimidation, threats’

WASHINGTON (7News) — Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith is facing yet another scathing report accusing her of manipulating crime data in the city.

The 22-page document from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform comes less than a week after a separate draft report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and days after Chief Smith turned in her resignation.

The main difference between the Congressional report and the DOJ report is that this new one, released on December 14, contains transcribed interviews directly with commanders from all seven MPD patrol districts.

RELATED | DC Police settles with former employee over claims that crime numbers were manipulated

The testimony reveals how Chief Smith chastised and, in some cases, publicly humiliated staff in crime briefings.

“The Committee’s investigation heard consistent testimony about frustration and exhaustion among MPD commanders and the manifestation of a culture of fear, intimidation, threats, and retaliation by Chief Smith. Often, these manifestations were triggered whenever the Chief was presented with what she considers ‘bad news,’ particularly when that news pertained to any rise in public crime statistics. Chief Smith, according to testimonies, regularly took action against her subordinates who failed to aid in the preservation of her public image,” the report states on page two.

RELATED | Trump announces probe into DC police for inflating crime stats amid safety claims

The committee launched the investigation in August when whistleblowers came forward with concerns about data manipulation.

One line of questioning in the report states:

Question: Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?

Answer: Yes, I mean extreme… there’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration or regime, and you know, that has manifested publicly.

7News reached out to Mayor Bowser’s Office for a comment in response to the report. A spokesperson provided the following statement:

The men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department run towards danger every day to reduce homicides, carjackings, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and more. The precipitous decline in crime in our city is attributable to their hard work and dedication and Chief Smith’s leadership.

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I thank Chief Smith for her commitment to the safety of D.C. residents and for holding the Metropolitan Police Department to an exacting standard, and I expect no less from our next Chief of Police.

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