Washington, D.C
‘Our nation’s capital should be able to do better than this’: DC lawmakers on city’s 911 outages – WTOP News
There’s been growing frustration with 911 outages at D.C.’s Office of Unified Communications, the agency that handles emergency calls in the city. Now, several D.C. lawmakers have called the response to a string of outages unacceptable.
There’s been growing frustration with 911 outages at D.C.’s Office of Unified Communications, the agency that handles emergency calls in the city.
In the same week OUC director Heather McGaffin announced $800 bonuses for OUC staffers who show up for every shift in August, several D.C. lawmakers have called the response to a string of outages unacceptable.
“The District of Columbia, our nation’s capital, should be able to do better than this,” D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau told WTOP on Friday.
“There are very hardworking people at the 911 call center. Their jobs are incredibly difficult,” she added. But she called the outages “a perfect storm of government incompetence.”
The creation of a pilot program to offer the $800 bonuses underscores an issue that Nadeau said deserves more attention.
“I don’t think we pay them enough,” she said of call takers and dispatchers. “I don’t know that we are supporting them enough. I hope the bonuses help. But at the end of the day, this is not a new problem.”
In a statement sent to WTOP, Council member Brooke Pinto, chair of the Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, wrote she is “exploring additional options for the upcoming fall legislative session to ensure we are appropriately compensating our first responders for their essential work.”
Pinto also said she would look into “legislative interventions” to improve 911 service and “greater transparency and reporting when errors do occur.”
Last year, Nadeau introduced a bill to return 911 calls to D.C. Fire and EMS, “so that we know the people who are answering the phones are medically trained and can get the people that need to be there to respond.”
Nadeau said there is a lack of urgency to address what she called a long-standing issue. When asked if the D.C. Council could be seen as playing a role in that lack of urgency, Nadeau said, “I think that’s a fair question. I feel a great sense of urgency and I really do hope that my bill gets a hearing so that we can have this conversation.”
On Tuesday, Anna Noakes, OUC public information officer, wrote in a statement to WTOP, “We have a busy, demanding system that requires that we regularly evaluate staffing levels to ensure we can always answer the call in a timely fashion while also being mindful of the well-being of our dedicated staff.”
Referring to the most recent outages on Aug. 2 and Aug. 9, David Hoagland, president of the union that represents D.C.’s firefighters, wrote in a statement, “IAFF Local 36 is steadfast in its commitment to collaborating with city leaders to implement sustainable reforms that will strengthen our 911 system.”
Regarding the Aug. 9 outage, Hoagland’s statement said, “Despite the obstacles thrown at us during the system breakdown, I’m proud of all of the firefighters on duty and our members working in the fire operation center who demonstrated exceptional professionalism.”
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DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) — One hundred and twenty members of the Iowa National Guard are leaving Friday for Washington, D.C., where they will assist with security measures and America 250 celebrations at the request of the Trump administration.
Reynolds initially said no
Gov. Kim Reynolds said she had previously declined the Trump administration’s request, citing the strain of one of the state’s largest recent deployments.
“They asked earlier, and I said no because we had one of the largest deployments that we’ve had for a long, long time and I just felt that we were stretched pretty thin,” Reynolds said.
Nearly 2,000 Iowa National Guard members had spent a year or more deployed to the Middle East. Those soldiers have since returned home.
Guard members now available following Middle East return
With those troops back, Reynolds said Iowa was in a position to fulfill the president’s request.
“We have them all back. They circled back, especially with everything that’s going on with the 250th uh birthday uh of our country. And so we were able to participate and do our share,” Reynolds said.
Different states have sent National Guard members to Washington, D.C., since last August.
Reynolds said the federal government will pay the costs of Iowa’s deployment to Washington, D.C.
Copyright 2026 Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON – Metro riders are seeing changes Thursday morning as WMATA adjusts its shuttle bus system following concerns about long lines and confusion tied to the Red Line summer shutdown.
Express shuttles to North Bethesda will now only pick up on Wisconsin Avenue near the Trader Joe’s. Local shuttles serving Bethesda, Medical Center and Grosvenor have been moved to the Friendship Heights Metro station, while some regular Metrobus routes are picking up on Western Avenue.
Red Line Shuttle Service Updates
• Local shuttle boarding will be relocated to Bus Bay K – the current C83/D96 bus stop on Wisconsin Ave.
• C83 and D96 buses will be relocated to the bus shelter on Western Ave near Wisconsin Ave.
• Express shuttle boarding will remain in the 5300 block of Wisconsin Ave NW.
What we know:
FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick says Red Line riders say the shutdown has added time to their commute, though many are trying to stay positive. The shuttles connect North Bethesda and Friendship Heights through September 6, when Purple Line construction is expected to wrap up.
Metro Red Line summer shutdown leads to long shuttle lines
Metro Red Line Summer Shutdown: Changes to shuttle bus service after concerns
The workaround relies on dedicated shuttle bus lanes along northbound and southbound Wisconsin Avenue/355 and up to Rockville Pike. But truck drivers, delivery drivers and passenger vehicles have been stopping or parking in those lanes, forcing shuttles to go around and slowing traffic.
Metro and Montgomery County police have increased enforcement to keep the lanes clear. Metro Transit Police say they asked more than 60 drivers to move out of the bus lanes in the first days of the shutdown.
Metro is also adding about 100 parking spaces at Friendship Heights in the former Lord & Taylor garage. Some Montgomery County riders are opting for the MARC train downtown instead.
Metro’s Red Line shutdown is now in full effect: Here’s what you need to know
Metro Red Line Summer Shutdown: Changes to shuttle bus service after concerns
The Source: Information in this article comes from WMATA and previous FOX 5 reporting.
Washington D.C. police are searching for a vandal who was caught on surveillance video slashing the tires of multiple vehicles in a Georgetown alley on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect, who fled the scene on a red bicycle, targeted a Chevy Suburban and a Ford Escape on the 1700 block of 35th Street Northwest.
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