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Pentagon confirms all National Guard members in DC will now be armed following deadly shooting

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Pentagon confirms all National Guard members in DC will now be armed following deadly shooting


The Pentagon says all National Guard agents continuing to patrol D.C. will now be armed. 

It comes after two guard members were shot, one fatally. 

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The backstory:

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man accused of shooting two National Guard members last Wednesday, has pleaded not guilty to assault and murder charges.

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Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom died a day later, on Thanksgiving, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains in the hospital.

Lakanwal appeared in front of a judge virtually from his hospital bed, pleading not guilty on all four charges – two counts of assault, one firearm charge and first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of specialist Sarah Beckstrom right here on the corner of I and 17th Streets. 

“We are pursuing everything,” U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said. “There is nothing off the table right now.” 

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Pirro says 29-year-old Lakanwal could face additional charges in federal court as her office continues to investigate the ambush-style shooting of the West Virginia National Guard members. 

Man accused of shooting National Guard members in DC makes first court appearance

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New evidence released:

Guarded by officers at a local hospital, Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

In new surveillance photos found in court documents, Lakanwal is seen standing by the Farragut West Metro entrance moments before the shooting.

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In the next photo, it appears that the suspect approaches a group of National Guard members circled in blue.

Witnesses say that’s when “gunfire erupted,” striking 20-year-old Beckstrom and 24-year-old Wolfe.

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Dig deeper:

Investigators say a major with the National Guard who was nearby shot Lakanwal with his service weapon as the suspect was trying reload his gun. 

Secret Service officers responding to the shooting helped apprehend the suspect after the shooting. 

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According to the documents, both Beckstrom, who passed, and Wolfe were shot in the head.

“We have one young man who is fighting for his life. He’s fighting very hard,” President Donald Trump said. 

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What’s next:

At a press briefing on Tuesday, the Pentagon announced changes following this tragic shooting.

“I can confirm that everybody in D.C. is now armed, and a lot of our D.C. National Guardsmen are now doing joint patrol, with members of the police department here in D.C.,” Pentagon press secretary Kigsley Wilson said. 

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The U.S. Attorney’s Office added that Lakanwal allegedly traveled from Washington state to D.C. the same day to carry out this attack.

This is an individual about whom we don’t know a lot, but we will trust me, before it’s over,” Pirro said.

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Lakanwal will remain in the hospital until he is well enough to be transferred to jail, where he will be held without bond.

His next court date is on Jan.14.

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DC residents who’ve owned their home for 70 years now told they can’t park there

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DC residents who’ve owned their home for 70 years now told they can’t park there


Some D.C. residents told 7News they are fed up with the no-parking signs that have been added in front of their homes.

For the first time in 70 years, the view outside Anita Marsh’s home has changed.

“It’s very emotional,” said Marsh. “To be in a place where there’s no access to my door, no one can legally park for me to enter and exit my home. It’s frustrating, but more importantly, it’s upsetting. It’s very upsetting. I find it heartless.”

ALSO READ | DC considers tighter rat control restrictions after poison, tracking and trash concerns

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Video from Marsh showed what she woke up to on Monday morning. She said the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) installed no parking signs in front of her home.

“How do I walk? How do I get into my house? I’m not very ambulatory,” said Marsh. “I have mobility challenges. So what happens?”

Neighbors about a mile away, over on Kimi Gray Court, reached out with the same frustrations. That’s where 7News met Aaron Harris.

“DDOT put these signs up, these signs, and they are ticketing people who are trying to park in front of their home because they have multiple cars,” said Harris.

Both neighborhoods feel that access to their home will now cost them.

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“I’m very nervous because also financial impact is on a retiree,” said Marsh.

7News also got a call from businesses on MLK Jr. Avenue in Anacostia who said DDOT hit them with changes, too. 7News met Ronald Moton in front of his Gogo museum.

“They bring a bus lane without talking to us and take away 29 parking spaces,” said Moton.

Moton said business owners and customers have been hit with $200 tickets.

“This is a community trying to build itself up and survive,” said Moton. “You cannot come and dump stuff like this on us without talking to us.”

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“We can’t afford to pay $90 a week or $180 or $270 per week because we’re in violation in front of a property that wasn’t zoned this way,” said Harris. “At least we didn’t know it was owned that way until the signs went up and they started getting ticketed.”

“I’m very scared. I’m very scared. And very upset,” said Marsh. “I’m not going to be able to stay in my house. Then I’m going to be forced to go elsewhere. Because I’m not going to be able to enter and exit my house.”

7News reached out to DDOT and Councilman Charles Allen, who chairs D.C.’s Transportation and Environment Committee, and asked about the no-parking signs community members feel came out of nowhere. 7News has not heard back from either yet.



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ARCO Design/Build Deepens Its Presence in Washington, D.C. Market

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ARCO Design/Build Deepens Its Presence in Washington, D.C. Market


New office in Tysons, Virginia, brings the firm’s design-build expertise and national resources closer to clients across the capital region

TYSONS, Va., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ARCO Design/Build, one of the nation’s leading design-build construction firms, today announced the opening of a new office in Tysons, Virginia, placing the firm in the heart of the Washington, D.C. market and directly on the Capital Beltway. The office expands on the presence ARCO has built in the region over many years and brings the firm’s people, design-build expertise, and national resources closer to existing and prospective clients across the District and Northern Virginia.

A significant share of ARCO’s work in the region has originated in the D.C. area. The Tysons office is the natural next step in the firm’s growth, and a commitment built on established relationships with a track record of completed work. With many of those clients headquartered in the capital region and building across multiple geographies, the Tysons office allows ARCO to be closer to decision-makers, active pursuits, and the opportunities shaping the market today.

The office is further strengthened by local leadership, including Drew Enstice, Vice President, whose experience in the region supports ARCO’s continued growth across the Washington market.

“The Washington region has been central to our growth, and the Tysons office lets us meet it with our full strength,” said Aaron Weir, President, ARCO Design/Build. “We’re building on the relationships and successful work we’ve already established here, while bringing the resources of a national builder to a market with growing opportunity across advanced manufacturing, food and beverage, life sciences, aerospace, defense, and other complex sectors that demand precision.”

ARCO’s integrated design-build approach brings design, engineering, procurement, and construction together under a single accountable team from the outset. The firm delivers cost certainty, compressed schedules, and a single point of responsibility that matter most on complex, regulated, and mission-driven facilities.

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About ARCO Design/Build

ARCO Design/Build is a national design-build construction firm delivering the strength, resources, and expertise of an award-winning national builder combined with the responsive, personalized service of a local partner. With more than 50 offices and over 1,800 associates across the country, ARCO provides comprehensive design, engineering, and construction services across various industries such as industrial, e-commerce, logistics, data centers, commercial, life sciences, defense and aerospace manufacturing, healthcare, food and beverage, retail, and light manufacturing facilities. ARCO is a 100% employee-owned company through its ESOP. To learn more, visit arcodb.com.

SOURCE ARCO Design/Build



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DC nonprofit making millions of meals for the sick is set to expand – WTOP News

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DC nonprofit making millions of meals for the sick is set to expand – WTOP News


Food and Friends expects to double its impact with a $30 million addition and renovation.

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Nonprofit donating two million meals each year is now set to expand

Food and Friends prepares over two million meals each year for people in the D.C. region who are battling serious illnesses. The organization expects to double its impact with a $30 million addition and renovation.

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The first shovels went into the ground Monday at Food and Friends’ headquarters in Northeast D.C.

The 17,000-square-foot expansion will dramatically impact how many people the organization can serve on a daily basis, the nonprofit said.

“The demand has been so high, and so we need more room. And we’re really, really excited to be kicking that off,” Food and Friends CEO Carrie Stoltzfus said. “We’re going to be able to more than double what we do.”

Food and Friends currently packages roughly 7,100 meals per day and delivers throughout the D.C. region in an area approximately the size of Connecticut.

Staff described the current building as bursting at the seams, with many rooms doubling as food storage.

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“Most of the expansion space will be for food production and food storage because that’s really what drives everything else that we do and why we’re all here,” Stoltzfus said.

The new building, set to be completed in May, will include a state-of-the-art kitchen. The current kitchen will be transformed into a chilled food packing room.

This site plan for the Food and Friends’ facility includes its 17,000-square-foot addition. (Click to expand)

The expansion also adds private nutrition counseling rooms for clients who are battling diseases such as cancer, AIDS, renal failure and other illnesses.

All clients of Food and Friends are referred to the program by healthcare providers. Dietitians and chefs have developed 11 meal types tailored to specific health needs.

Rebecca Kahn, director of nutrition services at Food and Friends, said its food is medicine, leading to better health outcomes.

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“Hospital visits are going down as compared to before getting our services. Clients are saving money on healthcare costs,” she told WTOP.

Loris Adams is a volunteer and a former client who received meals from Food and Friends while she battled ovarian cancer. She’s thrilled with the expansion.

“People like me, people like your neighbors have an opportunity to be fed and nourished — body, soul and spirit — while they’re going through really hard and difficult times,” she said after the groundbreaking.

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