Washington, D.C
Protests, vandalism after &pizza doubles down on ‘Marion Berry Knots'
Protesters are demanding an apology and a D.C. pizza shop has been vandalized amid the controversy over &pizza’s ad campaign that makes light of the late “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry’s drug use.
D.C.-based &pizza promoted a new menu item Monday called Marion Berry Knots, a dessert with marionberries. The dish is “so good it’s likely a felony,” a press release said.
“For a good time, it’s the powder that’s the ultimate headline grabber. The Marion Berry Knots have enough powdered sugar that will have customers bumping elbows to order and even force the DEA to look twice,” &pizza said in ad copy full of drug references.
Demonstrators gathered Wednesday morning outside the company’s location on U Street, calling for &pizza to remove the dessert from its menu and apologize.
Many people who spoke with News4 Wednesday said the ad was in poor taste. One protester described it as “degrading” to Barry’s legacy.
A campaign by a D.C. business mocking “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry is drawing criticism and sparking calls for a boycott. News4’s Shawn Yancy explains.
“Also, to his family. You have to think about his family, as well. … We have to think about – we’re on U Street right now and this street carries a lot of history,” protester Austin Lee told News4.
Someone vandalized the chain’s location in the Skyland neighborhood of Southeast D.C. Yellow and orange paint was splattered all over the windows of the business Wednesday morning.
Barry got his start in politics as a civil rights activist and remains revered by many Washingtonians. A statue of the four-term mayor stands outside the Wilson Building in downtown D.C., and Southeast D.C. has Marion Barry Avenue SE.
He was arrested in a hotel room in 1990 in a videotaped drug sting by the FBI and D.C. police. Barry famously complained that his ex-girlfriend, an FBI informant, had set him up. Out of 14 charges, a jury convicted him of a single misdemeanor possession charge.
Barry was sentenced to six months in prison, released in 1992 and won the Ward 8 D.C. Council seat. He returned as mayor for a fourth term in 1994 and remained influential until he died in 2014 at 78. Next month marks a decade since his death.
D.C.’s NAACP branch on Tuesday called on &pizza to take the “inflammatory, culturally insensitive and drug-use insinuating” item off the menu and to “issue remuneration to support substance-abuse prevention in all cities within the &Pizza marketing area.”
NAACP DC President Akosua Ali said in a statement Tuesday: “The life, legacy, lineage and name of Marion Barry deserves to be remembered as a pioneer for economic development, real-estate development, black business empowerment, youth employment and as the Mayor of the people. Mayor Barry taught us the power of economics and today, we call on the community to demand &Pizza right this egregious wrong.”
&pizza is “spitting on Marion Barry’s grave,” community activist Ron Moten said on Instagram. “[…] We cannot continue to support people who disrespect us.”
Moten said discussions are underway for a boycott of the chain, which opened its first location on H Street NE in 2012 and now has locations in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Former D.C. first lady Cora Masters Barry is hurt by the menu item and campaign, a representative told News4. She was flooded with calls from community leaders and residents who “expressed disappointment and outrage by the promotion’s interference,” the representative said. She “requested that the attorneys for the Estate of Marion Barry Jr. look into the matter and act accordingly,” the representative said.
D.C. restaurant owner Peyton Sherwood said on X that &pizza “crossed a line.”
“Barry’s life was about opportunity, dignity, and equality for everyone in Washington, D.C. To reduce that legacy to a crass ad about his darkest moments is not only offensive it’s cruel,” he wrote. “It disregards the immense good Barry did for this city and the battles he fought on behalf of all its people.”
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News4 asked &pizza Tuesday if they wanted to comment on the reaction to their campaign.
CEO Mike Burns said in a statement: “We’re talking about a marionberry, that’s spelled with an ‘e’. We stuff that into a knot, drizzle it with icing and then top it with powdered sugar. It’s delicious – we can’t wait for D.C. to try it.”
Washington, D.C
DC Weather: Cold front brings rain, snow, and chilly temperatures
WASHINGTON – Saturday in the D.C. area kicks off with a cold, raw start with a bit of rain and snow falling across the area.
With temperatures above freezing for the area, any snow, sleet or rain falling will not stick, says Chief Meteorologist Tucker Barnes.
With a cold front moving into the area through the rest of the morning, there is a threat of additional rain or snow showers. Some extreme parts of Howard County, Montgomery County and up toward Frederick and Thurmont are seeing some light accumulation as a band of snow to the north moves through.
Saturday afternoon, temperatures will be in the mid-40s, with some clearing behind the front later this morning. A little sunshine is possible before the end of the day, but clouds are expected to return by Saturday night.
By early Sunday morning, around 5 a.m., another batch of snow is possible as the low pressure system passes to our east.
What’s next:
The D.C. area will have perhaps around two inches of precipitation Sunday morning as energy dives down from the Great Lakes into the northern Gulf. That will help spawn an area of low pressure off the Southeast coast, which will move up the coast during the day Sunday.
The precipitation shield Sunday morning may reach the I-95 corridor and then fade to the east during the day. Along and east of I-95, there could be a period of snow late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, possibly mixing with rain farther east along the Eastern Shore.
There could be some additional light accumulations Sunday morning. The FOX 5 Weather team will continue to watch trends closely over the next 24 hours.
There are no advisories at this time.
Washington, D.C
Women’s hockey takes center ice in DC as PWHL brings its Takeover Tour to Capital One Arena – WTOP News
The Professional Women’s Hockey League is bringing its Takeover Tour to Washington, D.C., as the New York Sirens face the Montreal Victoire at Capital One Arena in a regular-season matchup highlighting the league’s rapid growth.
Women’s professional sports leagues continue to grow in popularity in the United States, with soccer and basketball leading the way. Now, women’s hockey is looking to forge its path.
In its third season, the Professional Women’s Hockey League organized a “Takeover Tour,” playing 16 regular season games on neutral sites during the 2025-26 season. One of those games will take place at D.C.’s Capital One Arena as the New York Sirens take on Montreal Victoire.
The game is set to take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster, with prices starting at $30.
However, the game will not be an exhibition. As of Friday, both teams sat in the upper half of the eight-team standings, with Montreal in second place with a 7-4 record and New York in fourth place, 6-5.
It’s the third season the PWHL has played games outside of its teams’ cities. The second tour drew over 123,000 fans across nine games.
Montreal forward Laura Stacey said the league’s quick growth in three years before a Winter Olympics puts it into perspective of how far the sport has come.
“We never dreamed about being where we are right now,” Stacey said. “The fact that we’re here, we’re now going to Washington to play in Capital One Arena. I think slowly, every single year, we’re getting these moments of ‘Where are we? How are we doing this?’ And I think it really blows our mind every time.”
For Hayley Scamurra, Sunday’s game is a mini homecoming.
While she was raised in New York, the Montreal forward is the daughter of former Washington Capitals defender Peter Scamurra, and her mother is from Maryland. Hayley also spent time in the D.C. area as a former coach for the Capitals Youth Development Program and ALL CAPS ALL HER initiative to bring hockey to women and girls.
Scamurra said she’s watched the D.C. region’s love for hockey grow, despite the region not having a notable women’s college hockey program. She added that, after speaking to people within the Capitals organization, the team and D.C.-area hockey fans will welcome the PWHL with open arms.
“Growing up, as a kid, no one knew what hockey was,” Scamurra said. “So now, to see so many girls playing hockey there, there’s like dedicated girls teams at the Caps organization and things like that. The growth has been immense.”
Before the game, both teams will host an open practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia, where fans can meet players and received signed autographs. On Saturday night, Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin and Sirens player Kayla Vespa will participate in a ceremonial puck drop before the Capitals take on the Florida Panthers.
Vespa, a lifelong Capitals fan, said it is a “full circle moment” to be playing in D.C.
“I’ve only watched them play on TV, so to be able to be there, at an NHL venue, just shows how much the game has grown,” she said. “To be a lifelong fan, it means a lot, and to be able to bring both teams here … is very exciting, and it’s the next step for us.
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Washington, D.C
DC weather: Mixed snow, sleet Saturday; tracking coastal snow threat Sunday
WASHINGTON – Some of the coldest air of the season settles over the Washington, D.C. region Friday as a pair of wintry systems line up for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
What we know:
FOX 5’s Taylor Grenda says January is back with a punch, with morning wind chills dipping into the single digits. Skies stay clear but breezy through the afternoon, with highs only in the mid-to-upper 30s.
Light rain may develop Friday evening and briefly mix with sleet or snow as temperatures hover near freezing.
Saturday starts with scattered showers that could again mix with sleet and snow.
Temperatures rebound into the mid-40s later in the day. Grenda says the morning mix shouldn’t cause travel issues, and conditions improve by midday.
The focus then turns to Sunday as a coastal storm tracks north. The current forecast shows the best chance for accumulating snow across southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore. Grenda says it’s a close call along the I-95 corridor, where totals could vary. Areas north and west of D.C. may see very little, if anything. Forecast trends continue to point toward a lower overall snow threat.
READ MORE: DC weather: Chance for snow over MLK weekend as coastal system moves north
What’s next:
The region dries out for the holiday on Monday before another blast of bitter cold arrives Tuesday into Wednesday.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 5 Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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