Washington, D.C

Saturday in D.C. provided a bounty of breezy delight

Published

2 years ago

April 21, 2024

Saturday in D.C. provided a bounty of breezy delight

Afternoons such as the one bestowed upon the District on Saturday seem to fall so close to meteorological perfection as to present a challenge.

They raise the question of how strict standards must be to find serious fault with a dry, bright afternoon in spring with temperatures in the sparkling 70s.

In fact, Saturday seemed so full of light, warmth and pleasure as to be the absolute atmospheric opposite of the day before, which was notable for appearing gray, cool and even dismal.

On Saturday, as Washington entered the last one-third of April, the city enjoyed a day with a beguilingly warm high temperature of 75 degrees, 5 degrees above the average high for April 20.

Moreover, the warmth seemed the sort that knew its place. It adhered to limits. Even though it was accompanied by a strong sun, Saturday’s warmth seemed to stay carefully on the cool side of the boundary between spring and summer.

A breeze stirred the afternoon air, producing gusts in the 20 mph range.

On the one hand, those breezes may have circulated the particles that enhance allergies.

But in their favor, they seemed to carry no hint of the humidity that is frequently a source of warm-weather misery in the capital.

Particularly in the afternoon, the sun shone brightly, sometimes amid a flotilla of flat-bottomed clouds. In places, the clouds, largely white, at times elongated, stretched themselves across the sky.

Seen from afar, a few resembled low-slung amphibious creatures, crawling across the blue. One seemed to be modeled after a loaf of French bread, colored white.

They seemed genial, unthreatening, perhaps decorous and decorative.

Adding, in a non-quantitative way, to the day’s ingredients for enjoyment was the fact that its splendid conditions arrived on a Saturday.

It was a day on which the gifts of nature could presumably be admired outdoors, from close up, and at a leisurely pace, rather than from the inherently confining vantage of a workplace window.

In the darkness of early morning, a few raindrops fell. Official measurements said they amounted to one-hundredth of an inch.

They fell from overcast skies that seemed a carry-over from Friday. But Friday’s raindrops fell on a day without sunshine. It was a day with perhaps only those very raindrops to connect it to the brilliance of Saturday.

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Washington, D.C

DC leaders considering transit options for new RFK Stadium

Published

2 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

DC leaders considering transit options for new RFK Stadium

The Commanders are set to build a new stadium in D.C., and the debate over how fans will get to and from games is happening right now. On Wednesday, city leaders will join Metro and the Washington Commanders to talk stadium transit.

Posted December 17, 2025 2:05am EST

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Washington, D.C

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

Published

1 day 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

2 days 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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