Washington, D.C
See what 2 apostles told dozens of journalists about the importance of the renovated Washington D.C. Temple
KENSINGTON, Maryland — The Washington D.C. Holy place was improved a famous hillside below in 1974 partly to reveal that The Church of Jesus Christ of Saints had actually shown up on the nationwide as well as worldwide phase.
The church’s leaders as well as brand-new public interactions division at the time unlocked after that to the media as well as numerous hundreds of individuals to proactively develop the church’s brand name of family members unity psychological of individuals in the American resources as well as past.
A four-year remodelling of the holy place is currently total as well as for the very first time in 48 years, the door’s will open up to the public once again, developing a brand-new chance for church leaders to make a declaration as well as construct bridges of understanding.
2 apostles as well as various other church leaders each invested greater than 10 hrs on the holy place premises below Monday with an upgraded message for 150 nationwide as well as local reporters, consisting of press reporters from Axios, the New York City Times, Fox Information, the Associated Press, Politician, the Atlantic as well as the Washington Message.
Under wet skies that in some way made the gold-leaf apexes atop the holy place luster brighter versus an over cast background, the church leaders led several trips loaded with reporters lugging microphones. They likewise carried out 3 interview as well as rested for countless radio, tv as well as various other meetings.
Senior Citizen David A. Bednar, a participant of The Church of Jesus Christ of Saints’ Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, left, shares a minute with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan after an excursion of the Washington D.C. Holy place as well as site visitors’ facility in Kensington, Maryland, on Monday, April 18, 2022.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
Family members unity remains to be a core idea, one apostle stated throughout an excursion, however since no individual is best, no family members is best. The message of the holy place can recover as well as retrieve flaws, the leaders informed the media.
In a globe where some urge individuals don’t or can’t transform, they resolutely urged that the impact of holy places does lead individuals to transform right as well as to the advantage of people, households, neighborhoods as well as countries.
“We construct holy places as a testimony to the eternal life of the human spirit, which we commemorated (Sunday) on Easter,” stated Senior citizen David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in an interview. “We construct holy places to offer amazing true blessings to the participants of our church as well as to the neighborhoods in which the holy places are built. Via the important things we discover God as well as Jesus Christ as well as the pledges we make to enjoy as well as offer, our hearts transform from self to God as well as are altered. Inevitably, the outright key fundamental feature of your house of the Lord is for us to be changed.”
A guv as well as a Baptist preacher applauded the impact of the church as well as the holy place throughout interview, also.
Throughout the preparation of the holy place a half century back, church leaders relocated its area by 60 feet on a high hillside to make sure that it would certainly increase plainly over the then-newly revealed course of I-495.
On Monday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan called the holy place a famous spots in the Maryland horizon along that Capitol Beltway.
“I simply intend to take this chance today to best regards give thanks to The Church of Jesus Christ of Saints for being a valued companion in our initiatives to transform Maryland right,” he stated, “as well as to once more give thanks to as well as praise every person that made the remodelling of this gorgeous as well as legendary Washington D.C. Holy place feasible.”
The Baptist preacher likewise called the spiritual structure “a stunning as well as wonderful holy place,” however he stated that wasn’t its major function.
“This is an excellent spiritual business,” stated the Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, priest of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church as well as a participant of the nationwide board of the National Organization for the Innovation of Colored Individuals.
“Truth elegance of a holy place does not depend on what you can see — the timber as well as rock, glass as well as steel — it hinges on what you cannot see, in the hearts of those that will certainly praise below as well as obtain true blessings, as well as the adjustment that has actually taken place in those hearts given that this holy place was developed,” he stated.
Senior citizen Bednar informed the Deseret Information that the factor church leaders invested a lot time with the media Monday — they likewise are arranged to host trips for significant nationwide media execs on Tuesday — is that what the holy place can instruct open residence site visitors calls for both electronic media as well as specific presence.
He stated most individuals wouldn’t recognize the holy place is open for a brief, six-week home window for the very first time in 48 years without media get to.
“They wouldn’t recognize that this was an opportunity, that you reach have an opportunity to find as well as see it…,” he stated. “So the much more we can amplify as well as increase that message, the far better it is, to make sure that individuals can after that have the chance for the one at a time.”
The general public open residence starts April 28. It will certainly run daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. other than Sundays with June 11. Free ride are needed to schedule an excursion. The tickets are offered at dctemple.org/open-house/.
Need is high, stated Senior citizen Jack N. Gerard, executive supervisor of the Church Interaction Division. Church leaders have actually currently prolonged the size of the open residence as a result of the passion.
Numerous hundreds of individuals are anticipated to visit the holy place, stated Senior citizen Gerard, that is a General Authority Seventy with the church.
The variety of welcomed visitors to unique trips arranged today as well as following week has actually risen to 4,100, much past the document number for any one of the various other 169 Saints holy places, he included.
Church agents have actually provided invites to nationwide politicians as well as various other possible unique visitors throughout the Washington D.C. hallway. Some guvs currently have actually gone to, consisting of Maryland’s Gov. Hogan, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Wyoming Gov. Brad Little as well as Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon.
For my close friends of various other confidences, or of no confidence, this is an excellent as well as unusual chance to see inside among our church’s holy places. I had an opportunity to provide an excursion to a few of my fellow guvs a number of weeks back as well as it was unique to see the gorgeous remodellings. https://t.co/cl58rLrwcZ
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) April 17, 2022
Senior Citizen Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles prepared the reporters that went to Monday for the peaceful serenity of the Celestial Space, which he called a nexus in between paradise as well as planet. He reworded W.B. Yeats, asking to look for to discover what they really felt in their “deep heart’s core.”
In among the holy place’s 6 securing spaces later, he asked what they’d seen in the utter as well as total silence they experienced being in the Celestial Space.
One stated it was an unusual sensation today to be in an area where there was no audio as well as called it really relaxed.
One more described the crystals in the area’s 13 light fixtures.
“I seemed like it was God’s spirit spraying out the lights,” he stated.
One more stated she featured one function in mind as well as was entrusting a various one.
“We claim, spiritual room, spiritual time,” Senior citizen Gong stated.
Throughout journalism meetings, he motivated the reporters to speak with several of the 150,000 Saints living in the surrounding area.
“Pay attention as they inform you regarding link, neighborhood, communion, concern as well as Jesus Christ,” he stated.
When church leaders made a decision to construct the Washington D.C. Holy Place, there was no holy place eastern of the Mississippi River. The holy place was developed after that to offer 300,000 participants residing in the eastern USA as well as South America.
Incredibly, 758,000 individuals went to the 1974 open residence.
Ever since, holy place chronicler Emily Utt stated, “It’s come to be an area holy place. Everyone understands this structure, as well as they consider it as component of their lives. When we removed the Angel Moroni statuary to paint it in 2015, a worried resident dropped in to ensure we were mosting likely to place it back up.”
Senior citizen Gerard stated several of the welcomed visitors will certainly consist of ambassadors from lots of nations.
“This open residence will certainly have an international effect with the welcomed visitors,” Utt stated. “It will certainly reveal the worldwide reach this holy place can remain to have as an icon of the church.”
That reach was clearly on the minds of church leaders in 1974 when they developed the huge 160,0000-square-foot holy place, the chronicler stated.
“We are wishing to make a declaration. We are wishing to provide the international neighborhood a feeling that we are wishing to involve, we intend to belong of that every one of you are as well as what you’re doing,” she stated.
“So we intend to construct a structure that is mosting likely to provide us a seat at that table, a voice in the discussion. So we developed a holy place that sought to the past a little. We installed a great lengthy structure with 6 apexes, similar to the Salt Lake Holy place, as well as placed a Moroni on it, similar to the Salt Lake Holy Place. We placed a little of Gothic describing in it, however we made this structure contemporary. So we will certainly provide a nod to our past in the country’s resources, however this holy place is below for the future. We are expecting the millennium as well as the possible effect that we can have as Saints on truly an international conversation.”
Almost 5 years later on, the holy place’s remodelling — mainly to upgrade mechanical, pipes, electric as well as various other systems — is an allegory for the type of individual changes church leaders stated it can influence, among the church’s worldwide ladies’s leaders stated.
“It’s truly a trip of adjustment that has actually brought us with each other today, is the factor that we are below, since our holy place has actually been reconditioned as well as restored as well as the framework has actually been strengthened,” stated Sibling Reyna I. Aburto, 2nd therapist in the Alleviation Culture General Presidency.
“We want to show you today that this is so comparable to what occurs with us as humans,” she included. “Our company believe that individuals can be remodelled, that we can transform, that our hearts can transform, as we commit our life to enjoy as well as offer others. So we intend to share this trip with you today so you can see what occurs inside our holy places, as well as you can recognize our idea in adjustment in the hearts of individuals.”
Temples deal Saints an area to recover from departments as well as problems, Saint Charities Head of state Sharon Eubank stated.
She stated the only power solid sufficient to weaved the globe back with each other from its mayhem is the love of God, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
“The holy place for me is an opportunity to transform hearts, to recover challenging experiences as well as to enable individuals to be authors of tranquility,” stated Sibling Eubank, that likewise is the initial therapist in the Alleviation Culture General Presidency.
Sibling Eubank motivated the reporters that went to Monday that they can utilize their tales regarding the day’s trips as well as meetings permanently.
“I wish that you have an opportunity when you release, that you will certainly adhere to that bible in Isaiah that discusses ‘Exactly how gorgeous are the feet upon the hills of those that will certainly release tranquility,’” she stated.
“You have an opportunity today to release tranquility. And also I am so ecstatic to share this chance with you. Thanks for coming.”
Washington, D.C
Showers, storms possible Tuesday across DC region; Canada wildfire smoke returns Wednesday
WASHINGTON – A humid and cloudy Tuesday across the D.C. area, with highs in the mid-80s and a chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Morning temperatures range from the upper 60s to low 70s, with dense air making outdoor conditions uncomfortable.
Storms and humidity
What we know:
Spotty showers may develop early, particularly south toward Fredericksburg and southern Maryland, as well as northwest near Hagerstown and parts of West Virginia.
A cold front is expected to move through later in the day, bringing relief from high humidity and reducing the risk of showers and storms.
Temperatures should peak around 84 degrees, with a chance of pop-up storms through the afternoon. Skies will clear overnight, and humidity will drop, leading to drier conditions by Wednesday.
Wildfire smoke returns
Wednesday will be less humid, though Canadian wildfire smoke is expected to return, creating hazy sunshine.
By late this week, clouds will build again as temperatures rise, bringing unsettled weather heading into the weekend.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 5 Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
WorldPride D.C. is now a wrap. The three week festival brought millions of people to the nation’s capital.
WTOP is marking Pride Month by showcasing the people, places and important issues in the LGBTQ+ communities in the D.C. area. Check back all throughout June as we share these stories, on air and online.
WorldPride D.C. is now a wrap. The three week festival brought millions of people to the nation’s capital.
On the last day of the festival, WTOP spoke to both D.C.-area residents and people who traveled to the District to be a part of only the second WorldPride in the U.S.
“I’m loving it here!,” said Angel Creek, a first-time WorldPride attendee. The Chicago native was joined by fellow Howard University student Venus Burrell.
Creek said her favorite parts of WorldPride were the outfits, the amount of color and the small businesses who had tents at the festival.
One D.C. business that once again was turning heads at the festival was Jimmy Trendy. Owner Jaime Quintero told WTOP that as a local business owner, he felt a duty to support the community and be there.
“This year has been amazing, because it’s WorldPride,” Quintero said.
The three week festival has been two-and-a-half years in the making thanks to the work from the Capitol Pride Alliance, which produced WorldPride.
Ashley Smith, board president of Capital Pride Alliance, told WTOP that 500 volunteers helped with the three week festival.
“The volunteers, the staff, the board, the whole nine, really trying to pull all this together, and our partners, that’s the only way we were able to do it,” Smith said Saturday.
One of the partners was the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs and its director, Japer Bowles.
Social media influencer Jose Romero, known as @DCHomos, who’s also marketing executive producer for Capital Pride Alliance, said he was impressed with the D.C.-area’s LGBTQ+ community, who lent a helping hand.
“The new volunteers, so many people that haven’t volunteered before, are here, welcoming the world and making this happen,” Romero said.
One of those welcomed was Devin Plant, who traveled with friends to join the celebration in D.C.
“You don’t have anything like this in Maine,” Plant said. “I think we have one singular gay bar in the whole state.
Plant joked that there are so few gay people in his hometown Bangor, that if he opens a dating app, he knows everyone on it.
This was Plant’s first trip to D.C. since he was in middle school.
“This historic event is probably something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Plant said.
Another thing Plant said he won’t forget for a while is the sunburn he received during the parade, joking that there isn’t as much sun in Maine.
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Parents explain why they bring their children to WorldPride
One of the most impressive displays during the parade, which had 300 groups marching, was a 1,000-foot Pride Flag — said to be the world’s largest.
D.C.-area resident Allison Moody, who helped carry the giant Pride Flag, said it was stitched by the original creator of the Pride Flag, Gilbert Baker.
So, how big was the parade’s crowd size?
Smith said he had received estimates of 1.5 million attendees observing the parade as it moved along 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The streets are much bigger than the traditional route though D.C.’s Dupont neighborhood.
Last year, the parade used the same route as a test run for this year’s WorldPride — and it seems like this new pride route is permanent.
“There may be some changes to it slightly, but we’ll try to keep it the same route as much as
we can,” Smith said.
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Washington, D.C
Las Vegas Joins with Atlantic City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Biloxi, and New York as Trump Slump Devastates Tourism, Wrecks Casino Profits, and Guts Hotel Jobs, Here is a Very Alarming Report – Travel And Tour World
Monday, June 9, 2025
Las Vegas, once the unstoppable heartbeat of American entertainment, is now staggering—joining Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and New York City in a brutal decline. The latest data paints a grim picture: the Trump Slump is no longer a whispered concern. It’s a full-blown crisis. Tourism numbers are crashing. Casino profits are being wrecked. Hotel jobs are getting gutted at an alarming pace.
This isn’t just another market hiccup. It’s a seismic shift, and it’s hitting fast and hard. Las Vegas, which once danced in neon glory, is now blinking under pressure. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is losing footfall, San Francisco is watching its hotels go half-empty, Washington D.C. is suffering from thinning tour groups, and New York City is bleeding international traffic. These powerhouse cities are buckling.
What makes this even more shocking is the synchronized collapse across multiple major metros. One would expect Las Vegas to hold the line with its casino cash flow, or New York to hold strong with its global pull. But no. The slump is spreading like wildfire.
The Trump Slump is doing more than just bruising egos—it’s ripping through revenue streams. Tourism boards are scrambling. Hotels are slashing staff. Casinos are falling eerily quiet.
A new report confirms it all, and the findings are deeply unsettling. How bad is it really? Why now? And who’s next?
This isn’t just a downturn. This is a devastating reckoning. And what happens next could change the U.S. travel industry forever.
America’s Casino Cities Face Rough Odds as Travel and Tourism Get Hard Hit in 2025
America’s legendary casino cities are facing a losing streak in 2025. Travel and tourism, the lifeblood of these destinations, have taken a hard hit—and the cracks are beginning to show across Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Biloxi, Tunica, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Detroit, Black Hawk, and Philadelphia.
Las Vegas, the crown jewel of casino tourism, is seeing a dramatic slowdown. Packed casino floors and glittering lights are dimming under the pressure of fewer flights, rising costs, and global uncertainty. Hotel rooms sit empty as travel demand weakens, and the Strip’s once-pulsing energy feels noticeably slower.
Atlantic City isn’t faring much better. The East Coast casino hub has seen a dip in visitors as inflation curbs spending and entertainment budgets shrink. Its iconic boardwalk and historic casinos like Borgata and Tropicana now face quieter seasons, with tourism getting hard hit.
Reno, known as the “Biggest Little City in the World,” is also showing signs of stress. Casino traffic has dropped, and fewer Californians are making weekend gambling trips. In Biloxi and Tunica, two Mississippi casino cities that once thrived on Gulf Coast and Memphis-area travel, hotels and gaming floors are operating well below capacity.
Meanwhile, Lake Charles and New Orleans in Louisiana are feeling the pain too. As fewer visitors flock to resorts like Golden Nugget or Harrah’s New Orleans, the tourism slump deepens. Detroit’s casino industry, including MGM Grand and MotorCity Casino, faces shrinking foot traffic, and its downtown economy feels the impact.
Even in scenic casino towns like Black Hawk and Central City in Colorado, where travelers used to combine mountain views with gambling getaways, the slowdown is undeniable. Philadelphia, a rising urban gambling hotspot, is now scrambling to recover from sharp tourism drops that have hit its casino revenue hard.
From coast to coast, casino cities are facing a reckoning. Travel is down. Tourism is hard hit. And the once-booming casino sector is suddenly rolling the dice on recovery.
Las Vegas Faces Economic Crossroads as Tourism Slump Guts Casino Jobs and Hotel Revenue
Las Vegas, long celebrated as the mecca of nonstop excitement, is now facing a painful tourism reality. Visitor numbers have dropped sharply. The buzz of casino floors is fading. And behind the curtain of neon lights, the people powering the city—its dealers, hotel workers, and hospitality staff—are feeling the sharp edge of this downturn.
In April 2025, Las Vegas reported a 5.1% year-over-year drop in tourist visits. That decline may appear small, but in a city that lives and breathes on consistent high-volume foot traffic, the impact is severe. Every percentage point lost ripples across hotel corridors, casino pits, and service jobs that depend on steady crowds.
Casino Tables Go Quiet as Layoffs Begin
Some of the Strip’s largest resorts have quietly begun trimming their workforce. Casino dealers—often the frontline ambassadors of Las Vegas nightlife—are being laid off in clusters. With fewer players occupying tables, their positions have become increasingly expendable. Fontainebleau and Resorts World are among the first properties to cut staff in response to the declining traffic.
Thousands of hospitality jobs have been lost over the past year. As demand slumps, casinos are seeking leaner operations. Automation is one of their go-to solutions. More venues are turning to electronic table games and digital betting interfaces, which reduce the need for trained dealers. The charm of human interaction is giving way to LED screens and self-serve terminals.
Economic Strain Spreads Across the Strip
The numbers paint a stark picture. The Las Vegas metro area ended 2024 with an unemployment rate of 5.9%—the highest among all major U.S. metro regions. This isn’t just a local hiccup. It’s a structural problem gripping the city’s core economic driver: tourism.
Travelers are simply not spending the way they used to. Rising airfares, shrinking discretionary budgets, and global economic uncertainties are all taking a toll. International tourism, once a key pillar of Las Vegas’ diverse visitor base, continues to shrink due to lingering geopolitical tensions and costly long-haul flights.
Hotel occupancy dropped 1% overall in April, with downtown hotels experiencing a steeper 2.6% decline. This erosion in guest volume compounds losses for restaurants, entertainment venues, and local attractions that thrive on tourist dollars.
Wages Flatline While Cost of Living Soars
Even those lucky enough to keep their jobs face an uphill battle. In 2024, the average hourly wage for casino dealers in Nevada stood at $19.96. That’s barely above the national average of $19.25. For a state that is globally synonymous with casino culture, this wage stagnation is glaring. Nevada doesn’t even rank among the top five states for dealer pay, highlighting a growing mismatch between brand power and worker compensation.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas’ cost of living continues to climb. Rent, gas, and grocery prices have surged, putting added pressure on workers in an already stressed sector. Fewer benefits, reduced shifts, and limited job security are becoming the norm.
The Dealer Pipeline Dries Up
The fallout extends to training institutions. Once booming with hopefuls ready to learn the ropes of blackjack, poker, and roulette dealing, dealer schools are now seeing enrollment nosedive. Many who would once relocate to Las Vegas in search of quick career starts are reconsidering. The opportunity promise is dimming. The dream of quick tips and high-stakes tables is now shadowed by uncertainty.
Without a fresh talent pipeline, even a future rebound could be hindered. The infrastructure of skill development is faltering just as demand for adaptability rises.
Industry Adapts, But at What Cost?
Casino operators are reacting—but not always in ways that safeguard livelihoods. Budget tightening is rampant. Shareholder reports show weakened earnings across several properties, and cost-cutting is the prevailing strategy. Capital expenditures are shifting toward automation and digital engagement. Unfortunately, that often means less human capital and more machines.
Some properties are opting to scale back live entertainment or reduce gaming floor hours. These subtle shifts further discourage extended visitor stays and lower ancillary spending on food, shows, and nightlife.
What This Means for the Future of Las Vegas
The Las Vegas tourism ecosystem is at a tipping point. The convergence of economic pressure, automation, and waning visitor demand could trigger long-term structural changes. The danger isn’t just in job losses—it’s in eroding the unique human experience that made the city iconic.
The Strip, once a symbol of limitless energy, now reflects something more sobering: vulnerability. Without decisive strategic shifts, including improved wages, targeted tourism incentives, and greater international outreach, the industry may struggle to rebound fully.
Travel authorities, city planners, and hospitality leaders must act swiftly. Investment in infrastructure, diversified tourism products, and fair employment practices are no longer optional—they’re essential for survival.
The world is watching what Las Vegas does next. Will it reinvent itself again, as it has many times before? Or will it fade into a high-tech but soulless shell of its former self?
For now, the cards are still in the air.
Tags: casino jobs, clark county, dealer schools, Downtown Las Vegas, fontainebleau, Las Vegas, Nevada, Nevada casinos, Resorts World, The Strip, Travel Economy, travel inflation, travel layoffs, U.S. metro unemployment, U.S. tourism trends
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