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Washington DC gears up for possible election chaos with metal fencing around VP’s home and business boarded up

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Washington DC gears up for possible election chaos  with metal fencing around VP’s home and business boarded up


Washington DC is gearing up for potential chaos following Election Day as authorities assembled barriers around government buildings – including the vice president’s residence – and business owners boarded up storefronts over the weekend.

The series of security measures come on the eve of the high-stakes presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris — which has exposed deep divisions and heightened tensions in the US.

The Secret Service placed 8-foot-high metal fences around the White House, and Harris’ home at the Naval Observatory though officials warned there are no specific threats of violence at this time, the Washington Post reported.

Workers erected anti-scale fencing and other security measures around Howard University on Nov. 3, 2024. Getty Images

The metal fencing was also around the Treasury Department complex and adjacent parts of Lafayette Square while the Capitol had temporary bike-rack barriers around its perimeter, according to the newspaper.

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Physical security measures are also reportedly set to be placed outside the West Palm Beach convention center in Florida.

“The Secret Service is working closely with federal, state and local partners in Washington, DC and Palm Beach County, Florida to ensure heightened levels of Election Day safety and security,” the agency told the Washington Post Sunday.

“These enhancements are not in response to any specific issue but are part of wide ranging public safety preparations for Tuesday’s election.”

Private business and property owners have also worked to board up street-level windows and entrances in the event violence erupts in DC.

The Secret Service placed 8-foot-high metal fences around the White House, and Harris’ home at the Naval Observatory though officials warned there are no specific threats of violence at this time. AFP via Getty Images

Eric J. Jones, of the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, told the publication that retailers are concerned about looting and damage.

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“We’re not expecting full-fledged pandemonium like we saw after Jan. 6, [2021,] or four years ago,” he said.

“I’m getting constant emails and text messages because people are really engaged. … People would rather be overprepared and have nothing happen, as opposed to the alternative,” said Jones, who is the association’s vice president of government affairs.

Private business and property owners have also worked to board up street-level windows and entrances in the event violence erupts in DC. Getty Images

Admiral Security Services is expected to have 2,000 private security guards work 12-hour shifts at properties around the city, its executive vice president Leon Beresford told the Washington Post.

The growing apprehension comes four years after the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol and May 2020 protests over George Floyd’s murder that spiraled into violence. Mayhem also erupted before and after Trump’s 2017 inauguration where protesters smashed downtown windows and clashed with police.  

Government buildings were also guarded with security fencing leading up to the 2020 presidential election.

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In addition to the newly installed fencing, DC police announced that starting Monday at 7 p.m. there will be street closures and parking restrictions in anticipation of Harris’ election night party on Howard University’s campus.  

All of the city’s available 3,300 police officers are reportedly expected to work 12-hour shifts through the election. 



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Washington, D.C

Another person arrested after man found dead and tied up in Logan Circle apartment

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Another person arrested after man found dead and tied up in Logan Circle apartment


A second person linked to the murder of a D.C. man in his Logan Circle apartment was arrested over a month after the incident, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Wednesday’s arrest of D.C. man Alphonso Walker, 39, came two days after police arrested Rico Barnes, both for charges stemming from the death of Syed Hussain, 40, in the 1400 block of Rhode Island Avenue, Northwest. Walker was already in police custody for separate charges.

PREVIOUS | Arrest made weeks after body found bound, burned in Logan Circle apartment

Police said Monday that the pair followed Hussain back to his residence on Feb. 11 and attacked him shortly after he opened the door to the apartment lobby at around 1:40 a.m. The pair forced him into his apartment and stole items inside, police said about the motive.

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Charging documents included surveillance images showing the men leaving the apartment with bags of clothing and a bicycle, among other items, about an hour after they entered.

At around 3:30 a.m. that same day, D.C. Fire and EMS crews were called to the apartment to extinguish a fire and found Hussain injured and unresponsive. He was declared dead at the scene.

Officials said Hussain’s cause of death was blunt force trauma and strangulation, and investigators said the fire was caused after the man died.

Barnes was arrested on Monday and accused of felony first-degree murder while armed. Walker will face the same charge, police said.



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DC restaurants, chefs named James Beard finalists; see the list

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DC restaurants, chefs named James Beard finalists; see the list


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Several restaurants and chefs in Washington DC were named finalists for the coveted James Beard Awards, given annually to the top names shaping the nation’s dining scene.

Finalists were announced Tuesday, March 31, with winners to be revealed June 15 at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony in Chicago.

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Here’s which DMV restaurants are in the running for awards.

James Beard Best New Restaurant

Maison Bar à Vins, a French-inspired wine bar that opened in September, is one of 10 destinations up for Best New Restaurant.

“This recognition belongs to every single person who pours themselves into this place: the chefs who obsess over every detail before a plate ever leaves the kitchen, the front of house who make every guest feel like they’re coming home, and the dishwashers, prep cooks, and managers who hold it all together behind the scenes,” the restaurant said in a social media post. “Maison isn’t a concept. It’s a feeling, and that feeling is built by people.”

Maison Bar à Vins, located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC, is “more than a great wine bar,” according to a Washington Post review, which referred to the restaurant “dazzling dinner destination.”

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James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

Susan Bae, executive pastry chef and partner of Moon Rabbit in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of DC, is up for the title of Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker for the third straight year.

Bae was named North America’s Best Pastry Chef in a separate award last year.

“We couldn’t be more proud to have her leading our pastry program at Moon Rabbit—this recognition is so well deserved,” the restaurant said in an Instagram post. “Honored, grateful, and cheering her on every step of the way.”

Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service

Brent Kroll, owner of the Maxwell Park wine bar in DC, is one of five finalists for the Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service award.

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Park, who opened the Shaw District business in 2017, was blown away by the honor.

“At a loss for words this morning, with extreme gratitude,” he said in an Instagram Story. “Nine years into doing what I love at @maxwellpark_shaw. I never expected something like this to happen.”

James Beard Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic

Tapori chef Suresh Sundas was named one of five finalists for Best Mid-Atlantic Chef after opening the H Street restaurant in 2025.

Tapori was named by Eater as one of the 15 Best New Restaurants in America, and Sundas’s honor is a testament to his tenacious work, the restaurant said.

“We are proud of him in a way that is hard to put into words. What he carries from his mother’s kitchen, what he has built here, what he is building for the next generation of cooks who come from somewhere people didn’t expect them to come from — that is the work,” Tapori said on Instagram. “The nomination is just proof that other people see it too.”

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James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award

The James Beard Awards announced California chef Nancy Silverton — who opened Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza in Washington DC in 2024 — has won its coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.

A 2014 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Chef and 1991 winner for Pastry Chef of the Year, Silverton has “mentored countless chefs, bakers, and restaurateurs” during her career spanning more than four decades, according to the James Beard Foundation.

“Of all the ways the @beardfoundation has generously honored me over the years (decades!), the lifetime achievement award means the most because I have not lived this professional life alone. So far from it,” she said on Instagram. “I cannot wait to share this moment with the hundreds of chefs, servers, managers, dishwashers, valet attendants, and everyone who’s clocked in with me for the last 45 years.” Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners. It’s an honor to continue to cook beside you.”





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It’s the end of the road for the DC Streetcar – WTOP News

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It’s the end of the road for the DC Streetcar – WTOP News


The D.C. Streetcar served District residents for a decade. But after Tuesday, it’s hitting the brakes for good.

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It’s the end of the road for the DC Streetcar

After more than a decade, the experiment that was DC Streetcar is over.

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The District Department of Transportation says the 2.2-mile electric trolley line that served Northeast D.C. on H Street and Benning Road was too expensive to maintain.

With yearly operating costs of $10 million, the streetcar that traveled from Union Station to the intersection of Oklahoma Avenue and Benning Road had 2,600 daily riders.

It was not only Washingtonians who wanted to take one more ride; some traveled a great distance to have their first.

“Originally, I wanted to visit Washington, but I’m interested in public transportation,” German tourist Ulf said. “I read they would close it down, so I had to come.”

Over the last couple days, Ulf rode the DC Streetcar several times and said he enjoyed it, but understands why it’s closing.

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“Eight stations … it’s too short,” Ulf said.

Avis Brock might not be a transportation enthusiast like Ulf, but the Washingtonian who lives off H Street agreed.

“If we had extended that car, it would be so easy for people to come in and not have to park in zoned neighborhoods, visit a restaurant and leave,” Brock said. “I will miss the people on the streetcars.”

Brock was joined at the Oklahoma Avenue stop by Mary Bakota, who she struck up a friendship with on the DC Streetcar.

“We met on the streetcar. We just talk and there’s a lot of conversation among us riders,” Brock said.

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The two ladies spent time saying goodbye to the streetcar driver, who said he would be working for Metro soon.

Not only is Bakota going to miss her rides on the streetcar, but she also said the closure has taken money out of her purse.

“I have a B&B. And the people would come to Union Station from the airports, and they would go on the streetcar,” Bakota said. “I actually got some cancellations due to no more streetcar.”

As the ladies looked around inside the streetcar for one last time, there was a teenager outside taking pictures.

“I’ve been riding it since it came out,” Jacob Adams said. “When I was in first grade, I went to school at Two Rivers (Middle School) right here, so I used to ride it all the time.”

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The DC Streetcar was rolled out when Adams was only 6 years old, so for him, it’s always been a free ride in the city.

“I’m going to miss it. It’s definitely a staple of the H Street Corridor,” he said.

If you think your driveway could use the ultimate conversation piece, the streetcar’s last ride will be to the auction block. D.C. officials told Axios that they plan to auction off the streetcars.

DDOT suggests to those who used DC Streetcar to check out the WMATA’s D20 bus route and use Capital Bikeshare in its place.

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