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Waterways around DC will be closed during June 14 military parade

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Waterways around DC will be closed during June 14 military parade


Waterways around the District will be closed off as part of the security plan for the upcoming military parade marking the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.

The preliminary plan is to block off access to the Potomac River from in Hains Point all the way up to the Key Bridge, News4 has learned.

Not everyone is happy with that decision.

Capt. Tim Blanchard, who runs the Fish the Potomac charter boat company near Navy Yard had his sights set on a busy day June 14.

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“It’s Father’s Day weekend — so that’s one of the biggest weekends to get out on the water,” Blanchard said.

But the word now is trickling down to business and boat owners like Blanchard that much of the Potomac around the immediate area of the District will be off-limits June 14 because of the planned Army 250 events.

“They shut it down. It’s basically like closing the street for your store,” Blanchard said. “And we just can’t operate.”

Blanchard said he’s concerned about the economic impact on his business.

“Ah, this could be a couple grand for me, which, you know, for a small business like mine, it’s not a small amount of money,” he said. “You know, that’s probably my slip fee for a month and fuel.”

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The Coast Guard sent out a memo saying in part: “This action is being taken to protect government officials, mitigate potential terrorist acts and incidents, and enhance public and maritime safety and security immediately before, during, and after this event.”

The military parade is expected to take place along Constitution Avenue NW between 15th and 23rd streets. More than 100 military vehicles are expected to roll out for the event. Army tanks already are headed to D.C., along with other equipment.

A massive air show featuring military planes and helicopters is also expected.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is warning of potential travel delays in the skies.

“There could be some disruption to the airspace at times,” Bowser said. “We don’t know when that is, but that could affect, for short periods of time, air travel.”

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The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority expects some air traffic to be halted at times, the agency confirmed to News4.

As for Blanchard, the charter boat captain, he said he’s hoping that maybe the government could make an exception for boats like his on that day. However, right now there’s no indication that a change in security will happen.



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Washington, D.C

Suspected National Guard shooter due back in court on two new charges

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Suspected National Guard shooter due back in court on two new charges


A deadly shooting case with ties to the National Guard and the White House is heading back to court, and prosecutors have now expanded the charges.

FOX 5’s Maureen Umeh reports this is one of the District’s highest profile cases, and the man accused in the ambush is expected to appear before a judge on Thursday.

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What we know:

Prosecutors have added two new counts, and the hearing could help shape the direction of the case as it moves forward in federal court.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal is accused of opening fire on two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House the day before Thanksgiving. Prosecutors have now added two counts of assault with intent to kill, tied to the National Guard member who tackled and subdued him after the shooting.

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READ MORE: Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal? Afghan national accused of shooting 2 National Guard in DC

Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was killed. Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was critically injured and continues to recover.

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Lakanwal now faces first degree murder while armed, multiple assault charges, and several weapons offenses. Federal prosecutors say they are aggressively pursuing the case and note that nothing is off the table, including whether to seek the death penalty, one reason the case is now being handled at the federal level.

The indictment includes nine criminal counts. Lakanwal has pleaded not guilty to the initial charges.

READ MORE: Two new charges for alleged gunman in National Guard shooting

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The Source: Information in this article comes from the Associated Press and previous FOX 5 reporting.  

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D.C. set to receive $200M in federal funds

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D.C. set to receive 0M in federal funds


The House and Senate appropriations committees included almost $200 million in the first draft of an upcoming appropriations bill, which, if approved by Congress, would fund D.C. programs including school choice, college tuition, HIV prevention, clean rivers and police overtime.

If approved, $90 million would reimburse the District government for the cost of providing police and other support at events like large protests, state funerals and the upcoming 250 birthday celebration of the country.

While the Bowser administration is happy with the funding, the mayor sent a letter to Congress asking for an additional $10 million to offset the added costs to D.C. taxpayers for the federal surge, writing, “This higher funding level is also essential to support the ongoing federal law enforcement surge and the associated increased costs to the Metropolitan Police Department, including MPD’s work to coordinate with federal agencies, facilitate National Guard deployments, and sustain police overtime required to support the surge.”

There is also $40 million to fund D.C. tuition assistance grants, which help offset the cost of college tuition for D.C. high school grads. If approved, the funds would allow D.C. to increase the amount students could qualify for each year from $10,000 to $15,000 and boost the lifetime cap from $50,000 to $75,000.

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“Which is a huge amount of money for families, and that’s going to help us help more of our residents on their pathway to getting degrees,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser’s chief of staff, Tomas Talamante.

Schools would benefit, too.

“We were able to get 17.5 for D.C. Public Schools and 17.5 million for D.C. public charter schools, as well as the 17.5 million that goes to the voucher program,” Talamante said. “We also were able to get money for HIV/AIDS prevention, about $4 million that we were able to secure for HIV/AIDS prevention. We were also able to secure $8 million for DC Water, which their clean rivers project is the huge tunnel-boring system that helps keep the Anacostia and our waterways clean.”

The legislation includes riders placing restrictions on recreational cannabis, and Congress could add other riders, including changes like doing away with cashless bail or photo traffic enforcement in the District.

The legislation still must go through the House Rules Committee before a full House vote.

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DC weather: Wintry mix, snow showers possible late Wednesday into Thursday

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DC weather: Wintry mix, snow showers possible late Wednesday into Thursday


A mild Tuesday is ahead for the Washington, D.C. region, with a brief chance of a wintry mix or even a few snow showers arriving late Wednesday into early Thursday.

What we know:

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Tuesday starts cold, with temperatures in the 30s, but the day stays dry and warms into the low 50s with some afternoon sunshine.

Isolated showers move in Wednesday morning and linger at times throughout the day. FOX 5’s Taylor Grenda says colder air rushing into the region Wednesday into early Thursday could briefly flip that rain to a wintry mix or some light snow showers.

Any mix is expected to be brief and minimal. Snow chances should clear by early Thursday, leaving behind cold, blustery and dry conditions for the rest of the day.

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What’s next:

Friday turns sunny but very cold, with highs only in the mid 30s. Saturday stays dry, and there’s a slight chance of snow showers returning on Sunday.

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DC weather: Wintry mix, snow showers possible late Wednesday into Thursday

The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 5 Weather Team and the National Weather Service. 

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