Washington, D.C
‘What makes your state beautiful’: South Burlington students design ornaments for DC tree
National Christmas Tree shines during 102nd lighting ceremony
President Joe Biden spoke to a crowd at the lighting ceremony for the national 35-foot Red Spruce Christmas tree from Virginia.
Students at Gertrude Chamberlin School in South Burlington designed ornaments for the 2024 National Christmas Tree display in Washington, D.C.
The 21 ornaments decorate the small tree that represents Vermont outside the White House. First to fifth graders at Gertrude Chamberlin create the ornaments with designs answering the prompt: “What makes your state beautiful?” The drawings include the Green Mountains, including a rainbow version by a first grader; maple trees; the state bird and fish – hermit thrush and brook trout, respectively; as well as a bullfrog and other animals found in Vermont.
“They represent our state well,” said Jenny Goodrich, the art educator at Gertrude Chamberlin School.
Vermont’s tree is among the 57 other trees with student-designed ornaments that surround the large 35-foot red spruce tree outside the White House. The 58 trees represent each of the 50 states, D.C. and the five U.S. territories as well as schools managed by the Department of Defense Education Activity, and Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education.
“I think it incredible that we come together as 50 states plus and that it’s our art that connects us,” said Goodrich. “Having children do this says a lot.”
Goodrich said she was contacted in July by the Vermont Agency of Education to see if she would like to have her students participate. “I said ‘of course’,” she said. “I knew about the National Tree but I had no idea about the smaller ones.”
The students were provided a template for the shape of the ornament, and Goodrich mailed the designs to the organizers who transformed them into three-dimensional designs.
Most of her students used crayons or colored pencils to make theirs, but one student made a collage. Goodrich used a high-quality scanner to make it two-dimensional and said it turned out great.
The designs were due at the end of September, so Goodrich picked students to work on the project. The school was limited to 24 ornaments. Goodrich picked students who had shown enthusiasm for art as well as those who had demonstrated growth in art.
Adding that she picked students who represented a variety of the school’s six grade levels and the student body’s diversity; Gertrude Chamberlin students speak 37 languages and come from many different countries.
What happens to all of the ornaments
Goodrich and two of her students and their families were able to travel to D.C. for the 102nd National Tree Lighting ceremony on Dec. 5 hosted by President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady.
“It was incredible to see so many people there,” said Goodrich. “GE Lights sponsors the event. … It was so dark and then they flipped the switch. They are so bright. It was really amazing.”
The ornaments will not be returning to Vermont as they are now property of the White House and will be included in the National Archives when the season is over.
“It’s pretty amazing they will be part of our nation’s history forever,” Goodrich said.
How to visit the National Christmas Tree and the state trees
The trees are on the Ellipse, which is south of White House, and are open to the public through Jan. 1. The trees are light each night at sunset but can be viewed as early as 10 a.m. daily. The display is open until 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is free and open to the public.
Washington, D.C
Correspondents’ dinner attack suspect Cole Allen being held inside D.C. jail complex, source says
Cole Allen, the California man charged in the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend, is being detained at the Correctional Treatment Facility at the D.C. jail complex, a law enforcement source confirmed to CBS News. This is the same facility that previously housed many Jan. 6 defendants and is a newer facility than the main jail.
The CTF, operated by the D.C. Department of Corrections, holds men, women and juveniles charged as adults.
Allen, 31, is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump and two firearms-related offenses stemming from the shooting on Saturday night. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges.
Allen is being held in a restrictive cell in medical isolation, which is standard protocol, the law enforcement source said. Corrections protocol requires that Allen be held under suicide watch for the first 72 hours in a green suicide smock while he is assessed. A lawyer for Allen told the court Thursday that he is being held in a “safe cell” under 24-hour lockdown.
Also, according to the source, a D.C. correctional officer is posted outside Allen’s cell door 24/7 while he is under observation. During this period, he is under strict observation with no access to outside materials. Allen is brought finger foods on a tray and is not allowed utensils, the source said. He’s allowed to shower every 72 hours. Allen is also allowed religious materials in his cell, such as a Bible or Quran. He has not requested any religious materials, according to the source.
The D.C. Department of Corrections says on its website that the facility consists of five separate, multi-story buildings situated immediately adjacent to each other, so the facility presents as one large structure. Housing units within the CTF range from 16 to 48 cells with a maximum capacity of 96 beds per unit. It is a separate structure from D.C.’s main jail.
The U.S. Marshals Service, which manages federal pretrial detainees, has a contract with the D.C. Department of Corrections, the law enforcement source said. The U.S. Marshals Service says on its website that it has contracts with approximately 1,200 state and local governments to rent jail space to house more than 63,000 pretrial detainees.
The U.S. Marshals said it doesn’t release detention locations for high-profile prisoners due to security concerns.
CBS News has reached out to the D.C. Department of Corrections.
Allen has been compliant since his arrival, the law enforcement source said.
During an appearance in federal court Thursday, Allen’s attorneys told the judge that he agreed to remain detained in the lead-up to his trial. A preliminary hearing is set for May 11.
His attorneys had argued in a filing Wednesday that Allen was “gainfully employed” as a tutor, is a “devout Christian” who “dutifully” attends church and is an “active participant” in his religious community. They said he has no criminal history and is college-educated, and that those factors weigh in favor of release.
After telling the judge that Allen instead agreed to remain detained, his attorney, Tezira Abe, asked the judge to order the jail to lift his lockdown restrictions. The judge said she did not have the authority to override the judgment of the jail but would accept briefs on the matter.
WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. Fire and EMS crews are responding early Thursday morning to a boat fire at James Creek Marina in Southwest D.C.
Around 5 a.m., crews said they were called to the marina in the 2100 block of 2nd Street SW, where one boat was found fully engulfed in flames.
D.C. Fire and EMS crews are responding early Thursday morning, April 30, 2026, to a boat fire at James Creek Marina in Southwest D.C. (DC Fire and EMS)
SEE ALSO | Man airlifted after vehicle crashes into tree in Prince George’s County
Firefighters launched a two-pronged attack, using both land-based units and two fireboats to bring the blaze under control.
D.C. Fire and EMS crews are responding early Thursday morning, April 30, 2026, to a boat fire at James Creek Marina in Southwest D.C. (DC Fire and EMS)
Authorities said the fire also caused damage to neighboring boats on both sides of the vessel.
No injuries were reported.
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The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Washington, D.C
Suspect in D.C. gala shooting made ‘jarring’ transformation after leading Christian student group
As a clearer timeline emerges leading up to the chaotic shooting at a Washington, D.C., hotel where a gunman tried to assassinate President Donald Trump, the depiction of the suspect as an extremist harboring hate for Christians quickly took shape. But those who knew Cole Tomas Allen in college a decade ago say they saw the opposite: a faithful Christian who pushed a strict interpretation of the Bible.
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