Washington, D.C
WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese descend on D.C., delight fans in ‘Battle of the Rookies’
WASHINGTON — Thursday morning, Washington, D.C. native Raj Sedalia planted himself out front of Capital One Arena armed with a bucket of chalk. The next three hours were dedicated to a Washington Mystics commissioned mural, a short-term commemorative piece for what locals will long remember as the two days that the eyes of the WNBA descended on the nation’s capital.
Pictured on the left is Indiana Fever No. 1 overall draft pick Caitlin Clark. To the right shows Angel Reese, a Randallstown native and first-year Chicago Sky forward. And between the two figureheads, featured most prominently, was the hometown Mystics’ first-round pick Aaliyah Edwards. In bold white script above the names, it aptly reads: Battle of the Rookies.
“I remember when the WNBA started,” Sedalia said. “And it seems like it’s really crossed the threshold of popularity with the general public.”
Part 2 of “The Battle of the Rookies” is loading….. #OwnYourLegacy | @McDonalds pic.twitter.com/2oOpy0jvzt
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) June 7, 2024
Friday night was the second of back-to-back Mystics games moved from their normal 4,000-seat Entertainment & Sports Arena 20 minutes north to the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena to meet the demand of the star-studded stretch. Tickets for the Fever’s narrow 85-83 win went on sale April 23. They sold out within roughly 30 minutes.
On nights like this, the growing star power is hard to miss. The three teams featured over two days are all below .500. The Mystics (0-11) and Fever (3-9) have the two worst records in the WNBA. The Sky (4-5) aren’t far ahead, leading the six teams below .500.
Yet so many longing fans filed in to see the “Battle of the Rookies.” Friday night’s attendance was an announced 20,333, with Capital One Arena opening the upper deck seating. It was the highest-attended WNBA game since 2007 and the seventh-highest in league history, according to Across the Timeline. It easily cleared this year’s average attendance for Wizards home games (16,898).
And it was worth the price of admission, with Friday’s game decided in the waning seconds. Karlie Samuelson kept the home team’s hopes alive with a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to one with seven seconds left. Clark, who finished with 30 points on a career-high seven 3s, sank three of four late free throws to stave off a Mystics miracle, pushing the out-of-town rookies to 2-0 after Reese and the Sky won, 79-71, on Thursday.
While Sedalia’s artistic patience was periodically interrupted — both by fans regurgitating some of the same tired narratives that have plagued the last week of national sports discourse and others eager for the on-court action featuring two of the league’s most recognizable stars — he could feel the elevated pulse of the city.
“It’s definitely a big deal for Washington to have this happen,” Sedalia said.
Thursday was Reese’s turn. Sedalia was struck by the overwhelming allegiance for a “visiting” star. An announced sellout crowd of 10,000 packed in for the Randallstown native’s homecoming. She wore Maryland-themed sneakers, part of a line of custom Reeboks with help from Chicago-based sole designer Marvin Baroota. Reese bought tickets for every Baltimore-based person she knows: family, friends and hairstylists, all there to see the rookie post her third double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.
“I’m just happy to be a part of this, negative or positive,” Reese told reporters Thursday. “People are talking about women’s basketball. That’s really important. This is long overdue.”
To a question about the slew of D.C. youngsters repping Iowa or Fever gear, Clark said, “Even though we’re [3-9], people are still coming. They’re still excited about the young talent we have on our team. You see it across the board in the W. … there’s been really great crowds.”
D.C. residents John B. and Colton M. both compared it with their tickets for Clark’s No. 3 ranked Iowa team visiting Maryland back in February. John called having her in College Park, “the most electric atmosphere.” Colton, who was wearing a Clark T-shirt jersey, studied at Iowa. He proudly shared that he was in the building when Clark broke the NCAA Division I all-time scoring record.
“It’s been a huge moment,” Colton said of the WNBA’s recent notoriety. “Just for the whole sport. Everybody knows about it. Everybody knows the games are happening.”
Both John and Colton bought their first Mystics tickets to see the sharpshooter record her second 30-point outing this season. They’re even playing in a fantasy WNBA league. Colton grabbed Breanna Stewart with the No. 1 overall pick. He has Mystics center Shakira Austin, too. John was able to swipe Clark at No. 4.
They postulated an 80-20 split of fans in attendance to see Clark, who herself wasn’t so sure at times. “I could’ve sworn they were booing when calls didn’t go our way but maybe I was just being delusional,” she joked.
It’s true, not everyone arrived in downtown D.C. just to see the away teams.
Sitting a few rows back behind the home bench was Rehana Mohammed. She beamed with pride flexing her “DC vs. All Y’all” T-shirt, which was given out at a Mystics game earlier this season.
Mohammed, 34, has had season tickets for years and was in the building for both prime-time games this week.
“It’s great to see so many people getting so excited for the game,” she said. “We’ve been watching the WNBA for a long time so it’s great to see more people getting interested in it. … We ride for the Mystics. We love the Mystics. It’s just great to see so many people come out to support what we know.”
There was some consolation for the longtime Mystics fan to see her team lose during Reese’s homecoming. She was excited to see Clark take the floor but had no interest in bearing another loss. Mohammed won’t let anyone forget about their rookie Edwards either.
The sixth overall pick had career highs with 23 points and 14 rebounds against Chicago, making her the second rookie in the team’s history to post a 20-and-10-plus game. She followed that up with a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double Friday.
For these two days, Capital One Arena filled in with fans who will one day look back fondly on shuffling their plans to see some of the league’s brightest stars on consecutive nights. They’ll remember the energy in the building when Reese, the homegrown star, gave the visiting Sky their biggest lead, or Clark bringing fans to their feet with her patented logo 3.
True to Sedalia’s sidewalk chalk mural, the rookies showed up with unprecedented demand and undoubtedly battled.
“I hope this becomes the norm,” Mystics coach Eric Thibault said. “Big crowd Friday night. Two teams going at it. It’s what’s a lot of us in the sport have wanted to see happen and it’s great to see it happen in front of our eyes.”
A Virginia boater is suing a Washington water utility for negligence in the collapse of a pipe that leaked millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.
The class action lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, comes weeks after a January sewage pipe collapse, shooting wastewater out of the ground and into the river in an area just north of Washington, D.C. The spill is seen as a serious environmental blight and became the focus of political bickering between President Donald Trump and Democratic-led Maryland, where the leak occurred.
Dr. Nicholas Lailas, M.D., the plaintiff, is a Virginia resident and recreational boat user on the Potomac who is seeking compensation for people “whose property interests in and use and enjoyment of the Potomac River … have been impaired by Defendant’s conduct.”
The lawsuit alleges that it was DC Water’s responsibility as the owner and operator of the ruptured pipe, known as the Potomac Interceptor, to maintain it in a “reasonably safe condition and to prevent foreseeable harm to persons and property.”
The lawsuit said that preliminary data indicate that there are thousands of people who own property or vessels in the affected parts of the Potomac.
Andrew Levetown, an attorney for the plaintiff, said in an interview Monday that it will take time to get the full breadth of the class, with business owners, property owners and recreational users all having interest in the potential damages caused by the Jan. 19 collapse and leak.
“You’re going to have businesses who lose business because instead of sitting next to the Potomac, their clients are sitting next to the open sewer,” he said.
The suit did not specify a damage amount. DC Water spokesperson John Lisle said in a statement that the collapse of the Potomac Interceptor was “a serious and unexpected event, and our teams remain focused on the response, environmental protection, and restoration efforts. Because this matter is currently subject to ongoing litigation, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared an emergency Feb. 18 and requested that President Donald Trump provide federal resources to help the city fight the leak that dumped 250 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River in its early stages. The president approved the emergency assistance days later to help the city address the emergency.
DC Water gave its most detailed assessment yet of why the Potomac River sewage spill occurred and what it will take to fix it. News4’s Mark Segraves reports.
DC Water said it knew the pipe, first installed in the 1960s, was deteriorating, and rehabilitation work on a section about a quarter-mile (400 meters) from the break began in September and was recently completed. The pipe that ruptured was scheduled for repair this summer.
DC Water’s updates say the emergency repairs are beyond the halfway point and there are no flows into the river.
At a public briefing last week, officials with the utility said they were assessing the cause of the rupture, including whether the way the pipeline was initially constructed contributed to the emergency. David Gadis, the CEO of DC Water, said at that briefing that while it was too early to say definitively, “we are seeing indication that this incident may have been highly unusual.”
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WASHINGTON — Get ready to start your engines, DC.
Officials unveiled the 1.66-mile circuit route Monday, where race cars will be zooming around the National Mall in August for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in celebration of America’s birthday.
The seven‑turn layout features views of the Washington Monument, US Capitol, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and part of Pennsylvania Avenue, IndyCar announced.
“This was a team effort,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “It’s Penske, it’s FOX, it’s the mayor, it’s Interior, it’s everybody else joining together not to make a profit, not to get your name out there but to say, let’s celebrate America.”
“Let’s celebrate America’s birthday.”
The first-ever street race around the National Mall will take place from Aug. 22-23, with the course itself set to be built up during the summer.
Drivers will also blast past the National Archives, the National Gallery of Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum, with a pit lane on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Officials debuted a red, white, and blue “Freedom 250 Grand Prix IndyCar” design Monday to honor the upcoming 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
“We want people to plan their trips to D.C. now,” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “Come for the Freedom 250, and then stay to enjoy our monuments and museums, our beautiful parks, world-class restaurants and hotels, and all the culture and entertainment that make us the best city in the world.”
President Trump took executive action back in January, tasking Duffy and Secretary of the Interior Sean Duffy to coordinate with Bowser on planning the feted event.
“The story of America is one of vision, courage, perseverance – and speed,” Monica Crowley, Trump’s representative for America’s 250th, said in a statement.
“Presidents Washington and Jefferson marked notable celebrations with spirited horse races; the Freedom 250 race will bring that historic tradition into the 21st century and renew a tremendous sense of patriotic pride.”
Trump’s team is eyeing other major sports events to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, including a UFC fight at the White House. The US is also co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup over the summer.
Washington, D.C
Storm Team4 forecast, Enjoy a pleasant start to the week with temperatures in the 70s
4 things to know about the weather:
- “May” not “March” for now
- Next rain late Wednesday, Thursday
- Back to average by Friday
- Much colder next Week
The warmer weather we’ve waited months for will be with us for only three more days before the March Lion starts to roar again.
Monday and Tuesday will be the best days of the week by far. Sunny skies and temperatures running 20-25° above average. Plan for highs reaching the low 70s Monday and near 80° on Tuesday.
A series of cold fronts later in the week will send temperatures back to average 54° by the end of the week and then well below average for most of next week.
Clouds will return by Wednesday morning and rain chances will arrive no later than sunset. Wednesday will still be close to 80° and have our first taste of humidity in a while. Rain is likely from Wednesday evening through noon on Thursday as our first cold front arrives.
Thursday’s highs, likely near 70°, will occur before sunrise but gusty northwest winds will have temperatures falling steadily throughout the day. Expect temperatures in the 50s, rain for the morning commute and 40s with rain ending for the ride home.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
Warm streak won’t last long
The good news is that Friday and the upcoming weekend look dry. Highs will be back in the mid-50s for Friday and Saturday but Sunday should get back into the mid-60s.
Another cold front will arrive early next week leading to temperatures running 10-15° below average. It’s also not entirely out of the question that there could be a wet snowflake or two on St. Patrick’s Day.
The return of the cold air next week will keep the cherry trees at bay so the odds of peak bloom occurring in March, like it has the last five to six years in a row, are looking slim at best.
QuickCast
MONDAY:
Mostly Sunny
Nice And Warm
Light Breeze
Wind: Southwest 5-10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 68° to 74°
MONDAY NIGHT:
Clear Skies
Remaining Mild
Patchy Areas Of Fog
Wind: Variable 5 mph
Chance Of Rain: 0%
LOWS: 46° to 52°
TUESDAY:
Mostly Sunny
Near Record Warmth
Light Breeze
Wind: Southwest 5-10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 76° to 82°
WEDNESDAY:
Breezy, Warm And Humid
Increasing Clouds
Showers By Evening
Wind: Southwest 10-25mph
Chance of Rain: 40%
HIGHS: 75° to 80°
THURSDAY:
Cloudy, Windy, Much Colder
Rain Likely Before 2pm
Falling Temperatures
Wind: Northwest 20-35 mph
Chance of Rain: 80%
HIGHS: 65° to 45°
Sunrise: 7:29 Sunset: 7:09
Average High: 54° Average Low: 37°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
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