Washington
Future Washington Nationals Star Shining Entering Arizona Fall League Final
At some point, Robert Hassell III will get his chance with the Washington Nationals. After a third stint in the Arizona Fall League, that chance may be coming.
Hassell is part of the Salt River Rafters, which will play the Surprise Saguaros in the AFL title game on Saturday evening.
Entering the annual showcase for top prospects, Hassell was the Nats’ No. 13 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The only Washington prospect ranked higher playing in the AFL was third baseman Cayden Wallace (No. 11).
Known as a line-drive hitter with solid speed on the basepaths and an above-average defensive makeup, he’s put up fine numbers offensively for Salt River. He has a slash line of .281/.360/.517 with four homers and five steals in 19 games entering the title game.
It’s rare that a prospect plays in the AFL for three straight seasons. But the Nationals — who haven’t made the playoffs since 2019 — have good reason to be invested in Hassell’s progression.
Hassell was one of several players that Washington received in the Juan Soto trade in 2022. Some of those trade pieces have already reached the Majors. But his development has been stunted by hand and wrist injuries.
In 85 minor-league games this season he finished with a slash line of .241/.319/.328/.647 with five home runs and 28 RBI. But he played with three different affiliates — High-A Wilmington, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. With a .125 batting average at Triple-A, he’ll likely need one more year in the minors.
This was his fourth minor-league season after he was the San Diego Padres’ first-round pick in 2020.
The 23-year-old, who was selected to play in the Fall Stars Game last weekend, has played in 428 minor-league games with a slash line of .260/.350/.385/.735 with 83 doubles, nine triples, 36 home runs and 215 RBI.
The other Nationals prospects selected to participate in the AFL were left-handed pitchers Matt Cronin and Dustin Saenz, right-handed pitchers Michael Cuevas, Chase Solesky and Luke Young, along with catcher Maxwell Romero Jr.
Washington played with prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees.
Washington
Deputies shoot armed suspect in Leesburg Walmart parking lot
Deputies shot an armed suspect in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Leesburg, Virginia, late Tuesday morning, authorities say.
Detectives, deputies and special agents from the FBI had tracked the suspect down after he tried to rob the Bank of America at Dulles Crossing on Monday, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said. The suspect, who still hasn’t been named, didn’t get any money before taking off from the bank.
Authorities found the suspect was parked at the back of the Walmart parking lot just before noon Tuesday.
Deputies pulled up behind the suspect’s blue sedan at the back of the Walmart parking lot about 11:40 a.m. Tuesday. As they approached, the suspect got out with a gun, Sheriff Mike Chapman said.
Deputies then fired their guns at the suspect, hitting him. Chapman did not say how many times the suspect was shot or give specific information about his injuries.
Medics took the suspect to a hospital.
No deputies were injured, the sheriff’s office said.
Chapman said it was too early in the investigation to say if the suspect fired his gun or how many officers were involved in the shooting.
Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.
Washington
The American story projected on the Washington Monument came from North Texas
Steve Deitz walks with the energy of a coach; however, he does not hide that he and his team are digital nerds and storytellers who specialize in large-scale visual content and software development. More specifically, the 48-year-old makes a living creating the wow factor at his agency, “900lbs.”
“We started the company working for the Dallas Mavericks, telling large-scale visual content on the Jumbotron, and next thing you know, Activision, Blizzard calls,” he said. “We get to work in the Perot Museum on the biggest exhibit in the museum, and then fast-forward another 12 years, and here we are now.”
His current project is wrapping up in the nation’s capital — sorta. Since Dec.31, projections of America’s story have been given to his agency.
“We’re telling the story of the 250-year birthday of America in the biggest way possible on the facade of the Washington Monument on all four sides,” Deitz said.
He said they started testing out the results a couple of nights before New Year’s Eve. Scenes from Thomas Edison’s light bulb, the Empire State Building, the Model T Ford, and the Industrial Revolution, to name a few, are projected onto the Washington Monument.
Deitz gives his team a ton of credit from the moment he received the call about the project. He also thinks back to the times when he was an athlete who loved to draw in Merkel, Texas. The kid who dared to dream beyond the city limits and outside of the box. The CEO is giving advice to that child who may need a little inspiration.
“Hard work, perseverance, dedication, surround yourself with a team of brilliant people that are way smarter than you, and do the best you possibly can,” he said.
Deitz said there is a likelihood his team’s creations will return to the nation’s capital this year.
Washington
Tracking crime in the DMV: Some areas see drop in violent crime, homicide
It is not the way any homicide squad wants to start an already busy new year.
Prince George’s County police Sunday were trying to figure out who was found dead in a car behind a strip center overnight and why. Police, who responded after a call about gun shots, told News4 they’re still searching for the most basic details.
It comes just a day after three people were shot and killed at a Temple Hills banquet hall early Saturday morning. Police told News4 that investigation is active and showing signs of promise.
But the busy start somewhat hides the bigger picture about crime in the area.
Despite the tough start to 2026, homicide in Prince George’s County was down 40% in 2025 percent compared to 2024, and violent crime on a whole was down 19%, both through mid-December according to Prince George’s County police.
In D.C. is a similar story.
“Now we have no crime in Washington, DC. We have no killing,” said President Donald Trump Saturday during a news conference about action in Venezuela.
While the crime rate is not nearly as good as Trump has repeatedly said, the District recorded five homicides in December and 126 in all of 2025. That’s down 32% over 2024. Violent crime is down 29%, according to D.C .police crime statistics.
In Fairfax, homicide is down 14% — but the county only had 12 total — and violent crime dropped 4%, according to the county’s online reporting.
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