Washington
Michigan football predictions vs. Washington: Who will win the national championship?
Free Press sports writers share their predictions for the College Football Playoff national championship game between Michigan football and Washington in Houston on Monday:
Tony Garcia
Washington enters play with the nation’s longest winning streak (21 games) and one of the nation’s most prolific offenses. That said, U-M’s offense is better compared to Washington’s defense than the other side of the ball. It’s been a long trek for a Wolverines program that was left for dead three years ago. Instead, Monday night will be the culmination. will reach the mountain top, behind Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Michael Barrett, Mike Sainristil and a handful of players who stayed. The pick: U-M 34, Washington 26.
ONE MORE GAME: Michigan’s ‘one-track mind’ steamrolls through season, with one last stop to make
Carlos Monarrez
The Huskies are the underdog’s underdog, getting almost no respect from bettors or the CFP selection committee until the end of the season. Under sixth-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who might go to straight to collecting social security after the game, Washington has been electric while boasting the 10th-ranked total offense in FBS. But Michigan’s top-ranked defense is on a different level than anyone else’s, especially the Huskies’. The pick: U-M 30, Washington 23.
NEXT SEASON? Jim Harbaugh on possible NFL future: ‘I’ll gladly talk about it next week’
Rainer Sabin
The arc of Harbaugh’s tenure at Michigan has been fascinating. He arrived as a savior, became a disappointment and has since been restored as one of the top coaches in the sport. On Monday, expect him to deliver the Wolverines their first national title since 1997 by relying on the rugged brand of football that has been the foundation of his success. A strong running game and sturdy offensive line will power Michigan’s offense and pin Penix Jr. to the sideline, where he won’t have the opportunity to inflict enough damage to destroy the Wolverines. That tried and true recipe, built around ball control, has always worked for Harbaugh. And it will serve him well in his most consequential game since returning to his alma mater nine years ago with the fanfare of a conquering hero. The pick: U-M 30, Washington 27.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Michigan Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Jeff Seidel
There are just so many interesting facets to this game, starting with Michigan’s defensive line against Washington’s offensive line, which does such a great job protecting Penix. Part of me thinks this will be a shootout, because Washington has such a strong passing game. But Michigan should be able to run the ball against Washington, control the clock and just grind out this win, sending Harbaugh to the NFL as with the natty. So, I guess that’s two predictions. The game and Harbaugh’s future. The pick: U-M 28, Washington 24.
READY TO GO: Michigan emphasizes rest as it arrives for College Football Playoff title game
Shawn Windsor
Harbaugh said his team has an unfair advantage because of the adversity and criticism it’s faced. He is right. The scandals have galvanized an already close team and that closeness showed at the end of the Rose Bowl. It will show again in the title game, as the Wolverines make one more play in the end, and do just enough hold down the Huskies’ explosive offense. The pick: U-M 34, Washington 31.
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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