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Top Enlisted Leader of Army's Washington, DC, Branch Fired After Investigation

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Top Enlisted Leader of Army's Washington, DC, Branch Fired After Investigation


The senior enlisted leader in charge of the Army branch that oversees operations across greater Washington, D.C., was fired late last week, the service confirmed to Military.com on Tuesday.

Command Sgt. Maj. Veronica Knapp was relieved from her post Aug. 8 following an administrative investigation, Bernhard Lashleyleidner, a spokesperson for the Military District of Washington, said in an email. She was dismissed “due to a loss of trust and confidence in her leadership,” Lashleyleidner said, using the military’s catchall term for why a leader may be unfit to hold a position of authority.

Lashleyleidner declined to answer why Knapp was under investigation or for how long. Sgt. Maj. Eberhard Nordman, the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region/Army Military District of Washington’s provost marshal sergeant major, was appointed as the acting command sergeant major, he said.

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Knapp enlisted in the Army in 2000 and joined the military police, according to her official biography.

“She has deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan; served two consecutive tours in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in support of [Operation Enduring Freedom]; and recently redeployed from [Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base], Romania,” her biography said. “Command Sgt. Maj. Knapp has served in every leadership position from team leader to command sergeant major.”

Prior to her arrival in Washington, she became the first woman to serve as the senior enlisted adviser of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in 2021.

Knapp joined the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region/Army Military District of Washington in June 2023, becoming the highest-ranking enlisted voice in supplying Army forces for U.S. Northern Command’s homeland defense mission in the Washington region. She managed a swath of missions, ranging from the U.S. Army Band to the president’s official ceremonial escort unit and logistical support for the first family’s ground travel.

She is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, and Army Commendation and Achievement medals.

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Lashleyleidner declined to answer where Knapp was reassigned.

Knapp’s firing marks the second command sergeant major to be removed from their role in the past month.

On July 16, Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Carlson was also removed from his post as the senior enlisted leader of the 173rd Airborne Brigade “due to a loss of trust and confidence in his leadership” following an investigation, Army spokesperson Neil Ruggiero told Military.com in an email.

Carlson was fired about 16 months after he arrived at the 173rd, based in Vicenza, Italy, in March 2023. The 173rd Airborne Brigade’s “Sky Soldiers” serve as the Army’s contingency response force in Europe, available in the event of crises across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

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Man charged with shooting co-worker in Washington Heights

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Man charged with shooting co-worker in Washington Heights


A 26-year-old man had an argument with a co-worker before allegedly fatally shooting the colleague in Washington Heights, prosecutors said Friday.

Bobby Martin, who was charged with first-degree murder Thursday, made his first appearance Friday in Cook County court.

Martin, is accused of killing his co-worker, Antoine Alexander, 32, in a parking lot at 9411 S Ashland Ave about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Chicago police.

Prosecutors said Martin and Alexander worked together at an armed security company and got into a verbal altercation inside the guard shack on Tuesday afternoon. During the altercation, prosecutors said Alexander removed his bullet proof vest and threw it to the ground. A witness, another co-worker, then told the defendant and the victim to take the altercation outside.

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After stepping outside, the defendant pulled his firearm and fired one shot into the victims abdomen, prosecutors said. The victim’s firearm was holstered at the time of the argument and the shooting. The defendant fled the scene and came into contact with another co-worker, whom he told that he had just shot Alexander.

Alexander was then taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

Martin was arrested by authorities three blocks from his home approximately 20 minutes after the shooting, prosecutors said.

Martin was detained and will appear in court again on March 17, authorities said.

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Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury announces she’s pregnant

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Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury announces she’s pregnant


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Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury has announced that she and her husband Matt are expecting a baby in July.

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The couple made the announcement in a video on the Spirit’s social media channels, holding a baby goalkeeper jersey on the pitch at Audi Field.

Kingsbury becomes the most recent Spirit star to go on maternity leave, following defender Casey Krueger, midfielder Andi Sullivan and forward Ashley Hatch.

Sullivan gave birth to daughter Millie in July, while Hatch welcomed her son Leo in January.

Krueger announced she was pregnant with her second child in October.

Kingsbury has served as the Spirit’s starting goalkeeper since 2018, and has been named the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year twice (2019 and 2021).

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The 34-year-old has two caps with the U.S. women’s national team, and was named to the 2023 World Cup roster.

The club captain will leave a major void for the Spirit, who have finished as NWSL runner-up in back-to-back seasons.

Sandy MacIver and Kaylie Collins are expected to compete for the starting role while Kingsbury is on maternity leave.

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The Spirit kick off their 2026 campaign on March 13 against the Portland Thorns.





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Washington state board awards Yakima $985,600 loan for Sixth Avenue project design

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Washington state board awards Yakima 5,600 loan for Sixth Avenue project design


Yakima could soon take a major step toward redesigning Sixth Avenue after the Washington State Public Works Board awarded the city a $985,600 loan.

The loan was approved for the design engineering phase of the Sixth Avenue project. The funding can also be used along Sixth Avenue for utility replacement and updated ADA use.

The Yakima City Council must decide whether to accept the award. If the council accepts it, the city’s engineering work will move forward with the design of Sixth Avenue.

The cost of installing trolley lines is excluded from the plan. The historic trolleys would need to raise the funds required to add trolley lines.

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The award is scheduled to be discussed during next week’s City Council meeting.



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