Washington

Washington airman receives award after carrying injured 79-year-old hiker down trail

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2024

Washington airman receives award after carrying injured 79-year-old hiker down trail

A Washington-based Airman received an award for rescuing a woman who had a hiking accident in late August, the U.S. Air Force announced.

Airman 1st Class Troy May made the rescue on Aug. 28 near Ashford, Washington, while hiking to High Rock Lookout. He received an achievement medal on Sept. 9.

“One of the Air Force’s core values is service before self, and Airman 1st Class May clearly exemplified that core value with his actions,” Lt. Col. Joshua Clifford, 62d AMXS commander, said in the news release. “While our team of Airmen showcase amazing accomplishments every day, we relish the opportunity to focus on one Airman’s courage and recognize them for truly living the Air Force’s core values.”

The woman he rescued, 79-year-old Ursula Bannister, takes a trip every year to High Rock Lookout and this year, she went to spread her late mother’s ashes.

“I know the trail very well, and there are always many people there,” Bannister said in the news release. “When I couldn’t find anyone to accompany me on this outing, I just went by myself.”

She had finished lunch and had begun hiking down when she felt her leg give out, according to the Air Force. She stepped into a hole, causing a shock to travel up her body.

She called for help, and that’s when some hikers found her. As hikers called emergency responders and tried to help her as best as they could, then came May and his friend.

“My first thought was if I could carry her down, I should carry her down and get her there as quickly as I can,” May said in the news release.

Injured hiker was in a lot of pain as Airman carried her to safety

Donning cowboy boots, May put Bannister on his back and started to carry her down the trail. The boots made carrying her down the trail very painful though as gravity pulled her off of him, the Air Force said. He had to use his legs to stop at some points.

He carried her most of 1.6 miles down the hiking trail. His friend, Layton Allen, also carried Bannister some of the way.

“Once we got down, we loaded her into her car, elevated her foot and started driving to the hospital,” May said. “We met search and rescue about 30 minutes down the road, put ice on her foot, drove the rest of the way to the hospital and waited for her son to get there.”

A few days later, Bannister called May and Allen to thank them for helping her. She had surgery and was recovering, she told them.

“I truly felt that these two guys were meant to be there to save me, and that sort of swam in my subconscious at the time,” Bannister said in the news release. “I considered them my angels.”

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

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Washington

Tulip Day Washington draws buzz as sign-up site goes down

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON – Coming up this month, spring’s most colorful new event: Tulip Day Washington.

What we know:

On March 15, 2026, Tulip Day Washington will transform DC’s National Mall into a vibrant tulip-picking garden beautiful views of U.S. Capitol

This one-day event will take place from 11:15 AM – 4:15 PM, offering a floral showcase of approximately 150,000 tulips; visitors are invited to pick their choice of 10 tulips for free upon arrival.

Dig deeper:

The registration site for Tulip Day is currently down, showing users “This site is currently unavailable. If you’re the owner of this website, please contact your hosting provider to get this resolved.”

Users on social media say the event may be sold out.

Check tulipday.eu for updates.

The backstory:

The event is organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos, a Dutch trade association, in honor of America’s 250th birthday. The display of tulips will be in the shape of the number 250.

The bulbs come from the Netherlands, but are being grown in Virginia and New Jersey.

These won’t be the first tulips on the National Mall, however. The Floral Library, also known as the Tulip Library, features 93 beds of flowers near the Tidal Basin. The Floral Library was established in 1969, and is maintained by the National Park Services. These flowers, though, are to be enjoyed only – not to be picked.

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Washington

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more.

Long Beach State dropped a 9-7 decision against Washington State on Sunday afternoon, closing out a busy weekend on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

The visiting Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Long Beach Poly grad Ryan Skjonsby delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded. Skjonsby was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs for Washington State in their road victory.

For the Dirtbags, catcher Damon Valdez scored twice and had a key two-run single in the sixth to help lead a Long Beach comeback. Trevor Goldenetz had a pair of hits at the top of the order, including an RBI triple. Camden Gasser walked twice and singled, improving his on-base percentage to .574 on the season.

Long Beach State (4-7) will be back in action at home on Tuesday with an exhibition match against Waseda University from Japan. The Dirtbags will then visit San Diego State on Wednesday and open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.

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Washington

Week Ahead in Washington: March 1

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Operation “Epic Fury” — the weekend military operations carried out by the U.S. and Israel against targets in Iran — tops the agenda for Congress as lawmakers return to Washington.

Sunday, President Donald Trump said the new leadership in Iran wants to talk to the Trump Administration.

Democrats in both chambers called for Congress to return as soon as possible for classified briefings on Iran, followed by a move to vote on the War Powers Act. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war on another country.

Congress’ return to Washington was originally delayed due to the start of the 2026 midterm elections cycle.

Tuesday, voters in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas head to the polls for primary elections.

North Carolina and Texas are drawing significant attention, as both states are facing congressional redistricting and competitive primary races for Senate seats.

In Texas, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) is facing primary challenges from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. On the Democratic side, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing state Rep. James Talarico.

In North Carolina, candidates are vying to replacing retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R) . They include former Governor Roy Cooper (D) and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.

Also this week, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is laid to rest. He will be honored Wednesday in Washington before a final memorial service Saturday. Jackson died Feb. 17.

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