“I was in a restaurant with my wife when I found out,” PJ Washington tells me. “We were just happy and screaming.” This is surely not the typical NBA player’s recounting of the moment he finds out he’s been traded. But the Dallas Mavericks forward isn’t on the typical NBA player’s trajectory. Five years after he was drafted in the first round by the longtime cellar-dwelling Charlotte Hornets, Washington got a call at the trade deadline in February that was life-changing: he was headed home to Texas.

We sat down with Washington ahead of the Mavericks’ opening game against the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night in the Western Conference finals, a best-of-seven-games battle for a place in the NBA’s championship round. The 25-year-old Washington is actually a Dallas native, who says he grew up going to Mavericks games as a kid “all the time” and watching present-day coach Jason Kidd run the point alongside Dirk Nowitzki. Looking back on those formative years on Tuesday morning, shortly before boarding a plane to Minneapolis, Washington acknowledges that circuitously finding his way back to DFW – especially on a team with championship potential – is immensely fortunate. “It’s a full-circle moment,” he tells the Guardian. “Being able to come back home, play for the home team. Not a lot of guys get that opportunity.”

What Washington has done with the opportunity is remarkable. The 6ft 7in, 230lb power forward has been a seamless fit in Dallas, plugging effortlessly into the team’s newfound identity as defensive stalwarts and serving as an ideal supporting cast member for Luka Dončić, the runner-up in this season’s MVP balloting, and born-again-into-relevancy All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. “I was a little nervous at first,” says Washington, having never dealt with the upheaval of being traded. “But when I got here, everybody welcomed me with open arms, encouraged me to be myself each and every day.” Soon enough Washington was comfortable, and finding himself with the opportunity every young, talented player in the league dreams of: to blossom. “When I got here, it was always my mentality to go out there and do anything I had to do to help my team win,” Washington says. “That’s just who I am as a player.” The winning for Dallas commenced almost immediately, as they won 31 of 49 games following the deadline to vault to the fifth spot in the West standings.

While Washington has always possessed something of a pedigree, as a McDonald’s All-American and one-and-done at the vaunted University of Kentucky, some onlookers worried that four and a half years in a losing environment like Charlotte could spoil his winning habits. But for Washington, that was never a concern. “I just have a love and passion for the game. I’ve always wanted to go out and win every game I played.” That hasn’t wavered, he says. He’s just gotten a different opportunity in Dallas. “It was easy for me to go out and compete [even under the circumstances in Charlotte], because I just love being able to say I’m even in the NBA, playing against guys like LeBron, the better guys in the league.” He is quick to add that he wasn’t alone in his desire to win in Charlotte, that other players on the team had the same talent and hunger, but just simply weren’t lucky enough to be life-rafted to a better situation. “I feel like a lot of the younger guys there have that same mentality,” he says. “[Winning] just didn’t happen.”

That’s not to say that it wasn’t a relief for Washington to be back to playing consequential games. He’s proven to be among those special players who are able to ascend to their ultimate potential the brighter the lights become. He attributes this trait to his competitiveness – “I just hate losing. As a kid, even, I was always like this.” – and it shows. He’s been the Mavericks’ third-most important player through two rounds of postseason play. He was, in fact, the team’s second-leading scorer in their pivotal second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, ahead of Irving, sealing the series with a pair of game-winning free throws.

Asked what was going through his mind then, feet on the stripe, seconds left in the contest, his hometown team’s ticket to the Western Conference finals hanging in the balance, Washington said his comfort and preparation awarded him the necessary calm called for by the moment. “I just thought about all the work I’d put in [up to that moment] trying to get better, being able to calm myself down, to just focus.” Another important factor? “I knew my team-mates would be happy with me either way.”

Washington, who is represented by Lift Sports’ Kevin Bradbury and in the first season of a three-year, $46.5m contract, says that the Mavericks have “great leaders” and a team full of guys who just want to win. Beyond that, the chemistry is off the charts. “We’re all excited for each other, we all want to see each other be happy,” he says. “We’re there for each other on the court and off the court.” Therein might lie the lesson for any team hoping to swipe their own PJ-in-the-rough on the trade market from a lottery team. Of course, it’s paramount to find someone like Washington, a player with innate passion, talent and fire. But bringing him into the right situation is what will ultimately differentiate the successes from the disappointments in the second-chances department.

Washington says he hasn’t had much time to reflect yet on his star turn. “Everything’s happened so fast, I’m still trying to soak everything in,” he says. “But if I do look back, right now, I think I would be proud of myself, as a kid. Just being able to reach this point in my career, in my life. A lot of people don’t get this opportunity, so just being able to say that I’ve been here, I’m forever grateful for that.”

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — They might be a little tired but around 100 veterans from our region will never forget their Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C.

The flight landed at Hector International Airport a little after 7 o’clock this evening.

People filled the terminal to welcome back all 103 veterans along with dozens of volunteers who helped keep the trip on track.

This group spent three days in our nation’s capitol to see all of the monuments in their honor.

The trip included two, “Flags of our Heroes” ceremonies at the Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials.

They also witnessed the changing of the guard at Arlington Cemetery and so much more.

Veterans Honor Flight of North Dakota/Minnesota has plans to fill two flights with veterans in late September.

WASHINGTON, DC – On May 20, 2024, the 40th Helen Hayes Awards took place at The Anthem on the District Wharf, with over 1,600 theatre-makers and theatre supporters in attendance. Esteemed Washington theatre artists Felicia Curry, Rayanne Gonzales, Maria Rizzo, and Holly Twyford hosted an evening showcasing the vibrant and diverse community of professional theatre artists in the Washington region. They were joined by a performance ensemble of Quadry Brown, Carolyn Burke, Victoria Gomez, Sarah Anne Sillers, and Wood Van Meter with special performances by two-time Award recipient Melody A. Betts, Tuyết Thị Phạm, and James J. Johnson. The ceremony was written by Will Gartshore and co-directed by Will Gartshore and Raymond O. Caldwell. 

Recognizing work from 151 eligible productions presented in the 2023 calendar year, awards were given in 41 categories. Productions under consideration in 2023 included 44 musicals, 107 plays, and 36 world premieres. For the eighth year, the Helen Hayes Awards were given in parallel tracks determined by the ratio of Actors’ Equity contracts involved in an individual production, recognized as recipients in either the “Helen” or “Hayes” categories. For the second year, performers were adjudicated as gender inclusive (vs. gender segregated “actor” and “actress”), with ten or 11 nominees and two recipients in each performance category. 

Topping the list of individual theater organizations receiving Helen Hayes Awards this year was Arena Stage and The Keegan Theatre. Each received six awards for work in 2023. Seussical received all six awards for The Keegan Theatre, including Outstanding Production, Musical Helen. Arena Stage received three for Swept Away (Musical, Hayes), two for Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches (Play, Hayes), and one for Exclusion (Play, Hayes). Arena Stage received an additional award with the Alley Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and ACT Theatre/5th Avenue for Cambodian Rock Band (Play, Hayes). 

Fela! (Musical, Hayes), a co-production from Olney Theatre Center and Round House Theatre went home with five awards, including Outstanding Production (Musical, Hayes). Solas Nua received three awards for The Honey Trap (Play, Helen) and Toby’s Dinner Theatre received three awards for Something Rotten (Musical, Helen).

Outstanding Productions in 2023 went to The Jungle from STC & Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (Visiting Production), A Year with Frog and Toad from Imagination Stage (Theatre for Young Audiences), La Salpêtrière from Taffety Punk Theatre Company (Play, Helen), and My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion from Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and The Wilma Theater (Play, Hayes).

The 40th Helen Hayes Tribute honored Peter Marks, former Theater Critic at the Washington Post. Marks stepped down in late 2023 after serving in this role for 21 years. This award recognizes Marks’ decades of knowledgeable and thoughtful writing about the DC-area, national, and international theatre landscape. He offered nuanced theatre criticism and reporting and  he contributed immensely to the recognition of the artistic vibrancy of our region.

This year’s award show was supported by a variety of hosts and sponsors. Sheila Johnson and The Honorable William J. Newman, Jr., served as this year’s Honorary Chairs alongside Event Chair Jan Du Plain. 

Producing Sponsors included Andrew A. Ammerman, Jan Du Plain, Meg and John Hauge, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Craig Pascal, Alan J. Savada and Will Stevenson. Co-Chairs included Michael Burke and Carl Smith, Claire Carlin, Janet Farrell, Myrna Fawcett, Holly Hassett, Kevin Hennessy, Karina Hou, John Kiser, David A. Lamdin, Abel Lopez, Shahin D. Mafi, Dale A. Mott and Charles D. Urstadt, Bonnie Nelson Schwartz, Robin Phillips, and Annie Simonian Totah of the Sami and Annie Totah Family Foundation.

This year’s host committee included Drs. Nathan and Debbie Ann Doyle Ainspan, Jacqueline Badger Mars, Jeffrey and Stacie Lee Banks, Sherrie Beckstead, Susan and Dixon Butler, Debra Chandler, Prima and Chas Colburn, Leayne Dempsey, Kimberly E. Douglas and Maria Manuela Goyanes, Gary P. Fontaine and O’Shelya Brown, Edie Fraser, Brett and Cynthia Fuller, Handan Gencogluer, Barbara Hawthorn, Randy C. Howes, Debbie M. Jackson & Bill Lammers, Cliftine Jones, Elizabeth A. Karcher & Arthur A. Cohen, Renée Klish, Catherine Leggett, Jason Loewith, Howard Menaker & Patrick Gossett, David & Rita Sirignano, Lisa Stark, Carmen Stull, Graciela Thomen Ginebra, and Linda White.

The 40th Helen Hayes Awards were also supported by Events DC, Destination DC, Giant Food, The Share Fund, TodayTix, and the Washington Post. 

Produced and administered by Theatre Washington, the Helen Hayes Awards honors excellence in professional theatre in the greater Washington area. A full list of award recipients is available on theatrewashington.org or at these links:

All Recipients (alpha by first name) 

Recipients by Production (count)

Recipients by Production (alpha) 

Recipients by Theater (count) 

Recipients by Theater (alpha) 

Named for actor Helen Hayes – a Washington native and legendary First Lady of the American Theatre – the Helen Hayes Awards has honored excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington region for four decades. 

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About Theatre Washington
Through collaborative partnerships and programs, Theatre Washington supports the Washington, DC-area’s professional theatre community to celebrate artistic achievement, strengthen the theatrical workforce, support institutional growth and advancement, and cultivate collective action. Theatre Washington’s core programs include: the Helen Hayes Awards, Theatre Week, Theatre Work, and the Taking Care Fund.