Washington

Washington Trucking Associations calls out 'double standard'

Published

9 months ago

April 25, 2025

Washington Trucking Associations calls out 'double standard'

The Washington Trucking Associations is calling out a recent decision by the Washington State Department of Ecology.

An exemption has been granted by the state’s Department of Ecology for certain medium- and heavy-duty vehicles owned by state and local governments regarding Advanced Clean Trucks standards in Washington state.

“Tuesday’s announcement by the state Department of Ecology underscores a double standard when it comes to enforcing the Advanced Clean Trucks rules,” Washington Trucking Associations President and CEO Sheri Call said. “While the private sector is being forced into compliance with unattainable emissions rules, Ecology has decided it can opt state and local government equipment out – including snow plows, sand trucks and street sweepers — presumably for some of the very same reasons our industry has been asking for a delay or complete delinking from Advanced Clean Trucks.”

Our state does not have the infrastructure in place to charge these vehicles, and new electric snow plows, sand trucks and street sweepers are expensive, Call added.

Other states have recently allowed a similar exemption or delayed implementation of new Advanced Clean Trucks requirements.

A Congressional Review Act resolution to eliminate Advanced Clean Trucks and other vehicle emission rules was introduced earlier this month. However, if passed, this resolution will likely face legal challenges, with the Government Accountability Office previously determining EPA waivers under the Clean Air Act are not subject to CRA resolutions.

“Massachusetts and Maryland just hit pause on Advanced Clean Trucks; Oregon is about to do the same,” Call said. “We are rapidly becoming an outlier, jeopardizing our supply chain. Washington should also pause Advanced Clean Trucks implementation or delink entirely. We support a transition to clean trucking, but the infrastructure and vehicle technology are not there yet. It’s time to hit the brakes on Advanced Clean Trucks.”

Kirkland, Wash.-based Kenworth announced in March it will end production of three models due in part to evolving emission regulations.

In February, the Washington state Senate and Environment Energy and Technology Committee held a hearing on a bill that would delink the state from California’s vehicle emission rules, including Advanced Clean Trucks.

Washington state is among a handful of states set to implement Advanced Clean Truck rules this year.

“The state shouldn’t get to play by a different set of rules,” Call said. LL

Washington

Deputies shoot armed suspect in Leesburg Walmart parking lot

Published

17 minutes ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

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.

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Washington

The American story projected on the Washington Monument came from North Texas

Published

12 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

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.

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Washington

Tracking crime in the DMV: Some areas see drop in violent crime, homicide

Published

2 days ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

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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