Washington
Washington Wizards' Midnight League builds relationships on and off the court
The Washington Wizards hosted the Midnight Basketball League finals Saturday night.
The Midnight Basketball League is an initiative to create a safe space and help build relationships for young athletes in D.C.’s Ward 8.
“I’ve been playing my whole life,” said Midnight Basketball League Player Myles Whitfield. “If I’m being honest, I just like hooping. It just takes my mind away from everything.”
It’s considered a positive getaway for Myles and other Midnight Basketball League players. Every Friday and Saturday night for the past two months, Ward 8 youth and young adults had the chance to go head-to-head against some of the District’s talented hoopers.
“One of the things that I liked about it, is I’ve seen a lot of the youth that are normally be on the corners or whatever, spending time in the Midnight Basketball League,” said Calvin Morrison, the Midnight Basketball League coach. “Like half of them, I didn’t even know they played basketball.”
That’s one of the reasons why the midnight league was created — to offer a fun and community-based option for those in Ward 8. On top of learning about basketball, they learn about the importance of teamwork.
“Some camaraderie, unity, togetherness, you know, I don’t think they’re coming together for any major life lessons, but then of course by participating, they will learn life lessons,” said John Thompson III, senior vice president at Monumental Basketball.
Last year, dozens of residents started to brainstorm actionable plans for some of the District’s youngest residents. Through partnerships with Monumental Basketball and Building Bridges Across the River, a former D.C. staple was brought back: Midnight Basketball
“It’s been years since we’ve led Midnight Basketball,” said Scott Kratz, senior vice president at Building Bridges Across the River. “We loved that idea so much. We were able to secure some funding, channel that energy into something that’s positive, so it’s been a lot of fun on these Friday and Saturday nights.”
In a short time, the league has grown and added more teams and players, and for the first time, teams are playing in the entertainment and sports arena.
A long term goal is to provide additional initiatives.
“When you give people activities, things to do, whether it be sports, whether it be after school music programs, whatever, then, you know, perceptions will change, crime will change and people stay occupied,” Thompson said.
WASHINGTON TWP., N.J. — Officers in Washington Township, said they finished a DoorDash food delivery after arresting the driver who had warrants out for his arrest.
Body camera video shows officers stepping in to deliver the food themselves, a move the department in southern New Jersey later shared on its Facebook page.
“I thought something happened. Oh my God, I got so scared,” said the customer when she answered the door.
The DoorDash customer, seen on police body cam video, was instantly relieved and appreciative upon learning why officers were at her door.
“Arrested your driver, but, yeah, we delivered your food,” one of the officers said.
It turns out a Washington Township police officer stopped the DoorDash driver during routine patrols in front of a high school over the weekend.
“He made a stop on it for a violation,” said Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik.
But then, Chief Gurcsik said the officer learned the driver had warrants out for his arrest in another county.
“He made the officers aware that he had two DoorDash meals in the car that he was in the middle of delivering,” Gurcsik said.
The officers went from cuffing the driver to ringing a doorbell to finish his delivery.
“I never heard of anything like that in the South Jersey area. It’s sort of a first for us here in Washington Township, definitely,” Gurcsik said.
Police finish DoorDash delivery after arresting driver in New Jersey
It’s happened in other places, too, including in New Mexico last summer, when a motorcycle cop delivered someone’s Chick-fil-A order after arresting the driver.
“Hello, sir, got your DoorDash. Oh, thank you,” the officer said. “He’s a good kid, give him five stars. He just didn’t take care of a simple insurance ticket.”
And officers over in Arizona made a similar arrest during a traffic stop and were seen on body camera finishing the delivery.
“Your GrubHub, still delivered your pizza,” the officer said.
“We definitely serve the community in more ways than one,” Gurcsik said.
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SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.
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Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.
“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”
Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.
Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.
The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.
The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.
The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.
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