Ayuk Etta, 40, of Lanham was standing outside a Mercedes near Route 50 when he was struck by a Honda.

The crash spilled across multiple lanes of traffic.

The 19-year-old driver of the Honda and its four passengers are expected to be OK, Maryland State Police said. Two passengers in the Mercedes were treated at a hospital and released.

Road safety experts say people should never get out of a vehicle along a stretch of road like that unless they are certain it’s safe to do so.

“If you don’t have a Jersey wall or something to get behind and you don’t feel safer outside your vehicle, sometimes staying in the vehicle is the safer option than being on foot and right close to where your vehicle is,” Maryland State Police Capt. Brian Smith said.

The state’s move over law includes all vehicles on the side of the road as of Oct. 1, 2022.

“One thing we do remind our drivers, as well, if you do become disabled, put your four-way flashers on because that will trigger the move over law for vehicles to move over if they can,” Smith said.

If they can’t, they are required to slow down.

Police believe speed contributed to the crash, which remains under investigation.

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Officials banned swimming, wading and surfing at Assateague State Park Sunday morning after Maryland Park Service rangers found several needles and needle caps, feminine hygiene products and cigar tips along the beach, Maryland Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Gregg Bortz said in an email.

A few more needles were found Monday, and the ban on swimming in the ocean continued at the park, he said.

There have been no reports of injuries or people encountering these items while swimming, Bortz said. The department was working with other local, state, and federal agencies to determine when it’s safe for people to enter the water.

All of Assateague Island National Seashore’s ocean-facing beaches in Maryland and Virginia were closed to swimming and wading.

Maryland’s Department of Emergency Management raised its state activation level to “partial” in support of the incident.

In Ocean City, Maryland, the beach patrol temporarily banned swimming Sunday after discovering medical waste on town beaches. Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald stressed in a statement that the situation was serious and said town officials were working with the Worcester County Health Department to investigate the source.

“Until we are confident that the situation is under control, we recommend wearing shoes on the beach and avoiding the ocean entirely,” he said.

On Monday afternoon, Theobald said the amount of debris had “significantly decreased.” The town was continuing to monitor the situation, particularly as the next high tide cycles approached Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control advised beachgoers to leave the beaches from the Indian River inlet to Fenwick Island Sunday afternoon and to refrain from swimming after reports of waste washing ashore on nearby Maryland beaches, the agency said in a statement. The department confirmed only minimal waste on Delaware beaches, including plastic caps and a single needle found near Dewey Beach.

“Despite the low level of waste observed, DNREC is taking the situation seriously and advising caution,” the agency said in a statement. The department maintains Delaware’s two state park beaches, but decisions about municipal beaches are up to town officials.

Delaware’s Dewey Beach temporarily barred swimming in the ocean Sunday. In an update Monday, the town said it was continuing to address the issue. Fenwick Island officials closed the beach for swimming Sunday and said in a statement that beaches would be inspected again late Monday and on Tuesday morning before a decision would be made on reopening.

Fall season is here so it’s time to pull out boots and jackets to really set the cozy mood.

As the leaves turn orange and prepare to fall from the trees, now is the perfect time to pick some apples, get lost in a corn maze or pick out the perfect pumpkin for decorating or baking!

Here are some fall festivals to check out in Virginia and Maryland.

Maryland corn mazes, pumpkin patches and apple picking

Maryland Corn Maze: Taylor’s Version

📅 Sept. 14 through Nov. 3
📍 389 Gambrills Road, Gambrills, Maryland
💲 $17.95
🔗 Details

Maryland Corn Maze (Taylor’s Version) is open for all Swifties and non-Swifties alike!

Can’t get enough of Taylor? Visit the maze on Oct. 2 to listen to singer Kanin Wren’s Taylor Swift Experience live concert.

Answer Swift-themed quiz questions to find your way out of the maze. Don’t miss out on the Flashlight Nights if you want a challenge.

Pick your own pumpkins and explore the farm yard complete with a bounceyard, rodeo roping area and slingshots.

Gaver Farm Fall Fun Fest

📅 Through Nov. 5 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily)
📍 5501 Detrick Rd Mt. Airy, Maryland
💲 $14.50-$23 (Kids under 24 months are free)
🔗 Details

Gaver Farm has all of your fall fun needs. From sunflowers to pumpkins to apples — there’s just about everything for everyone.

This family-friendly affair offers over 65 attractions including the “Fun to the Core” Corn Maze, animal meet-and-greets, a zipline and pedal karts.

Guests can pick their own pumpkins, apples and sunflowers after riding a free hayride out to the fields. Don’t miss out on the sunflowers — the farm expects blooms through Sept. 22! The farm provides all the tools needed to make picking seamless.

Butler’s Orchard Pumpkin Festival

📅 Sept. 21 through Nov. 3
📍 22222 Davis Mill Road Germantown, Maryland
💲 $11-$22 (Make a reservation ahead of time to avoid higher prices)
🔗 Details

The Butler’s Orchard Pumpkin Festival is bigger and better than ever!

Hunting for the perfect pumpkin? This year, guests have three options. You can drive to the pumpkin patch for the classic picking experience, get a pumpkin at the festival’s market or visit the Pumpkin Yard to get pre-picked pumpkins.

You aren’t just limited to picking your own pumpkin. Once you purchase a ticket, you can take hayrides, visit some backyard buddies, turn through the Twisted Corn Maze and jump in the Corn Pool.

Magnolia Meadow Farms

📅 Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 27
📍13001 Creagerstown Road, Thurmont, Maryland
💲 $15 (online)/$20 (walk-in)
🔗 Details

Magnolia Meadow Farms says it is home to Maryland’s largest corn maze along with family-friendly activities like mini ziplines and a barrel train.

Don’t miss out on Moonlit Maze Nights on Oct. 5 and Oct. 26 where you can try out the corn maze under the stars for a good cause.

If you don’t want to stick to just pumpkins, you’re in luck! You can wander into three different fields to have your pick at sunflowers, pumpkins, gourds or cut flowers.

If you tire out from the fun, private campfires are available on-site. Reserve a campfire in case you want to get your own views of the farm away from the crowds.

Montpelier Farms Fall Festival

📅 Sept. 13-Nov. 3
📍 1720 North Crain Hwy, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
💲 $19.95 in advance/$24.95 at the gate
🔗 Details

Spend all day at the Montpelier Farms Fall Festival with its 7-acre corn maze, Barnyard Basketball and other fall activities. Try your hand at pumpkin bowling or tug of war. When it gets chilly at night, cuddle up by the public bonfire with loved ones.

If you want to pick your own pumpkins, you can visit the patch without purchasing a ticket to the festival — just pick your favorite (or favorites) and buy it there!

Virginia corn mazes, pumpkin patches and apple picking

Cox Farms Fall Festival

📅 Sept. 14 through Nov. 5
📍 15621 Braddock Rd., Centreville, Virginia
💲 $10-$25
🔗 Details

Cox Farms has just about everything you can think of when it comes to fall fun. The Fall Festival is a family-fun affair and there are many activities that you can choose from. You can ride the hayride, visit several attractions like themed slides, taste different apples and feed goats.

If you’re looking for a corn maze filled with surprises, the Cornundrum is just for you. Wind through the maze and you’ll come across pirates, caves and the Vortex!

The fun doesn’t stop there. Go back for spooky scares at their Fields of Fear starting on Sept. 20.

Great County Farms

📅 Aug. 31 through Sept. 30
📍 34345 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, Virginia
💲 $12-$16 (advance tickets are highly recommended for weekends)
🔗 Details

If you’re looking for fresh pressed cider, apple picking and a fun corn maze, Great County Farms is for you!

You can visit the apple orchard, get lost in their 15-acre corn maze and the 15-acre play area that features the Farm Ninja Obstacle Course.

On weekends, guests can enjoy perfect fall activities like live music and visiting a snack bar complete with kettle corn and roasting marshmallows. You can even learn how to learn to press a bushel of apples!

Want to beat the weekend crowds? No worries! Guests can visit the farm during the week along with the weekend.

Wayside Farm

📅 Sept. 21 through Oct. 27
📍 5273 Harry Byrd Highway, Berryville, Virginia
💲 $17-$25 (Depending on ticket type)
🔗 Details

With great power comes great responsibility, and if you have great navigation skills, you can use that power to guide your group out of Wayside Farm’s Spiderman-themed corn maze! Make sure not to get lost in the mazeverse.

There are plenty of fun activities to choose from, including pig races and pumpkin smashing. If you’re interested in the pumpkin patch, reserve a spot in advance. The ticket will cover the first $20 worth of pumpkins.

Leesburg Animal Park’s Pumpkin Village

📅 Sept. 21 through Nov. 5 (closed on Tuesdays)
📍 19246 James Monroe Hwy, Leesburg, Virginia
💲 $18.95-$22.25 (weekend tickets must be purchased in advance)
🔗 Details

If you love the zoo and autumn equally, Leesburg Animal Park’s Pumpkin Village might be the place for you. There’s a whole bunch of family-friendly activities to enjoy such as a kiddie hay maze, animal petting and feeding and pony rides (for an extra fee).

Up the fun factor on the weekends and Columbus Day with live entertainment, face painting, free cider, apple and pumpkin cookie tasting.

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Millions of people can’t vote every year because they don’t register in time, update their registration or know how to register, according to the National Voter Registration Day website.

In just a few minutes, you can register to vote or make sure your registration is up to date with your current name, address and party affiliation.

With just seven weeks to go before the 2024 election, here’s how to make sure you’re ready to vote.

Find information for your state below. You can also use National Voter Registration Day’s online tool.

When is the 2024 election?

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

Washington D.C. voter registration deadline

The deadline to register or update your registration online is Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.

Check your registration status here.

Register or update your registration online here.

Same-day registration is also available during early voting and on Election Day. Make sure you bring proof of residence, such as a utility bill, lease, pay stub, bank statement or government-issued photo ID.

Early voting runs Monday, Oct. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 3.

Maryland voter registration deadline

The deadline to register or update your registration online is Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.

Check your registration status here.

Register or update your registration online here.

Same-day registration is also available during early voting and on Election Day. Make sure you bring proof of residence, such as a utility bill, paycheck, bank statement or government-issued photo ID.

Early voting runs from Thursday, Oct. 24 to Thursday, Oct. 31.

Virginia voter registration deadline

The deadline to register or update your registration online is Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.

Check your registration status here.

Register or update your registration online here.

Same-day registration is also available during early voting and on Election Day. If you register during early voting or on Election Day, you will vote using a provisional ballot. Bring an acceptable form of ID. If you don’t bring an acceptable ID, you can instead sign an ID Confirmation Statement.

Same-day registration is a somewhat new option for Virginia voters; the General Assembly approved same-day registration ahead of the 2022 election.

Early voting runs from Sept. 20 to Nov. 2.

West Virginia voter registration deadline

The deadline to register or update your registration is Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.

Check your registration status here.

Register or update your registration online here.

Make sure to meet the deadline; same-day voter registration is not available, according to Rock the Vote.

Early voting in-person runs from Oct. 23 to Nov. 2, 2024.

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We’re counting down to full-on fall!

The equinox this Sunday marks the official beginning of autumn (although meteorologists count Sept. 1 as the first day of fall. Here’s why.).

D.C.’s biggest neighborhood street fair, H Street Festival, returns on Saturday. This season, every weekend will be packed with fests celebrating music, art, food, culture and more. Here’s a look at festivals happening through November, but keep reading for the highlights for autumn equinox weekend.

What to do in Washington, D.C.

NoMa in Color: Sept. 12-23

NMWA Nights: Weds., 5:30 to 8 p.m., National Museum of Women in the Arts, $22-$25

Cheeseburger in Paradise Walking Tour (vote for your favorite slider): Weds., 6-9 p.m.,  Chevy Chase Main Street, $30

Race the District: Thurs. to Sat., Union Market, free

A Night at the Museum: Celebrating 57 years of Anacostia Community Museum: Thurs., 7-10 p.m., 1901 Fort Place SE, free but registration required 

Live! At The Library of Congress: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and Latino Poets Spotlight: Thurs., 5-8 p.m, free but special ticket required

Washington Mystics vs. Indiana Fever: Thurs., 7 p.m., Capital One Arena, $45+

PARK(ing) Day: Fri., 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., free

NC Society BBQ & Bluegrass Festival: Fri., Sept. 20, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Hill Center DC in Southeast, $15 for children under 12, $55 for non-members, $35 for members, $70 at the door

Garden Party de la Rentrée: Fri., 7-10 p.m., Embassy of France in Northwest D.C., $105-$795

Ana Gabriel: “Un Deseo Mas” Tour: Fri., 8 p.m., Capital One Arena

H Street Festival: Sat., H Street Northeast, free entry

Homecoming at President Lincoln’s Cottage: Sat., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 140 Rock Creek Church Rd NW, free

National Dance Day: Sat., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., The Kennedy Center, free

BLOMPPST Festival: Sat., noon to 9 p.m., RHIZOME in Takoma, $15-35

HFStival: Sat., Nationals Park, $150-$250

The World’s Largest Pickle Party: Sat., Baltimore, $24.99+

Try Guys: Eat The Menu Tour: Sat., 7:30 p.m., Warner Theatre, $40+

Jelly Roll: Beautifully Broken Tour: Sat., 7 p.m., Capital One Arena

Hirshhorn Ball: Sat., 6:30-11 p.m., Hirshhorn Museum, $250+

REACH @ 5 Block Party!: Sat., 8:15 p.m. to 11 p.m., The Kennedy Center REACH, free

Don’t Tell Comedy: Sat., various venues, $25

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers (preseason): Sun., 3 p.m., Capital One Arena

What to do in Maryland

Fall Twilight Concert Series: Weds., 6-7 p.m., Brookside Gardens, free

• FYI: David Bach Consort (World Contemporary/Jazz)

Montgomery County Parks Ale Trail: Sat., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lake Needwood in Rockville, free to join

Annapolis Baygrass Festival: Sept. 21-22, Sandy Point State Park

Festival del Rio Anacostia: Sat., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Bladensburg Waterfront Park, free

Celebrate Africa: Sun., 1-6 p.m., Fairwood Park in Bowie, free

Craig Walsh’s Monuments: Through Oct. 6, Strathmore in North Bethesda, pay what you wish

• FYI: The exhibit is a series of large-scale projections outdoors. Catch live music and lectures on Mondays. Food and drink will be available on Fridays and Saturdays.

Things to Do DC Sep 10

Can't-miss festivals this fall in DC, Maryland and Virginia

Things to Do DC Sep 10

1st Look: New DC arcade puts you in the driver's seat of a Formula One race car

What to do in Virginia

Budweiser Clydesdales at Frying Pan Farm Park: Tues., 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Herndon, free

Fall Movies On The Plaza: “Barbie”:  Weds., 8 p.m., Westpost at National Landing, free

Crossroads Music Festival: Fri. and Sat., downtown Leesburg, Virginia, $10-$120

Fields of Fear at Cox Farms: Sept. 20 to Nov. 2, Centreville, Virginia, $30-$40

Taste of Thai Festival: Sept. 21, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., The Plaza at Tysons Corner Center, free

Claude Moore Park Fall Fest: Sat., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Claude Moore Park in Sterling, free

Pueblo Unido Day: Sat., 1-6 p.m., Sterling Community Center, free

Alexandria Historic Homes Tour: Sat., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., $45+

Taste of Annandale: Sat., 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Eileen Garnett Civic Space, free entry

Middleburg Oktoberfest: Sat., Sept. 21, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., S. Madison and Federal streets, free entry

Coming up soon

National Mall of Pickleball 2024: September 27-29, 2024

Smithsonian Craft2Wear show: Sept. 28-29, National Building Museum, $20

Nats Summer Concert Series: Lady A (and Pups in the Park): Fri., Sept. 27, game starts at 6:45 p.m., Nationals Park, $16+

Oktoberfest at The Wharf: Sat., Oct. 5, Southwest Waterfront, free entry

DC Coffee Festival: Oct. 5-6, Dock 5 at Union Market in Northeast, $24+

Gold Over America Tour with Simone Biles and Team USA gymnasts: Tues., Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m., CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, $71.95+

Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

Marcus Dwayne Jackson, 39, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault and other charges. A witness saw Jackson run toward D.C. after the stabbing on Wisconsin Avenue just before 9:30 a.m., police said.

Medics treated the victim and took her to a hospital, police said. Police did not say where she was stabbed, but said she has serious injuries.

D.C. police officers found Jackson near Chevy Chase Circle and arrested him there. They found a knife on Jackson, police said.

Investigators could be seen going through an olive green backpack the suspect was carrying.

Yellow police tape and numerous officers surrounded the wooden bench near the bus bay at the station as police investigated and commuters waited for their buses Monday morning.

The circumstances surrounding the stabbing are unclear and police haven’t said if the victim knew the suspect.

Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.

Officials in Ocean City announced the closure on Sunday afternoon. They did not expand on what type of medical waste was found.

“Until we are confident that the situation is under control, we recommend wearing shoes on the beach and avoiding the ocean entirely,” Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald said in a statement. He added that the city was working with Worcester County health officials to investigate the source of the waste.

The medical waste also washed up in Assateague Island National Seashore which spans Maryland and Virginia. The waste was only found on the Maryland portion of the island, officials said. They have barred beach access on the North End and swimming and wading is forbidden in the Maryland District.

Assateague Island State Park also has a Beach Closure in effect. The Virginia portion of the seashore has not seen medical waste.

Officials said they’ll provide updates as they have them.

Butler suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage three weeks ago, while addressing his players after a pre-season scrimmage. On Friday, Potomac, Maryland saw the Bullis community showed up in force to honor the man they called “Coach Ray.”

Many wore shirts or carried signs with the hashtag “play for Ray.” It was an emotional evening, as Bullis football team members mourned a man who pushed them to be both scholars and athletes, and families mourned someone they cared about and who cared about them.

The absence of Butler, whose fatal brain hemorrhage took place on Aug. 24, was deeply felt.

Butler was only 48 years old.

Montgomery County Sep 3

Bullis Football Coach Ray Butler dies from apparent brain aneurysm

Potomac Sep 3

‘Profound impact': Bullis School mourns death of football coach

Maryland Sep 13

‘Play for Ray': Bullis HS football team honors Coach Ray Butler

“The toughest part has been managing feelings. Managing personalities,” said assistant coach Kevin Anderson. “But the best part — I’ve seen strength in these young men that I can carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Butler, who became head coach in 2023, was part of the Bullis security staff for a decade.

He’s credited with reinvigorating the football program, which has seen a number of team members go on to play in Division One schools, and even the NFL.

Friends say Butler could intuitively sense when a student or their family was having a problem, and he would offer help.

A group of parents have created a fundraiser to help Ray Butler’s family with expenses.

And in their home opener, the Bulldogs did indeed play for Ray, pouring their hearts into a 41-0 victory over Bishop O’Connell.

Frederick Moorefield Jr., 63, entered the guilty plea Friday. Investigators found evidence he had engaged in the practice for years. They started investigating after responding to a report of two dead dogs found in a plastic dog food bag in 2018 and later seized veterinary steroids, a blood-stained carpet and jumper cables allegedly used for fatally electrocuting dogs from Moorefield’s home, according to prosecutors.

His co-defendant in the case, Mario Flythe of Glen Burnie, also pleaded guilty in July.

Moorefield was a deputy chief information officer for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Prosecutors said Moorefield and Flythe used an encrypted messaging application to communicate with people across the country about dogfighting.

After responding to the report of two dead dogs, investigators found mail addressed to Moorefield inside the bag, and a necropsy determined that the dogs bore wounds and scarring patterns consistent with their having been used in dogfighting, officials said. They said Moorefield had been keeping and training dogs for fighting at his Maryland home for over 20 years.

He was associated with a dogfighting ring that operated in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Officials said the ring organized dogfights and members would place bets on the outcomes.

“In the event that one of Moorefield’s dogs lost a fight but did not die, Moorefield killed that dog,” officials with the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release Friday. “One method of killing employed by Moorefield involved the use of a device consisting of jumper cables connected directly to an ordinary plug. Moorefield plugged the device into a wall socket and attached the cables to the dog, electrocuting it.”

When agents searched Moorefield’s home in September 2023, they found five pitbull-type dogs being kept in metal cages in a windowless room of the basement. Among the items they seized was a bloody piece of carpet that Moorefield used to test the dogs’ fighting ability, officials said.

One of the dogs had to be euthanized “after exhibiting extreme aggression toward both human caretakers and other dogs,” according to prosecutors.

Moorefield pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in animal fighting and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. He faces up to five years in prison.

An attorney representing Moorefield didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The Montgomery County firefighter, a 54-year-old, was hit at about 3 a.m. on the Inner Loop of Interstate 495 near University Boulevard. He was rushed to a trauma center.

Members of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service and Maryland State Police troopers responded at about 2:40 a.m. to a previous crash involving a tractor-trailer and a Lexus sedan, police said. Several lanes of the highway were “blocked off by traffic cones, flares and two marked patrol vehicles with emergency lights activated,” a statement from police said.

About 20 minutes later, the driver of a BMW sedan sped through the lane closures, smashed into two patrol vehicles with no one inside and hit the firefighter, police said the initial investigation showed.

Photos shared by state police show heavy damage to a trooper’s SUV. All the airbags appeared to have deployed.

Driver Alberto Zurita, 45, was arrested for suspected DUI. The investigation is ongoing.

No information was immediately released on the nature or severity of the firefighter’s injuries.

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All drivers must move over to protect first responders. Maryland’s Move Over Law requires drivers to “make a lane change or slow down when approaching any stopped, standing, or parked vehicle displaying warning signals.” Go here for more information.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

Delaware’s Lisa Blunt Rochester marks the milestone by saying that the reason she does this work is not about making history, “but to make a difference, an impact, on people’s lives.”

Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks said that people like her, and stories like hers, don’t usually make it to the U.S. Senate, “but they should.”

If the two Democratic candidates prevail in their elections this November, their arrival would double the number of Black women — from two to four — who have ever been elected to the Senate, whose 100 members have historically been, and continue to be, mostly white men.

Never in the Senate have two Black women served together at the same time.

“I have to pause and think, How is that possible?” asked Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

“It’s not that white male attorneys’ perspective shouldn’t be at the table,” said Walsh, but “they shouldn’t be the only thing at the table.”

To be sure, there are a many stairs to climb before Senate history would be made this election, where not only the White House, but control of Congress is being fiercely contested, and essentially a toss-up. The Senate races, in particular, are heated, grueling and costly.

Blunt Rochester is almost assured to defeat the Republican candidate after Tuesday’s uncontested primary for the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Carper in the small state that is home to President Joe Biden and where she is the at-large representative to the House. But the race in Maryland between Alsobrooks and Republican Larry Hogan, the popular former governor, is expected to be tight to the finish — and it could determine which party takes majority control in the Senate.

Alsobrooks upended conventional wisdom to beat back wealthy David Trone in the primary to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin by amassing deep grass roots and party support, showcased in a notable campaign ad with hundreds of backers. She is the former State’s Attorney for sprawling Prince George’s County and is now its top County Executive.

On their private text chain Blunt Rochester says they call themselves “sister senator to be,” as they run down-ballot from Vice President Kamala Harris — a friend and colleague who became the second Black woman ever elected to the Senate when she won in 2016 — in her own historic run for the White House.

The first Black woman elected to the Senate, Democratic Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois in 1992, served a single term. Harris was the second. And a third Black woman, Sen. Laphonza Butler, was appointed to fill out the term of long-serving California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died in 2023.

“People are anxious and excited at the same time,” said Glynda C. Carr, the president and CEO of Higher Heights for America, an organization that works to elect Black women to office.

What’s striking about their campaigns is the way the two women embrace their own backgrounds but also, like Harris, don’t dwell on the historic firsts they would bring to the job, leaving it to the voter to see their Blackness and hear their voices as women.

“The vast majority of us know that we have so much more in common than what separates us,” Harris said on the debate stage this week, brushing past Trump as he revived questions about her race.

On the campaign trail Blunt Rochester has shared the story of the Reconstruction Era documents showing her great, great, great-grandfather, who had been enslaved in Georgia, as now having the right to vote.

As she reminisces on that history, “what we’ve come through as a country,” she said she also thinks of what she will pass on to her own new baby granddaughter.

“There isn’t a cookie cutter way to run” for office, Blunt Rochester told AP.

Blunt Rochester and Harris are close, both entering Congress the same year and often sitting together at Congressional Black Caucus events. “The most important thing is that we show up as our authentic selves,” she said, adding “because it requires all of our different and diverse lived and work experiences.”

Alsobrooks launched her campaign for the Senate in a video telling her family’s story of leaving South Carolina for Maryland after her great-grandfather was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy after a traffic stop.

As a young prosecutor she first met Harris, then attorney general in California, a friendship that formed more than a decade ago.

But unlike 2016, when Hillary Clinton ran for president in a white suit symbolic of the suffragettes, the 2024 Senate candidates are positioning themselves more broadly in a way that may appeal to a wider electorate but also signals the cultural shift as the country becomes more diverse and Congress becomes more reflective of the electorate.

“We learned from 2016, we’re not going to lead with identity in the same way that Hillary Clinton did,” said Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, an organization that supports women of color in American leadership.

Allison said a new generation of candidates is showing you can be “holding multiple identities” at once. “It’s demonstrating you have a heart for people who you’re not like … but deserve to be served by government and deserve representation.”

The challenges Black women face to get to this point in the campaign are steep, rooted in a two-party political system that has often been slow to support Black women candidates and quick to doubt their ability to win statewide office, despite the qualifications.

Over the years, the parties have not always shared ample resources with Black women candidates who strategists said proved they could have had more success in several close races, creating a Catch-22 loop that reinforces biased attitudes against their electability.

In fact, the Senate may have been poised to swear in another Black woman, Rep. Barbara Lee, who ran for the open seat from California after Feinstein’s death but fell short during a multi-candidate primary. Rep. Adam Schiff ran a strong campaign to become the Democratic front-runner with wide party support and is expected to handily win the seat that is now filled temporarily by Butler. Others have faced tough political odds, including Democrat Valerie McCray this year in Republican-heavy Indiana.

With the Senate heading toward a 50-50 split, tens of millions of dollars are being spent in Maryland, where the popular Hogan was recruited by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to help the GOP win back the majority.

Hogan and Alsobrooks appear to generally appreciate one another. Alsobrooks said Hogan was a good governor, but warns that in the Senate he would be a decisive GOP vote.

Hogan’s campaign said he greatly respects Alsobrooks, and is proud of the work they did together during his administration.

“Our campaign has been laser-focused on Maryland and Marylanders — their local concerns and priorities, and the opportunity to elect an independent swing vote who will put the best interests of the state above party-line politics,” said Hogan campaign spokeswoman Blake Kernen.

During the Democratic National Convention the two women candidates held an event at a historic Black history museum in Chicago with Moseley Braun delivering remarks and Butler introducing them.

Blunt Rochester, noting her own powder blue power suit with its padded foundation, said she’s standing on the shoulders of those who came before her and has strong shoulders ready for those who come next.

At least one school district in Virginia closed school Wednesday, and another has increased security to protect students and staff.

Police and school districts across the nation are dealing with a spike in threats in the recent wake of school shootings. At least four school districts in the D.C. area have said they are aware of possible school threats, but nothing has gotten close to materializing.

The public school districts in Loudoun, Spotsylvania and Frederick counties in Virginia, and in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, are warning about potential threats after social media posts about either those districts or specific schools within them.

None of those threats so far have been found to be credible, but Frederick County school officials in Virginia made the decision Wednesday to close their schools out of an abundance of caution. On Thursday, they said the problem is resolved and students were going back to classes.

Several of these school systems say that these threats made online actually originated from out of state.

Nevertheless, they are taking these threats seriously.

In Loudoun County, the superintendent wrote a letter to the school community Wednesday evening about threats, writing: “Over the last week, we’ve seen an increase in these incidents, which unfortunately often happens in the aftermath of school shootings. What I need from parents right now is to talk to your children regarding the seriousness of making threats towards our schools or sharing threats that others have made online.”

“The house was built in the 1730s,” she said while walking through. “At one point, this was just a dirt floor.”

The Fair Hill Home is set on seven acres and was once owned by Thomas Garrett Jr., an abolitionist and contemporary of Harriet Tubman. The family believes the house was part of the Underground Railroad.

When Guevara and her sister Kenevy first toured the house 13 years ago, there was no running water and no electricity. The windows and foundation — almost all original — were crumbling. But they knew it would be the project of a lifetime.

“I was getting pretty excited about it,” Guevara said.

Their husbands had to be convinced, however.

“I knew how much work it was going to be,” Leo Guevara said.

But what sealed the deal for the husbands was the fact they’d never have to pay a mortgage, thanks to Maryland’s Resident Curatorship Program, which offers residents the right to a lifetime tenancy in a historic property for just $1 a year.

Curators also never have to pay property taxes.

But, like most things in life, living at these historic homes is far from free. Whoever agrees to the deal is on the hook for all of the home’s renovations.

“Houses that we’re listing in our program are not going to be in habitable condition when you sign your lease agreement. So they’re going to need everything from septic improvements, wells, structural work. They’re going to take a lot. And because they are historic properties, and the purpose of the program is to preserve historic places,” said Peter Morrill, Maryland’s curator program manager.

Morrill said the program is not for the faint of heart.

“It takes a certain kind of person,” he said.

Despite being a residential contractor, Leo Guevara took two years to agree to take on the Fair Hill Home project.

Curators have to commit to spending at least $150,000 on repairs, but Morrill said most can expect to spend closer to $300,000.

“We had to talk to engineers about certain structural work on the inside, and … figuring out how to get the drainage to get away from the foundation and stop ruining the framing in the basement,” Leo Guevara said.

According to the two families, they have surpassed the $200,000 budget, but they say it still makes sense to them when they crunch the numbers.

“If you buy a house for $400[,000] or $500,000 … in 30 years, you’re going to pay a million and a half with interest, taxes and all that. If we can put up the $200[,000] to $250[,000] to put this house back together for the next three years, it’s a $1 million windfall,” Leo Guevara said.

But once the lease holder dies or they no longer can live at the property, the home – along with all improvements the curators paid for – returns to the state.

The couples said they’re OK with that, because it was never about the money.

“It is kind of neat to feel like, you know … this could be here for another 100 years because of us, you know? And, you know, somebody else will take our, our spot and hopefully continue that.”

Maryland isn’t the only location to offer such a program. Fairfax, Virginia, has a similar program — as do Delaware and Massachusetts.

However, properties are limited. Currently, Maryland doesn’t have any other properties available. When it does, prospective curators will need to submit a proposal and a personal financial statement with the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

Devon Miller, 30, was arrested after Montgomery County police officers found his sister, 37-year-old Shanon Marie Barnett, dead at a home in the 10500 block of Westlake Drive near the Montgomery Mall, police said.

Barnett’s friends were on the phone with her about 10:30 p.m. when they heard her brother attacking her and called police, according to charging documents.

When officers arrived to the apartment, Miller answered the door and they could see Barnett was inside the apartment and there was a lot of blood, charging documents say. She wasn’t responding, police said.

Miller then tried to close and lock the apartment door, but officers forced themselves inside and pulled Barnett to the stairwell, according to the documents. She was already dead, police said.

Investigators recovered a knife from the apartment and there were signs of a struggle, charging documents said.

A medical examiner in Baltimore will determine her cause and manner of death.

Miller, a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, is being held in jail without bond.

Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.

The 12-year-old is suspected of committing a series of crimes but cannot be charged because of a Maryland juvenile justice law.

Police say the D.C. resident has broken into Porsche, BMW, Jaguar and Audi dealerships, and sometimes taken cars. Surveillance video shows him jumping through a window, rifling through offices and getting behind the wheel of a van.

In the most recent case, the boy was stopped by University of Maryland police officers at about 11:40 p.m. Sunday near Guilford Drive and Hartwick Road. An officer saw him riding an e-scooter on the sidewalk and went to talk with him, but he jumped off the scooter and ran.

Additional officers arrived to look for the boy and found him hiding behind dumpsters on a loading dock, police said.

Crime and Courts Sep 5

Boy, 12, accused of 6th car dealership break-in in Montgomery County

Montgomery County Aug 30

Boy, 12, accused of 5 Maryland car dealership break-ins but police can't charge him

Officers learned the suspect was just 12 and saw a black Tesla parked nearby with the trunk open.

“It was discovered that the e-scooter the juvenile was operating did not belong to him and that the juvenile was in possession of a key fob belonging to the black Tesla. The vehicle came back to a dealership in Montgomery County,” a statement from police said.

The boy was released to a parent and not charged.

Under legislation passed in Maryland in 2022, children under 13 cannot be charged with property crimes.

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“The system we are stuck in now has allowed these repeated occasions to occur,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy previously told News4.

Maryland state legislators passed a revised juvenile justice bill earlier this year that’s set to go into effect Nov. 1. The bill broadens consequences for 10 to 12-year-olds who commit crimes. It also expands probation, creates diversion programs and details when state’s attorneys can review certain juvenile cases.

According to the University of Maryland Police Department’s tally, the boy is suspected in 10 cases between the beginning of March and Sunday.

Mark your calendars for these festivals and special events in the D.C. area. We’ll keep updating this list as we find more great stuff to do!

Subscribe to The Weekend Scene newsletter to see what’s coming up every weekend (it’s free!). Every Wednesday, we share pro tips for the best events, highlight free things to do and spotlight people who make the D.C.-area great.

What to do in September

Cox Farms Fall Festival
Select days from Sept. 15 to Nov. 5, Centreville, $10-$25

How much fall fun can Cox Farm pack in? Corn mazes, pumpkin patches, apple picking, petting zoos and a hayride are just the beginning!

The Great Frederick Fair
Sept. 13-21, Frederick, Maryland, $8 in advance or $10 at the gate for adults, free for kids under 10

Frederick, Maryland, has a classic county fair with rides, funnel cakes and animals, plus a grandstand with music acts including Flo Rida. Heads up: Carnival rides and grandstand shows cost extra.

Race the District
Thurs. to Sat., Sept. 19-21, Union Market, $0 to $27

Watching go-karts race around the Union Market parking lot is the banner event (and you’ll need tickets to get in!), but nightly performances, community races and more are free and open to the public. On Saturday and Sunday, you can play with Events DC’s VR activation, and a Red Bull F1 car will be on display Friday and Saturday.

NC Society BBQ & Bluegrass Festival
Fri., Sept. 20, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Hill Center DC in Southeast, $15 for children under 12, $55 for non-members, $35 for members, $70 at the door

Indulge in a whole hog feast while dancing to live bluegrass as a taste of North Carolina arrives in Capitol Hill.

Montgomery County Parks Ale Trail
Sat., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lake Needwood in Rockville, free to join

Hike 2.5 miles around Lake Needwood with a stop at the mid-way beer garden, live music and games at Needwood Mansion. Then head to the main festival area for more music, snacks and an archaeology activity for kids,

H Street Festival
Sat., Sept. 21, H Street Northeast in D.C., free entry

The Northeast D.C. thoroughfare is filled with live music, good eats, shopping and tons of activities for one of the District’s largest neighborhood festivals.

National Dance Day
Sat., Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., The Kennedy Center in D.C., free

Celebrate dance with lessons and performances at The Kennedy Center. Stick around afterward for live music at the REACH @ 5 Block Party.

The World’s Largest Pickle Party
Sat., Sept. 21, Baltimore, $24.99+

Pickle lovers can unite in Baltimore for a day of sweet and sour tastings, plus music.

Unwine Festival
Sat., Sept. 28, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Upper Marlboro, $30+

Sip and savor wines while enjoying live music in Patuxent River Park.

Alexandria Oktoberfest
Sat., Sept. 28, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., John Carlyle Square, free

Raise a stein at Alexandria’s own version of Oktoberfest.

Leesburg Air Show
Sat., Sept. 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Leesburg Executive Airport, free 

Aviation fans old and young alike will enjoy watching aircraft zip around Leesburg. Aerial performances are set to begin at 1 p.m. You can also explore aircraft right on the ground. Go here for parking and transportation information.

Clarendon Day
Sat., Sept. 28, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Arlington, Virginia, free entry

Live music, inflatables and more are on tap for the whole family across six blocks of this Arlington neighborhood.

Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival
Sun., Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Marian Fryer Town Plaza, free

The celebration of Montgomery County art begins with a parade, then keeps the party going at a festival at Grandview Avenue and Reedie Drive.

Aslin 9th Anniversary Beer, Music & Art Festival
Sat., Sept. 28, 1-7 p.m., Aslin Beer Company – Alexandria, Virginia, $25+ for adults

The brewery celebrates its 9th birthday with brews (including beers from guest breweries), live bands and art.

Virginia Beer Festival @ National Landing
Sat., Sept. 28, 4-9 p.m., Water Park National Landing in Arlington, Virginia, free entry

Band Relaxed Fit will play hits from the ’90s and early 2000s at this inaugural beer festival.

What to do in October

Waterford Fair
Fri. to Sat., Oct. 4-6, Waterford, Virginia, single-day adult tickets $20

One of the region’s premiere juried art fairs returns just a short drive from D.C.

Oktoberfest at The Wharf
Sat., Oct. 5, Southwest Waterfront, free entry

Come for the 12th Annual Wiener 500 Dachshund Dash (a Wiener dog race!) and stay for steins of beer and polka lessons. It’s just about the closest thing you’ll find to Munich inside the Beltway!

Taste of Bethesda
Sat., Oct. 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle, free entry

Bethesda’s best restaurants will serve up bites along Norfolk, St. Elmo, Cordell, Del Ray and Auburn Avenues. Stick around for live entertainment on five stages. there will be kids’ activities, too! Entry is free. It costs $10 for 5 tasting tickets, and food items cost one to four tickets.

College Park Day
Sat., Oct. 5, noon to 6 p.m., College Park Aviation Museum, free

Celebrate College Park, Maryland, with all-day live entertainment, bounce houses, food trucks and more.

Old Town Warrenton Fall Festival
Sat., Oct. 5, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Main Street in Warrenton, free entry

Spend a day strolling Main Street in Historic Warrenton, checking out art, music, crafts and food.

Rosslyn Fall Fest
Sat., Oct. 5, 1-6 p.m., Gateway Park on Langston Boulevard in Rosslyn, Virginia, free

Get in the fall spirit with music, a pie-eating contest, hard cider tastings, music and food trucks. Tickets to the cider tasting are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Make sure to bring your ID!

Art on the Avenue
Sat., Oct. 5, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mt. Vernon Avenue in Alexandria, free entry

This huge arts festival returns to Alexandria’s Del Ray for its 29th year, featuring more than hundreds of artists, multiple stages of live entertainment and activities for kids. Free trolley transportation will be available from the Braddock Road Metro station.

Historic Downtown Manassas Fall Jubilee
Sat., Oct. 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Manassas, Virginia, free entry

This festival has been kicking for 41 years. Enjoy music, bands, dance, martial arts and moer.

DC Coffee Festival
Sat. and Sun., Oct. 5-6, Dock 5 at Union Market in Northeast, $24+

Coffee lovers can sample the goods of specialty roasters and shops with unique beans while enjoying live entertainment.

Mosaic Fall Festival
Sun., Oct. 6, Fairfax, Virginia, free entry

URBNmarket and FRESHFARM are teaming up for a weekend of shopping, kids’ activities, live music and performances at the Mosaic District. Dress up for fall-themed selfie stations!

Takoma Park Street Festival
Sun., Oct. 6, Carroll Avenue, free entry

Dance and shop a Sunday away as the Takoma Park Street Festival returns for its 43rd year. 

Fairfax Fall Festival
Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Old Town Square on North Street, free

Fairfax goes all-out for fall with more than 400 arts, crafts, food and other vendors, children’s activities and entertainment for all ages across three stages. Take a spin on rides or check out the beer garden. Here are directions and parking information.

DC Wine Fest
Sat., Oct. 19, noon to 10 p.m., Dock 5 at Union Market, $35-$55

Sample wines from a selection of winemakers. There are three tasting sessions available.

Springfield Fall Festival
Sat., Oct. 19, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Springfield Town Center, free

Pumpkin decorating, characters and live entertainment are just a few of the fun things you’ll find in Springfield Town Center.

Night of the Living Zoo
Fri., Oct. 25, 7-11 p.m., National Zoo, $65 for nonmembers

The National Zoo has revived its adults-only, after-hours Halloween party.

Home Rule Music Festival
Sat., Oct. 26, Alethia Tanner Park, free

This music festival is all about D.C. music and culture. Expect performances by The Experience Band & Show, Bella Donna and more.

What to do in November

Adams Morgan Fall PorchFest
Sat., Nov. 2, 2-6 p.m., free

It’s the fall edition of one of the neighborhood’s best events. Head to Columbia and 18th for a street fest with live music and plenty more from local businesses, or fan into the neighborhood to see community performances right on porches.

DC Beer Fest
Sun., Nov. 2, Nationals Park, $55

Head to Nationals Park to enjoy as many brews as you care to drink from more than 80 breweries. Dueling pianos, bands and food trucks will make it a day to remember.

Alexandria Fall Fest
Sun., Nov. 3, River Farm

Alpaca petting, singing princesses, pony rides and bounce houses will delight kids, while adults can enjoy a wine and beer garden featuring Port City Brewing and Lost Boy Cider.

Past events

Alexandria Old Town Art Festival
Sat. and Sun., Sept. 14-15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 300 John Carlyle St. in Alexandria, free

John Carlyle Square hosts dozens of art vendors for you to peruse and enjoy.

Washington Ukrainian Festival
Sept. 13-15, St. Andrews Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral (15100 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring), $20 (Saturday and Sunday) or $15 (Sunday only)

Immerse yourself in the art, food and culture of Ukraine. Some proceeds support humanitarian organizations helping people impacted by the war.

Celebrate Petworth
Sat., Sept. 14, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 800 block of Upshur Street NW in D.C., free

Explore the best this Northwest neighborhood has to offer by checking out performances, vendors, a dog show and kids’ activities.

Celebrate Van Ness
Sat., 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., along Connecticut Avenue, free

Van Ness is throwing an all-day celebration with a Taylor Swift dance party, artisan pop-up, Crush Funk Brass Band and more before settling in for a movie night. There will be a shuttle bus between Van Ness Street, Pierce Mill and Ellicot Street.

Falls Church Festival
Sat., Sept. 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Falls Church City Hall and Community Center, free

Free concerts, a children’s stage with magicians and music and beer gardens make for a fun day on Little Falls Street. Come hungry to sample from local restaurants participating in the Taste of Falls Church!

Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival
Sat., Sept. 14, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, free entry, parking is $10 in advance, $15 day-of

Kunta Kinte was an enslaved person brought to Annapolis in the late 1700s but never lost sight of their home culture. Today, the festival named after them celebrates African culture with performances, craft vendors, food and more.

Maryland Seafood Festival
Sept. 14-15, Sat. and Sun., Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, $15+ (kids 12 and under can go for free with a paying adult)

Chow down on tons of seafood right by the Chesapeake Bay.

Hispanic Festival
Sun., Sept. 15, 12:30-5:30 p.m., Lane Manor Splash Park in Hyattsville, Maryland, free

The Maryland-National Capital Park And Planning Commission’s festival for Hispanic Heritage Month includes music, activities and food for the whole family.

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We’re settling into a September with gorgeous weather. Here’s how to get out and enjoy it.

Here’s what to do this week in the Washington, D.C. area.

What to do in Washington, D.C.

Dvořák Dreams: An Installation by Refik Anadol: Through Sept. 24, Reach Plaza, free

Cirque du Soleil: “OVO”: Through Sun., Capital One Arena

Chocolate & Wine Tasting: Weds., 7-8:30 p.m., The Chocolate House at 1904 18th Street NW, $55

Sunset Cinema at The Wharf: “My Old Ass”: Thurs., 7 p.m., The Wharf’s Transit Pier, free

Live! At The Library: Film Costume Ball: Thurs., Sept. 12, 6-9 p.m., Library of Congress, free but RSVP required

The 1924: A Science Speakeasy: Fri., 6-9 p.m., National Academy of Sciences in Northwest D.C., $20

Nationals 1924 Championship Centennial Weekend: Fri., Sat. and Sun.

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The Scene Aug 27

Cirque du Soleil contortionist offers a preview of ‘Ovo' at Capital One Arena

Don’t Tell Comedy: Fri., various venues, $25

Walking Town free tours throughout the District: Sept. 14-21, free

Celebrate Petworth: Sat., Sept. 14, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 800 block of Upshur Street NW in D.C., free

Celebrate Van Ness Main Street: Sat., 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Connecticut Avenue NW between Van Ness and Nebraska, free

Library of Congress Family Day: Hispanic Heritage Month: Sat., 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Thomas Jefferson Building – Great Hall, free

Paramount+ & NPF Present: “Forrest Gump” at the National Mall: Sat., lawn opens at 5 p.m., movie begins at dusk, National Mall near Smithsonian Metro Station and 9th Street, free

Dancing Queens Drag Brunch: Sun., 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Roof Terrace Restaurant at the Kennedy Center, $98.91 per guest + tax

Washington Spirit vs. Houston Dash: Sun., 1 p.m., Audi Field

• Join the black out at Audi Field by wearing black. Fans will be given blackout rally towels. Plus, all six of Spirit’s Olympians will be presented with a Tiffany necklace.

Washington Mystics vs.Atlanta Dream: Sun., 3 p.m., Entertainment and Sports Arena

What to do in Maryland

Fall Twilight Concert Series: Weds., 6-7 p.m., Brookside Gardens, free
FYI: YötRöx (70’s & 80’s Rock Hits)

The Great Frederick Fair: Sept. 13-21, Frederick, Maryland, $8 in advance or $10 at the gate for adults, free for kids under 10
FYI: Carnival rides and grandstand shows cost extra

Washington Ukrainian Festival: Sept. 13-15, St. Andrews Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral (15100 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring), $20 (Saturday and Sunday) or $15 (Sunday only)

Maryland Seafood Festival: Sept. 14-15, Sat. and Sun., Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, $15+ (kids 12 and under can go for free with a paying adult)

Acoustics & Ales: Fri., 5-7:30 p.m., North Four Corners Local Park in Silver Spring, free entry

Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival: Sat., Sept. 14, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, free entry, parking is $10 in advance, $15 day of

In The Streets festival: Sat., 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., downtown Frederick, Maryland, free entry

Latinas in Aviation Global Festival: Sat., College Park Aviation Museum, free

DC Polo Society | End of Summer Social: Sat., Congressional Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland, $28.45 – $35

Hispanic Festival: Sun., Sept. 15, 12:30-5:30 p.m., Lane Manor Splash Park in Hyattsville, free

Commanders vs. New York Giants: Sun., 1 p.m., Northwest Stadium in Landover

Maryland Restaurant Week: Sept. 13-22

Brushes and Beats: A Go-Go Themed Youth Paint & Sip: Sun., Arts’tination in Oxon Hill, free with RSVP

What to do in Virginia

Cox Farms Fall Festival: Select days from Sept. 15 to Nov. 5, Centreville, $10-$25

Solheim Cup: Through Sun., Gainesville, $65 and up for adults

Dulles Day Plane Pull benefitting Special Olympics Virginia: Sat., 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Dulles International Airport (follow “event parking” signs), free

22nd Annual Alexandria Old Town Art Festival: Sat. and Sun., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 300 John Carlyle St. in Alexandria, free

Torpedo Factory Art Center’s 50th Anniversary: Fri. to Sun., Alexandria

Virginia Native American Festival: Sat., 10 a.m., Riverbend Park in Great Falls, $12

Falls Church Festival: Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Falls Church City Hall and Community Center, free

Fall Family Fest: Sat., noon to 4 p.m., Perch Putt rooftop in Tyson’s Corner, free ticket with registration

NOVA Family Fair: Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, free

Moon Festival – Tết Trung Thu at Eden Center: Sat., noon to 5 p.m., Eden Center in Falls Church, free entry

Welcoming Week Family Storytime: Sun., 2-4 p.m., 418 S Washington St. in Alexandria, free

“Encanto” characters at Shipgarten: Sun., noon to 6 p.m., McLean, free entry

Coming up soon

NMWA Nights: Weds., Sept. 18, 5:30 to 8 p.m., National Museum of Women in the Arts, $22-$25

H Street Festival: Sat., Sept. 21, H Street Northeast, free entry

Fields of Fear at Cox Farms: Sept. 20 to Nov. 2, Centreville, Virginia, $30-$40

Correction (Thursday, Sept, 12, 9:47 a.m.): This article originally misstated the opponent in the Washington Spirit game. It has been corrected.

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Ernest Joseph Dyson, 39, was working on a water main break near the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Rodney Road about 4:40 a.m. when the driver of a black 2011 Volkswagen CC hit him, police said.

He died at the scene of the crash.

“WSSC Water is devastated by this tragedy,” WSSC Water General Manager and CEO Kishia L. Powell said in a statement Monday. “Ernest was the embodiment of professionalism and public service. He was a dedicated and highly respected member of the Utility Services Department and a beloved member of Team H2O with nearly 18 years of service to WSSC Water customers.”

Ernie Dyson was killed doing his job — a public service — one that he was proud of. He cared about giving back to his community.

“Anyone that came in contact with Ernie just loved him,” said his cousin, Alfonso Dyson. “Loved his personality. He’d do anything for anyone. He would give of himself in a moment’s notice.”

He says there’s a void in the hearts of his family members. Ernie Dyson was the youngest of five children and a loving son. 

“One of the things with Ernie is that he never lost sight of his family,” his cousin said. “That was most important to him.”

“We don’t have our loved one anymore,” he said. “He’s gone. He’s gone. And the family has to suffer through this.”

Ernie’s impact was also felt by his friends and coworkers. In a statement, WSSC Water said, “We are all heartbroken and honestly still in shock as we process this senseless tragedy. Our deepest condolences are with Mr. Dyson’s family during this incredibly difficult time.”

In the midst of tragedy, Ernie Dyson’s family hopes others don’t have to face the senseless pain they now feel.

“There’s no reason why this person had to get behind the wheel,” his cousin said. “Especially in today’s time. There’s Uber, there’s Lyft, call a friend, call a family member. This should be a lesson to everyone.”

Montgomery County Police have not identified the driver who struck Ernie Dyson. The investigation is still ongoing.

Police are asking anyone who might have seen the crash to call 240-773-6620.

The family says funeral arrangements are in the works, and he’s expected to be laid to rest in Clinton.

Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.

Alex Delgado, 20, of Silver Spring, and the 17-year-old, of New Carrollton, are accused of killing 18-year-old Anibal Suazo from Lothian, Maryland.

Police did not name the 17-year-old but said that the teen is being charged as an adult.

Police responded to the 4700 block of Kenilworth Avenue at 6 p.m. after a shooting was reported. Officers discovered Suazo suffering from a gunshot wound. He died on the scene.

The shooting also injured Delgado and a woman. They were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Police recovered two guns on the scene.

“Everybody ducked and started running away. Seconds later, we heard more gunshots,” one man said.

One witness said they heard some sound coming from the middle of the laundromat and saw two people fighting before a couple of gunshots went off. When people started running , the witness said there were “a lot more gunshots.”

Patrons took cover until police arrived.

The 17-year-old fled the scene in a car. He was arrested later by police after a pursuit with a Prince George’s County Guardian helicopter.

A preliminary investigation revealed Delgado and the teen suspect targeted Suazo at the laundromat, police said. According to police, both suspects knew Suazo. When they approached him, they started to physically assault him, police said.

During the fight, Delgado shot Suazo and the woman and then Suazo returned fire, police said.

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At the laundromat on Monday, a woman told News the 18-year-old shot and killed was her sister’s boyfriend. Her sister, who’s also 18, was shot four times in her feet and leg.

“She’s doing good. She’s stable. She’s in the hospital, waiting to get surgery,” she said.

Two clothes dryers were taped over and out of service on Monday. A woman showed bullet holes in a shirt she had inside a dryer with the gunfire began.

“Everybody started crying. It’s too difficult for me,” she said.

Despite the shooting, the laundromat opened on time at 6 a.m. Monday.

Some people retrieved belongings they left behind in the chaos; others had no idea there had been a murder.

Prince George’s County police are conducting an investigation into the motive for the assault and shooting. They said that it appeared to be an isolated incident and there was no threat to the public.

The laundromat owner said he had been in business for five years and never had any trouble. He described the shooting as an isolated, targeted incident and said he’s cooperating with investigators.

If anyone has information relevant to this investigation and would like to speak to a Homicide Unit detective, they are asked to please call 301-516-2512.

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

Ayuk Etta, 40, of Lanham was standing outside a Mercedes near Route 50 when he was struck by a Honda.

The crash spilled across multiple lanes of traffic.

The 19-year-old driver of the Honda and its four passengers are expected to be OK, Maryland State Police said. Two passengers in the Mercedes were treated at a hospital and released.

Road safety experts say people should never get out of a vehicle along a stretch of road like that unless they are certain it’s safe to do so.

“If you don’t have a Jersey wall or something to get behind and you don’t feel safer outside your vehicle, sometimes staying in the vehicle is the safer option than being on foot and right close to where your vehicle is,” Maryland State Police Capt. Brian Smith said.

The state’s move over law includes all vehicles on the side of the road as of Oct. 1, 2022.

“One thing we do remind our drivers, as well, if you do become disabled, put your four-way flashers on because that will trigger the move over law for vehicles to move over if they can,” Smith said.

If they can’t, they are required to slow down.

Police believe speed contributed to the crash, which remains under investigation.

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Troy Turner pleaded for help finding Sarah and Jacob in a video released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

“As a dad, I want to have hope. And as a father, obviously, I love my kids and I want to hope that in some way, they’re still there,” Turner said. “We’re gonna keep fighting.”

In hopes of getting answers, the NCMEC released age-progressed images of what the Hoggle siblings may look like today. The hope is that the images may spark a memory, or inspire someone to come forward with information.

Sarah would be 13, and Jacob would be 12 years old.

“There’s tremendous frustration that we have gone 10 years and not had, sort of, a conclusion to this,” John McCarthy, the State’s Attorney for Montgomery County, said.

Murder charges against children’s mother were dropped

Sarah and Jacob were last seen on Labor Day weekend 2014, in the care of their mother, Catherine Hoggle, the NCMEC said.

Catherine Hoggle was later arrested and charged with murder. Despite extensive searches, Sarah and Jacob have never been found. According to the NCMEC, Hoggle continues to say her children are “safe.”

The last major update in the case came two years ago when a judge dropped charges against Catherine Hoggle.

Montgomery County courts repeatedly deemed Hoggle not mentally competent to stand trial, and Maryland law mandated the charges be dropped after five years. Police said she refused to cooperate, and prosecutors accused her of faking the extent of her mental illness.

A judge ordered Hoggle to be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution civilly after it was determined that she remained a danger to herself and others. Hoggle, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia before the children went missing, has been held in a maximum-security psychiatric hospital since her arrest.

The State’s Attorney’s office continues to monitor Catherine Hoggle’s condition and would charge her again if they can, McCarthy said.

“If her mental health status improves to the point that she can be removed from the hospital because she’s no longer a danger to herself and others in the community, we’ll reindict this case,” he said.

In a release from the NCMEC, Turner, the father, said it’s time to move the focus onto finding his son and daughter.

“For the past 10 years the focus has been on her and whether she was competent to stand trial,” Turner said.  “I want the focus to be put back on finding my children. It is definitely time to have some movement in the case. If someone knows anything, if anyone saw anything, it’s time to come forward. It’s past time.”

Anyone with information can contact the NCMEC at 1-800-843-5688 or Montgomery County Police at 301-279-8000.

NBC Washington is looking back at the Hoggle case. Stay tuned for updates.

The reduction in the $18.9 billion program for fiscal years 2025 to 2030 will result in some deferred projects, such as sidewalk repair and intersection improvements, officials said. It also will delay the transition to the electrification of the state’s bus fleet.

“Despite significant budgetary challenges, the Maryland Department of Transportation continues to prioritize the safety of all who use our transportation system and make investments in projects that will help grow our economy,” Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said in a news release.

For example, the state will proceed with plans for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel to replace the 1.4-mile (2.3-kilometer) Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel that connects Baltimore’s Penn station to MARC’s West Baltimore Station. The state will also continue plans for the Howard Street Tunnel to create vertical clearance improvements along CSX’s Rail Corridor to allow double-stack trains to travel between Baltimore and Philadelphia.

The proposal also won’t affect plans to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed under the impact of a massive container ship that lost power and crashed into one of its supporting columns.

The state also is proceeding with the project development process for the Baltimore Red Line and Southern Maryland Rapid Transit, the department said.

Revenue forecasts for several state transportation funding sources, including the gas tax, vehicle titling tax, transit fares and vehicle registration, were revised downward to reflect results from this past fiscal year, the department said.

That, combined with existing funding commitments such as operating expenses, support for local governments through increased highway user revenues and Purple Line payments, left the department with fewer state dollars than anticipated to match federal funding for highway and transit projects. The Purple Line is a 16-mile (26-kilometer) light rail line in the suburbs of the nation’s capital that connects New Carrollton in Prince George’s County to Bethesda in Montgomery County.

The reduced ability to fully leverage federal funds is a driving factor behind the $1.3 billion in reductions and will result in certain projects being deferred because of fiscal constraints, the department said. The end of federal pandemic relief, inflation and supply chain disruptions have also had an impact.

Some of the deferrals include system preservation needs, transitioning the Maryland Transit Administration’s bus fleet to zero emission vehicles and pausing the design of major highway expansion projects at logical milestones, the department said in a news release.

The release of the draft program launches the department’s public engagement process. That includes a meeting in every Maryland county and the city of Baltimore to receive input from local officials and the public. This year’s tour is scheduled to take place between September and October with local jurisdictions hosting the meetings.

After the tour, the transportation department will finalize the draft plan and submit a final plan to the legislature in January.

Last year, the department cut the six-year plan by $3.3 billion. Those reductions were eased when Gov. Wes Moore allocated $150 million of the state’s rainy day fund to help offset the cuts. The legislature also responded by approving vehicle registration increases.

But thanks to a new bus service, it’s about to get easier.

News4 spotted a Fairfax Connector bus training for the new service on the streets of Bethesda on Tuesday, just weeks before the 798 bus line will start running between the two locations.

Fairfax County says the service, which is the first express route of its kind, has been a focus of the transportation department.

“We’re really about trying to get connectivity and mobility throughout the county and throughout the region,” said Gregg Steverson, acting director of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

The bus service along the Beltway will be an alternative to a very long train trip on Metro, which requires going into D.C., switching Metro lines, and then heading back out of the District on the other side.

Still, some riders may find the 798 bus line a hard sell, as the bus will need to compete with traffic on the Beltway and the Legion Bridge.

“It takes forever to drive out to Tysons, so I’d rather take the train,” said Edward, one of those riders.

And it’s a long way to go if you don’t have a good reason.

“I have no need to go to Tysons,” said Steve Clark, another bus rider.

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But there are plans to eventually have some buses between Tysons and Bethesda running in dedicated bus lanes or express lanes, speeding up the trip.

And other riders, like Abudnegu, are on board. He says he rides between the two locations all the time.

“I would love to do that,” he said of riding the new bus line. “I think it’s going to be very efficient. So that would be great. I would love to get that.”

The new route is also expected to serve the National Institutes of Health and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The buses will start by running every 20 minutes during the morning and afternoon rush, for $4.80 one way. Service is expected to begin on Sept. 16.

You can learn more about the route here.

At least nine of those guns have now been found at crime scene and or with people wanted on warrants for violent offenses, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said. Many of the others are still unaccounted for.

“Our city is being flooded with illegal weapons,” he said. “All three of these stores ignored the red flags.”

Washington, D.C., has struggled with gun violence in recent years. The nation’s capital saw its highest number of homicides in more than three decades last year, and more than 90% of those were carried out with firearms, the suit states.

“Many of us watch the news and we wonder where all these guns are coming from,” said Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. “Now we have part of the answer.”

In Washington, the supply of weapons is often fueled by people who buy guns for others who can’t legally possess them, Schwalb said. About 95% of guns recovered in Washington, D.C., which has strict gun laws, originally come from nearby Maryland or Virginia, Schwalb said. While some of those are stolen weapons, more come from illegal straw sales, according to data about firearm trafficking investigations from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The suit seeks unspecified damages and court action to halt any future straw purchases.

The lawsuit is the first to be filed jointly and comes as cities and states around the country file civil suits against gun shops, including in New Jersey, Minnesota, Chicago and Philadelphia. Kansas City also settled a suit last year against a gun dealer accused of ignoring evidence that guns were being sold illegally.

Licensed firearm dealers do work with ATF to identify possible straw purchases, said Larry Keane, senior vice president at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry group. Still, he said that warning signs may not always be obvious at busy stores, where a buyer might encounter different employees on different days.

“The focus should be on the actions of the criminal, not trying to scapegoat retailers who do their best every day to try to prevent straw purchasing,” he said, pointing to a 2016 Justice Department survey of people in prison that found a relatively small number had gotten firearms from a retail source.

The new suit, filed with the gun safety group Everytown Law, accuses the Maryland-based stores of failing to respond to warning signs, including bulk purchasing and repetitive purchases.

The three stores sold a total of nearly three dozen similar weapons to Demetrius Minor over a seven-month period in 2021, the suit said. Nearly all were trafficked to others, including people who aren’t legally allowed to buy firearms, the suit alleges. One gun, for example, was found in a D.C. hotel room along with an illegal large-capacity magazine and another was found at the home of a stabbing suspect, the suit says.

Minor pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license last year in a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. An attorney who represented Minor could not immediately be reached for comment.

One store, Atlantic Guns, Inc., said it has “never and will never knowingly sell to someone who we have reason to believe is committing a straw purchase.” Another, United Gun Shop, declined immediate comment, and the third, Engage Armament LLC, did not immediately respond.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and court action to halt any future straw purchases.

During former President Donald Trump ‘s administration, her office under the U.S. Department of Agriculture was told it would be moving. About 75 people were going to be relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, Dodson said, but less than 40 actually moved. A rushed process that failed to consider the need to find homes, jobs for spouses and schools for children prompted some retirements, she said, and some took other federal jobs, hurting the agency in the end.

Now, with Trump proposing the relocation of up to 100,000 federal jobs from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia under his Agenda 47 plan, concerns about being abruptly moved are again troubling federal workers. The Republican’s proposals stir anxiety in the midst of an unusually competitive U.S. Senate race in heavily Democratic Maryland that could determine control of the Senate, with even the Republican candidate calling the plans “crazy.” The proposals also could hinder Trump’s chances to win Virginia, a state he lost in 2016 and 2020, where a U.S. Senate seat widely seen as safely Democratic is also on the ballot.

“It’s causing a lot of anxiety, a lot of discomfort within the workforce, as you are faced with these strong, negative, anti-federal worker stances and this uncertainty of what might happen to your job, your home and your livelihood,” said Dodson, who is acting vice president of American Federation of Government Employees local 3403, which represents the USDA’s Economic Research Service.

And concerns don’t end there. Federal workers also are worried about “Project 2025,” a proposed overhaul of the federal government crafted by longtime Trump allies that would eliminate thousands of jobs and remove civil service protections for some federal workers. The former president has repeatedly distanced himself from the proposal this summer.

But the plan still worries Michael Knowles. He said it calls for making the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ D.C. presence “skeletal, and agency employees with operational or security roles should be rotated out to offices throughout the United States.”

Knowles, who is president of AFGE local 1924, said most of his members took an oath to uphold the Constitution and faithfully administer the laws of the United States. He said the members, who all work in the National Capital Region, are committed to the mission of government service.

“And they would do what they need to do to carry out that mission,” Knowles said. “But I think the employees would look dimly on arbitrary or capricious decisions that didn’t seem to make any business or operational sense.”

Trump’s campaign did not return requests for comment.

The District of Columbia has the largest number of federal civilian employees, with about 160,700 jobs, according to the Congressional Research Service. Maryland and Virginia are in the top four jurisdictions, with about 138,940 in Maryland and 140,400 in Virginia. California has about 142,040.

The proposals to move a large number of federal workers infuriate local leaders in the suburbs of Washington in both Maryland and Virginia. In Maryland, a heavily blue state where Trump is deeply unpopular, it’s viewed by many as retaliation by the former president, who received only 32% of the vote there in 2020.

Trump made headlines while he was in office when he denigrated Baltimore, Maryland’s largest city, as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”

Angela Alsobrooks, the chief executive of Prince George’s County who is the Democratic nominee in the Maryland U.S. Senate race, described Trump’s positions on the federal workforce “as yet another reason that we absolutely must put Donald Trump in the rearview mirror.”

“Former President Trump is a ruthless leader, retaliatory in all his ways, and what he talks about in terms of really harming federal workers is evil,” Alsobrooks said after returning from the Democratic National Convention last month.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan, her Republican opponent, condemned the relocation proposals as “crazy.” He said they “would be devastating to the region, the state of Maryland and bad for the federal government.”

“It’s like, you know, Trump trying to turn the federal government into one of his failed casinos, where he thinks he can do whatever he wants,” Hogan, who has long been one of the GOP’s fiercest Trump critics, said in an interview. “I think it would undermine our entire democracy.”

Businesses that provide services to the thousands of federal workers fear the ripple-effect threat of the proposed changes. At Census Auto Repair & Sales, for example, across the street from the U.S. Census Bureau’s headquarters in Suitland, Maryland, service manager Tay Gibson says his shop would feel the impact directly.

“I would hate to see the federal workers leave,” Gibson said. “That would be business leaving as well, and that would affect small businesses like myself.”

Libby Garvey, chair of the Arlington County Board in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, emphasized the potential hit on the local economy.

“If a large proportion of (tax payers) suddenly lose their jobs (or have to) move away, that takes a terrible, major hit to our local budget, which impacts our ability to pave the roads, make sure the water is clean, provide public safety, fire, police, emergency personnel and provide good schools,” Garvey said.

Karen Hult, a political science professor at Virginia Tech, said the move could harm Trump’s chances in Virginia.

“Federal workers around Northern Virginia, and in the D.C. metro area generally, are, in fact, a bit of a voting bloc,” Hult said “The other thing, of course, are all the contractors — the beltway bandits. They make a big difference, too.”

But Hult also said the idea of relocating federal workers could resonate with Virginians outside of the northern part of the state, who may feel a distrust of the D.C. bureaucracy.

Filipe Campante, a Bloomberg Distinguished professor at Johns Hopkins University who focuses on political economy and urban and regional issues, noted that there’s a reason why capital cities exist, with the presence of federal employees nearby. Physical presence, he said, is necessary for face-to-face interactions that are important to maintaining accountability.

While Trump and his supporters see the relocation as a positive in terms of moving the “deep state” away from the seat of government, Campante said it also has a downside.

“I think it is a positive factor for accountability that you have civil servants also operating as a check on political appointees, and this would be weakened by moving these people away from where the center of the government is, so I think from that perspective it would reduce accountability,” Campante said. “Obviously, then, it depends on whether you think this accountability is good or not.”

—-

Witte reported from Annapolis and Suitland, Maryland.

We hope your final hurrah of summer was a memorable one! September is coming in with a fall-like feeling, and we’re here for it.

Here’s what to do this week in the Washington, D.C. area.

What to do in Washington, D.C.

Sunset Cinema at The Wharf: “King Richard”: Thurs., 7 p.m., The Wharf’s Transit Pier, free

Don’t Tell Comedy: Fri. and Sat., various venues, $25

One Lacrosse Gathering Celebration: Sat., National Mall, free

D.C. State Fair: Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Franklin Park in downtown D.C., free entry

DC Bike Ride: Sat., begins on Constitution Avenue, various prices (registration closes Thursday)

Doggie Day Swim DC: Sat., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free but current D.C. dog license required

• Four pools participating: Langdon Park Pool in Northeast, Ridge Road Pool in Southeast and Francis and Upshut pools in Northwest

Jazz in The Parks: Lenny Robinson & Exploration with Special Guest Marshall Keys with opener Music with Mr. Rob: Sat., The Parks at Walter Reed, free

Women in Sports ’24 with US Open Women’s Finals on the big screen and golf simulator: Sat., noon to 8 p.m., The Wharf, free

Washington Spirit vs. Portland Thorns: Sat., 12:30 p.m., Audi Field

Boot ‘N Scoot At Hi Lawn: Sat. and Sun., Hi Lawn at Union Market, $10-$15

Adams Morgan Day: Sun., noon to 8 p.m., Marie Reed school and Kalorama Park, free

Injera Festival: Sun., 2-9 p.m., The Bullpen in Southeast, $15+

Washington Mystics vs. Minnesota Lynx: Sun., 3 p.m., Entertainment and Sports Arena

What to do in Maryland

Fall Twilight Concert Series: Weds., 6-7 p.m., Brookside Gardens, free

• FYI: Kiti Gartner & the Drifting Valentines (Rockabilly/Classic Country/Western Swing)

Bethesda Row Arts Festival: Sat. and Sun., near Elm Street and Woodmont Avenue, free entry

Mount Rainier Day Festival: Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mount Rainier Nature Center, free

Silver Spring Jazz Festival: Sat., 3-10 p.m., Veterans Plaza, free (no ticket required)

Festival Salvadoreñisimo: Sun., 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg, $50+

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Takoma Park Folk Festival: Sun., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Takoma Park Middle School, free

Commanders vs. Buccaneers: Sun., 4:25 p.m., Northwest Stadium in Landover

Maryland State Fair: Aug. 29-Sept. 2 and Sept. 5-8, Lutherville-Timonium, $11-$16

Maryland Renaissance Festival: Through Oct. 20, Annapolis, Maryland, $26+ for adult tickets through Sept. 8

What to do in Virginia

Dog Daze canine swim: Sat., 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,  The Water Mine in Reston, $10 per dog

Rosslyn Jazz Fest: Sat., 1-7 p.m., Gateway Park on Langston Blvd, free

US Asian Fest: Sat., 2-9 p.m., One Loudoun, $15-$100

Fall Plant and Garden Sale: Sat., 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mount Vernon overflow parking lot, free entry

Coming up soon

Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday 2 World Tour: Mon., Sept. 9, 9 p.m., Capital One Arena, $40+

Washington Mystics vs. Indiana Fever: Thurs., Sept. 19, 7 p.m., Capital One Arena, $45+

HFStival: Sat., Sept. 21, Nationals Park, $150-$250

Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

The advisory will affect customers in Clinton, Rosaryville, Marlton, Brandywine, Accokeek and part of Fort Washington.

The “conservation request” affects about 110,000 residents of southern Prince George’s County. Customers can type their address into an interactive map to see if they are in the affected area.

Crews will work around the clock starting early Thursday to replace a failing section of a concrete cylinder pipe water transmission main. The work is expected to take take three days to complete.

In Brandywine, the owner of New York Italian Deli & Restaurant said he fears the water restrictions will force him to temporarily close the business.

“If worse comes to worse, we have to shut down,” owner John Russo said, noting that all of his employees would suffer.

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WSSC Water encourages customers to wash dishes and do their laundry before the work begins.

WSSC Water is asking customers to do the following:

• Stop all outside water use – no watering lawns, washing cars or topping off swimming pools
• Use water only, as necessary – i.e., take shorter showers and quickly turn off faucets immediately after use
• Limit flushing toilets (do not flush after every use)
• Limit using washing machines and dishwashers to full loads only

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Following these guidelines could prevent a boil water advisory and will help preserve water for fire protection, officials said.

Officials said that if it rains while crews are working, WSSC Water will close portions of Dower House Road from Woodyard Road to Old Marlboro Pike to local traffic only. Dower House Road will be completely closed to all traffic between Old Pike Way and Pearl Harbor Drive.

Here are the four stops opening up this week:

• Glenmont
• Wheaton
• Forest Glen
• Silver Spring

The fifth station, Takoma Park, reopened in late June, two days earlier than its expected opening date.

The closures started June 1 and were put in place for improvements and allowed the Maryland Transit Administration to make progress on its Purple Line project.

For some, the closures disrupted some summer plans. Amy Marie Sol and her son Gustavo even left the area because of it.

“We’re pretty reliant on being able to get around easily,” Sol said. “We’re home-schoolers and we go to the museums and all of that kind of stuff.”

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Now that the stations are open, both of them can take trips to the museums again.

Since the stations’ reopening, riders should expect a smoother ride. Escalator and tunnel improvements were made, the tracks were strengthened and the pavement was smoothed out.

Bus-only lanes that were set up because of the closures are set to remain until at least the end of the year. One commuter named Zoe was relieved that they were staying open.

“Oh great, so that’ll make it way easier for us,” Zoe said. “Because traffic definitely affects everything as well so the bus lanes will definitely help.”

As the Purple Line construction continues, it will feed into the Silver Spring Metro station. The long-delayed project is still years away from completion. Some commuters say they’re tired of the delays.

The Purple Line has been pushed back several times, now being predicted to be complete in 2027.

The county partnership with food delivery service Instacart is giving families monthly vouchers — and for Danielle Wood, the program means one less thing to worry about.

Wood is a working mother of three. Her family is one of 600 enrolled in the Montgomery County Groceries Program. She receives a monthly voucher of 300 dollars, which she can use to get groceries delivered to her door through Instacart.

“It’s a huge breath of relief, yeah,” Wood told News4 while enjoying the park with her youngest, who is just nine months old.

Wood and her husband work full time. But they’re not immune to the financial pinch being felt by millions of people nationwide.

Making ends meet has been difficult, so the opportunity to have one part of the problem taken care of — and have it delivered straight to their door — has been huge.

“You want to have a family and you also want to be able to care for your family,” Wood said. “You want to care for them well. To be supported by the county, by the community, and be seen by your community is a big deal.”

Montgomery County allocated $1.8 million toward the program. Collaboration with Instacart has been key, the county told News4.

Families are able to get $100 per child, per month, up to four children.

Here are the qualifications for the program:

• Households must have at least one child under the age of 18
• Households must NOT be recieving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program
• Households must have an income below 400% of the federal poverty level. That roughly equates to $124,000 a year for a household of 4.

Montgomery County says the program is specifically designed for families in the “SNAP gap” — where they make too much for federal assistance, but are still struggling to make ends meet.

“We have to make sure that programs like this expand, so that we can meet the needs of our community and meet them where they are,” said Montgomery County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz.

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For Wood, the financial breathing room lets her enjoy the little things even more, like spending quality time with her kids.

“There’s a lot of families who you wouldn’t look at them and expect that this would be such a boon and such a gift for them to receive this, but it’s life-changing,” Wood said. “It seems like the smallest thing. It’s just groceries, but it’s making a difference.”

The County has plans to expand the program to support up to 2,000 households.

More than 80 grocery stores in Montgomery County are part of the program. You can get more information on getting involved here.

When Marquise Vanzego got his food from the La Plata Chick-fil-A drive-thru last Friday, he was shocked by the racist name printed on the label.

“It was devastating,” Vanzego said. “It just set me back years. As a black male, we’ve gone through a lot, and it’s a constant reminder, just when you think you’re healing from a situation, someone opens that wound back up.”

Vanzego says he went inside to complain, and a manager and the store owner later apologized to him. The owner told Vanzego that he wouldn’t fire the employee involved, because the employee was a minor and said he’d misheard the name.

Vanzego says he placed the order face to face, not through a microphone, because the worker was standing outside in the drive-thru line.

“I think it could’ve been handled a lot differently,” Vanzego said. “I think the employee should’ve been terminated on the spot. It’s unfortunate that he might end up losing his job, but that happens. He needs to learn from this.”

Vanzego told News4 that he used to be a regular customer at the Chick-fil-A location, often coming several times a week.

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Chick-fil-A responded to a request for comment with a short statement.

“This Chick-fil-A is independently franchised and operated. The franchisee of this restaurant has apologized to the guest. However, this experience does not meet our expectations and is unacceptable.”

News4 also called the La Plata Chick-fil-A. A worker who answered the phone said they had no further comment.

Vanzego says he’s hired an attorney and he’s considering filing a federal lawsuit against Chick-fil-A for discrimination.

“I won’t be going back to the Chick-fil-A any longer,” Vanzego said. “Racism is still alive.”

The 4-3 ruling means Syed’s murder conviction remains reinstated for the foreseeable future. It comes about 11 months after the court heard arguments last October in a case that has been fraught with legal twists and divided court rulings since Syed was convicted in 2000 of killing his high school ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.

Syed has been free since October 2022, and while the Supreme Court’s ruling reinstates his convictions, the justices did not order any changes to his release.

The court concluded that in an effort to remedy what was perceived to be an injustice to Syed, prosecutors and a lower court “worked an injustice” against Lee’s brother, Young Lee. The court ruled that Lee was not treated with “dignity, respect, and sensitivity,” because he was not given reasonable notice of the hearing that resulted in Syed being freed.

The court ruled that the remedy was “to reinstate Mr. Syed’s convictions and to remand the case to the circuit court for further proceedings.”

The court also said Lee would be afforded reasonable notice of the new hearing, “sufficient to provide Mr. Lee with a reasonable opportunity to attend such a hearing in person,” and for him or his counsel to be heard.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Michele Hotten wrote that “this case exists as a procedural zombie.”

“It has been reanimated, despite its expiration,” Hotten wrote. “The doctrine of mootness was designed to prevent such judicial necromancy.”

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The latest issue in the case pitted recent criminal justice reform efforts against the legal rights of crime victims and their families, whose voices are often at odds with a growing movement to acknowledge and correct systemic issues, including historic racism, police misconduct and prosecutorial missteps.

The panel of seven judges weighed the extent to which crime victims have a right to participate in hearings where a conviction could be vacated. To that end, the court considered whether to uphold a lower appellate court ruling in 2023 in favor of the Lee family. It reinstated Syed’s murder conviction a year after a judge granted a request from Baltimore prosecutors to vacate it because of flawed evidence.

Syed, 43, has maintained his innocence and has often expressed concern for Lee’s surviving relatives. The teenage girl was found strangled to death and buried in an unmarked grave in 1999. Syed was sentenced to life in prison, plus 30 years.

Syed was released from prison in September 2022, when a Baltimore judge overturned his conviction after city prosecutors found flaws in the evidence.

However, in March 2023, the Appellate Court of Maryland, the state’s intermediate appellate court, ordered a redo of the hearing that won Syed his freedom and reinstated his conviction. The court said the victim’s family didn’t receive adequate notice to attend the hearing in person, violating their right under state law to be “treated with dignity and respect.”

Syed’s lawyer Erica Suter has argued that the state did meet its obligation by allowing Young Lee to participate in the hearing via video conference.

Syed appealed his conviction’s reinstatement, and the Lee family also appealed to the state’s highest court, contending that crime victims should be given a larger role in the process of vacating a conviction.

Syed has remained free as the latest set of appeals wind their way through the state court system.

During oral arguments last year, his attorneys argued the Lee family’s appeal was moot because prosecutors decided not to charge him again after his conviction was vacated. And even if her brother’s rights were violated, the attorneys argued, he hasn’t demonstrated whether the alleged violation would have changed the outcome of the hearing.

This wasn’t the first time Maryland’s highest court has taken up Syed’s protracted legal odyssey.

In 2019, a divided court ruled 4-3 to deny Syed a new trial. A lower court had ordered a retrial in 2016 on grounds that Syed’s attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, didn’t contact an alibi witness and provided ineffective counsel. Gutierrez died in 2004.

In November 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the decision by Maryland’s top court.

More recently, Baltimore prosecutors reexamined Syed’s files under a Maryland law targeting so-called “juvenile lifers” because he was 17 when Hae Min Lee’s body was found. Prosecutors uncovered numerous problems, including alternative suspects and the unreliable evidence presented at trial.

Instead of reconsidering his sentence, prosecutors filed a motion to vacate Syed’s conviction entirely. They later chose not to recharge him after receiving the results of DNA testing that was conducted using more modern testing techniques than initially conducted. DNA recovered from Lee’s shoes excluded Syed as a suspect, prosecutors said.

Syed’s case was chronicled in the “Serial” podcast, which debuted in 2014 and drew millions of listeners who became armchair detectives as the series analyzed the case. The show transformed the true-crime genre as it shattered podcast-streaming and downloading records, revealing little-known evidence and raising new questions about the case.

The newspaper, which obtained the document as part of a Freedom of Information Act request, reported that Moore made the claim on the application in 2006 when he was 27.

In a statement, the governor wrote that he had been encouraged to fill out the application for the fellowship by his deputy brigade commander serving overseas in the Army. At the time, Moore said the deputy brigade commander had recommended him for the Bronze Star — and told him to include the award on his application “after confirming with two other senior-level officers that they had also signed off on the commendation.”

Toward the end of his deployment, however, Moore said he was disappointed to learn he had not received the Bronze Star. When he returned home, Moore said he was “focused on helping my fellow veterans, a mission I continue to advance as governor.”

“Still, I sincerely wish I had gone back to correct the note on my application,” Moore, a Democrat, said in a statement Thursday. “It was an honest mistake, and I regret not making that correction.”

The Bronze Star is awarded to service members for meritorious service in combat zones.

The governor noted in his statement Thursday that he was listed as a top 1% officer in Operation Enduring Freedom in his officer evaluation report.

“My deputy brigade commander felt comfortable with instructing me to include the award on my application for the Fellowship because he received confirmation with the approval authority that the Bronze Star was signed and approved by his senior leadership,” Moore wrote.

The governor also wrote that in the military, “there is an understanding that if a senior officer tells you that an action is approved, you can trust that as a fact. That is why it was part of the application, plain and simple.”

The award had been mentioned during interviews with media when Moore was running for governor in 2022, but Moore never said in those interviews that he had not received the commendation. In an interview with the New York Times, the governor said for the first time that he regretted failing to correct the interviewers who had described him as a recipient of the award.

The newspaper also spoke to the officer who Moore said had recommended he put the award on his application this week in an interview arranged by Moore’s staff. The officer, Michael Fenzel, who is now a lieutenant general serving as the United States security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, told The Times that Moore had first objected to the idea of mentioning the Bronze Star.

Fenzel said he had told Moore that he and others had approved the medal, and that it was appropriate to include it in his application, the newspaper reported, and that it would be processed by the time his fellowship began.

The stunning crash caused “a series of secondary crashes,” leading to a total of 43 damaged cars and an hourslong closure of the westbound span of the bridge, News4 reported.

Gwendolyn Persina, 48, is being held at the Queen Anne’s County Detention Center, the Maryland Transportation Authority said Thursday afternoon.

According to police, Persina was driving at high speeds over the Bay Bridge in Queen Anne’s County the morning of Jan. 27, the MDTA said. Officers believe she struck another vehicle, causing a chain-reaction crash involving dozens of cars.

Officers responded to the 23-vehicle crash on the westbound span of the bridge just after 7:45 that Saturday morning.

Chopper4 footage showed the pileup of cars that remained hours later.

Eleven people were hospitalized and a twelfth person taken to the hospital had life-threatening injuries, the MDTA said in a release.

After a monthslong investigation into the crash involving Persina and her blue 2018 Honda Civic, police arrested Persina.

She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license, causing life-threatening injuries by driving under the influence and other charges that were not specified.

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Montgomery County police said officers responded to the 14900 block of Southlawn Lane in Rockville for a double shooting just before 8 a.m. Thursday.

A 60-year-old man who was critically injured was found in a grassy area near a sidewalk. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, police said.

Witnesses told police they saw a dark-colored Toyota Tacoma pickup truck leaving the scene.

Officers then spotted a gray Toyota Tacoma nearby, close to Norbeck Road and Avery Road.

Inside was a 54-year-old man who appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The bodies of both men were taken to the office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the manner and cause of death, Montgomery County police said.

The vehicle was linked to a domestic attack that happened on the 14200 block of Westmeath Drive in Laurel the night before, according to the Laurel Police Department.

In that shooting, a woman was critically injured. She remains in critical condition at a hospital, police said Friday.

“The vehicle that fled the scene of this domestic incident has been located and connected to the double shooting” in Rockville, Laurel police said.

Laurel police responded to the scene in Rockville, which occurred nearly 20 miles away from the initial shooting.

Montgomery County and Laurel police are working to determine whether the man found inside the Tacoma was involved in the Laurel shooting, Montgomery County police spokesperson Shiera Goff said.

Police haven’t released the names of the suspect or victims, nor information on how they might have known each other.

Stay with News4 for more on this developing story.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

Those most vulnerable to air pollution include people with chronic health issues, children and the elderly, but bad pollution can affect healthy people, too. When the air quality is poor, experts advise staying inside, especially during strenuous activity like exercise.

Here’s how to check the air quality today in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, plus tips on staying safe.

What’s the air quality where I live today?

You can check the air quality in your part of the D.C. area using the interactive map below.

The data in the map refreshes itself daily.

For hourly updates based on zip code or city, you can also go to AirNow.gov.

What do the different air quality codes mean?

The Environmental Protection Agency monitors how polluted or clear the air is with the Air Quality Index, or AQI. The scale runs from 0 to 500, and the higher the AQI, the more pollution there is in the air.

Each range on the AQI is given a color. Green is the zero to 50 part of the range, and qualifies as “Good” air quality; yellow is 51 to 100, and qualifies as “Moderate” air.

Code orange ranges from 101 to 150, and means the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups, like children and elderly adults, or people with asthma and other chronic respiratory conditions.

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A code red, which ranges from 151 to 200, is unhealthy for everyone.

Code purple means everyone is at greater risk of health impacts. Once you get to maroon, which is 301 and higher, the effects on everyone’s health reach emergency levels, and people are more likely to be sickened.

See the chart below for the full range of the AQI.

How could bad air quality affect my health?

The effects of air pollution on the human body vary based on factors including the type of pollution, the length of exposure, health care access and individual health, according to the American Lung Association.

Short-term exposure to air pollution is linked to reduced lung function, asthma, cardiac problems, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

Over the long term, pollution is linked to serious diseases including cancer, lung disease and heart disease, the NIEHS said.

How can I stay safe during air quality alerts?

The best way to protect yourself from the negative health effects of wildfire smoke is to avoid breathing it in – which means staying inside as much as possible.

When air quality is poor, for example, it’s a good idea to hit the gym instead if you typically work out outside. Air quality alert days are also not the best times to bring your kids to the park or the pool, especially if they have allergies, asthma, or chronic health issues.

Pets should also stay inside when the air is unhealthy.

“Other mammals, they suffer from many of the same lung conditions that humans do,” Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist at the Allergy & Asthma Network, told NBC News.

If the air quality reaches code red or code purple levels, it’s a good idea to use the “recirculate” air button in your car, Storm Team4 Meteorologist Chuck Bell said.

“This keeps the outside air OUT and keeps sending the inside air through the filters,” he said.

If you need extra protection from smoky conditions, the Centers for Disease Control recommends finding a room you can seal off from outside air. Consider a portable air cleaner or a filter to keep that room clean.

There are ways to create an air filter yourself using a box fan and furnace filters you can purchase at most grocery stores.

Respirators, like N95s, can help reduce your smoke exposure if you have to be outside in poor air quality conditions, according to the CDC.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) suggests trying to cut your own contribution to pollutants during poor air quality days. Its suggestions are:

• Avoid lawn mowing or use an electric mower.
• Use gas or electric grills instead of charcoal.
• Fill your vehicles’ gas tank after sunset.
• Take transit, carpool, or work from home.
• Turn off lights and electronics when not in use and follow tips from your electric utility about how to use less electricity to cool your home.

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And those bites go beyond irritation into dangerous territory.

“I don’t care for mosquitoes,” said Maryland resident Clay Remsay. “I am a natural sort of buffet for mosquitoes.”

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“I think mosquitoes are a nuisance in that they can be disease-carrying insects,” said Kathy Bergeron, another Maryland resident.

Mosquitoes are known to leave their victims itching, but more importantly, they transmit diseases like West Nile virus.

“It’s transmitted to humans via mosquitoes that are infected by feeding on birds that have the virus,” said Dr. Jerè Hutson, senior epidemiologist at the Maryland Department of Health.

The health department says the first confirmed case of West Nile virus this year occurred in the Baltimore region, and the patient has recovered.

The mosquito-borne illness made its mark last year in the state with more than seven cases.

The virus can also spread from person to person through organ donation or blood transfusions, but those cases are rare.

“It is a cyclical cycle where you do see cases pop up, and we are expecting to see a few more pop up this year,” Hutson said.

Then there’s eastern equine encephalitis, also known as EEE or “triple E.”

“It is also spread to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes,” Hutson said.

Climate change and the rise in mosquito-related diseases has gotten the attention of health officials and walkers like Remsay.

“If we don’t do something about the climate, then we’re just going to have more of this, and we’re going to get sick from more things,” Remsay said.

“What we usually see is, if the weather is staying warmer, staying above 40 degrees or so longer into the season, then we can have a longer season where you do see mosquitoes that are biting and transmitting viruses,” said Hutson.

Maryland’s Department of Health has tips for the public. If you’re concerned about mosquitoes:

• Cover up any exposed skin
• Use bug spray, and reapply as needed

Those steps can be beneficial for you and your family.

“The main thing is prevention, and so that’s preventing mosquito bites and also preventing the mosquitoes from spreading the virus,” Hutson said.

A Bethesda-based neuro-optometrist says it might be something else: vision problems.

Margaret Barry and her daughter Sasha started looking for solutions after Sasha wasn’t progressing in school like she should.

‘We actually hired a math tutor and they worked on the exact same problem for a year,” Barry said.

The mom said that her daughter wouldn’t want to read even though she loved being read to. When considering if Sasha had ADHD, she didn’t want to medicate her unless it was necessary.

“All these things that to me, were just personality quirks,” Barry said. “They weren’t necessarily related to her eyes. All of a sudden, that lined up, I thought: ‘We should investigate this.’”

Barry and Sasha then traveled from Boston to visit Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, a neuro-optometrist, to try out vision therapy instead.

He explained that ADHD symptoms aren’t exclusive to ADHD.

“ADHD is an incomplete diagnosis, in my opinion, until hidden functional vision problems that cause the exact same symptoms and behaviors are ruled out first,” Appelbaum said.

Sasha was diagnosed with what’s known as “convergence insufficiency” where her eyes weren’t working together.

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“If you can’t converge your eyes to see a single clear image as it’s approaching you or even within arm’s length, how are you supposed to track across the page when you’re reading? Or doing desk work without having a really hard time and rubbing your eyes,” Appelbaum said.

Appelbaum said that signs like losing their place in reading, skipping words and being distracted easily are warning signs that their vision could be preventing them from their potential.

“We’re all told from a young age to keep our eyes on the ball, but we’re never taught how. We’re teaching Sasha how to do that,” Appelbaum said.

Since visiting Appelaum, Sasha has started treatment. Unlike an ADHD medication meant to manage symptoms, vision therapy is meant to permanently fix them.

Barry said that by the end of the first week, it was like night and day with the difference in Sasha’s vision. She was even able to read a text message for the first time.

“She looked at it and she read it out loud and I looked at her and said ‘Did you just read that?!’ and she goes “I did!” Barry said. “She was not able to do that the day before!”

Barry encourages other parents to try out vision therapy as an option before going straight to ADHD medication.

“I want every single parent to know better so that they can do better,” Appelbaum said. “And to really question what a doctor is telling them in terms of a treatment option.”

The stadium will be known as Northwest Stadium. An official rollout is planned for Sept. 15, the team announced Tuesday, as the Commanders play their home opener against the New York Giants.

Fans can expect to see new branding across the stadium, including a new stadium logo and signage. During practices, members of the team will wear a Northwest patch on their jerseys. The team also said that Northwest Federal Credit Union members will get perks including discounts on tickets and merchandise.

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Commanders owner and managing partner Josh Harris said in a statement that the team is proud to partner with an organization committed to the DMV.

 “As we continue to work toward our goal of building the Commanders into an elite franchise that consistently competes for championships, we are excited to welcome our team and fans to Northwest Stadium and look forward to creating incredible memories together on the field and in the communities we serve,” he said.

“Together, we look forward to ensuring that Northwest Stadium is an impactful place where we rally together over our common love of football, giving back to the community, and creating memorable experiences that last a lifetime,” Northwest Federal Credit Union President & CEO Jeff Bentley said in a statement.

Maryland stadium renamed amid effort to bring Commanders back to DC

The name change comes amid a push by D.C. leaders to lure the Commanders back into the District, a move that team ownership appears to support.

Harris said this week that he’s “incredibly motivated” to bring the Commanders back to D.C., and is hopeful that, after November’s election, Congress will move forward on a bill paving the way for the team to move to the old RFK Stadium site.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has vocally supported bringing the Commanders back to D.C.

“I think that the city and the Commanders will have to make some decisions about the land,” Bowser said. “It is clear to a lot of people that the best site in the region is one that’s centrally located, it’s on Metro, it’s been a stadium and it has, also, a lot of emotional attachment for players and fans.”

The stadium was known as FedExField for decades

The stadium was named FedExField since 1999, about two years after it was completed, according to the team. FedEx announced in February that it would pull out of the naming rights agreement two years early; it wasn’t due to expire until 2026.

Since then, the stadium has been called Commanders Stadium.

It’s another big change after years of upheaval for the Commanders, including the team’s own name change, new ownership and, more recently, the announcement that team President Jason Wright would depart after the 2024 season.

The Commanders previously announced plans to spend $40 million to upgrade infrastructure and the fan experience at the Landover stadium.

The Commanders’ lease at the stadium is set to expire in 2027.

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Monday is Labor Day, which means a long weekend for many. It might also be your last chance to hit up pools and water parks!

FYI: The Smithsonian museums are open on Labor Day, and many will offer free tours.

Here’s what to do this week in the Washington, D.C. area.

What to do in Washington, D.C.

Last chance – Pixar Putt: Through Mon., The Wharf, $30 for adult tickets

Nationals vs. Yankees: Mon., Tues., Weds., Nationals Park

Buju Banton: The Overcomer Tour: Tues., 8 p.m., Capital One Arena, $55+

Live Music Thursdays at Hi-Lawn: Thurs., 7-9 p.m., Union Market, free

DC JazzFest: Weds. through Sun., various venues and The Wharf, tickets start at $25

Free shows happening with DC JazzFest include:

• The Jo-Go Project: Weds., noon to 2 p.m., Franklin Square Park 
• Ebban & Ephraim Dorsey: Thu., 6 p.m., Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage 
• Shannon Gunn’s Saffron Ensemble: Fri., 6 p.m., Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage
• Shows along The Wharf’s main promenade (Here’s the Brunch & Beats lineup for Sunday)

Stand-up comedy at Room 808: Weds. to Sun., Petworth, prices vary  but several shows are free

Underground Comedy at Hotbed: Weds. to Sun., Adams Morgan, prices vary but several shows are free

Childish Gambino: Thurs., Capital One Arena, $125+

Sunset Cinema: “Soul”: Thurs., The Wharf, free

Nationals vs. Cubs: Fri., Sat., Sun., Nationals Park, $18+

• Two Friends performs for the Nationals Summer Concert Series on Friday after the game beginning at 6:45 p.m.

Extraordinary Cinema: “Chocolat”: Fri., movie set to begin at dusk (about 8:15 p.m.), The Kennedy Center REACH Lawn, free

DC Festival of Magic: Fri. to Sun., Capital Hilton (Northwest D.C.), $99 for a weekend pass, individual shows start at $15

Joy of African Movement: Sat., 9-10 a.m., Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, free

DC Afro Latino Fest: Sat., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Franklin Park, free

Washington Mystics vs. Connecticut Sun: Sat., 3 p.m., Entertainment and Sports Arena, $31+

Late Skate: Sat., until 10 p.m., Anacostia Park Skating Pavilion, free

NSO Labor Day Concert: Sun., 8 p.m., West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, free

Labor Day: Yoga + Sound Experience: Mon., 9-10 a.m., National Building Museum, $30

What to do in Maryland

Greenbelt Labor Day Festival: Fri. to Mon., free entry, ride wristbands $20

A Night With The Legendary Comedian Earthquake: Fri. and Sat., MGM National Harbor, $98+

Capital House Music Festival: Sat., 11 a.m. to 9 a.m., Marian Fryer Town Plaza in Silver Spring, free

Paint the Town Labor Day Show: Sat. to Mon., Kensington, free

Maryland State Fair: Aug. 29-Sept. 2 and Sept. 5-8, Lutherville-Timonium, $11-$16

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Maryland Renaissance Festival: Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 20, plus Labor Day, Annapolis, Maryland, $26+ for adult tickets through Sept. 8

• Seniors age 62 and up can go for free on Monday, Sept. 2

Labor Day Art Show: Sat. to Mon., Glen Echo Park, free entry

Frederick Arts & Crafts End of Summer Celebration: Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., downtown Frederick, free

Summers Farm Sunflower Festival: Sat. to Mon., plus Sept. 7-8, Middletown, $16.50 online, $20.50 at the gate

Kensington Labor Day Parade and Festival: Mon., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., free

What to do in Virginia

Fairfax County Animal Shelter’s “Clear the Shelters”: Adoption fees waived Fri. to Sun.

Jason Aldean: Highway Desperado Tour: Fri., 7:30 p.m., Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, $68+

Comedy: Guy Branum: Fri., Sat. and Sun., Arlington Cinema Drafthouse, $20-$25

Patsy Cline Block Party: Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Patsy Cline Historic House in Winchester, free

Yoga in the Galleries at Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington: Sat., 11 a.m., 3550 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, $10-$20 suggested donation

Avril Lavigne: The Greatest Hits: Sat., 7 p.m., Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, $118+

Virginia Scottish Games: Sat. and Sun., The Plains, $20 (one-day pass)

Dog-friendly tour of Mount Vernon: Sat. and Sun., Mount Vernon, $10 in addition to general admission

LoCo Kid’s Fest: Mon., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Segra Field Parking Lots in Leesburg, free

Fairfax City Restaurant Week: Sept. 2-8

Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

Ayuk Etta, 40, of Lanham was standing outside a Mercedes near Route 50 when he was struck by a Honda.

The crash spilled across multiple lanes of traffic.

The 19-year-old driver of the Honda and its four passengers are expected to be OK, Maryland State Police said. Two passengers in the Mercedes were treated at a hospital and released.

Road safety experts say people should never get out of a vehicle along a stretch of road like that unless they are certain it’s safe to do so.

“If you don’t have a Jersey wall or something to get behind and you don’t feel safer outside your vehicle, sometimes staying in the vehicle is the safer option than being on foot and right close to where your vehicle is,” Maryland State Police Capt. Brian Smith said.

The state’s move over law includes all vehicles on the side of the road as of Oct. 1, 2022.

“One thing we do remind our drivers, as well, if you do become disabled, put your four-way flashers on because that will trigger the move over law for vehicles to move over if they can,” Smith said.

If they can’t, they are required to slow down.

Police believe speed contributed to the crash, which remains under investigation.

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A majority of judges from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, affirmed a district court judge’s ruling in favor of the state of Maryland.

The majority rejected plaintiffs’ argument that the state’s handgun qualification statute tramples on applicants’ Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. The law requires most Maryland residents to obtain a handgun qualification license before purchasing a handgun.

Senior Judge Barbara Milano Keenan wrote Friday’s majority opinion, joined by nine other judges. Five judges adopted opinions concurring with the majority’s decision. Two judges joined in a dissenting opinion.

“The handgun license requirement is nevertheless constitutional because it is consistent with the principles underlying our Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation,” Judge Allison Jones Rushing wrote in a concurring opinion.

In his dissenting opinion, Judge Julius Richardson said the state of Maryland “has not shown that history and tradition justify its handgun licensing requirement.”

“I can only hope that in future cases we will reverse course and assess firearm regulations against history and tradition,” he wrote.

The court’s full roster of judges agreed to hear the case after a three-judge panel ruled 2-1 last year that the requirements, which include submitting fingerprints for a background check and taking a four-hour firearms safety course, were unconstitutional.

In their split ruling in November, the 4th Circuit panel said it considered the case in light of a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that “effected a sea change in Second Amendment law.” That 6-3 decision signified a major expansion of gun rights following a series of mass shootings.

With its conservative justices in the majority and liberals in dissent, the Supreme Court struck down a New York law and said Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense. It also required gun policies to fall in line with the country’s “historical tradition of firearm regulation.”

The underlying lawsuit in the Maryland case was filed in 2016 as a challenge to a state law requiring people to obtain a special license before purchasing a handgun. The plaintiffs included the Maryland Shall Issue advocacy group and licensed gun dealer Atlantic Guns Inc.

Mark Pennak, president of Maryland Shall Issue, said the plaintiffs believe Friday’s ruling runs afoul of Supreme Court precedent and is “plainly wrong as a matter of common sense.”

“The majority opinion is, in the words of the dissent, ‘baseless,’” he said, adding that a petition for the Supreme Court to review the decision “practically writes itself.”

Maryland’s law passed in 2013 in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. It laid out requirements for would-be gun purchasers: completing four hours of safety training, submitting fingerprints and passing a background check, being 21 and residing in Maryland.

Gun-rights groups argued that the 2013 law made obtaining a handgun an overly expensive and arduous process. Before that law passed, people had to complete a more limited training and pass a background check. However, supporters of the more stringent requirements said they were a common-sense tool to keep guns out of the wrong hands.

The court heard arguments for the case in March. It’s one of two cases on gun rights out of Maryland that the federal appeals court took up around the same time. The other is a challenge to the state’s assault weapons ban.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the ruling represents “a great day for Maryland and for common-sense gun safety.”

“We must ensure guns stay out of the hands of those who are not allowed, under our laws, to carry them,” Brown said in a statement. “The application for a gun license and the required training and background check, are all critical safety checks.”

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But if you saw Oprah’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, you may have wondered: What did the cameraperson seemingly have against that one random woman in the crowd?

Tens of thousands of people seemed to agree with one user on X, who commented on the DNC “taking a page from Wendy Williams’ cameraman” when they cut to the crowd as Oprah cracked a joke about “childless cat ladies.”

It turns out the woman in the crowd wasn’t actually a random choice. But to fully understand why one Maryland delegate suddenly became the face of “childless cat ladies” at the DNC, we have to backtrack a bit.

During her surprise appearance, TV host Oprah called for unity regardless of background in the United States.

“Despite what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors,” Oprah said. “When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them.”

She then continued with a quip at the expense of Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance.

“And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out, too.”

The use of the phrase “childless cat lady” was a reference to comments made by Vance in 2021 during an interview with Tucker Carlson. Vance stated in that interview that “childless cat ladies” have “no direct stake” in political decision-making.

Vance came under fire as those comments resurfaced, with celebrities and other politicians criticizing Vance for his take and for his stances on reproductive rights and healthcare.

But those watching the DNC on Wednesday raised eyebrows for a different reason, when just as Oprah made her joke, the camera cut to a woman standing with the Maryland delegation — implying she was a childless cat lady.

Had that been a random woman, it would have been a sticky moment.

But, as it turns out, that woman wasn’t just a delegate for the state of Maryland for the DNC — she is also Maryland State Del. Teresa S. Woorman, who called herself a childless cat lady when she was sworn into her seat in the state legislature.

Woorman took to social media as the clip of Oprah’s speech went viral, emphasizing her stance against the Republican ticket.

“Damn right this childless cat lady is 100% disgusted by J.D. Vance in general and 100% behind @KamalaHarris and @GovTimWalz!” Woorman said in a social media statement. “Also I may be childless but I do hope that’s not a permanent condition, thanks!”

Woorman went on to explain the context behind the video.

“Also- funny enough I recently got appointed to a legislative seat. And I got sworn in to the Maryland House of Delegates last week and I referred to myself as a childless cat lady during my remarks. But I’m in good company, @taylorswift13 @Oprah. 💙💪🏼🐱 #voteblue,” Woorman said.

The Maryland Democratic Party also took to social media to add context.

“That’s our amazing Delegate @Teresa_Saavedra!” the message said.

Woorman was sworn into the Maryland state legislature just over 10 days ago, on Aug. 12. She’s a Mexican immigrant, as her page in the House of Delegates directory states, and went to elementary through high school in Montgomery County before attending the University of Maryland in College Park.

She now represents District 16, part of the county where she grew up, and is a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee.

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Crews completed work to connect an existing water main to the main that feeds the Camp Springs water tank Thursday morning.

On Aug. 19, the company asked customers to limit their water use to essentials only to avoid issuing a Boil Water Advisory.

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They say that customers in the Camp Springs area could have discolored water following the completed work. WSSC Water is asking customers to do the following if affected:

• Run all COLD water taps for about five minutes or until the water runs clear
• Begin with the lowest faucet in your home or business and then open the other faucets one at a time, moving from your lowest floor to your highest
• Once the water runs clear, usually in five minutes or less, turn off your faucets in the same order, lowest to highest
• You should also flush your refrigerator’s water lines

The work for the tank is not finished yet. Crews are expected to start working again in mid-September to make an additional connection to the water main. They say it should take about a month to complete.

If customers are experiencing any water or sewer emergency, customers can contact the WSSC Water Emergency Services Center at 301-206-4002.    

The 2-year-old boy was crossing the boardwalk tram pad near Dorchester Street when he was struck by a southbound tram at 8:14 p.m., according to police. It wasn’t immediately clear what led up to the crash.

Ocean City EMS pronounced him dead on the scene. Both tram conductors remained on the scene.

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“There are no words to convey the profound sadness we feel for the family and their unimaginable loss,” Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said in a statement. “We are devastated and heartbroken. Ocean City is a tight-knit community, and we grieve together in times like these. We are committed to supporting the family and ensuring that everything possible is done to prevent such tragedies in the future.”

The town of Ocean City has suspended all boardwalk tram services until further notice, officials said Wednesday morning.

The Ocean City Traffic Safety Unit is investigating what happened. They are asking anyone with information to contact PFC Panitch at bpanitch@oceancitymd.gov.

Anonymous tips can be left on their tip line at 410-520-5136, via email at crimetips@oceancitymd.gov, or by calling the police department directly at 410-723-6610. People are asked to reference case number 2024-00-3922 when contacting them.

The name of the boy was not immediately released.

This story is developing. Stay with NBC Washington for the latest.

You may be counting down the days until Labor Day, but don’t miss out on all the fun stuff happening in the D.C. area this weekend.

Don’t forget to share your pet photos for Pat’s Prized Pets challenge supporting Clear The Shelters!

If you’re ready to adopt a new pet to your family, the Humane Rescue Alliance is hosting adoption events on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Head to the New York Avenue Adoption Center in Northeast D.C. to meet dogs. Small animals are waiting for you at the Oglethorpe Adoption Center in Northwest.

Here’s what to do this week in the Washington, D.C. area.

What to do in Washington, D.C.

Usher: Past Present Future: Tues. and Weds., Capital One Arena

DCBX16: “The Super Bowl of USA Latin Dance Festivals”: Thurs. to Mon., Westin DC Hotel, $40+

Embassy Row Rooftop Night in Havana Under the Stars with Latin Band: Fri., 7-10 p.m., The Ven at Embassy Row, $25-$35

Oh He Dead: Fri., The Atlantis, $25

WWE Smackdown: Fri., Capital One Arena

DC United: United Night Out: Sat., Audi Field, $27+

National Book Festival: Sat., Walter E. Washington Convention Center, free

Joy of African Movement dance class: Sat., 9-10 a.m., National Museum of African Art, free

Opera in the Outfield: Sat., gates open at 4:30 p.m., free
FYI: Remember Nats Park’s strict bag policy

Hi Lawn’s Caribbean Festival: Sat., Hi-Lawn at Union Market, $10

WOW Indonesia! Festival: Sun., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 3rd-7th Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, free

Washington Spirit International Friendlies Double Header
Spirit vs. Kansas City Current at noon
Chelsea FC vs. Arsenal FC at 4 p.m.
Audi Field, $64-$125

Women’s Equality Day Power Up Concert: Sun., 6:30 p.m., The Kennedy Center, $50-$150

What to do in Maryland

Maryland Renaissance Festival: Weekends through Oct. 20, plus Labor Day, Annapolis, $14-26 (before Sept. 8)

• FYI: Kids can go for free on Aug. 24 and 25. “One child aged 7 through 15 is admitted free with each adult ticket purchased. Children 6 and under are always free,” the festival said.
• Seniors aged 62 and over can go for free on Labor Day. No ticket is needed.

Maryland State Fair: Aug. 22 to Sept. 8, 200 York Road, Lutherville-Timonium, admission is $8.25 (ages 6-11) or $13.25 (age 12 and older) if purchased in advance

Foodie Fridays – Taste the Land: Fri., 6:30-8:30 p.m., Josiah Henson Museum and Park in Bethesda, $15

Kensington Community Block Party: Sat., 2-4 p.m., Kensington House Lawn, free

Fairwood Music Festival: Sun., 1-6 p.m., Fairwood Community Park in Bowie, free

Hand Dance Social: Sun., 6-8:30 p.m., Roosevelt Center in Greenbelt, free
Lesson from 6 to 6:30 followed by open dance

Free dog rides on the Capital Wheel for National Dog Day: Mon., National Harbor, free

What to do in Virginia

Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge: Sat. and Sun., Filene Center at Wolf Trap, $55

Around the World Food Festival: Sat., 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Oronoco Bay Park in Alexandria, free entry

Blues, Brews & BBQ feat. The Nighthawks: Sat., 6-9 p.m., Dirt Farm Brewing in Bluemont, Virginia, $20

Lake Accotink Park Celebration Day: Sat., 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Springfield, free
Free boat rentals, nature activities and amusements

Starlight Drive-in Cinema double feature of “Migration” and “Elemental”: Sat., gates open at 6 p.m., Sully Historic Site, free

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Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

The festival runs on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 20, plus Labor Day weekend.

With more than 200 professional performers on 10 stages, the schedule has something for everyone, including bite-sized Shakespeare plays, daring stunt shows, story time and bards sharing their talents in music and comedy. Plan plenty of time to people-watch for extravagant costumes, explore artisan shops, feast and toast flagons of mead and ale.

Buy tickets before making the trip — the festival often sells out, especially if the weather is nice.

Through Sept. 8, admission is $26 for adults aged 16-61, $23 for those aged 62+ and $14 for kids 7 to 15. Kids 6 and under can go for free. From Sept. 14 to Oct. 20, admission prices go up to $18-$32.

Families can get a deal on Children’s Weekend, which is Aug. 24 and 25. One child under 15 will be admitted for free for each adult ticket purchased (it’s always free for kids 6 and under).

On Labor Day Monday, seniors aged 62 and up can enter for free. No need to buy a ticket – just show up at the gate!

Here are some pro tips to maximize your merriment:

• Bring cash! Food and drink vendors are cash-only. There’s an ATM, but the lines can get long.
• Want to save money? Pack a lunch and head back to your car for a picnic.
• Get in the spirit by going in costume! Raid your closet for a Seinfeld-style puffy shirt and accessories, or arrive early to rent one. Rentals start at $10 for kids and $20 for adults.
• Go early to beat traffic, crowds and heat. It’s much easier to find a seat in the shade at the first jousting tournaments of the day.
• Prepare yourself: All the bathrooms are port-a-potties. We always suggest bringing a pack of tissues, wet wipes and hand sanitizer! Baby changing stations are available in five of the bathroom areas.
• Pick one or two shows to attend, but plan plenty of time to wander the expansive grounds.

Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

All of them occurred in the Takoma Park area and all appear to involve the same tall man.

News4 is not revealing her identity, but the victim of the most recent incident said she was running along a narrow part of the Sligo Creek Trail near Carroll Avenue at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday when she sensed, instinctively, that the tall, shirtless man approaching her was trouble.

“All of my senses went off that I wasn’t safe,” she said.

The 46-year-old runner told police the man exposed himself to her and then ran away.

Maryland National Capital Park Police say there have been six similar incidents reported since July 14th. They are urging people to keep an eye out and contact the agency’s tip line if they see something suspicious.

You can call (301) 929-2748 or email crimetips@mncparkpolice.org.

“The August 17 incident that occurred this past Saturday was in the morning hours around 8:30-9:00, but then some of them have occurred in the evening, around 5:00-6:00 in the evening,” said Lt. Charles Smith with Maryland National Park Police.

The victim in Saturday’s incident was able to provide police with a detailed description; she said the man appeared to be in his mid-20s and tall, between 6-foot and 6-foot-3, and skinny with a medium complexion. She said he was clean shaven with short dark hair and was wearing only camouflage shorts and white Crocs shoes.

Maryland National Capital Park Police have extra patrols in the area and have reached out to their counterparts in Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Takoma Park Police.

Sarah Katherine Magid was arrested Monday after police and special agents from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search and seizure warrant at her home in Burtonsville, police said.

DEA agents and police detectives discovered that a man who died in March from a fentanyl overdose had been in Montgomery County in the days leading up to his death and had been in contact with Magid, according to police.

Two days before the victim was found dead in a home for recovering addicts — according to a D.C. police report — he reached out to Magid for Xanax, according to charging documents. Montgomery County police say text messages show the teacher sold to the man for months before his death and knew how dangerous the drugs were.

The day before the man was found dead, text messages show Magid was trying to get in touch with him but he wasn’t responding, police said. The day after he was found, she texted him again, writing “Guess you died,” and expressing concern having not had contact with him for four days.

The next day, the man’s sister opened his phone and sent a message to Magid saying the man was dead. “I know who you are and I know what you did,” his sister wrote.

Documents also say an anonymous source alerted police to Magid allegedly leaving the classroom to sell drugs outside of school.

Magid teaches at Dr. Charles Drew Elementary in Silver Spring, according to the MCPS online staff directory.

Magid is in jail awaiting a bond hearing, police said.

Magid was placed on leave, according to an MCPS spokesperson.

Lee is known for his honest and unfiltered reviews of the best mom-and-pop eateries in the U.S. Once his video reviews hit social media, restaurants often see lines out the door. His impact, known as the “Keith Lee effect,” has brought restaurants from a slow business to mega-popular in a matter of days.

Lee announced to his 16.5 million TikTok followers Sunday night that he would be coming to the DMV (D.C., Maryland and Virginia).

“If you or anybody you know has a mom-and-pop shop or a family-owned spot that has great food and great customer service but can use some marketing, absolutely free to them, let me know,” he said in his announcement on TikTok. 

Though the critic didn’t name an exact date when he would be in town, he asked his followers to recommend the best restaurants from all cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds. 

“D.C., Maryland, Virginia, here we come. God is amazing and this may be one of the ones, you never know, no promises,” he said.

Many of the comments from his video are requesting Lee’s thoughts on one specific Ethiopian spot, Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant on U Street.

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Others are telling him to try mumbo sauce, half-smokes and Asian food in Virginia.

With Maryland known as the place for crabs and Old Bay, some followers who live in Baltimore are asking for a separate food tour to make sure Charm City restaurants get the attention they deserve.

Lee’s videos began to blow up about November 2020. Since then, he’s been traveling to different cities to visit some of his followers’ most recommended spots. Most recently, he’s posted videos reviewing a Toronto jerk restaurant, a fry-bread spot in Mesa, Arizona and a chicken joint in Indianapolis.

If you want to recommend a spot to Keith Lee, you can message him through his business email, Instagram, TikTok, or by tagging him in any videos.

Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

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The grocery chain announced changes to anti-theft policies for certain stores in the District and Maryland.

Giant is loosening up its no-bag policy for a handful of stores. The grocer banned backpacks and large-sized bags back in May, citing theft. But now, some stores will allow backpacks – if shoppers agree to security checks.

The grocer also announced plans to limit when minors can shop without an adult.

Unaccompanied minors barred from some stores after 6 p.m.

Starting Thursday, customers under the age of 18 will not be allowed inside specific Giant stores after 6 p.m. unless they’re accompanied by an adult.

Those locations include stores in D.C.’s Brentwood, Shaw and Van Ness neighborhoods, plus Oxon Hill, District Heights and Baltimore in Maryland. See a full list of impacted stores at the bottom of this article.

Backpacks allowed in some Giant stores

Backpacks no larger than 14 inches by 14 inches by 6 inches are once again allowed inside certain locations – but only if shoppers agree to security checks.

Standard and small-sized backpacks “will be allowed if the customer consents to having the bag tagged prior to entry and to having the bag searched before exit,” the company said in a statement.

Backpacks are now allowed inside locations in Cathedral Heights, Columbia Heights, the H Street Corridor, Shaw and Van Ness, a Giant spokesperson said. Some stores will continue to ban backpacks.

Giant is updating its bag policy after announcing a ban on large bags at D.C.-area stores in May, an effort to crack down on shoplifting.

Because of the updated policies, customers no longer have to leave their bags unattended in the front of those stores before they enter.

ANC Commissioner would like to see different approach

ANC Commissioner Alexander Padro, who represents the Shaw neighborhood, says he wrote a letter to Giant complaining about the policy. He’d like to see them take a different approach.

“The retail theft problem is going to continue and it makes more sense to invest in some lockers and have a policy that’s easy to enforce,” Padro said.

Padro also questions how the new rule for shoppers under the age of 18 will be received.

“I think that’s going to be fraught, and I’m sure we’re going to be hearing hell about that soon,” he said.

For some, it’s a step in the right direction but not perfect.

“It’s better but I don’t think it’s going to deter theft,” customer Angela Alston said.

“I’m not really too fond of it, but I understand why it’s in place,” customer Justin Sessions said. “It goes back to normal people actually wanting to come and shop and it’s unfortunate that bags have to be tagged.”

A spokesperson for Giant told News4 that they recognize the changes make for a less convenient experience, but it’s a way for them to cut down on retail theft.

Which Giant locations are affected by the new policies?

These stores will allow backpacks and ban unaccompanied minors after 6 p.m.:

• 1400 7th Street NW Washington, DC 20001
• 300 H Street NE Washington, DC 20002
• 4303 Conn Ave NW Washington, DC 20008
• 1345 Park Road, NW Washington, DC 20010

According to a statement from Giant, here are the stores impacted by the new anti-theft policies.

This store will allow backpacks and minors:

• 3336 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington, DC 20016

These stores will ban unaccompanied minors after 6 p.m. and continue to bar backpacks:

• 1535 Alabama Ave SE, Washington, DC 20032
• 1050 Brentwood Rd NE, Washington, DC 20018
• 5150 Sinclair Ln, Baltimore, MD 21206
• 20 Audrey Lane Oxon Hill, MD 20745
• 4119 Branch Ave, Marlow Heights, MD 20748
• 5500 Silver Hill Rd, District Heights, MD 20747