WAMU: Local News

For Arlington Public Schools, 9/11 hit especially close to home. Many teachers and students had loved ones in the Pentagon, where 184 of 2,977 victims were killed. But 25 years later, students have no memory of 9/11, and their teachers face a challenging task: reframing the harrowing day they endured as history.

Out of the 9/11 tragedy came many stories of hope and resilience – including one from the small town of Gander, Newfoundland. Their story of kindness in the face of tragedy is the basis of the musical “Come From Away”, which made its Broadway debut almost 10 years ago. “Come From Away” is now doing a limited run at D.C.’s Ford’s Theatre.

The Department of Homeland Security had said that decades-long TPS protection would expire for people from El Salvador on September 9th. Now they say it will remain in place until an announcement is made at "the appropriate time," leaving thousands of salvadorans in the DMV -- and across the country -- in a state of limbo.

Volunteers will pack meal kits for hungry families as part of the National 9.11 Day of Service. The action comes through the efforts of nonprofit 9.11 Day, an organization started nearly 25 years ago as a way for individuals to honor the lives lost through service.

This week for Get Out There, we wanted to find out what’s popping this fall at our local restaurants. So we spoke to the food critic with all the best recommendations, Tom Sietsema. 

The Garage is a vital part of the alternative rock and punk scene in the D.C. region. But a legal battle with the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services threatens to close the farm-based venue.

As D.C. celebrates the 50th anniversary of it's official sound, go-go, a new novel titled Crankin! takes readers through its 5 decades and gives them a peek into where the genre is headed. The book covers the evolution and impact of go-go from Chuck Brown’s foundation, to the opening of the Go-Go Museum and Cafe to go-go’s reach into Africa.

Registered nurses in D.C. and other cities nationwide protested the company Palantir last week, arguing the firm's technology is helping ICE track down immigrants using Medicaid records. Court filings show ICE shared Medicaid data with Palantir even after a federal judge limited what information could be passed to immigration officials.

This week WAMU will be checking in on protests D.C. nurses are leading against the data analytics firm Palantir, a push by environmental activists in Montgomery County for their followers to get behind more development and building projects, and a dive into a new book on the history of go-go music.

Emily Bhatnagar, founder of the book drive For Love and Buttercup, talks about her work with children undergoing cancer treatments and her big book drive for this year's Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

A year after National Guard troops arrived in Washington, D.C., a Reuters analysis finds they show up in less than 2% of the city's criminal cases. The guard are largely absent from the neighborhoods with the most violence. Reuters reporter Brad Heath tells WAMU the deployment's roughly 4,500 soldiers outnumber D.C. police,.

College tuition has roughly doubled since the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant, also known as  DCTAG, was created. How much of a difference does the $15,000 actually make for D.C. families?

D.C. jazz singer Akua Allrich spoke about the roots of the sound and message of her new album "Bonya" in the region's Pan-African community.

Amanda DeSimone-Shabrack relies on a home health aide to help care for her 12-year-old son Mason, who has autism and needs around-the-clock care. A new Justice Department opinion says states aren't required to provide the services that make that possible.

President Trump claimed he was addressing a “crime emergency” in D.C. when he deployed the National Guard a year ago. But residents in Southeast, where violent crime is most frequent, say they have seen little improvement. And in a community that’s historically suffered heavy policing and racial profiling, the rise of National Guard and federal agents doesn’t feel entirely new.

At-Large D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson speaks to WAMU about the anniversary of President Trump's federal troop surge and how a year of National Guard presence is shaping city politics.

The National Guard has patrolled D.C. streets for 1 year. How are local organizers responding?

American Public Health Association's Dr. Georges Benjamin breaks down the state of the outbreak of measles in the D.C. region, recent measles politics and how to be vigilant against the virus.

This week, WAMU is looking at the different ways the National Guard deployment has impacted D.C., one year in. First in the series, WAMU's Natalie Yuravlivker spoke to NOTUS reporter Michael Brice-Saddler about his reporting that looks back on what the deployment has accomplished, and at what cost.  

This month, Maryland held track and field events in the state’s Senior Olympics - a competition specifically for athletes 50 and older. WAMU’s Tyrone Turner was there - and he documented the event’s sights and sounds as part of his Photographers Notebook series.

This week WAMU will be marking the one year anniversary of President Trump's federal law enforcement surge with a series of stories and conversations about its impact and legacy. Plus, we're taking a look at some of the athletes who compete in Maryland's Senior Olympics.

President Trump's $22 billion plan to overhaul Dulles International Airport would retire its aging people movers and add new concourses and parking. Aviation analyst Robert Mann says the financing could push the fee airlines pay per passenger from about $10 today to more than $90 within a decade.

D.C.’s 2027 fiscal-year blueprint reflects a debate playing out around the U.S.: whether opioid settlement money should be used to free up taxpayer dollars by paying for existing responsibilities instead of new programs.

NOTUS reporter Jenny Gathright joined WAMU to discuss what the D.C. Inspector General called a "systemic breakdown" in MPD's crime data systems.

Medicaid in Virginia started covering doula care four years ago. But logistical and administrative challenges leave many expectant parents without the support of a doula.

This week WAMU will be checking in on the special session in Maryland to pass a bill to redraw the state's congressional maps, the delayed Virginia primary elections, and D.C. jazz singer Akua Allrich and her new album with deep roots in the African diaspora community.

This week on Get Out There, we're breaking down some of the best places to cool off and splash around in the District..

Virginia's environmental regulator challenged a report on pollution from a self-powered Loudoun County data center. A Politico investigation found the agency's pushback echoed talking points from the data center company itself.

D.C. councilmembers are considering a bill that would bring commercial autonomous vehicles to the District. Some residents with disabilities, particularly those who are blind, are strongly supportive. But others in the disability community are wary.

Northern Virginia is widely considered the data center capital of the world, with more than 300 data centers concentrated in Loudoun, Prince William, and Fairfax counties. We look at how the region became "Data Center Alley". And as public opinion shifts, could it lose that title? 

WAMU checks in on the data center fights in VA and MD, where residents are pushing back on big data center projects. Plus we'll look at a key vote by Metro on funding for the RFK stadium site and round up local ice cream parlors to cool off this summer.

Glen Echo Park's band organ celebrates its 100th birthday this summer, and Durward Center has made sure it has sounded terrific for more than half of its life.

The oral history project StoryCorps has launched a special initiative with NPR's Morning Edition to mark the country's 250th birthday. It's called Connect250, and participants across the country are matched with one another for virtual conversations about life, experiences, and what it means to be American today.

An ACLU report looks at the widespread use of force in immigration enforcement in the first year of President Trump's return to office. Recent fatal shootings in Texas and Maine have brought renewed scrutiny to the agency's tactics.

Washingtonian magazine's food editor Jessica Sidman speaks with WAMU about her investigation into a "mafia" of unlicensed food trucks spreading high prices, food borne illness and confusion for tourists and residents trying to just get a snack on the National Mall.

This week WAMU will be checking in on the final vote on a bill to add a surcharge to bottles and cans sold in D.C., an in-depth report on how an organized gang of unlicensed food trucks is impacting the National Mall and a look at a century of the Glen Echo Park carousel's Wurlitzer organ.

For this week's Get Out There, we look at events in the D.C. region that recognize America’s 250th birthday on the local level.

Other results show that Robert White won the D.C. Democratic primary to succeed retiring House delegate Norton. Winners in down ballot races will take longer to determine, as ranked choice ballots come into play.

The summer in D.C. offers a great chance to get out and explore the city's jazz scene, whether you bask in the sounds of trumpets on a park blanket or enjoy a cool piano trio in an air-conditioned club.

Earlybirds Dance Parties is a women-led nationwide movement to create a safe and inclusive space for women, transgender, and nonbinary people to enjoy a night out and still get home at a reasonable hour.

A proposal by the Office of Personnel Management to push federal workers to sign nondisclosure agreements, or NDAs, is facing a fierce backlash. Max Stier joined us to discuss how this plan impacts federal workers – and everyone else.

WAMU speaks with documentary filmmaker Jeff Krulik about the 40th anniversary of his documentary "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" - which focuses on Judas Priest fans outside a concert at the Capitol Centre in 1986.

This week, WAMU checks in on Maryland primaries following a significant mail-in ballot error, a memo seeks to have all federal employees sign NDAs and a look at jazz concerts to enjoy this summer.

If you missed this spring’s porchfest in Adams Morgan or the one just over the city’s border in Takoma Park, you're not out of luck - you've got a chance to catch another one this weekend in Petworth. 

Hau Chu, Prince George's County food and culture reporter for The Baltimore Banner, speaks to WAMU about why there are so few independent sit-down restaurants in Prince George's County and how residents are hoping that changes.

This week on Get Out There, we hit the road for quirky, short summer day trips!

WAMU speaks to the Antidefamation League's Tali Cohen on the anniversary of the shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum about the current state of antisemitism in the D.C. region.

City lawmakers have been debating whether to implement more stringent youth curfews in D.C., following so-called “teen takeovers” that have prompted concerns about public safety. Some young people feel proponents are missing the bigger picture. 

Virginia recorded one of the steepest declines in overdose deaths nationwide over the past year. But spending reductions in Medicaid, one of the largest payers for addiction and mental health treatment in the U.S., could significantly disrupt substance use treatment programs nationwide.

Montgomery County Delegate Marc Korman speaks to WAMU about a recent milestone for the construction of the Purple Line and how a soon-to-be law in Maryland will help spur development around the light rail's stations.