5+ day, 12+ hour ago (403+ words) SILVER SPRING, Md. " The Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) has placed the Arrive Apartments in Silver Spring on formal "notice" following multiple tenant complaints of a rodent infestation reported on Nov. 14, according to the agency." The designation requires the property's management company to conduct a full search and seal of affected areas, and begin drill-and-dust treatments throughout the building to address rats. Several tenants told us they have seen rats inside their units but declined on-camera interviews, citing fear of retaliation from management. Many said they have reported problems before with little improvement. During a visit to the complex on Monday, prospective renter Drew Layton said he arrived from Missouri for a scheduled apartment tour only to find the leasing office closed. "The leasing office had a sign that said it would open back up at three…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (201+ words) MANASSAS, Va. " All Manassas City Public Schools are closed Monday due to a cybersecurity investigation. Superintendent Dr. Kevin Newman sent a letter home to families Sunday explaining the reason for the closure. With a scheduled closure Tuesday for Veterans Day, schools are expected to reopen for classes again on Wednesday. In his letter, Newman said the school district became aware of a cybersecurity incident over the weekend." "While the physical security of our campuses is not in jeopardy, we are experiencing connectivity disruptions and phone outages across the district," Newman wrote. He said Monday's closure was out of an abundance of caution. It will allow the district's IT department time to secure and restore the district's systems, and work closely with outside cybersecurity experts to confirm that everything is functioning safely before students and staff return following the holiday, Newman…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (418+ words) WASHINGTON " Turkey drives and food distribution drives will fill the final weekend before Thanksgiving in the D.C. area. In all likelihood, tens of thousands of turkeys will be given away for free locally. Included among the distributions is an event in Prince George's County hosted by NBA legend Kevin Durant's mother." Below are some of the food drives happening in our area on Saturday. University of the District of Columbia in Northwest" The event will be held at the UDC Student Center at 4200 Connecticut Ave., NW, with food deliveries going out from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m." Volunteers with UDC and Project Giveback will arrive on campus at 6 a.m. and begin cleaning up at 1 p.m. Organizers expect to deliver grocery baskets to 5,500 families in need across the DMV." The Thanksgiving food distribution event has been taking place at UDC since 1995." Eastover Shopping Center in Oxon Hill Free hot…...

5+ day, 16+ hour ago (393+ words) ASHBURN, Va. " After seeking input from families on a proposed ban on cell phones in schools, officials with Loudoun County Public Schools are taking steps to make it a reality, complying with a new state law this year. In April, the Virginia General Assembly passed a new legislation that directed school boards to enact policies that would prohibit the use of phones or other smart devices from the start of school until after school gets out. LCPS already has some restrictions in place depending on your grade level, but the change to policies, which are under review by the Student Behavior and Accountability Committee, would mean all students districtwide must have their phones away, even during lunchtime and in hallways. The policy change would also include personal laptops, tablets, earbuds, gaming devices and smart phones. There are no exceptions for…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (376+ words) LEESBURG, Va. " The Washington Spirit are headed back to the NWSL Championship for the second year in a row. After falling to Orlando in last year's title match, the team enters Saturday's showdown with Gotham FC determined to return to the District with hardware. RELATED: Then there were 2: Here's how to watch the Washington Spirit in the championship Players and coaches say the experience of last year's disappointment has fueled their preparation. "We know there's a little more expectations, more noise, more cameras, more attention, but we are focused and doing our thing," head coach Adrian Gonzalez said. Spirit defender Tara McKeown reflected on the year-long climb back to the final. "After last year, we knew that we wanted to be in this position again," McKeown said. "Definitely on the other side of it. We've just been working toward that…...

16+ hour, 9+ min ago (390+ words) CLEAR SPRING, Md. " A house fire that initial reports said killed three people in the Washington County town of Clear Spring earlier this month has turned into a triple murder investigation, with Maryland State Police announcing four arrests on Saturday." Darnell Hawkins, 47, of Baltimore; Tony Smith, 43, of Hagerstown; "Maurice Mouzon, 46, of Baltimore and Kierra White, 35, of Glen Burnie were arrested between Nov. 21 and Friday." Hawkins and Smith were charged with three counts of first-degree murder, first-degree arson and related offenses. Mouzon was charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, distribution of narcotics and a handgun violation. White, the only woman suspect identified by state police, was charged with acting as an accessory after the fact to murder." Two women and a man were killed in the house fire, which burned through a house on the 13000 block of National Pike in Clear…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (288+ words) WASHINGTON " General aviation and private flights can no longer land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport through the end of this year. DCA posted as of midnight Monday, non-scheduled flights and general aviation flights will not be accepted unless they are authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration or qualify for specific exceptions. This will be in effect until 6:59 p.m. Dec. 31. This does not impact commercial flights, which are scheduled. Non-scheduled flights refers to chartered or private flights. General aviation refers civil aircraft, such as recreational flying or private and business jets. Emergency, medical, law enforcement, firefighting and military flights will still be allowed to land at the airport. Aircraft based at DCA, and flights that are specifically approved by the FAA Command Center will also be allowed to land." DCA is one of 11 airports with this same order right now. The…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (213+ words) WASHINGTON " Howard University announced Monday that Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $80 million, making one of the largest single contributions in the university's history." Among the donations, $63 million will go to Howard University and $17 million to the Howard University College of Medicine, both unrestricted." READ NEXT:"MacKenzie Scott gives $70 million to UNCF to financially strengthen HBCUs The massive donation comes as the federal government shutdown delayed annual federal appropriations that Howard University uses to support students, academic programs, research, and other operations at the university and Howard University Hospital." This isn't the first donation Scott has made to the university. In 2020, she donated an eight-figure gift to Howard University. The largest gift from a single donor in the school's history." A year later, Scott donated $2.7 billion to 286 organizations. Scott is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The pair were married…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (235+ words) CLEAR SPRING, Md. " Three people are dead in Washington County after a devastating house fire early Tuesday morning. Investigators are still working to learn what caused the blaze. Around 4:30 a.m., crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames on the basement and first floor of the home. Multiple fire companies responded to a home located between Shade Bower and St. Paul Road, east of Clear Spring." About 60 firefighters worked quickly to get the flames under control, including units from Clear Spring Fire, Williamsport Fire & EMS, Maugansville Fire, Funkstown Fire, Community Volunteer Fire, Longmeadow Fire, Hancock Fire, Greencastle Fire, Mercersburg Fire, Community Rescue Service, Clear Spring Ambulance, Maryland State Fire Marshal Office and Emergency Support Services. Crews were able to extinguish the fire by just before 5 a.m. However, authorities say two women and a man died in the fire. Two family dogs were rescued…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (540+ words) PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. " Frustration is growing in Prince William County, where Wednesday night more than a hundred neighbors spoke out against Dominion Energy's proposal for a new six-and-a-half-mile transmission line. "This isn't our first rodeo, we've been fighting this stuff for decades now," said Senator Danica Roem (D) Prince William County. "Who is this for," questioned Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair at-Large Deshundra Jefferson. "The people behind me, the people who've spoken out, it's not for them." "It's not wanted in my backyard and it's not wanted in their backyard," she added as the crowd cheered outside Beacon Hall on George Mason University's SciTech Campus in Manassas. "This is a reliability project," said Porlan Cunningham with Dominion Energy. "Dominion wants to ensure that the grid remains reliable." But, those at Wednesday night's rally ahead of the open house…...