Sarah Gibson – 鶹 News Washington's Top News Tue, 28 Sep 2021 18:43:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 /wp-content/uploads/2021/05/WtopNewsLogo_500x500-150x150.png Sarah Gibson – 鶹 News 32 32 Fairfax Co. police release sketch of attempted abduction suspect /fairfax-county/2018/11/fairfax-co-police-release-sketch-of-attempted-abduction-suspect/ /fairfax-county/2018/11/fairfax-co-police-release-sketch-of-attempted-abduction-suspect/#respond Tue, 06 Nov 2018 21:55:59 +0000 /?p=18922750 WASHINGTON — Fairfax County police have released the composite sketch of a man they think tried to abduct a teenage girl on Oct. 20.

The man approached the victim near the intersection of North Kings Highway and Fairhaven Avenue and tried to pull her into a car.

She was able to escape, and the man drove off in a red Chevrolet Cruze.

The composite sketch is based on the victim’s description of her potential abductor.

This composite is based on the victim’s description of the man who attempted to abduct her on Oct. 20. (Courtesy Fairfax County police)

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective E.L. Carpenter at 703-246-7800 or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Solvers by visiting , calling 1-866-411-TIPS or texting “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES (274637).

Below is a map of where the attempted abduction occurred.

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Police identify 2 killed in Prince William Co. car, commuter bus crash /prince-william-county/2018/11/2-people-killed-in-bus-crash-in-prince-william-co/ /prince-william-county/2018/11/2-people-killed-in-bus-crash-in-prince-william-co/#respond Tue, 06 Nov 2018 18:16:31 +0000 /?p=18920021

WASHINGTON — Police have identified the two people who died after an OmniRide Express commuter bus and a sedan collided in Woodbridge, Virginia, Monday night.

Prince William County police said the crash happened in the 14000 block of Smoketown Road around 8:34 p.m.

The sedan’s driver, 24-year-old Pablo Enrique Angulo of Woodbridge, and 19-year-old Prince Arthur of Woodbridge, both died at the scene.

A third occupant of the sedan, a 21-year-old man from Woodbridge, was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The bus did not have passengers at the time of the crash because it was returning after operating a route in Manassas.

The driver of the bus, a 31-year-old man from Woodbridge, was not injured.

A police investigation revealed that the crash happened when the sedan, a 2014 Toyota Corolla that was driving at high speed in the northbound direction of Smoketown Road, crossed over the median and into oncoming traffic.

The 2004 PRTC motor-coach bus was traveling southbound on Smoketown Road and could not avoid the sedan.

The bus hit the sedan head-on and continued off the roadway, where it hit a light pole and a metal fence on the Gar-field High School property, causing downed power lines and a power outage for the area surrounding the crash.

Smoketown Road near Gar-field High School was closed for more than eight hours following the crash.

Below is a map of the area where the crash happened.

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Anacostia High School security guard arrested for having sex with a minor while on duty /dc/2018/10/anacostia-high-school-security-guard-arrested-for-having-sex-with-a-minor-while-on-duty/ /dc/2018/10/anacostia-high-school-security-guard-arrested-for-having-sex-with-a-minor-while-on-duty/#respond Thu, 25 Oct 2018 19:03:49 +0000 /?p=18878615 WASHINGTON — A high school security guard was arrested for having sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl while he was on duty.

Joseph Smith, 39, of Northeast D.C., was arrested and charged with first-degree sexual abuse of a minor on Oct. 19.

Smith was on duty as a security guard at Anacostia High School in Southeast D.C. when he had sex with the girl just after 5 p.m. on Oct. 18, D.C. police said.

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Va. joins DC, Md. by opening investigation into clergy abuse /virginia/2018/10/va-joins-dc-md-by-opening-investigation-into-clergy-abuse/ /virginia/2018/10/va-joins-dc-md-by-opening-investigation-into-clergy-abuse/#respond Wed, 24 Oct 2018 19:30:46 +0000 /?p=18873851 WASHINGTON — Virginia has opened an investigation into whether leadership in Virginia’s Catholic dioceses covered up the sexual abuse of children.

Maryland and the District both opened investigations into their respective dioceses in the past few weeks.

On Oct. 24, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring launched a hotline for reporting clergy abuse as part of the investigation: .

The hotline is available 24/7 and is staffed by Virginia State Police investigators during regular business hours.

According to a press release, the hotline was created after a grand jury report revealed that sexual abuse and cover-ups perpetrated by the Pennsylvania Catholic clergy persisted for decades.

“Like so many Americans, I read the grand jury report on clergy abuse in the Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania, and I felt sick. It made me sick to see the extent of the damage done, the efforts to cover it up, and the complicity and enabling that went on by powerful people who should have known better and should have done more to protect vulnerable children,” said Herring.

“We shouldn’t assume the behavior and the problems are limited just to Pennsylvania or to one diocese. If there has been abuse or cover-up in Virginia like there was in Pennsylvania, I want to know about it, I want to root it out, and I want to help survivors get justice and get on a path to healing.”

Bishop Michael Burbidge from the Diocese of Arlington and Bishop Barry Knestout from the Diocese of Richmond issued a with the investigation.

“Any instance of child sexual abuse is intolerable and gravely immoral. We hope that this process will bring healing for all victims and confirm our commitment to accountability and justice,” the statement said.

The Diocese of Arlington sent out a as a result of the Pennsylvania grand jury report. The Diocese of Richmond .

In the joint statement, both dioceses implore anyone who knows about sexual abuse by the clergy to report it using the attorney general’s hotline.

Virginia is the 15th state or territory to open an investigation into clergy abuse by the Catholic Church.

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Fauquier Co. school board adds school security officers, allows them to carry firearms /virginia/2018/10/fauquier-co-school-board-adds-school-security-officers-allows-them-to-carry-firearms/ /virginia/2018/10/fauquier-co-school-board-adds-school-security-officers-allows-them-to-carry-firearms/#respond Wed, 24 Oct 2018 16:46:52 +0000 /?p=18873632 WASHINGTON — Last summer, the Fauquier County school board got its first school security officers. Now, it has passed a resolution to let them carry firearms.

Citing school safety, . Each officer must first be approved by the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone hoping to be a school security officer for the county must be a former law enforcement officer who left their department in good standing. Officers must also pass a background check and complete training with firearms and active shooter situations.

On its website, the school system announced that the to the school system on July 16. These were the first school security officers to join the county, establishing Fauquier County’s school security officer program.

The move comes as part of a a partnership between the school system and the sheriff’s office to increase school security over the 2018-19 school year.

The sheriff’s office and school system will also add three resource officers and 12 additional security officers to the program before the end of the school year.

The 12 new security officers will be joining the existing school resource officers at Fauquier, Kettle Run and Liberty high schools, as well as Bradley, Brumfield, Coleman, Greenville, Miller, Pearson, Pierce, Ritchie and Smith elementary schools.

The three new school resource officers will be stationed at Southeastern Alternative School, Claude Thompson Elementary School and Mary Walter Elementary School.

The main difference between a school resource officer and a school security officer is that the former is an employee of a local law enforcement agency, while the latter is an employee of the school itself.

The roles have similarities, like the duty to protect the students, but there are differences in the job descriptions and permissions.

Fauquier County has a total of 20 schools in its school system.

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AG investigating possible cover-up of clergy abuse at Washington Archdiocese /dc/2018/10/dc-ags-office-opens-investigation-into-child-sex-abuse-by-catholic-clergy/ /dc/2018/10/dc-ags-office-opens-investigation-into-child-sex-abuse-by-catholic-clergy/#respond Tue, 23 Oct 2018 16:28:49 +0000 /?p=18869818 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has opened a civil investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington over clergy abuse.

There are now 14 states and territories with open investigations into clergy abuse by the Catholic Church.

Since the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a nonprofit, covering up sexual abuse allegations would be a violation of the organization’s standing.

“While we generally don’t talk publicly about our confidential enforcement activity, I can report that our office has launched a civil investigation into whether the Archdiocese — which is a nonprofit institution — violated the District’s Nonprofit Act by potentially covering up allegations of sexual abuse of minors,” Attorney General Karl Racine said at the Mayor-Council breakfast Tuesday.

“According to the law, nonprofits are required to work for a public purpose; if they are in fact covering up child sex abuse, that is clearly not in the public interest.”

Following the attorney’s office announcement, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington released a statement that said attorneys for the archdiocese briefed Racine last month on the organization’s efforts to prevent and respond to the sexual abuse claims.

In the statement, the archdiocese said it has a zero tolerance policy, and that there has been no sex abuse of minors by clergy in the organization for the past 20 years.

“The Archdiocese of Washington remains committed to a collaborative and transparent review process because there is not now, and has not been for decades, any problem of abuse of minors by clergy of the Archdiocese of Washington,” said Kim Viti Fiorentino, general counsel for the archdiocese.

“Zero tolerance has been mandated in this archdiocese and zero abuse is the result.”

This statement comes a few weeks after the archdiocese released a list of the 28 priests from the organization with what they deemed to be credible accusations of sexual abuse against them.

On its blog, the attorney’s office posted  by archdiocese clergy, including a new site specifically for reporting clergy abuse: .

In response to the allegations of sexual abuse by Pennsylvania clergy, the office also created a hotline and email address for victims to report their abuse.

That list includes phone numbers and web links for reporting, as well as information about who is mandated to report sex abuse by law. Any adult who knows or believes a child under the age of 16 is being sexually abused is compelled by law to report it to the police or to D.C.’s Child and Family Services Agency.

Furthermore, people who work with children in D.C. — including teachers, school officials, health care and day care employees — have to report suspected abuse or neglect for any child under the age of 18.

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Museum of the Bible removes artifacts after lab doubts authenticity /dc/2018/10/museum-of-the-bible-removes-artifacts-after-lab-doubts-authenticity/ /dc/2018/10/museum-of-the-bible-removes-artifacts-after-lab-doubts-authenticity/#respond Mon, 22 Oct 2018 21:10:24 +0000 /?p=18867223 WASHINGTON — The Museum of the Bible had a third-party lab test five of its 16 Dead Sea Scrolls fragments, and they didn’t pass.

The German-based lab,  (BAM), concluded that the scroll fragments had characteristics that were inconsistent with their supposedly ancient origins.

As a result, those five fragments will no longer be displayed at the museum.

The Museum of the Bible has a total of 16 Dead Sea Scrolls fragments, and had been displaying those five since its opening in November 2017.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, named due to their discovery in caves near the Dead Sea, are fragments of religious texts written mostly in Hebrew that are believed to date back to ancient times.

In April 2017, the museum sent the five fragments to BAM for multiple authenticity tests, including 3D digital microscopy and various X-ray scans to test the material analysis of the ink as well as the layers and chemical nature of the sediment.

Before BAM’s report came back, the museum sponsored research on 13 of the previously unpublished fragments for a planned series of volumes about the artifacts. , but it raised concerns for one of the editors: Kipp Davis of Trinity Western University.

In a separate research project, Davis studied the fragments and published his results, suggesting that at least seven of the fragments were likely forgeries, in the academic journal Dead Sea Discoveries in October 2017.

“My research has focused primarily on two aspects of Museum of the Bible’s fragments: scribal quality and technique in the penning of the texts as well as the physical composition and current state of the manuscript media,” said Davis.

“My studies to date have managed to confirm upon a preponderance of different streams of evidence the high probability that at least seven fragments in the museum’s Dead Sea Scrolls collection are modern forgeries, but conclusions on the status of the remaining fragments are still forthcoming.”

An Oct. 22 press release from the museum stated that the ongoing research and skepticism about the fragments’ authenticity was reflected in the exhibit labels for the five fragments that were on display.

Despite the research Davis conducted and the new results from BAM, the museum will continue to display three different fragments, pending analysis of those specific fragments’ authenticity.

“Though we had hoped the testing would render different results, this is an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of verifying the authenticity of rare biblical artifacts, the elaborate testing process undertaken and our commitment to transparency,” said Jeffrey Kloha, the museum’s chief curatorial officer.

“As an educational institution entrusted with cultural heritage, the museum upholds and adheres to all museum and ethical guidelines on collection care, research and display.”

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DC business owner sentenced to prison for bribing government employee /dc/2018/10/dc-business-owner-sentenced-to-prison-for-bribing-government-employee/ /dc/2018/10/dc-business-owner-sentenced-to-prison-for-bribing-government-employee/#respond Mon, 22 Oct 2018 19:01:28 +0000 /?p=18866730 WASHINGTON — The owner of a tutoring company for public school students was sentenced to 18 months in prison Monday after he bribed a government employee.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Vashawn Strader, 40, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in July 2017.

Strader owned a company that provided tutoring services to public school students in D.C. and other school systems.

According to a news release from the U.S. attorney, Strader began bribing 48-year-old Shauntell Harley, an employee of the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), in 2012.

Harley worked as a management analyst for OSSE from 2009 to 2014, where her responsibilities included issuing requests for services and reviewing invoices from the companies that provided the services.

Together, Harley and Strader cost the government a combined $308,311 in fraudulent invoices for early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and development delays, as well as professional development training. These services were invoiced in 2012 and 2013, but never actually performed.

Harley was sentenced to 56 months in prison in July 2018 after she pled guilty to two different schemes, including the one with Strader and another involving a third, unnamed person. She has to pay $488,311 in restitution to OSSE and an additional $100,000 in a forfeiture money judgment.

After his prison term, Strader will be on supervised release for three years, during which he must complete 100 hours of community service. He owes $308,311 in restitution to OSSE and $100,000 in a forfeiture money judgment.

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Man invaded Md. home where he used to live, kidnapped 80-year-old woman: Police /montgomery-county/2018/10/man-broke-into-80-year-old-womans-md-home-kidnapped-her-police/ /montgomery-county/2018/10/man-broke-into-80-year-old-womans-md-home-kidnapped-her-police/#respond Mon, 22 Oct 2018 19:00:17 +0000 /?p=18866236 WASHINGTON — A Maryland man is facing assault, home invasion, armed robbery and kidnapping charges after Montgomery County police say he shoved his way into an 80-year-old woman’s Potomac home where he used to live and threatened her at knifepoint.

Robert Dove, 39, of Frederick, allegedly knocked on the unnamed victim’s door around 4 p.m. Oct. 14, claiming he was there to inspect her roof.

Police said the woman was suspicious of his timing, since it was a Sunday, and of his intentions. Dove explained this by telling her he was sent by the Home Owner’s Association, but the victim said she did not want her roof inspected.

That’s when he shoved her aside and went into the house. Dove pulled out a knife and demanded jewelry and money.

Police said she gave Dove around $400 in cash and took him to a rear bedroom in her house to hand him her jewelry box. He took one piece of jewelry out of the box – a gold chain – and placed it in his pocket, but then demanded that she drive him to an ATM to get more money.

She tried to talk to him instead.

The victim asked Dove why he was doing this, and offered to sit down and help him. They went into the main living area in the home to talk.

At one point, he saw a bottle of vodka on a shelf, and he asked her if he could have a drink. She said yes, and he made himself a drink.

Dove then told the victim that she is very pretty, and asked for her name. She told him her name is Mary.

The victim then realized no one would be close enough to help if he assaulted her, because her residence is so secluded. She said she felt like he was very much in control of her.

At that point, Dove told the victim his name, and that police would be looking for him because he had fled the pre-release program work detail he was in while serving 20 years for manslaughter. The victim said he continued to talk, telling her about numerous troubles he was going through.

After over an hour of talking, she sensed that Dove was more comfortable with her, so the victim suggested they go for a drive. She told him that she had some good country music in her car.

Dove agreed, and he reached into his pocket and placed the gold chain from the victim’s jewelry box on a table before they left her house.

When they got in the car, Dove told the victim that he was from Poolesville, and he wanted to show her an old farm in that area where he used to hunt.

At the farm, the victim said she realized how secluded the farm was, and she told Dove “I know that you could kill me.” He acknowledged that he could, but that he was not going to.

Trying to get somewhere public and stay a few steps ahead of Dove, the victim told Dove she was hungry and wanted to eat. She was still uncertain how to end the situation, but wanted to be around other people.

“Although this woman was obviously frightened, she did what she thought was best to keep herself safe in the situation,” Sgt. Rebecca Innocenti, with Montgomery County police, told 鶹.

“She was constantly thinking about how to get herself in public and to keep herself safe.”

Dove directed the victim to a nearby restaurant where he appeared to know multiple people, and he introduced the victim as his “friend.” She said Dove seemed much more comfortable with her at this point, and he was not longer threatening her.

The victim later told police she didn’t alert anyone or try to flee because she was afraid Dove would hurt her when he got out of jail or send someone else to hurt her.

When they were done eating, the victim paid the bill, and Dove suggested they go back to the her Potomac home.

The victim was afraid of what Dove might do back at her house, and instead offered to pay for a hotel room for him. He agreed, and told her he wanted it for three nights. They drove to the Hilton Hotel on Rockville Pike, and the victim went inside and reserved the room while Dove waited in the car.

She went back outside and gave him both room keys. Dove told her to drive herself straight home and call him when she got there.

Instead, the victim drove to a friend’s house in Bethesda, where she broke down and explained what happened to her with Dove.

Her friend told the victim to call the police, but she was worried that Dove would find out. The victim said that she encouraged Dove to turn himself in throughout the evening when he kidnapped her, and she felt that he would.

Since Dove violated the pre-release agreement by running, an escape warrant had already been issued for Dove while he and the woman were together.

The following day, Montgomery County Sheriff deputies learned that Dove was staying at the Rockville hotel when one of Dove’s family members called the department. At the hotel, they found Dove in the lobby and took him into custody.

That afternoon, the victim did call police, and they identified Dove as the suspect. Police said he confessed during an interview with detectives.

Investigators later learned that Dove had previously lived at the Potomac house before the victim did.

Dove has been charged with home invasion, armed robbery, first-degree assault and kidnapping. He’s being held without bond.

鶹’s Kristi King contributed to this report.

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Cold front could bring taste of December by Monday morning /weather-news/2018/10/wintry-feel-end-to-weekend-as-cold-front-brings-winds-chilly-temps/ /weather-news/2018/10/wintry-feel-end-to-weekend-as-cold-front-brings-winds-chilly-temps/#respond Sun, 21 Oct 2018 23:30:03 +0000 /?p=18861560 Temperature
A cold front sweeping down from Canada on Saturday night led to gusty winds and a sudden return to chilly temperatures. (Courtesy Tropical Tidbits)

WASHINGTON — Despite the pleasant start to the weekend — temperatures were near 70 on Saturday — a winter-like chill will leave some D.C.-area residents with a taste of December by the time Monday morning arrives.

Most of the region is under a frost advisory until 10 a.m. Monday. A winter freeze warning is in effect for Prince William and Stafford counties, and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, according to the National 鶹 Service.

The arrival of a strong cold front on Sunday brought gusty winds and a return to near-freezing temperatures for portions of the 鶹 listening area. Meteorologists say it will be cold enough to damage crops and outdoor plants. They recommend covering sensitive outdoor plants and taking potted plants inside before going to bed Sunday night.

NBC Storm Team 4 Meteorologist Steve Prinzivalli says lows overnight will range from around 30 in the countryside, where he says a freeze is likely, to the upper 30s and near 40 in D.C., which could see patchy frost.

The good news? Prinzivalli says the wind is expected to relent, thanks to high pressure, and Monday is expected to be a sunny day.

Just don’t expect much warmth.

Prinzivalli says highs will be in the middle-to-upper 50s, which is colder than average. Temperatures are expected to warm up again on Tuesday, reaching the mid 60s.

 


Forecast:

Overnight Sunday: Frost advisory in effect. Clearing, winds diminishing and cold with a frost or freeze possible. Lows near 30 suburbs and in the upper 30s in D.C.

Monday: Mostly sunny and cool with highs in the mid-to-upper 50s.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny and warmer with highs mid 60s.


Current conditions:

鶹’s Tiffany Arnold and Alejandro Alvarez contributed to this report.

 

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3 people dead across DC in multiple weekend shootings /dc/2018/10/three-people-dead-across-dc-in-multiple-weekend-shootings/ /dc/2018/10/three-people-dead-across-dc-in-multiple-weekend-shootings/#respond Sun, 21 Oct 2018 15:40:54 +0000 /?p=18860360 WASHINGTON — Multiple shootings in D.C. over the weekend left three people dead, including two teenagers.

Malik McCloud and Antonio Dixon, both 19-year-old residents of Southeast D.C., died on Saturday in separate shootings, the latest in a mounting death toll from gun violence across the nation’s capital.

And on Sunday around 7 a.m., D.C. police found Marc Anthony Bolden, 28, of Northwest D.C. inside a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds at 1200 1st St. NW, blocks from Dunbar High School. Bolden was transported to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead after all lifesaving efforts failed.

McCloud was involved in a shooting just before 2 p.m. on Saturday in the 3500 block of Wheeler Road Southeast in Congress Heights. Emergency services transported an unresponsive McCloud to a local hospital, where he was ultimately pronounced dead.

Police said Dixon succumbed to a gunshot wound on Saturday afternoon around 4 p.m. in the 900 block of 5th Street Southeast. First responders found him unconscious, and later declared him dead on the scene.

No suspects had been named in any of the three shootings as of Sunday morning.

Persons with information on the shootings were asked to call D.C. police at 202-727-9099, or submit an anonymous tip by sending a text message to 50411.

Below is a map of where the shootings happened.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story stated the incorrect neighborhood of the Wheeler Road shooting. 

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Not just Nice anymore: Md. governor renames Harry Nice Bridge /maryland/2018/10/not-just-nice-anymore-md-governor-renames-harry-nice-bridge/ /maryland/2018/10/not-just-nice-anymore-md-governor-renames-harry-nice-bridge/#respond Sun, 21 Oct 2018 01:28:09 +0000 /?p=18861508 WASHINGTON — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s office announced that the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge has been renamed.

The 1.7-mile-long, 77-year-old bridge will now also bear the name of Charles County Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton.

“I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to a gentleman and a leader who has dedicated so much of his life to this county, to our great state, and to serving others than renaming this the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton Bridge,” Hogan said in a news release.

“On behalf of all the grateful Marylanders, I want to sincerely thank Senator Middleton for his decades of dedicated service to the people of Charles County and to the State of Maryland.”

Del. Sally Jameson, who represents Charles County, sponsored the law to rename the bridge during the 2018 legislative season.

Hogan, along with Jameson, Middleton and Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn, had a ceremony to unveil the bridge’s new signage on Saturday.

During the event, Hogan said that he has issued a request for qualification — officially starting the contractor procurement process — for a new bridge that will be located north of and parallel to the existing bridge.

The Maryland state board has voted to build a new $765 million Potomac River crossing in Charles County to replace the aging Harry Nice Bridge. Maryland Transportation Authority aims to start construction on this new bridge in 2020 and have it completed by 2023.

Building a new bridge will mean that the existing bridge no longer needs a major rehabilitation project in the next five years, as previously estimated, according to the news release.

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Washington National Cathedral hosts ‘change-ringing’ competition /dc/2018/10/washington-national-cathedral-hosts-change-ringing-competition/ /dc/2018/10/washington-national-cathedral-hosts-change-ringing-competition/#respond Sat, 20 Oct 2018 22:27:00 +0000 /?p=18860571

WASHINGTON — If you heard bells ringing for longer than usual Saturday at the Washington National Cathedral, it’s because of the nine teams of ringers from all across the continent showing off their “change-ringing” in Northwest D.C.

Change-ringing is the art of producing musical patterns from the bells’ different sounds and pitches while ringing them. The Washington National Cathedral’s carillon, or set of bells, includes 53 bronze bells that the ringers operate on the building’s 31st story.

Do they need sheet music? Not according to Beth Sinclair of the D.C.-based Washington Ringing Society.

“The bells are not conducive to ringing music, because they ring once with each rotation,” Sinclair said. “What we ring are permutations of the numbers, which translate into patterns in our minds while we’re ringing.” She likened it to everyone playing a different note of a tune.

Forty years ago, Sinclair learned change-ringing as a student at the National Cathedral School. She is one of the performers at the competition Saturday.

Three of the nine teams competing were fielded from the Washington Ringing Society. As the group’s area representative, Sinclair coordinates with ringers from around the world; she even fielded two emails Saturday alone from ringers who will be visiting D.C. in the coming weeks and want to practice with the society.

“If you are a ringer, you can dial up someone who is in another city if you’re going to be visiting … and they will welcome you,” Sinclair said. “It’s a completely transferable skill.”

Sinclair said there are ringers from all over the country and the world, and Saturday’s competition was no exception. She said there were individuals from Indiana, Toronto and Seattle, and entire groups of performers from Boston, New York and Delaware, performing in the competition Saturday.

The change-ringing competition at the National Cathedral on Oct. 20 brought competitors from all across the continent to ring the bells on the 31st story of the cathedral. (鶹/Mike Murillo)
The change-ringing competition at the National Cathedral on Saturday brought competitors from all across the continent to ring the bells on the 31st story of the cathedral. (鶹/Mike Murillo)
Change-ringing is an incredibly complex art form that includes the physical challenge of pulls ropes to operate the bells. (鶹/Mike Murillo)
Change-ringing is an incredibly complex art form that includes the physical challenge of pulls ropes to operate the bells. (鶹/Mike Murillo)
There were a total of nine teams of ringers competing in the 2018 competition at the National Cathedral. (鶹/Mike Murillo)
The judge and competitors alike said change-ringing leaves a lot of aspects of the performance up to chance. (鶹/Mike Murillo)
The judge and competitors alike said change-ringing leaves a lot of aspects of the performance up to chance. (鶹/Mike Murillo)
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The change-ringing competition at the National Cathedral on Oct. 20 brought competitors from all across the continent to ring the bells on the 31st story of the cathedral. (鶹/Mike Murillo)
Change-ringing is an incredibly complex art form that includes the physical challenge of pulls ropes to operate the bells. (鶹/Mike Murillo)
The judge and competitors alike said change-ringing leaves a lot of aspects of the performance up to chance. (鶹/Mike Murillo)

The competition will be judged solely by Mark Regan, ringing master at Worcester Cathedral in England.

Regan alone will select the winning team after hearing them all perform. Each piece will lasted about eight minutes or so, after which Regan will judge each team’s performance and give them feedback.

He said while ringers practice and prepare extensively, a lot of the actual performance comes down to “fate” in the moment.

“You’re controlling fast-moving bits of metal to split-second accuracy using a long rope, so I’m looking at timing, accuracy, punctuation, rhythm … I can pick up the teamwork and how mathematical accurate the performance is,” Regan said on how he judges the performances.

Sinclair’s comments supported how difficult it is for even experienced teams to win.

“You have to get lucky and have everything go perfectly right, but everyone has the potential to ring really well,” Sinclair said.

In such a difficult competition, what does the winning team actually get?

“The prize is being first, and ringers are very, very competitive,” Regan said. “And this helps our art carry on every year.”

Marie Dal Corso, a D.C. resident formerly from Malta, said she and her husband started change-ringing lessons at the Washington National Cathedral in March after moving to the area last year.

“It takes a huge amount of focus,” Dal Corso said of change-ringing. “It’s really unforgiving, the timing of it.”

Dal Corso said her interest in change-ringing stemmed from her childhood. She said she grew up with the sound of church bells in every village in Malta, and said the church was “the focal point of everyday life” there.

Mary Clark from Arlington, Virginia, has been a bell-ringer for 49 years.

“It’s a mental exercise for someone my age,” Clark said.

But Clark said the mental preparation is only half of it; the rest is physical, since operating the bells takes such a toll. She recommends lifting weights to prepare.

鶹’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.

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Montgomery Co. teen arrested after making threats against high school /montgomery-county/2018/10/montgomery-co-teen-arrested-after-making-threats-against-high-school/ /montgomery-county/2018/10/montgomery-co-teen-arrested-after-making-threats-against-high-school/#respond Sat, 20 Oct 2018 22:01:42 +0000 /?p=18860386 Update: Luis Amilcar Cabrera was not granted bond. 

WASHINGTON — A teen has been arrested on a charges of making threats against students at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland.

On Oct. 12, multiple students at the school told the school resource officer that Luis Amilcar Cabrera, 18, of Rockville, had posted a photo of himself holding a loaded AR-15 rifle with the caption “School shooter” to Snapchat, according to a news release from Montgomery County police.

Police say Cabrera is a former student.

The students who reported Cabrera said he made similar posts in the past month, including ones that read “I hate WJ” and “Ha, ha, I’m going to shoot up the school.”

In the videos he posted, Cabrera said he owns the AR-15 and keeps it with him at all times for protection. He has also been seen holding a .40 caliber KelTek rifle, police said.

In a press conference on Oct. 20, Montgomery County Police Capt. Paul Starks said Cabrera was staying with friends at an apartment in the Towson area, and Starks’ department worked with Baltimore County police to locate and arrest Cabrera.

When police arrested Cabrera, they also managed to recover both the AR-15 and KelTek rifles seen in his posts, as well as ammunition for both guns.

Montgomery County police charged him with one count of threat of mass violence on Friday. He is being held without bond.

Cabrera’s first hearing is in Rockville District Court at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 22.

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There’s still time to score tickets to National Christmas Tree lighting /dc/2018/10/date-announced-for-2018-national-christmas-tree-lighting-ceremony/ /dc/2018/10/date-announced-for-2018-national-christmas-tree-lighting-ceremony/#respond Wed, 17 Oct 2018 19:33:13 +0000 /?p=18828459 WASHINGTON — Holiday revelers have until Monday at 10 a.m. for a chance to score tickets to this D.C. tradition.

The National Christmas Tree Lighting is on Nov. 28, and you need a ticket to attend. Tickets are free but are only given out through a lottery.

To enter, get on the National Park Service’s or by calling 877-444-6777.

Winners will be notified Oct. 29.

A beloved holiday tradition celebrating its 96th year, the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held at the Ellipse at President’s Park at the White House, the park service said in a statement.

The Christmas tree is a Colorado blue spruce from Virginia, and it lives in the park year-round — usually without so many lights and decorations, but it welcomes visitors no matter the season.

The lighting event will include live musical performances, and in addition to the main tree, there will also be 56 smaller trees, each decorated with ornaments to represent every U.S. state and territory as well as the District.

The park service said the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony was first celebrated by President Calvin Coolidge in 1923, a decade before the park service started caring for the White House grounds.

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