Emily Zantow

Black lab to join U.S. Capitol Police as agency’s first-ever emotional service animal

The U.S. Capitol Police force is adding its first-ever emotional support animal.

June 11, 2021

D.C. lifts all COVID-19 capacity limits, fully reopens

After more than a year on lockdown, the District of Columbia fully reopened Friday as the remaining coronavirus restrictions were lifted.

June 11, 2021

D.C. area officials split on calls to defund police

Some D.C. area officials are responding with dramatic budget cuts while others are ignoring growing outcries to defund police.

June 9, 2021

Teacher who spoke against transgender-pronoun policy must be reinstated by school system: judge

A Virginia judge ruled Tuesday that a public school district must temporarily reinstate a gym teacher who was suspended after he told officials that he refuses to call transgender students by their pronouns.

June 8, 2021

Capitol Police assistant chief resigns: Reports

U.S. Capitol Police Assistant Chief Chad Thomas has resigned as Congress is expected to release a report this month on the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, according to media reports.

June 7, 2021

Va. teacher suspended for saying he won’t call transgender students by their pronouns

A gym teacher in Loudoun County, Virginia, has been suspended after he told school officials that he refuses to abide by a proposed policy that requires staff to call transgender students by their pronouns.

June 1, 2021

Prince George’s County to keep cops in schools, bucking national trend

Schools across the country responded to the death last year of George Floyd by scaling back or eliminating campus police programs, but one majority Black suburban community in the D.C. area is bucking the trend.

June 1, 2021

Judge hears arguments in lawsuits against Trump, Barr over Lafayette Square

Biden administration lawyers asked a federal judge on Friday to throw out lawsuits by protesters who were dispersed from Lafayette Square last June so that former President Donald Trump could be photographed in front of a church with a Bible in his hands, saying the new administration isn't likely to repeat the incident.

May 28, 2021

Smithsonian to reopen all museums by end of August

The Smithsonian Institution announced Wednesday that all 19 of its museums will reopen by the end of August.

May 26, 2021

D.C. Auditor report on shooting death of Deon Kay: Police ‘acted recklessly’

The Office of the D.C. Auditor on Tuesday released a report that found the police officers involved in the shooting death of Deon Kay last year "acted recklessly."

May 25, 2021

Karl Racine, D.C. attorney general, files antitrust suit against Amazon

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine filed an antitrust lawsuit Tuesday against Amazon alleging the tech giant has been stifling competition for years by illegally fixing online market prices.

May 25, 2021

Loudoun County, Virginia, schools’ ‘Bias Reporting’ form sparks outrage among parents

Parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, are outraged over the public school district's decision to launch an anonymous "Bias Reporting" form.

May 24, 2021

Police rules tightened, protections lowered a year after George Floyd killing

Police reforms remain a key concern among elected leaders in the Washington area, 12 months after the death of George Floyd, who died in the custody of Minnesota police last year on May 25.

May 24, 2021

D.C.-area police join forces with mental health experts for 911 calls

Police departments in the Washington area are turning to mental health experts to help handle certain emergencies as they grapple with the role of law enforcement in the post-George Floyd era.

May 21, 2021

Watchdog: Montgomery County schools equate MAGA, white supremacy

Conservative activist group Judicial Watch says it obtained documents showing a school in Maryland had course curriculum stating former President Donald J. Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan is an example of "covert white supremacy."

May 20, 2021

Council bill seeks regular reports of D.C. police school actions by race, other factors

D.C. Council members pushed a bill Thursday to require reports every six months on student arrests and disciplinary actions at city schools involving police, broken down by race, sex and other measures.

May 20, 2021

D.C. to send mental health experts, not police, to some 911 calls

The District is launching a pilot program under which 911 operators will send unarmed teams of behavioral health clinicians and peers -- instead of police -- to certain mental health crisis calls.

May 18, 2021

National Guard troops set to leave U.S. Capitol as officials eye permanent force

Thousands of National Guard troops stationed on a rotating basis at the U.S. Capitol since Jan. 6 will head home this weekend as officials weigh whether to create a permanent military unit charged with protecting lawmakers and the building.

May 17, 2021

Larry Hogan, Md. governor, lifts indoor mask mandate for vaccinated, unvaccinated people

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday that the state's indoor mask mandate will be lifted Saturday for people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus and those who are not.

May 14, 2021

Virginia lifts mask mandate to align with CDC guidance

Fully vaccinated Virginians will no longer have to wear their masks indoors, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday.