Today in D.C.: Headlines to start your Wednesday in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
Good Wednesday #GoodWednesday
Good morning — it’s Wednesday. Grab your coffee or tea. Start your morning with headlines from around the Washington region.
Today’s weather: Our cold snap, as seasonably appropriate as it may be, is coming to an end. But not before one more rather chilly day today, minus the recent winds, but with the chance of a few flurries or a snow shower. Highs: Mid-40s.
9:23 AM: Local governments, still grappling with the pandemic, prepare for winter
Local and state governments in the D.C. region — still grappling with an already disruptive pandemic — say they are as ready as they can be for the coming winter season, despite nine months of revenue shortfalls from shutdowns, job losses and limits on businesses. The need to keep the roads open for emergency services and essential workers, however, is paramount.
Winter, which can often be unpredictable and disruptive in the greater Washington region where northern, southern and eastern weather systems collide, brought just 0.6 inches of snow last winter — among the warmest on record. While there’s always the possibility of a repeat of 2010’s Snowmageddon, 2016’s Snowzilla or even 2011’s Commutageddon, forecasters this year predict an overall mild winter, although a snowier one than last year.
Most governments, despite their tight budgets, define snow clearing and emergency shelters as core services, no matter how much any response costs, officials say. But operations will be more complicated this season because governments will have to keep workers apart to protect them from catching or spreading the virus when every hand is needed. That means fewer crew members in each truck and more trucks on the road, and possibly longer waits for every street to be cleared.
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By: Patricia Sullivan
9:20 AM: Child dead, two other people hurt in Fairfax County crash
A child died and two other people were seriously injured in a crash Wednesday morning in Fairfax County, officials said.
Fairfax County police said the crash involved two vehicles near Richmond Highway and Huntington Avenue. Some lanes were blocked as police investigated the collision.
Authorities said three people were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, including a child who died at the hospital.
Other details weren’t immediately available.
By: Dana Hedgpeth
9:01 AM: Perspective: Rename Wilson High School after Vincent Reed
It is unfortunate that the requirement for having a public school named after you in D.C. is that you be dead. Students should have the opportunity to know who the people are whose names hang on the buildings in which they typically spend years.
For students at Woodrow Wilson High in Northwest Washington, that would have meant getting to know the seven finalists under consideration for the renaming of that school.
The online balloting to rename Wilson ends Friday. Out of more than 2,000 names submitted, those who made the cut include August Wilson, the playwright; John Wilson, the former D.C. Council chairman; Marion Barry, the former mayor; and Edna Jackson, the first Black teacher at Wilson High.
Then there’s Vincent E. Reed, the first Black principal at Wilson and later a D.C. schools superintendent.
Having the school named after any of those people would be better than keeping it in honor of Woodrow Wilson, whose father served in the Confederate army and who held racist views. He resegregated the federal civil service after decades of integration.
But it is Reed, whose career as a D.C. educator was devoted to dispelling the kinds of myths that Wilson fostered about Black inferiority, who I believe would be the best to replace the former bigot in chief.
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By: Courtland Milloy
8:40 AM: D.C. released data showing outbreaks in schools. It did not show that cases spread in classrooms.
D.C. officials released data this week reportedly showing that a significant number of the city’s coronavirus outbreaks are connected to school buildings and day-care facilities, but the data contains many caveats that indicate the cases being counted did not originate in classrooms.
Still, the troubling outbreak numbers — the first time the city released detailed information about the location of outbreaks in the District — landed amid a contentious debate over whether to reopen schools. It arrived as U.S. case counts soar, and when limited data suggests that there is little virus transmission inside schools. That has led some health officials to argue that schools, particularly elementary schools, can reopen when safeguards are in place.
On social media, teachers and residents shared the data, saying it was evidence that it is risky to reopen schools and that schools are contributing to the spread of the virus.
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By: Perry Stein
8:33 AM: Street closures planned Saturday in downtown for pro-Trump rallies
D.C. police announced this week they will close streets in parts of downtown Washington on Saturday amid planned protests in support of President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the Nov. 3 election.
The street closures will go into effect about 6 a.m. Saturday and will be enforced through the end of the day, police said. Parking will be prohibited along some nearby streets. Police warned that some streets might also be closed at times on Friday.
The first rally is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at the Capitol. The largest is expected to begin at noon at Freedom Plaza, led by a group called Women for America First. A permit application filed with the National Park Service indicates organizers expect about 5,000 attendees.
The rallies in support of Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden come two days before the electoral college will meet and vote in state capitals across the nation.
During Nov. 14 protests in the city in support of Trump, much of the day unfolded peacefully, although there were brief but intense clashes involving supporters of Trump and counterprotesters. Some people were bloodied, and at least 20 were arrested. The chaos also left two officers injured.
Read more for the list of planned street closures on Saturday.
By: Dana Hedgpeth
8:17 AM: Maryland schools chief urges systems to bring back small groups of students
Maryland’s top education leader is pressing the state’s 24 school systems to consider bringing small groups of students back to campus despite surging coronavirus cases, citing intensive student needs and research that does not show major in-school spread of the virus.
State Superintendent Karen B. Salmon pointed to failing grades in school systems that rely on remote instruction, including those in suburban Montgomery County and Virginia’s Fairfax County, while also noting the mental health fallout for students and inequities for those most vulnerable.
State officials said it appears that just two of Maryland’s school systems are currently doing some form of in-person instruction.
When the school year’s second semester begins in 2021, Salmon said, it will be “critical” to also return students to hybrid models of instruction, which typically offer in-person classes for part of each week for a broader student population.
“We need to reopen our schools because the risks to our children of keeping them closed are far greater,” she said.
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By: Donna St. George
7:47 AM: We asked forecasters to predict snow totals for the season. The consensus: Not a whole lot.
Chilly air — more characteristic of midwinter — has descended on the Washington region, and a few snow flurries were even scattered about the region early Monday. But there is a consensus among forecasters that the next several months will feature generally mild winter conditions without a lot of snow.
Most seem confident that we’ll see more snow than last winter, but that’s a very low bar. Last winter’s snowfall totaled just 0.6 inches in Washington, the third-lowest amount on record.
Last winter, the majority of forecasters wrongly predicted above-average snowfall, while a few outliers, including the Capital Weather Gang, called for somewhat below-average amounts. This year, a couple of forecasters are again going against the grain, predicting a rather snowy winter. So maybe, to the delight of snow-lovers, the contrarian viewpoint will prevail.
The Capital Weather Gang’s official winter outlook, released Nov. 18, called for somewhat above-average temperatures and 10 to 14 inches of snow in the immediate area, which is slightly below average.
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By: Jason Samenow
7:26 AM: D.C. restaurant workers plead for Congress to provide relief for their decimated industry
The chipped, salmon-colored plate stood out among the sea of white china. Sitting atop grass that was beginning to go dormant on the East Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, where many say lawmakers hold the fate of restaurants and bars in their hands, the plate was a symbol of the hospitality industry during the coronavirus pandemic: It was empty, save for a name written in black marker. It read “Athena.”
Athena is Athena Foltz, a 10-year veteran of the D.C. restaurant industry. She has worked at the Dabney and Le Diplomate and now pulls down some shifts at the Rooftop at Union Market. Business has been slow. “They don’t have any plans to winterize the Rooftop, so we opened this weekend, and I worked all day Saturday and made like $50,” Foltz said while holding Lucia, her 7-year-old Boston terrier. “It’s tough.”
Independent restaurants urge Senate to pass a relief bill before it’s too late
Foltz wrote her name on a plate to place on the East Lawn, both as a kind of prayer for her sputtering career (she’s also an account executive for the Washington City Paper, where she works for commissions, which haven’t been great) and as a reminder to lawmakers in the House and the Senate that more than 2 million hospitality workers remain unemployed since the start of the pandemic, more than in any other industry in the country, according to the Independent Restaurant Coalition. The latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that “food services and drinking places” shed 17,000 jobs during November, the first net loss of jobs in the hospitality sector since April.
Foltz’s plate, just one among dozens and dozens placed on Congress’s front yard Monday, were part of the latest gambit from the industry to get lawmakers to pass the Restaurants Act, which would provide $120 billion to help independent restaurants and bars with fewer than 20 locations. The act, introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), is considered a lifeline to an industry expected to lose $240 billion this year. Without the relief, some doomsayers predict that 85 percent of small, independent restaurants will close.
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By: Tim Carman
7:12 AM: Biden’s choice to run CDC is a respected specialist who is unafraid to speak her mind
President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a widely respected infectious-diseases specialist regarded as a strong communicator unafraid to speak her mind, qualities critical to returning the beleaguered public health agency to its traditional front-line role and to bringing the coronavirus pandemic under control.
But while Rochelle Walensky’s research has long had a public health focus, she has never run a government agency or organization as large and complex as the CDC.
Walensky, 51, heads the infectious-diseases department at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the nation’s storied medical centers, and is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She has conducted pioneering research on HIV and AIDS, with an emphasis on equity and access to treatment.
Her research has included topics such as the effectiveness of treatment in stopping HIV’s spread and cardiovascular disease among people receiving HIV medicine in South Africa.
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By: Lena H. Sun
6:56 AM: Maryland says first vaccines coming Monday
Maryland plans to administer its first coronavirus vaccines on Monday, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced, with the initial shipment coming from Pfizer and being used for health-care workers and nursing homes.
A second batch of vaccines, from Moderna, is expected to be distributed the following week.
Health workers, first responders and nursing home staff and residents are in the top-priority group for receiving the vaccine, state health officials said, followed by those at the highest risk of developing severe covid-19 if they are infected.
The next group includes people in critical and essential jobs — such as teachers and transit workers — or at moderate risk of developing severe covid-19 symptoms, followed by the rest of the general population. The state plans to launch a campaign to help persuade people to take the vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration has said the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective, an assessment that puts it on track to receive formal approval as soon as this weekend.
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By: Ovetta Wiggins and Julie Zauzmer
6:43 AM: Terry McAuliffe to seek a second term as Virginia governor
RICHMOND — Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who mixed business-friendly politics with liberal social policies over four hard-charging years as Virginia governor, will announce Wednesday that he wants his old job back.
McAuliffe, 63, is scheduled to formally kick off his bid for a second term Wednesday morning in Richmond, according to four people with knowledge of his plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them.
A win would make McAuliffe only the second governor since the Civil War to make a comeback in Virginia, the lone state to bar its chief executive from serving back-to-back terms.
Can business-friendly Terry McAuliffe sell himself to leftward leaning Democrats in 2020?
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By: Laura Vozzella
6:34 AM: D.C. hires second lab to process coronavirus tests
The D.C. government announced Tuesday it has inked a deal with a second private lab to process coronavirus tests. City officials said a surge in testing demand that began last month has continued even after the Thanksgiving holiday.
The District has provided free tests since early in the pandemic; by late summer, about 10,000 tests were being administered weekly, Director of Public Works Chris Geldart said. The city conducted 17,000 tests last week and is on track for a similar total this week, as the number of covid-19 deaths climbed past 700 in D.C.
Daily numbers released Tuesday put the total number of coronavirus cases in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. at 506,280 — a number that is spiking faster than at any time earlier in the pandemic. D.C. officials say they are once again readying a field hospital assembled at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, which was put in place earlier in the surge but never used.
Coronavirus cases in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. now exceed 500,000
LabCorp, which had been handling most tests from the city’s public testing sites, told the city it couldn’t process so many tests without slowing results, meaning people might wait more than five days for their tests to come back, Geldart said.
The city decided that a wait of more than five days was unacceptable and arranged for the private company Curative to handle some of the tests.
Anyone tested at Judiciary Square, one of the city’s most popular testing sites, or at the newest public site, Nationals Park, will have their samples sent to Curative, Geldart said.
The test is still the same — a PCR test that involves a five-second swab in each nostril, not a deep poke back toward the brain. And the results arrive the same way — generally in an email or text message from the D.C. Health Department.
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By: Ovetta Wiggins and Julie Zauzmer
6:25 AM: Amtrak launches new digital payment options
Amtrak customers can now pay their train fares with popular tap-and-go payment options such as Apple Pay, the railroad announced Tuesday.
The company has upgraded its mobile app and Amtrak.com to allow customers to use Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal to complete transactions, Amtrak said, offering customers an alternative to traditional credit and debit card payments.
The railroad is on a major mission to lure back passengers and rebound from its worst financial crisis. The company has seen stunning revenue losses because of declines in ticket sales during the coronavirus pandemic. Ridership plummeted by 97 percent at the onset of the pandemic and remains down 75 percent compared to a year ago.
Amtrak chief says railroad needs nearly $5 billion in federal aid
Amtrak says it wants to make booking easier for customers, and keep travel “contact-free” during the pandemic. Passengers are encouraged to make their Amtrak transactions online, from booking trips to checking the status of their train. Conductors can scan boarding e-tickets shown from the Amtrak app.
Amtrak passengers can now get notification on the Amtrak app about gate and track information at some stations. Before booking, they can see how many seats are taken on a given train, a feature that allows customers to book a train that is less crowded.
In the Washington area, Metro in September launched a system that allows customers to reload their SmarTrip accounts with Apple Pay and a new Metro mobile app.
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By: Luz Lazo
6:24 AM: D.C.-area forecast: Seasonably cold today with a few flakes possible, then a warmer stretch into the weekend
The Capital Weather Gang rates today’s weather a 5/10: The wind relents, but a seasonable chill lingers as plenty of clouds block the vitamin D, perhaps even producing a few flurries or a snow shower. The daily digit is a somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather.
Today: We continue to feel the chill this morning as temperatures rise into and through the 30s. Could see a few flurries or a snow shower, with afternoon highs stalling in the mid-40s under partly to mostly cloudy skies. Fortunately, the winds do finally let up, blowing from the southwest only around 10 mph. Confidence: Medium-High
Tonight: Evening temperatures fall back into the 30s under partly cloudy skies. Should see overnight lows a tad warmer than the past few nights, as they settle in the low to mid-30s with light winds. Confidence: High
Tomorrow (Thursday): Thursday brings a noticeably warmer stretch. Highs head for near 50 with mostly sunny skies and light winds from the northwest. Confidence: High
For other forecasts and more on weather in the Washington region, sign up to receive the Capital Weather Gang in your inbox. (Or, on your smart speaker.)
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By: Dan Stillman
6:15 AM: Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy stepping down to focus on Virginia governor’s race
RICHMOND — Del. Jennifer D. Carroll Foy said Tuesday that she is stepping down from her seat in the Virginia legislature to focus on her run for governor in the 2021 race.
Carroll Foy (D-Prince William) released a video casting her decision as a “bold” move on behalf of Virginians whose interests have long been ignored — and who have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m stepping down from the House of Delegates to focus 100 percent of my time on building a grass-roots movement to meet this moment,” she says in the video. “Helping families and workers recover and building a post-covid economy will be tough, but so are we. Together, we can rebuild a Virginia that leaves no one behind.”
Her resignation, which takes effect Saturday, set off a scramble to hold a special election before the General Assembly convenes on Jan. 13. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) called the election for Jan. 5. Democrats were working on plans to pick their nominee Saturday or Sunday, probably through a party-run primary. The GOP has not made any immediate nomination plans, a party spokesman said Monday afternoon.
Covid-19 puts crimp in 2021 race for Virginia governor
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By: Laura Vozzella
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By: Teddy Amenabar