Today in D.C.: Headlines to start your Thursday in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
Good Thursday #GoodThursday
Good morning — it’s Thursday. Grab your coffee or tea. Start your morning with news from around the Washington region.
Today’s weather: Clearing early and breezy, but watch out for slick spots. Real wintry cold is with us for a couple of days as winds traverse the snowy expanse to our northwest. Highs: 34 to 38.
8:41 AM: D.C. closes 5 schools as more students return to classrooms
The District shut five school buildings this week after multiple children and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, although officials say they have so far seen no evidence of spread in the city’s school buildings.
The positive cases — which school officials do not think were contracted in school buildings — coincide with a rise in the city’s overall infection rate and the return of more students to public school campuses to participate in distance learning under the supervision of nonteaching staff.
Student cases at two schools were detected through an asymptomatic-testing program launched last week that tests children every 10 days, even if they appear well. Students began receiving their test results this week.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the in-person program at nearly 70 campuses, with attendance hovering between 50 and 60 percent each day.
Read more about District schools:
Read the full story
By: Perry Stein
8:38 AM: Airplane slides on taxiway due to icy conditions at BWI
An airplane slid off a taxiway and into grass Thursday morning due to icy conditions just after it landed at BWI Airport.
Jonathan Dean, a spokesman for BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport outside Baltimore, said in an email that Spirit Airlines Flight 696 arrived at the facility from Las Vegas around 6:18 a.m. with 111 people aboard.
He said the flight “landed safely and without incident.” But as the airplane “taxied to the airport terminal, it slid off a taxiway into the grass,” according to Dean.
No one was hurt, and the airport’s fire and rescue department responded. Passengers were helped off the aircraft and onto shuttle buses that took them to the terminal.
The D.C. region was hit Wednesday with snow and freezing rain that left many roads and sidewalks throughout the area slick for Thursday morning. Temperatures are expected to remain chilly throughout the day, according to The Post’s Capital Weather Gang.
By: Dana Hedgpeth
8:25 AM: Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring launches reelection bid
RICHMOND — Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring on Wednesday formally announced plans to seek a third term as “the people’s lawyer.”
In a campaign video, Herring (D) highlights legal wins from his earliest days on the job, when he used the powers of his office to legalize same-sex marriage, challenge President Trump’s immigration ban, defend the Affordable Care Act and grant in-state tuition to certain undocumented immigrants.
At the same time, he promised action on more current issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, police brutality and systemic racism.
“Together we’ll work to keep you and your communities safe, fighting policies that fuel racism, hate and violence because we believe in justice for all Virginians,” he says in the video, which bills him as “the people’s lawyer.” “That means dismantling systemic racism, expanding opportunity and holding law enforcement accountable to the communities they serve.”
A former state senator from Loudoun County, Herring first won the office in 2013. He was widely expected to seek the Executive Mansion in 2017 but ran instead for a second term. He made an early-bird announcement in December 2018 that he would run for governor in 2021 and was thought to be a leading contender until February 2019, when he acknowledged he had worn blackface to dress as a rapper at a college party in 1980, when he was 19.
Read the full story
Read more from Virginia:
Norfolk Del. Jay Jones announces bid for Democratic nomination for Virginia attorney general
Virginia Beach legislator joins race for Virginia attorney general
By: Laura Vozzella
8:23 AM: Driver killed in crash with tractor-trailer in Fairfax County
Virginia State Police said the driver of an SUV is dead after a crash with a tractor-trailer along Interstate 95 in Fairfax County.
The crash happened just before 2 a.m. when a tractor-trailer that was parked on the shoulder on the south bound side of the highway about a mile from the Fairfax County Parkway in the Newington area was rear-ended by a GMC, police said.
The driver of the GMC was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the driver of the tractor-trailer was not hurt.
The crash remains under investigation, and the victim was not identified, pending the notification of his family.
By: Dana Hedgpeth
8:03 AM: Bethesda bike-trail assailant pleads guilty to assault in flier-snatching case
Video shows cyclist assaulting group hanging George Floyd signs
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A 61-year-old Maryland man pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault charges Wednesday for attacking three people as they posted anti-police brutality fliers this summer along a bicycle trail in Bethesda.
The encounter, captured on video in one of the most affluent areas of the Washington region, exploded across the Internet at a time when Americans were taking to the streets in mass demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd. The suspect, Anthony Bernard Brennan, became an instant symbol of resistance to calls for police reform — a mantle his attorneys have long said was unfairly bestowed.
Brennan entered his plea to three counts of second-degree assault before Montgomery County Circuit Judge Eric Johnson.
“The victims were basically afraid as the defendant was grabbing them,” prosecutor George Simms said during the hearing. “They didn’t know what more he would do.”
Read the full story
By: Dan Morse
7:37 AM: Few tickets available for Biden inauguration
Few tickets will be available for the public to attend the presidential inauguration next month, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies announced Wednesday.
The limit on tickets is the latest sign of how different Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony will look because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Members of Congress typically receive 200,000 tickets to distribute among their constituents for inaugurations. This year, tickets will be for the member and one guest only.
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who leads the committee, said the decision to limit attendance was made in consultation with public health officials and a separate Biden-appointed committee working on his inauguration activities.
Read more about the transition:
Read the full story
By: Emily Davies
7:21 AM: Maryland judge temporarily blocks county ban on indoor dining
A Maryland judge temporarily blocked a county order Wednesday that aimed to ban indoor dining, offering a rare victory for plaintiffs challenging coronavirus restrictions in the Washington region.
The ruling by Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge William Mulford came after four restaurant owners sued County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) over his order limiting restaurant service to takeout and delivery. They argued that restaurants are not driving the spread of the virus and that the restrictions would have a devastating economic effect on workers and their families.
Mulford agreed to their request, granting a temporary restraining order that allows them to resume on-site dining with restrictions in place.
The judge ordered that restaurants can continue to serve patrons indoors until Dec. 28, when he will hear a motion on a preliminary injunction. The ruling is one of the first wins in the region for business owners arguing that pandemic-related restrictions are too heavy-handed.
Read the full story
Read more from Maryland:
Maryland jurisdictions announce tougher coronavirus restrictions as region’s caseloads surge
Maryland’s coronavirus numbers are going up. Here’s what you need to know.
By: Michael Brice-Saddler, Ovetta Wiggins and Gregory S. Schneider
7:02 AM: Facing lawsuit over restrictions on Christmas services, D.C. mayor eases coronavirus rules
Facing a lawsuit from the Archdiocese of Washington over rules prohibiting large gatherings — including Christmas services — during the coronavirus pandemic, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser issued a late-night order Wednesday modifying the city’s rules on worship services and other activities.
Bowser (D) revoked the cap of 50 people that she had previously imposed on worship services and instead ordered that religious facilities fill no more than 25 percent of their pews, up to a maximum of 250 people at one event, no matter how large the venue.
The order took effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, as the District, Maryland and Virginia continue to see spiking levels of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
It cites the lawsuit filed Dec. 11 and says the new rules offer “parity” among different types of activities. Indoor restaurant dining was reduced from 50 percent capacity to 25 percent capacity as of Monday, the order notes, adding that under the new rule, the city’s largest restaurants could host no more than 250 people at a time.
Read the full story
By: Julie Zauzmer
6:45 AM: Low-income residents will bear the brunt of service cuts to public transit
Commuting to her overnight shift as a part-time security guard has been an ordeal for 74-year-old Judith Howell, who says she “babysits an office building” in downtown Washington at a time when most of the city sleeps.
For 16 years, Howell has taken the bus to a job that now pays $19 an hour. As the pandemic hit and Metro reduced service, she leaned more on rides from friends and costly ride-hailing services.
The extra expense, she said, is a burden on her tight budget. Her salary and Social Security check are just enough to pay rent and buy food.
“It’s a hardship. They are pushing us to a much more expensive way of travel,” she said. “It’s very expensive.”
After five months of decreased service to limit coronavirus spread among employees and passengers, Metro resumed nearly normal service in August. It was a relief to Howell and thousands of other riders who rely on public transportation in the nation’s capital.
But as transit agencies plan for months, at least, of lower ridership, they are on the brink of what some are calling a budgetary doomsday. Nine months of fare-revenue losses have taken a toll amid a shift in commuter habits. Federal aid stanched the bleeding for a stretch, but the $25 billion that public transportation received from the Cares Act in the spring has dwindled.
Read the full story
By: Luz Lazo and Justin George
6:40 AM: Metrobus running on ‘moderate’ snow service plan this morning
Metro said its bus system is running on a “moderate snow service plan” Thursday morning because of icy road conditions in some parts of the D.C. region.
Officials at Metro said under its moderate snow plan, some bus routes will “be suspended and detours will be in effect on selected routes to avoid areas prone to hazardous conditions such as hilly terrain and narrow streets.”
The D.C. region got hit Wednesday with snow and icy rain that in most parts froze overnight and left a slippery mess on area side streets. Temperatures are expected to remain at wintry levels in the 20s early Thursday, making sidewalks and roads treacherous.
For more details on which bus routes are affected, click here.
Metro said it is watching road conditions and will try to return to normal bus service as the weather permits.
D.C.-area forecast: Clearing but blustery today and remaining chilly into the weekend
On its rail system, Metro said it is running on a regular weekday schedule, but it reminds customers that sidewalks, platforms and other surfaces could be slippery, so they should allow extra time and use caution.
Authorities said MetroAccess is expected to run with normal service. But, officials said, “some trips may experience delays due to road conditions throughout the region.”
By: Dana Hedgpeth
6:34 AM: Former Prince George’s police officer sentenced to 7 years for sexual assault on fellow officer
Richard Tallant, a retired Prince George’s County police officer, was sentenced to seven years in prison Wednesday after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a female officer behind a police union lodge in February 2017.
A jury found Tallant, 46, guilty of a second-degree sex offense in December 2019 after a three-day trial.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D) announced Tallant’s sentence at a news conference Wednesday afternoon and said it was a “sad day” for the community.
“When the men and women of the Prince George’s County Police Department take an oath to protect and serve us, we expect them to abide by our laws as well,” Braveboy said. “It is a stain on this department that is unacceptable.”
The Prince George’s County Police Department said it first learned of the assault in the spring of 2019, more than two years after it occurred, and immediately launched an internal affairs investigation.
Read the full story
By: Katie Mettler
6:18 AM: Perspective: In his memoir ‘Newsman,’ TV’s Pat Collins sticks to his story
On the evening before the first possible snowstorm of winter 2020, Pat Collins was clear-eyed about the likelihood that he would be deploying his most famous journalistic accessory.
“It appears that the snow/rain line has moved north a bit,” the NBC4 reporter told me on the phone. “So I’m not sure if we’re going to have a stick-worthy snow or not.”
Still, he reassured me, “I’m in a constant state of readiness.”
Collins has spent much of the past 50 years in such a state. And during the winter months, he’s had his stick at his side, ready to plunge it into any random hump, hillock or drift.
The story of the Pat Collins Snow Stick — and the story of the man who wields it — is told in Collins’s new memoir, “Newsman.”
If you watch local TV news, you know Collins. You know him by his delivery. It’s a delivery … in which he pauses … every now and … then.
Read the full story
By: John Kelly
6:10 AM: D.C.-area forecast: Clearing but blustery today and remaining chilly into the weekend
The Capital Weather Gang rates today’s weather a 3/10: Skies quickly clear, but cold breezes make eyes tear. Clearing early and breezy, but watch out for slick spots. A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.
Today: With temperatures in the 20s early this morning after Wednesday’s slop, icy spots are likely on sidewalks and roads. Please use caution. Clouds should quickly break up in the morning. Brisk northwest winds drop off, but with highs stuck in the mid- to upper 30s, it is still bracing. Wind chills start the day in the teens and don’t get much above freezing in the afternoon. Confidence: High
Tonight: Clouds should be slow to increase, giving you a chance to see the crescent moon just above Jupiter and Saturn in the early-evening sky. Good practice as Jupiter and Saturn will nearly glow as one Monday evening, which is not to be missed! Lows range from the lower 20s in snow-covered areas to upper 20s downtown. Confidence: High
Tomorrow (Friday): Sunshine quickly returns across the area, but temperatures struggle to climb. Another day of highs in the mid- to upper 30s is the outcome, with light northwest breezes. Confidence: High
Do you have questions about the winter storm affecting Washington and the Northeast? Send an email to postlocal@washpost.com.
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.)
Read the full story
By: David Streit
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By: Teddy Amenabar