With a big parade, a block party, and other festivities, D.C. will have a lot of visitors ready to have a good time this weekend. Those visitors will also be more than ready to spend some money too.

“Pride literally keeps us afloat and keeps us going for the other 364 days a year,” said Eli Downes, the general manager of JR’s, what he calls one of the oldest gay bars in D.C. 鈥淲e are packed the entire weekend. We like to say kind of Pride weekend pays for the entire year.鈥�

Downes said June is the bar’s busiest and most celebratory month, drawing packed crowds all weekend for Capital Pride, which D.C. leaders say brings in roughly 650,000 to 700,000 people to the District.

The direct economic impact of these celebrations isn鈥檛 typically measured, though when D.C. hosted World Pride last year, there were about 1.2 million visitors who had an economic impact of more than $300 million.

鈥淲e know that when people come together for our major annual festivals in the District that it creates a significant amount of revenue activity,鈥� said Nina Albert, D.C.’s deputy mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

That activity includes sales and hotel tax revenue as people dine out, have drinks, and spend the night in the city.

鈥淲e have a lot of gay community that travels from other states,鈥� said Shane Mounts, a manager at Dupont Circle鈥檚 The Fireplace. But it鈥檚 not just members of the LGBTQ+ who come.

鈥淎 lot of them are in support when they have gay family members,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of their family members come to our bars. So whether they live in D.C. or they’re just from out of town, they know about our gay bars down here, so they support that.”

鈥淚t’s not only good for D.C.’s economy, but it’s also good for the gay bars in our community,鈥� he added.

“You feel at home during Pride. You feel safe during Pride. You feel together during Pride,” Downes said.

He said the support comes from all directions 鈥� gay and straight businesses alike, neighbors and visitors traveling from out of state specifically for the weekend.

“It’s helped us stay open for 40 years,” Downes said. “Without community, we have nothing.”

鈥淲e are a city that invites all,鈥� said Albert. 鈥淲e just had the UFC last weekend. This weekend we’re going to be focusing on FIFA and then also at the same time host Capital Pride. It just shows that we are a city that knows how to host big events and festivals and celebrate the true diversity of our country.鈥�

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Over the past 47 years, Rep. Steny Hoyer has amassed the kind of power few in Congress are ever able to obtain, including two stints 鈥� totaling eight years 鈥� as House majority leader.

And when Hoyer announced he was retiring at the end of this term, he set off an avalanche of interest from Democrats, Republicans and Independents who hope to take his place.

Twenty-seven candidates 鈥� two dozen Democrats and three Republicans 鈥� are on the primary election ballot in the sprawling 5th District, which stretches from northern Prince George鈥檚 and western Anne Arundel counties through Southern Maryland.

The candidates also have expansive backgrounds. Some currently hold elected office, risking their current day jobs for this seat. Others work in the private sector, hoping to transition into politics.

And some have decades of experience in politics, while others only know what it鈥檚 like to duel politically with Trump-era Republicans.

Among the Democrats, many of them all share the same concerns. 91欧美激情 reached out to everyone running to get their views on a handful of issues, and then offered to sit down with candidates who had raised at least $200,000. Of those, Quincy Barebee and Harry Dunn weren’t available. The rest of the candidates spoke with 91欧美激情.

What were the issues that mattered the most? Affordability and helping fed workers were two of the answers that came up a lot.

鈥淭he things that are affect us are broad,鈥� said former Prince George鈥檚 County Executive Rushern Baker. 鈥淎ffordability. When we talk about affordability, you know, that’s more than just one word. That’s housing. That’s the cost of gas prices that have gone up because of the wars that this president has gotten us into. It’s our electric bills which are going up because of data centers. We’re going to see our water bills going up. So people in the district are concerned about that, but they’re also concerned about transportation.鈥�

Red tape prohibits progress

Transportation also came up in other interviews, with state Sen. Arthur Ellis of Charles County touting his work to revive the once-dormant Southern Maryland Rapid Transit, a light rail line he鈥檚 been championing in Annapolis that would run from White Plains to the Branch Avenue Metro Station.

Another candidate, volunteer firefighter Harry Jarin of Edgewater, said the long, drawn out process 鈥� red tape is how some would describe it 鈥� to getting projects like that done is a textbook example of the lack of coordination between federal and local governments for completing those kinds of big projects in any reasonable amount of time and at a reasonable cost.

鈥淲e need federal policy and we need federal intervention in many cases to override local NIMBYism,鈥� Jarin said. 鈥淵ou have so many federal workers that are mandated back in the office five days a week. A lot of people moved out there during COVID when they could work from home. And the traffic is just a nightmare. I mean, people commuting two hours each direction. It’s atrocious.鈥�

The plight of federal workers also came up often. Ellis touted the second bill he ever introduced in the Maryland State Senate back in 2019, which protected furloughed feds from having utilities shut off and mortgages foreclosed on, as an example of the type of leadership he would bring to the district.

鈥淢y job going to Congress will be to get those fired workers their jobs back with back pay and with benefits,鈥� Ellis said. 鈥淎nd that will compensate them for that unconstitutional firing. Because all these federal programs and federal agencies were created by an act of Congress and funded in a bill through Congress. So the president does not have unilateral authority to just fire people.鈥�
Like Ellis, Baker said his experiences helping federal workers in Prince George鈥檚 County will also benefit the entire district.

鈥淚’ve been through a Trump shutdown and got workers, federal workers help,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淚’ve been through a Trump administration where we actually did transportation and built the Purple Line. I’ve been through the Trump administration when Congress wasn’t helping out, and we actually put money aside for the FBI to come here.鈥�

An original ‘Bernie bro.’

Some of the most progressive stances taken in the race are coming from Prince George鈥檚 County at-large member Wala Blegay. Calling herself one of the original 鈥淏ernie bros,鈥� she rattled off a large list of causes she intends to fight for if elected.

鈥淲hen we push for Medicare for All, we push for taxing the billionaires,鈥� Blegay said. 鈥淎ll of those things. Free community college, even universal childcare. It was kind of like, 鈥榳e can’t afford that.鈥� But now at a time like this, people are seeing why those policies work.鈥�

Blegay also has the backing of several unions around the district, and has made free healthcare and other populist proposals central to her campaign.

鈥淭ax the billionaires,鈥� said Blegay. 鈥淚mplement the wealth tax.鈥�

The contending candidates are running in a District considered a very safe seat for Democrats, with a 17-point registration advantage at a time when President Trump鈥檚 popularity has sunk, especially among independents. Yet voters around the country still talk about significant frustration with the Democratic Party, suggesting at least some of the momentum they might have right now is more because they happen to be the alternative out of power as opposed to being the party that鈥檚 embraced by the electorate. No one really disputed that.

鈥淭he Democratic Party has not provided solutions. They’ve been just anti Trump,鈥� Blegay said. 鈥淏ut the problem is that what happens when we become the majority? Are we just going to say we’re anti Trump or are we going to implement policies that make a difference?鈥�

鈥淚 don’t like my party either. I’ve been battling my party,鈥� said Ellis, who then pointed out his frustration with Maryland state Senate President Bill Ferguson over redistricting this year.

鈥淒emocrats have been running like scared people. They’re frightened.鈥�

Meanwhile Del. Adrian Boafo and Jarin, two candidates in their 30s, both faulted Democrats for losing sight of voters who used to be the backbone of the party, costing them the backing of younger men who voted for President Trump in 2024.

鈥淎s Democrats, sometimes we don’t talk about the issues that are top of mind to people. In 2024, it took us about seven months into the election to start talking about the economy,鈥� said Boafo, who is endorsed by Hoyer, Gov. Wes Moore, and U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks. 鈥淭hat’s a problem for Democrats. And I think part of the solution here is the new generation of folks who understand deeply what it feels like to live in this economy. I tell folks, for the first time in American history, young people, people in my generation, are worse off than ever before.鈥�

‘Deradicalizing’ the GOP

Jarin, who is a consultant and grant writer for firefighters for his day job, pointed to MAGA leanings inside the firehouses he鈥檚 worked in as another example of Democrats losing focus. Despite being married to a former high-ranking director with the DNC who later was appointed to a position in the Treasury Department by President Biden, Jarin vowed to aggressively work to marginalize the Republican Party until it鈥檚 鈥渄e-radicalized鈥� the same way he said Germany rid itself of the Nazis after World War II.

鈥淭hey are a fascist movement. They cannot be reasoned with or dealt with in any way. They are much closer to a cult of personality,鈥� Jarin said.

鈥淲e’re going to have to go through a very severe deradicalization of our politics if we’re going to be able to move forward as a democracy and there’s really no other way,” Jarin said. “And I understand that most Democratic candidates are not talking in these terms, but I want people to understand that that’s the seriousness of what we’re dealing with. We can’t have a two-party system where one party is completely off the reservation and doesn’t accept the basic principles of electoral politics as legitimate.”

Both Boafo and Baker agreed that partisanship has been bad for America, and said federal laws regarding voting and voting rights need to be a priority if Democrats can take control.

鈥淒e-gerrymandering America, making sure that we end Citizens United once and for all and get money out of politics, doing that kind of stuff to safeguard our system,鈥� is some of the solutions Boafo proposed. 鈥淏ut then, more importantly, moving forward, elect people who want to actually be in Congress to serve. Not necessarily there to be celebrities, not necessarily there just to be hyper partisan, but people who want to actually solve issues.鈥�

Baker said Supreme Court decisions and passing a new Voting Rights Act is among his highest priorities, in ways that it wasn鈥檛 just a few months ago.

Court ruling are “going to push us back 20 years or 30 years or even 100,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou think about the representation we’re going to lose, especially not only in the south, but also in some northern states.鈥�

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D.C.’s first Black woman-owned brick-and-mortar brewery is opening in Shaw 鈥� and it’s a full-circle moment years in the making.

Eamoni Collier has spent years trying to open a brewery of her own. 91欧美激情 told you about her story in 2023 and afterward, she even signed a lease and poured a lot of heart, soul and money into a space in Northeast D.C., only to see it all fall through. But undeterred, that dream finally becomes real on Friday.

will open its doors on T Street Northwest in Shaw, in a spot right next door to the Howard Theatre and inside the same building where Collier first fell in love with making beer when it was home to Right Proper Brewing.

“It kind of made the experience a little bit more comfortable because I know the ins and outs,” Collier said. “But also a bit surreal because it’s now my space.”

Collier, the founder and co-owner of Urban Garden Brewing, said the brewery is D.C.’s first Black woman-owned brick-and-mortar brewery. In an industry where the stereotypical brewery is a bald, bearded white guy, she鈥檚 none of that.

“I realized that there was a lack in representation, especially not just as Black American, but also like Black women,” she said.

The location carries deep personal meaning. Collier’s grandfather used to perform in the Howard Theatre; she described him as one of the pioneers of go-go music who used to work with Chuck Brown.

Inside the brewery, a dedicated space called the Joe Tate Listening Lounge will honor his legacy, complete with vinyl records and a mural in his honor.

The beers themselves are brewed on site and draw from an unexpected source of inspiration 鈥� botanicals found inside the everyday person’s garden.

“We focused a lot more on like the botanicals versus how hoppy we can make the beer,” she said. 鈥淲e love hops, but we really like to explore different botanicals, flowers, herbs and spices to bring out the essence of the beer.鈥�

After years of contract brewing with other established, local brands, Collier thought a spot along South Dakota Avenue in Northeast would be her own, only to lose it. The financial hit was significant, and Collier said she lost some hope along the way.

“I was really just focusing on the how 鈥� like, I want this, how can we have it?” she said.

Co-owner Malaika Tate-Scott, who also designed the interior of the space, said the setback tested everyone involved.

“The losses are big 鈥� financially, it’s big,” Tate-Scott said. “But there was always this little glimmer.”

The joy inside the brewery was palpable.

鈥淚 smile every time I think about it,鈥� Tate-Scott added. 鈥淭here aren’t many words. It’s a feeling really more than anything of like ‘Wow, look what we’ve done, right? Look what, look who we supported, and how much she’s bloomed.’鈥�

Her husband and co-owner Renaud Scott said he first believed in the concept after tasting Collier’s homebrews in a backyard, including a beer called Lotus Flower Bomb.

“There’s love, there’s joy, there’s history, there’s craft in this,” Scott said.

As a self-described “beer lover,” he’s spread the word about Collier’s brews and the story behind them.

鈥淚 just started bragging about it, just because I loved it, right? Lotus flower bomb, lotus flower bomb, lotus flower bomb, all over with my friends and family, and such,” Scott said.

The grand opening Friday includes a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. You鈥檒l also find a beer garden on the patio, build-your-own bouquets, DJs, tastings from other Black-owned brands and a go-go party with N2L Band&Show. Collier said the full draft lineup of Urban Garden beers and the complete dinner menu will also debut that night.

鈥淲e were raised here in D.C., so it means much more to us,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淣ot only just for the story, the background, the history, the legacy, but also for us as individuals growing up in the city. Seeing us own businesses, seeing us provide services and economical support to the community.鈥�

鈥淭his space for me is really about the gathering of the community,鈥� Collier said.

Source

That鈥檚 the last day of school for students in Prince George鈥檚 County, and it applies to anyone under the age of 18. It鈥檚 also far more strict than the current midnight curfew.

Following other high profile incidents around the DMV, as well as disruptions at Fourth of July festivities last year, kids under 18 won鈥檛 be allowed out in public after 10 p.m. until after Labor Day.

鈥淲e feel that with the recent team meet up throughout the regions, we just want to make sure that our kids, our community is safe, and so we wanted to execute the curfew right after school let out,鈥� said Laurel Mayor Keith Sydnor.

There are some exceptions, like if kids are out with their parents, if they鈥檙e going to or from work or coming home from some other organized event or activity.

鈥淚t’s something we see as regional and kids follow regional trends, and we just want to be proactive and making sure that our kids are not out too late,鈥� Sydnor said.

Laurel is also planning to host a series of teen-focused events throughout the summer that aim to keep kids safe, but still get them home in time for the curfew. And Sydnor says the city is putting money behind it.

鈥淚 have a Laurel High School rising senior, she’s a student ambassador, and so she’s going to be coming up with ideas and bringing them to my attention, so we can put funding behind it,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to engage our kids in positive activities, that way they don’t have to be outside past a certain time.鈥�

Last year, a similar curfew took effect after Sydnor said Fourth of July celebrations were disrupted. Sydnor said no one was arrested or punished after that expanded curfew was imposed and he鈥檚 hopeful there won鈥檛 be any problems with it this year either.

鈥淜ids were meeting up, and then some incidents happened 鈥� this year with Laurel High School students meeting up in the community, and so we just want to put an extra layer of protection for our young people and also our public citizens as well,鈥� Sydnor said.

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The president was sort of led into a question about the race for mayor in D.C., with the questioner on Thursday talking about Janeese Lewis George’s perceived efforts to be a D.C. version of New York City鈥檚 socialist-leaning mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

But that鈥檚 all it took for President Donald Trump to threaten a takeover of D.C. should voters put the Ward 4 council member in the mayor鈥檚 office this year.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 like it鈥� if Lewis George wins, Trump told reporters.

If it happens, 鈥渕aybe we鈥檒l take back Washington and run it on a federal basis. We won鈥檛 put up with it. We鈥檙e not going to lose our businesses.鈥�

However, the message might not play like the president hoped it would with D.C. residents.

鈥淭hey know how they feel about Donald Trump,鈥� said Keneshia Grant, an associate professor of political science at Howard University. 鈥淚f it is the case that Donald Trump doesn’t like Janeese Lewis George, then it might tell them, 鈥極K, me and Donald Trump usually disagree, I’m going to support Janeese Lewis George, because I know that I would disagree with Donald Trump on this.鈥欌��

A recent poll put Lewis George in the lead, thanks to a younger, whiter base of voters who are newer to D.C. They鈥檙e also more progressive and really don鈥檛 like the president.

鈥淚f those people are turning out in greatest numbers, then yes, she had a fantastic day yesterday,鈥� Grant said about Lewis George. 鈥淕etting the president on the record for this was good for her.鈥�

In addition, it could also reinforce to voters a connection the Janeese Lewis George campaign has tried to forge between the other front-runner in the race, former D.C. Councilman Kenyan McDuffie.

91欧美激情 sent a questionnaire to all the candidates in each contested race, asking them to introduce themselves to voters.聽Read their responses here.

Her campaign has been suggesting that a small number of donations given to McDuffie鈥檚 campaign from people who have also donated to the president is indicative of a closer alignment with the president鈥檚 policies, which are not popular in D.C.

For his part, McDuffie has been forceful about denying that and vowing to fight for the city鈥檚 priorities and independence. He鈥檚 also adamant he鈥檚 no fan of the president either. But Grant said Trump鈥檚 words on Thursday might not help.

鈥淭his statement from the President from Donald Trump yesterday made that connection even closer,鈥� Grant said.

By making the claim that he doesn’t want to work with one of the front-runners, Grant said the average voter in the District may come to the conclusion that Trump would prefer to work with another candidate over Lewis George.

And voters who dislike Trump, may opt to vote against candidates he seemingly prefers.

However, voters who are really concerned about home rule might see it differently. That鈥檚 also the case if D.C.鈥檚 historical voting base, older Black residents who go back generations in the city, turns out in higher numbers for their preferred candidate, which is believed to be McDuffie.

鈥淚f the latter group is going to turn out more, then the statement yesterday, even though it came from Donald Trump, might be a big and important moment for Kenyan McDuffie,鈥� Grant said. 鈥淲hy is this the case? That second group of voters is worried about losing the city, and believe that a mayor could work together with Donald Trump, even though they might disagree with Donald Trump on everything, to keep home rule in place.

鈥淭his voter would assume that Donald Trump is telegraphing that I’m not necessarily going to take your city if I get a person who I think is a reasonable politician,鈥� she added. 鈥淎nd the implication is that Kenyan McDuffie is the reasonable politician.鈥�

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The war of words continued into Wednesday. After a lawsuit was subsequently filed by the commission, county leaders did not hold back in their criticism of the agency.

Hours after the council fixed the errors in the new budget, the commission put out a statement warning that tens of millions of dollars in cuts and nearly $40 million more in transfers to other council programs would be destabilizing and threaten jobs and services.

鈥淭he Commission was blindsided by the magnitude of the planned transfer and reductions,鈥� said the Tuesday statement. 鈥淭he Commission believes that a more transparent and deliberative process is essential not only for agencies but for the residents who ultimately rely on these services.鈥�

This is all happening after state lawmakers told the county earlier this year to stop raiding the commission鈥檚 bank accounts after more than $27 million was moved by the county council from the commission to other parts of the county budget.

In a new statement on Wednesday, the commission argued, 鈥渢he transfer of more than $39 million, by July 1, without submission of receipts or invoices, before any services have been provided, and without proper vetting through the Commission鈥檚 procurement process, raises serious concerns about legal authority and our ability to provide the services the residents of Prince George鈥檚 County expect from us.鈥�

The commission also says it needs the courts to intervene and 鈥減rotect the public trust and ensure these resources are used as intended.鈥�

County leaders raised their own concerns about how the commission spends its money and suggested it鈥檚 doing a better job of making sure M-NCPPC money is being used for its intended purposes.

鈥淥ne of the things that we thought was interesting was that they wanted to give themselves a 99% increase in the director’s office,鈥� said County Executive Aisha Braveboy. 鈥淭he chair was asking for a 鈥� over $300,000 salary. So, you were asking me why they wanted to take money meant for residents and give it to themselves?鈥�

Council Chair Ed Burroughs, for his part, went even more aggressive with the commission鈥檚 spending priorities.

鈥淲hat park and planning has done has spent over $100 million on a corporate headquarters building,鈥� said Burroughs. 鈥淵esterday, I was outside of Tucker Road Community Center because they canceled the Oxon Hill Boys and Girls Club’s ability to use the field because they didn’t pay $3,500 in a light usage fee. How is it possible when we pay so much money to park and planning as taxpayers?鈥�

鈥淚 welcome the conversation and debate around park and planning,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t’s a large entity that Prince George’s County taxpayers gives hundreds of millions of dollars to every single year, and so we should be debating what is an appropriate use of those funds.鈥�

But the commission suggests it鈥檚 a debate that Burroughs might want to have, but legally cannot.

The lawsuit argues the county believes it has 鈥渦nfettered access to and control over tax dollars collected for the Commission.鈥� But it says the law is clear that the commission has 鈥渃ontrol over these tax funds to carry out its powers and duties.鈥�

The county plainly sees things differently.

A statement issued Wednesday morning said, 鈥淧rince George鈥檚 County has reviewed the allegations in the M-NCPPC鈥檚 lawsuit. The Office of Law strongly disagrees with their interpretation of governing laws and will vigorously defend the County鈥檚 interests in this case. The project charges agreements between the County and Commission that the Commission is now challenging have been in place for over two decades and have benefited communities all throughout Prince George鈥檚 County.鈥�

The county also said the lawsuit was the commission鈥檚 attempt to defund critical programs from around the county, something the commission itself would happen if the money transfer goes through.

It鈥檚 not clear when the two sides will begin to meet to hash it out inside a courtroom.

Source

鈥淧ride Month is a time to remember that creating healthy communities means ensuring that everyone has access to the care, support and resources they need to thrive,” county health officer Dr. Toyin Opesanmi said.

“Our mission is to provide compassionate, confident, confidential, and culturally responsive services that help individuals protect their health and well-being,” she said.

The county’s HIV program, for example, provides free and confidential testing, prevention education, linkage to care, treatment, case management support and access to prevention tools.

Opesanmi also said the county health department works with community partners to reduce stigma and connect residents to resources 鈥� and that staff are “committed to meeting people where they are.”

County Executive Aisha Braveboy and members of the county council were also on hand for the ceremony.

Opesanmi called the Pride flag-raising more than a celebration.

鈥淚t is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to health equity and ensuring that every resident feels seen, valued, respected and supported,鈥� she said.

鈥淲e recognize that health outcomes improve when communities are inclusive, welcoming and connected to resources.鈥�

Source

The council previously approved the county’s nearly $6 billion fiscal 2027 budget on May 27, but County Executive Aisha Braveboy sent the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission budget back to the council last week.

In the days before the revote Tuesday, and immediately after, county council leaders were adamant there was nothing deceptive about the errors, and that the budget was always balanced.

“Anytime you have people doing the budget for the first time, there might be things that they are learning and mistakes that they can make,鈥� Council Chair Krystal Oriadha said.

“We have two major spreadsheets that we use, one for the major budget and one for park and planning, and then we give it to staff and it’s a big document. They take the spreadsheets and embed it in every document,” she said.

鈥淚f they miss a page or a line from the spreadsheet, then it’s not complete. It’s not what we intended, it’s not what we gave them,鈥� Oriadha said. 鈥淪o that’s a technical error because we know what we intended to pass.”

The error was a first for the council, and Oriadha said the revote didn鈥檛 have to happen.

鈥淭he option was that if it’s technical in nature, that I could just upload it, didn’t need to vote, didn’t have to do anything at all,鈥� she said afterward.

鈥淏ut what’s important to me is to be very transparent, right? Because even if that was an option, I felt like that was not what I was going to do, right? I said it didn’t matter if people wanted to say things or stretch the story or become even a narrative that’s not accurate. The most important thing is accountability.鈥�

This is the council鈥檚 latest issue with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, which has been heavily criticized by certain members for everything from how the agency spends its money to perks demanded by leadership.

A recent state law put a stop to the council’s mid-year reappropriations of M-NCPPC money. Some council members worried the repeated movement of money would diminish the agency in the future.

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A daily arts-based after-school program started by a nonprofit known for its work in the arts is now coming to a Prince George’s County elementary school that needs it.

Dozens of students at William Beanes Elementary School in Suitland will get to begin a program through the Brentwood, Maryland-based Joe鈥檚 Movement Emporium, which focuses on arts education and youth development.

This program will start by targeting Beane鈥檚 students in pre-K through second grade, keeping them at school as late as 5 p.m., when dismissal is normally at 1:40 p.m. every afternoon.

“For a parent that works a traditional nine to five, that becomes a barrier around what community supports are available to them to pick up their child at the bus stop,” principal Nyree Smith said.

鈥淭his program will help support ensuring that our parents have a safe space for them.鈥�

Brooke Kidd, executive director of Joe’s Movement Emporium and its community center Creative Suitland, said students will explore all sorts of visual arts like painting, drawing and sculpture, to the performing arts like dance, music, theater and poetry.

By emphasizing reading and literature, the hope is that it also leads to better test scores, while also improving attendance.

鈥楾hey’ll be excited to come to their after-school program and want to make sure they get to school,鈥� Kidd said.

鈥淭hey can have exhibitions and performances throughout the year and just share the talent and creativity school wide.鈥�

The money for this program is coming from federal funds allocated by Congress. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, who spent part of her youth growing up in Suitland, said the investment is personal. She said she was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder around age 8, leading her parents to enroll her in Howard University’s children’s theater program, where she eventually found herself performing at Arena Stage.

“That set the foundation for absolutely everything else that happened in my life,” Alsobrooks said. “The confidence that I developed, the ability to present myself to others, to stand on the stage in those productions, it has carried me for the rest of my life.”

Beanes Elementary was the last of four stops made by Van Hollen and Alsobrooks on Monday. The two also visited Prince George鈥檚 County鈥檚 Latin American Youth Center, College Park鈥檚 Attick Towers Apartments, and Ivy Community Charities of Prince George鈥檚 County, in order to tout further federal investments in programs offered there.

鈥淭his is an opportunity to show where the federal government, by investing a little bit of money, a lot of seed money, can help good things grow,鈥� said Van Hollen. Most of the programs targeted youth around the county.

鈥淥ne of the smartest investments we can make is in our young people, especially when they’re very young,鈥� he said.

The one exception was the money that will help renovate the Attick Towers Apartments, which is owned by the College Park Housing Authority and is a senior living facility.

鈥淪eniors can live in dignity鈥� there, said Van Hollen. 鈥淲e have an affordable housing crisis in Maryland and throughout the country. Seniors, especially since they’re on fixed incomes, have trouble affording rising rents and costs. We’re able to renovate this building and let them stay there 鈥� age in place rather than be thrown out on the street.鈥�

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Whatever you do, definitely don鈥檛 go reaching for a new bag of fertilizer, and think twice about firing up the mower again anytime soon. Instead, the best thing you can do right now is actually the easiest: back off.

“Do as little as possible,” said Daniel Sandor, an assistant professor of turf grass science at Virginia Tech. “The grass knows what to do. It can recover.”

Most D.C.-area lawns are cool season grasses 鈥� fescue and bluegrass for example 鈥� and Sandor said those are the ones most affected by drought stress. The key right now is limiting anything that adds extra strain.

That means cutting back on mowing. Since the grass isn’t getting enough water to grow, it’s probably not growing much anyway.

When you do mow, Sandor said to raise your mowing height to at least three inches, or as high as your mower will go, and always follow what he calls the “one-third” rule: never cut more than one-third of the blade in a single mow. In fact, he鈥檚 an advocate for mowing at higher heights anyway.

鈥淚 know a lot of people want their lawn to look like a golf course or a fairway, if you will,鈥� Sandor said. 鈥淭he higher you mow, it really helps reduce the stress on the turf and allows those roots to go deeper, so that when that drought does come, those roots are already deeper in the soil, or trying to go deeper in the soil, to where they can maybe get water at deeper depths. If we’re just mowing short all the time, those roots aren’t really going very far.鈥�

Skip the fertilizer, too. It might seem like a good way to nurse a struggling lawn back to health, but Sandor said it won’t do much good right now.

“If the soil is already dry, you don’t have the ability for the fertilizers to breakdown in the soil solution, but also for the active energy in the roots to absorb those nutrients,” he said. Instead, wait until fall, when root growth is most active and nutrients are more readily absorbed.

And if you’re planning a backyard cookout or a kids’ birthday party on the grass? Go for it, as long as you鈥檙e OK knowing the extra foot traffic will add some stress. Sandor said the lawn should still bounce back once rain returns.

For next year, Sandor said the best drought defense starts well before summer by fertilizing in the fall, and then conducting a soil test every three years to help you know exactly what nutrients the lawn needs.

鈥淭hat really helps the turf in terms of root growth and shoot growth during those times of active growth, really be fortified,鈥� Sandor said. 鈥淭hat should ultimately improve their drought resistance if they’re healthy going into the drought period.鈥�

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The boat that Kevin Sherwood of Springfield, Virginia, bought is still in dry dock as he makes final repairs and preparations ahead of the whole reason he bought the “Bay Retriever” in the first place.

If all goes as planned, he鈥檒l get it in the water Wednesday, and starting at noon on Friday, he鈥檒l be heading south down the Chesapeake Bay on a 753-mile voyage to Bermuda.

Sherwood鈥檚 boat is one of 21 in , or A2B, which dates back to 1979. He鈥檒l be joined by a crew of four others in a race he said is among the most challenging on the East Coast.

鈥淚 bought this boat in 2022 specifically for the Bermuda race,鈥� Sherwood said. 鈥淪ince I bought this, everything we’ve done has been prepping for it.

鈥淧lenty of sailors never leave the Chesapeake. It’s very different when we’re dealing with ocean waves, ocean weather, all kinds of different conditions. So, the boat really needs to be set up for it.鈥�

The bay, being both relatively shallow and surrounded by land, can make for ideal sailing; if something still goes wrong, help isn鈥檛 far away.

Heading out in the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean to an island more than 600 miles off the coast can present more difficult circumstances. Yet, if you go on the race鈥檚 website, you鈥檒l see a long list of people hoping to get picked up by a boat to help take part.

鈥淲e’re out of rescue range for a portion of the trip. They’ll ask a passing freighter to come help you if you have a problem,鈥� Sherwood said. 鈥淲e are on our own out there.鈥�

Some boats will have full galleys available to help cook meals for the crew. But Sherwood’s vessel, being smaller, has been stocking up on food and water from the grocery store.

He and the crew will take turns sailing and resting in the cabin down below. A 鈥渓ee cloth鈥� 鈥� imagine a hammock, more or less 鈥� will catch anyone if the boat leans one way while they鈥檙e sleeping, lest they fall to the floor.

Of course, that assumes they鈥檒l have strong winds and waves. Sherwood, who has done this race twice before, said that鈥檚 not always the case.

鈥淢y first Bermuda race, we had plenty of nothing going on,鈥� he said. For two days, the winds were so calm Sherwood’s team was “barely making two knots.鈥�

Two years ago, he saw more clouds than stars and sun, and waves were running 12-15 feet high.

鈥淭he last couple of races we haven’t seen many sunsets because of clouds, fog, rain, that sort of thing,鈥� Sherwood said. 鈥淏ut when you are out there all alone and just the stars, it’s incredibly detached. There’s really nowhere left in the country to get this isolated.鈥�

Of course, having access to Starlink means there is some connection out on the water 鈥� though, if you鈥檙e on duty, you鈥檙e too focused to care. If you鈥檙e not, you鈥檙e probably resting.

鈥淭here’s definitely parts I’m going to hate,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here’s parts I’m going to be asking myself, ‘Why am I doing this? Why am I here?’ But it’s just such an awesome team sport. When I go off watch, I’m trusting the other guys to keep sailing, keep racing, to keep us safe, to keep the boat moving fast. We get to detach from the world.鈥�

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For how long is anyone鈥檚 guess. Weather and winds will determine the time it takes to get there.

鈥淚f conditions are amazing, we’ll get in on Tuesday,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f conditions are great, Wednesday. If they’re average, Thursday, and if they’re terrible, Friday.鈥�

Those following from home . Whenever he arrives, he said workers on the docks will have a 鈥淒ark n’ Stormy鈥� 鈥� 鈥� waiting for them.

He鈥檒l also be hoping to be handed a trophy he can sail back with, but that鈥檚 not the most important thing right now.

鈥淭here’s a point of pride just for completing this; 753 miles of ocean sailing is a big deal,鈥� he said.

鈥淪o, yeah, I mean, I want to do well, but my first goal is just to make it back here safely in two and a half weeks. My next goal is to make it to Bermuda safely. Then my third goal is to finish well and get a podium finish again.鈥�

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While militaries around the world are deploying AI on the battlefield, organizations such as the Red Cross and peace-focused tech companies are using the same tools to try to protect civilians, reunite families and help broker ceasefires.

Laura Walker McDonald, technologist with the Red Cross, said the organization uses AI to identify targets, the same way some militaries do. But in the Red Cross’s case, those “targets” are people who need help.

“So we can understand where people might need assistance or where people are even,” Walker McDonald said.

The Red Cross also uses drone technology. Walker McDonald pointed to a major earthquake in Nepal years ago, when damaged roads made it nearly impossible to reach remote villages.

“You could fly a drone out there, and it would be able to send back imagery and tell you what had happened so you could get help to people,鈥� she said.

But drones used in conflict zones can backfire for aid agencies such as the Red Cross, since the sound alone can trigger fear in people who’ve recently been attacked.

“When you hear it, you think, ‘I have to hide, because I don’t know what’s going to happen,'” Walker McDonald said. “Whether they’re looking for people and will come back, or whether the drone itself is armed makes you feel stressed.”

Because of that, Walker McDonald said the Red Cross won’t deploy drones anywhere the noise itself causes harm.

The Red Cross has also turned to AI to dig through a century’s worth of records on missing persons 鈥� files that are damaged, faded or simply hard to read.

“We have archives of information about people who have been missing in war, who’ve been seeking their families, or whose families have been seeking them,” Walker McDonald said. “They go back 100 years. We’ve been able to train an AI to start looking at those records and actually digitizing the information much faster.”

On the peace-building side, Frank Aum, a peace strategist with the AI company Transcend, said AI can compress the timeline for conflict analysis from months down to moments, which can be a big help for private companies working in areas where conflict and tensions have raged on for decades, as well as the United Nations, which seeks to resolve such disputes.

“We have built agents and a platform that can do the type of analysis that humans would do in the period of days, weeks, months, which AI can do very quickly,” Aum said.

Transcend, founded by Ola Mohajer, focuses on de-escalation.

鈥淲hat we want to do now is automate a lot of that analytical layer of the work,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o that we can do the important things like building trust, addressing political will.鈥�

She said examples of how that information could help the private sector could involve a mining company working in Africa, where there鈥檚 lots of documented tensions.

鈥淲hat you’re likely to find there are things like black market rates for critical minerals, child workers, unsafe working conditions, forced labor,鈥� she said. 鈥淐ompanies absolutely do not want this. They don’t want it anywhere in their supply chain, and so, what companies pay attention to is making sure that, A, it’s not in there in the first place, but B, if it does get in there, make sure it’s quiet and taken care of.”

Mohajer said the technology could also help figure out solutions to the root of those problems.

Aum said automating the analytical work so human experts can focus on the harder parts 鈥� building trust and political will 鈥� will save senior decision makers and experts time.

“Helping governments, nongovernmental organizations make peace and the resolution of conflict faster,” Aum said.

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The county’s World Cup Festival will be held at the Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Complex in Landover.

It starts on the night of Friday, June 12, when Team USA takes on Paraguay in its first match of the World Cup.

The game will be broadcast on a jumbotron with premium concert quality sound, County Executive Aisha Braveboy said Friday at a press conference.

“We hope that you will bring your families, your friends 鈥� come with your blankets and your lawn chairs to enjoy this festival atmosphere,” she said. The event will feature food trucks, music and half-time entertainment.

On Saturday, June 13, Eagle Sports 鈥� the county’s partner running the event 鈥� will host a Youth World Championship tournament. The competition will feature young athletes on teams representing their countries of heritage, according to organizers.

“We love soccer here in Prince George’s County and we’re going to celebrate the way that we can celebrate, which is by bringing everyone together,鈥� Braveboy said.

One reason FIFA chose not to hold any World Cup matches in the D.C. region was the poor condition of the NFL stadium in Landover. It was not considered up to standard when FIFA toured the facility.

So the county is doing what it can to make the best of the situation.

鈥淭his competition will unite our young athletes on teams representing their countries of heritage, showcasing our county’s incredible global diversity,鈥� said David Okhumale, managing partner at Eagle Sports.

Taiye Akinmboni, head soccer coach at Prince George’s Community College and an Eagle Sports partner, said the tournament comes at a time where the amount of soccer talent native to the county is increasing.

鈥淧rince George’s County is known as a basketball and football county,鈥� said Akinmboni. 鈥淏ut over the last few years we’ve done our best to make sure that we are also known as a soccer county.鈥�

The county has begun producing professional-level talent. Kristian Fletcher of Bowie is currently playing for Cincinnati FC in Major League Soccer, and Akinmboni鈥檚 son, 19-year-old Matai Akinmboni, is under contract with Bournemouth FC, which finished in 6th place in England鈥檚 Premiere League, qualifying it for the Europa League tournament as well.

“Next year we will have our own Prince George’s County native playing in European cup football,” Akinmboni said.

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Hundreds of D.C. second graders rolled into Kenilworth Park on a gorgeous Friday for “Graduation on Wheels,” and many of them would leave school with a stylish new ride.

Learning to ride a bike is part of the D.C. Public Schools curriculum for second graders. Over a handful of physical education classes this year, they learned how to balance, pedal, stop and all the other aspects of safe biking.

Friday’s event was an opportunity for them to show off what they learned, though for 300 kids in Ward 7 and Ward 8, it came with a bonus 鈥� free bikes.

“They’re brand-new bicycles with their name on it, with their helmets, with locks,” said Fred Schaufeld, founder of the D.C. Bike Ride. “It’s one of the most fun events that I’ve ever been to.”

Students decorated their rides with stickers before heading home. Second grader Elaiya Hamilton was one of them.

“The stickers look very nice, and I like that I have a dinosaur sticker because I love dinosaurs,” she said.

Hamilton said she’s planning to ride to the park and back home this summer, and she’s already thinking about paying it forward.

“When you learn how to ride a bike, you could show your other friends how to ride a bike too,” she said.

Other kids were just as excited about that idea.

鈥淲e are riding some bikes!鈥� Zoren Geffard said. 鈥淵ou can do tricks on it, and you can ride it around wherever you want,鈥� adding she was already scheming about where this new bike would take her.

鈥淚t鈥檚 super fun,鈥� she said excitedly. 鈥淚 would go to some Target, some Five Below to get some more NeeDohs. I would get some Dumplings squishies, and then I would go to the mall and spend my mommy and my daddy鈥檚 credit card.鈥�

It鈥檚 the kind of excitement any adult can remember feeling themselves as a kid.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing like breaking off into the wind, riding away, enjoying riding a bike, but also being active,鈥� schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said. “We hear a lot about students not being as active as they used to be in years past, and so this is one way we can ensure that students are active, they’re out and enjoying the great park space and amenities we have here in our city.鈥�

School leaders stressed that knowing how to ride a bike was an important life skill to have, especially in a city like D.C.

鈥淭hese kids have got to understand the joy, the independence, the fun, the freedom that comes from riding a bike,鈥� Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn said. 鈥淚t’s liberation. You are riding along, going as fast as you can, as safely as you can, and you just feel let loose from the world.鈥�

For some kids, getting to keep the bike seemed mind-blowing, Schaufeld said.

鈥淵ou remember it for the rest of your life,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n some cases, they just can’t even wrap their heads around the fact that at the end of the day those bikes are going back to their schools and back to their houses for them for the summer, forever.鈥�

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The Fairmount Five Market is a partnership between Prince George’s County and Goodr, an Atlanta-based company that has opened 34 similar stores across the country since 2021. It is the first Goodr location in the D.C. area and the first permanent Goodr store to open inside a library.

Goodr founder and CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston said the store will serve more than 200 families each month, offering meat, dairy, produce, juices and other grocery staples, all for free.

“This is a real grocery store,” Crowe-Houston said. “This is not something that’s just giving to people. We really want it to be dignity and treating people well.”

To shop there, residents had to apply in advance. Nearly 200 households were accepted, and there is already a waiting list, Crowe-Houston said.

“They get to come in and go shopping, no questions asked,” Crowe-Houston said. “They get a reusable grocery bag. We ask that they bring it back.”

Organizers said there was a major effort to make the experience as dignified as possible.

“I would often say, in this country, there’s a big difference between access to meals and access to food,” Crowe-Houston said. “It’s one thing to get a box of food that you don’t know really what you’re going to make with it. It’s a completely different thing to come in and pick out things that you’ll go home and cook.”

Fairmount Heights is considered a food desert. Most of the households accepted so far are led by seniors, and Prince George’s County Council member Shayla Adams-Stafford, who helped bring the store to the community, said they no longer have to travel miles to reach basic food options.

“So many of our seniors were suffering in silence, not able to afford grocery store prices, but maybe they made a little bit too much to qualify for food programs,” Adams-Stafford said. “Having a program like this that allows them to come and shop with dignity, it really is going to make a big difference here.”

Families in Prince George’s County can register through District 5 or the library. The store is open on a set schedule, with families notified when they can show up and fill their bag with items they need. On opening day, the selection included green peppers, apples, oranges, bananas and potatoes.

The store is funded through a county grant that will be used to keep it stocked each week, Crowe-Houston said. Prince George’s County Council Chair Krystal Oriadha said a second free grocery store is set to open in District 7 soon.

Maryland first lady Dawn Moore attended the opening, held on World Hunger Day. She said the state is also investing in food access through its “Food is Medicine” initiative, which includes a new Medically Tailored Meals program that launched this month. Moore said the program will provide nearly 1 million meals to more than 3,000 Marylanders.

“These are older communities, they are established communities, but they are deserving of all of the opportunities that every community throughout the state of Maryland can offer and have,” Moore said.

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