More than two dozen farms in Montgomery County, Maryland, are opening their doors and gates to the public this weekend.

The annual gives visitors a chance to explore 26 farms across a section of the county zoned primarily for agriculture.

Comus Farm in Dickerson is primarily a wedding venue. But during the July 25-26 farm tour, they will offer wagon rides, alpaca feedings, pony rides and visits with the farm’s cows.

Visitors can also buy baked goods and other treats while spending a relaxing day on the farm.

“I think it’s one of the only times that we are open to the public during the year,” owner Lauren Huyser said.

鈥淭his is a great way to get the family to a farm,鈥� said Mike Scheffel, director of Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture.

He said the participating farms range from pick-your-own operations to distilleries to equestrian training, and many offer a chance to learn more about where food comes from.

鈥淪eeing how farming is done, really helps folks see why farmers do what they do, charge the prices that they do grow the crops that they do and offer the opportunities that they do,鈥� Scheffel said.

The farms are located throughout the county’s 93,000-acre Agricultural Reserve, which was created to preserve Montgomery County’s agricultural heritage by limiting development and keeping land in farming.

The reserve’s farms are also capitalizing on an agritourism boom as more people look for ways to get out of the city and experience life on the farm.

Another stop on the weekend tour is Butler’s Orchard, the decades-old pick-your-own farm in Germantown. It will offer flowers, blueberries, blackberries and herbs as well as activities such as tractor rides and veggie races.

“People can bounce around between all the different farms and really experience agriculture in Montgomery County,” said Tyler Butler, the orchard’s general manager. “It’s highlighting agriculture, and people don’t realize there’s so many great farms in Montgomery County, right under your nose.”

The farm tours take place Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 25. Hours vary. Montgomery County has . Visitors can also download a Farm Tour digital passport through the county’s .

Source

U.S. Park Police said officers were conducting commercial vehicle enforcement when three people got out of a vehicle and ran away. ICE arrested two of them, who are from Mexico and lack permanent legal status, DHS said, and the third individual swam across the Potomac River and got away.

DHS told 海角精品黑料 in a statement the two individuals will remain in ICE custody “pending their removal from the United States.”

It’s not clear why the individuals were initially stopped.

While the search was underway, people could be seen on a Beltway overpass holding signs warning drivers about ICE activity on Clara Barton Parkway.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich criticized the operation and said the county has limited ability to intervene in ICE enforcement actions.

Elrich said the county can observe ICE operations and support families affected by them, but local police would not step in to stop an ICE operation.

鈥淲e鈥檝e tried to be careful to not mislead people into thinking that we鈥檝e got the ability to protect them from ICE, because we don鈥檛,鈥� Elrich said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want people thinking that, you know, the police are going to run in and break up an ICE operation, because they鈥檙e not.鈥�

海角精品黑料’s Thomas Robertson contributed to this report.

Source

The tribute, according to Bennett’s widow Nadia, comes through a community event designed to reflect the way he lived his life, which included giving back, bringing people together and making those around him smile.

The D.C. Council proclaimed July 21, what would have been his 33rd birthday, as Terry Bennett Day. This weekend, family, friends and community members will mark that recognition with an event at the First District Police Station in the聽community room on Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For Nadia, the event is both a celebration and part of a continuing effort to keep his memory alive for their young son.

鈥淭o know that Terry left such a big legacy not for me, for our son, I can’t even put into words how grateful and emotional it makes me feel,鈥� Nadia said.

She said Terry was a 鈥渃ommunity man鈥� who worked as a D.C. police officer while also coaching football, a sport he loved. The event will include flag football, moon bounces, snow cones and activities for children.

鈥淗e was a joyous person to be around,” Nadia said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how we decided on the idea of what Terry Bennett Day would look like, and it’s literally just giving back to the community a day full of celebration, almost like a family reunion in a sense.鈥�

She said the free event is open to the public and is meant to reflect the fun and playful side of her husband, who she said 鈥渢ruly loved to act like a kid at all times.鈥�

Nadia said the community support has helped her through the grieving process.

She said the memories of the night her husband was killed still come back in painful ways.

鈥淭raumatically, like we didn’t realize that would be the last night that we would all see him again,鈥� she said.

Nadia said the loss can still replay like a nightmare, but that pain has also pushed her to keep Terry鈥檚 legacy alive for their son and the community he loved.

鈥淭o know that in this healing process, I have people in my corner that are behind me and supporting me, and love Terry the way that I love him. It feels like I have one big hug around me,鈥� she said.

She has also been advocating for roadway safety changes since her husband was killed, including improvements to highway infrastructure and more training around disabled vehicle stops.

鈥淚 just don’t want my husband to be a statistic, and then you know this happens again, and then we’re back at square one. I want action this time,鈥� she said.

Nadia said her late husband鈥檚 career as an officer grew out of his desire to connect with the community where he was raised.

鈥淗e wanted to bridge that gap,鈥� she said. 鈥淗im being a coach by day and an officer by night was able to help him feel more welcome in the community and feel more open to talking to the kids.鈥�

When asked what Terry would think of a day dedicated to him, Nadia said she believes he would be surprised by the impact he made.

鈥淚 think he would say, 鈥楢ll this for me?鈥� I know he’s smiling. I know he’s smiling, and he’s just in shock that we went this big for him,鈥� she said.

For Nadia, the message of Terry Bennett Day is simply to remember the impact he made and to give back while thinking of him.

鈥淛ust because you came from Southeast, you came from a certain walk in life, doesn’t mean that you still can’t make an impact in the community that you were raised in or any community,鈥� she said.

Source

But Chevy Chase resident Sherry Kaiman said she used one of Metro’s shuttle buses after a recent medical appointment and was surprised to find that passengers had to climb steps to board.

“Did anyone think about people with some challenges?” Kaiman said.

Kaiman counts herself among them, as she recently underwent a spinal procedure and has had knee surgery in the past.

“I was able to get on there, but it was a challenge,” she said.

What stood out to her, though, was watching another rider struggle.

“The person ahead of me had a cane and asked if there was any way that the bus could be lowered just a little bit, so that individual could navigate the step,” she told 海角精品黑料.

According to Kaiman, the driver explained there was no way to lower a motor coach. A Metro employee at the stop offered to see whether a step stool was available, but the rider elected to call rideshare instead.

Metro’s Red Line construction project has shut down train service between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights through early September.

Shuttle buses are replacing trains while crews work on a new Bethesda station entrance connected to the Purple Line, rehabilitate the platform at Grosvenor-Strathmore and complete other infrastructure work.

Unlike Metro’s “kneeling” buses, which can bring the boarding platform closer to the curb, the contracted motor coaches sit much higher off the ground.

“I sent a note to Metro asking them why, for shuttle bus service, they’re not using the regular Metro buses that are easily accessible for people with a wheelchair, with a cane, with a walker, even for parents with little children,” Kaiman said.

In response to questions from 海角精品黑料, Metro said the local and express shuttle bus routes need as many as 140 buses to provide weekday service that closely matches the rail line.

“We simply don’t have additional buses available in our fleet to support the planned work and deliver on existing (Metrobus) routes,” Metro said in a statement to 海角精品黑料.

Metro also said shuttle operators received training on boarding and exiting procedures, and that planners considered accessibility when designing the service.

The agency said shuttle stop locations were selected “with the intention of making it as easy as possible for customers with varying accessibility needs to be able to board and disembark.”

Kaiman said she also asked Metro whether it tested the service before launch.

“I’m sure they had rehearsals of what these shuttle buses were going to do. Did anyone think about people with some challenges?” she said.

Source

Two St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies are being credited with finding a missing 9-year-old boy with autism.

The child, who is nonverbal, was reported missing on Friday. Later that day, Deputies Madison DeVries and Matthew Camp spotted him in the water as they searched alongside a river in the Hollywood, Maryland, area.

Body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office shows Camp quickly entering the water and swimming to the child.

Sheriff’s office spokesperson ALisa Casas said Camp’s actions went beyond training.

“He made a split-second decision to take off his equipment, to take his wallet out of his pocket. He jumped in the water with his hat on, and I don’t think that that’s training. I think that that is intrinsically who he is as a human being,” Casas said.

After Camp brought the boy to shore, both deputies comforted the child. The boy’s parents said he could become frightened easily.

The child was evaluated by medical personnel and reunited with his family.

Casas spoke with the boy’s mother Monday.

“She is really still processing all that happened, but was incredibly grateful for the way that the situation turned out,” Casas said.

Sheriff Steve Hall said St. Mary’s County deputies receive training about autism and other intellectual disabilities that include ways to communicate calmly, avoid escalating situations and better connect with people who might be overwhelmed or scared.

Hall said he later called both deputies to thank them for their work. He also emphasized that the rescue was the result of a coordinated effort involving everyone from the initial 911 caller to dispatchers and first responders on the ground.

“From the phone call and the gathering of the information, deciding what assets need to go when and how fast, to us getting there and getting into a general area, and just you know being in the right place at the right time is not an accident,鈥� he said.

Source

A soldier wounded during a May 23 shootout near the White House is taking the first legal step toward suing the Secret Service as he seeks answers and accountability.

Benjamin Del Real, a 25-year-old who holds a rank of private first class, was visiting D.C. from Kansas with his sister, Sara Del Real, and their father over Memorial Day weekend when a man opened fire near a Secret Service checkpoint by the White House.

The gunman, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, of Maryland, was killed during the exchange聽of gunfire.

Del Real, according to his attorneys, was about 20 yards away from the gunman when he was struck in the abdomen during the exchange of gunfire.

Chicago-based Attorney Joseph Murphy said his firm believes Secret Service gunfire struck Del Real, based on information from a source who has seen surveillance video. Murphy said Del Real lost parts of his colon and small intestine and faces more surgeries.

“The degree of uncertainty that accompanies being seriously wounded presents its own unique challenges because the road to recovery will be long and strenuous,” Del Real said.

His sister said the shooting left their family shaken and looking for answers.

“The moment that I saw Ben bleeding was undoubtedly the scariest moment of my life,” Sara Del Real said. “I’m grateful beyond words that Ben survived what could have been the last moments of his life, but our family deserves answers.”

Murphy said Secret Service agents should have better accounted for innocent bystanders nearby and been “more precise” and “more surgical” before returning fire.

“With elite training comes an equally high level of responsibility to protect the public,” Murphy said.

Murphy said the first legal step toward suing the agency comes after nearly two months of unanswered questions.

The firm has filed a notice of a personal injury claim, a required step before bringing a lawsuit against a federal agency.

“We don’t even have a single answer from them yet as to, ‘Hey, it was our fault,'” Murphy said. “All we have is ‘We don’t know. We’ll let you know at some point.'”

Asked what they are seeking, Murphy said compensation for Del Real is part of it, but the firm also wants to prevent something similar from happening again.

“Number one is we want to recover on behalf of our client,” said Murphy, who added that secondarily, “we want to ensure this never happens again.”

Del Real said he is also concerned about what the injuries could mean for his Army career.

“I’m without a doubt concerned,” Del Real said. “I enlisted a year and a half ago, and it’s been one of the greatest journeys that I’ve taken thus far in my life, and I am concerned with the ability to be able to perform the job that I signed up to do at this time.”

The Secret Service told 海角精品黑料, “The U.S. Secret Service does not comment on pending litigation.”

The agency also said it is not leading the investigation and referred additional questions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. 海角精品黑料 reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. for comment.

Source

More people are leaving the city behind to spend time on local farms, and owners said the trend is helping preserve agriculture while creating new revenue streams.

At Comus Farm in Dickerson, Maryland, visitors can feed alpacas, interact with farm animals, take wagon rides and experience rural life just a short drive from D.C. Owners Lauren and Iago Huyser have expanded beyond traditional farming, operating a wedding and event venue while also selling farm-made products, including fresh baked goods, jams and eggs through local markets and farm visits.

Lauren said many visitors are looking to escape a technology-driven world and they聽often tell her they’re searching for something increasingly difficult to find in urban areas.

“Most often, what I hear from people is, ‘Ah, it’s so peaceful here. It’s so quiet here,'” Lauren said.

Her husband Lago said many visitors are getting a farm experience they simply can’t find in the city.

“Some people have never seen alpaca before,” he said. “So it’s a great experience, either for me, also for me, and for them as well, because I get to tell them what we’ve been learning here, and they got to have new experiences around the farm.”

The trend extends beyond traditional farm visits.

In Germantown, Butler’s Orchard has seen growing demand for farm experiences, according to General Manager Tyler Butler.

“People have always wanted to really embrace agriculture and farming, and get back to, you know, their roots. But especially since COVID, agritourism, agriculture entertainment, agritainment has really taken off,” Butler said.

Butler’s Orchard now welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year, with people traveling from across the D.C. region and beyond for farm experiences ranging from berry picking to seasonal festivals.

Montgomery County’s efforts to preserve agriculture have helped make that possible. Roughly one-third of the county’s land area, about 93,000 acres, is protected within the Agricultural Reserve, a program established in 1980 to limit development and preserve working farmland. Without those protections, much of the land could have been developed into housing decades ago.

Mike Scheffel, director of Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture, said the reserve was created to protect the county’s farming heritage.

“The elected officials at the time in 1980 made a decision to keep the agricultural heritage in place in the county that its roots are so deeply tied to,” Scheffel said.

The reserve also gives residents easy access to agriculture. Some Montgomery County farms are only a couple of miles from D.C., allowing city residents to experience working farms without traveling far from home.

Scheffel said visitors are also helping farms diversify their income and remain viable.

“Bringing the public to your farm or to your property to teach them about agriculture, to give them experiences on the farm, is a fantastic way to diversify a farm’s revenue stream,” Scheffel said.

One way the county promotes those farms is through its annual Farm Tour. The 2026 Montgomery County Farm Tour is scheduled for July 25 and 26 and allows visitors to explore participating farms across the county through a variety of activities and experiences showcasing local agriculture.

County data show the economic impact is growing. Montgomery County’s farm alcohol production sector has more than doubled, growing from six licensed wineries, breweries and cideries in 2018 to 13 licensed wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries in 2024. During that same period, gross sales increased from about $2.9 million to nearly $16.8 million.

One example is Butler’s Doc Waters Cidery, where visitors can pick apples and enjoy beverages made from fruit grown on the farm.

“Whether it’s cider or beer or wine, people are connecting not only with their food, but also with what they’re drinking,” Butler said.

Farm owners said as more residents seek a break from city life, local farms are increasingly becoming destinations that connect visitors with agriculture while helping preserve farmland for future generations.

Butler said visitors often thank the family for keeping the farm going.

“Thank you for being here, thank you for not selling,” he said as visitors told him.

At Comus Farm, Lauren Huyser said preserving the land while adapting to changing times remains a priority.

“Maintaining it as an active farm and transforming it into something that is shifting with the times as well,” she said.

Source

GOES-19, also known as GOES East, entered what’s known as safe hold mode, a protective setting that temporarily shut down its Earth-observing mission. University of Maryland atmospheric scientist Lars Peter Riishojgaard said safe hold is essentially a survival mode that satellites use when something unexpected occurs.

“It enters a survival mode where everything that is not needed for its immediate survival is turned off,” Riishojgaard said.

The satellite continuously monitors the eastern U.S. and Atlantic Ocean, helping forecasters track hurricanes, thunderstorms, wildfire smoke and moisture moving through the atmosphere. Riishojgaard said it provides updated imagery about every 10 minutes, giving meteorologists a constant picture of what’s happening across a large section of the globe.

When the satellite stopped providing data, forecasters temporarily lost an important tool used to monitor quickly changing weather conditions.

“And once the images are off, they’re off. You can’t see anything in it,” Riishojgaard said.

海角精品黑料 Meteorologist Mike Stinneford said the loss of GOES-19 data had immediate local impacts.

“We have been flying blind here, and even locally, these impacts have been felt with the loss of the satellite, which, fortunately, is getting ready to come back online,” Stinneford said.

One of the biggest challenges was losing the ability to closely monitor moisture moving into the region, Stinneford said, information that helps forecasters gauge humidity, heat and thunderstorm potential.

“What we didn’t know overnight is that suddenly winds brought more moisture into the region,” Stinneford said.

The increase in moisture helped push heat index values above 105 degrees, prompting the National Weather Service to first issue a heat advisory and then expand it to cover the entire region, he said.

Both Stinneford and Riishojgaard noted the D.C. area was somewhat fortunate that the outage occurred during a relatively quiet stretch of weather. Riishojgaard said areas dealing with more active weather, such as heavy rainfall or severe storms, could have felt a greater impact.

While the outage did not lead to major forecasting problems in the D.C. area, Riishojgaard said it demonstrated both the importance of the nation’s weather satellites and the redundancy built into the system. NOAA maintains backup satellites that can be activated if necessary.

“If they had not been able to resolve this situation relatively quickly, they would have turned on the backup,” Riishojgaard said.

Riishojgaard said the outage actually highlighted a strength of the weather satellite network. The satellite entered safe hold, recovered and returned to service in less than 24 hours.

Still, he said the outage underscored how reliant modern forecasting has become on satellite imagery.

“We are completely relying on these images,” Riishojgaard said.

It remains unclear what led to the satellite going into the protective mode.

Source

People in the Balmoral neighborhood near Upper Marlboro, Maryland, said they have been worried for years about the intersection of Route 301 and Governors Park Lane. After a crash that killed three people over the weekend, they are hoping state leaders finally make changes.

A makeshift memorial sits along Route 301 near the entrance to the neighborhood. Three wooden crosses, flowers and teddy bears mark the spot where three people died Sunday morning.

Maryland State Police said the crash happened around 12:45 a.m. when a Tesla making a left turn from Route 301 onto Governors Park Lane failed to yield to a southbound Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The motorcycle struck the passenger side of the Tesla.

Investigators said they believe a third vehicle later struck one of the motorcycle passengers and left the scene. Three people died and another was taken to a hospital.

Neighbors say intersection has been dangerous for years

James White, who lives in the Balmoral neighborhood, said concerns about the intersection are nothing new.

“Yeah, it’s tough. I mean, it’s one of those ‘fix it’ scenarios. Just fix it,” White said.

White said his own family has been affected by a crash at the intersection.

“Our daughter was also in an accident right there, so for us it’s like full circle because we’ve already had an accident in the exact same place,” White said.

Another neighbor, Willie Smalls, described the intersection as dangerous.

“It’s just scary,” Smalls said.

Smalls said drivers entering and leaving the neighborhood are often forced to take risks.

“I’d rather stop than have to take a chance,” Smalls said.

He said people in the neighborhood have been calling for a traffic signal for years.

State says traffic signal is already in the works

The Maryland State Highway Administration told 海角精品黑料 that design work for a traffic signal at the intersection is nearly 90% complete and construction is expected to begin by the end of the year, weather permitting.

The agency said that once the official police report from Sunday’s crash becomes available, traffic engineers will review the intersection to identify any additional safety improvements that may be needed.

The response comes as residents continue pressing for changes at the intersection.

Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said local leaders have been advocating for improvements on state roads and value residents’ feedback.

“We appreciate the input of the residents because that helps bolster our arguments when we go to the state and ask for additional resources,” Braveboy said.

Officials urge safer driving after recent deadly crashes

The Route 301 crash was one of two deadly crashes involving motorcycles in Prince George’s County within days. Three people were also killed Tuesday night in a three-vehicle crash involving a motorcycle on New Hampshire Avenue in Adelphi.

“One crash is too many. One loss of life is too many,” Braveboy said.

Prince George’s County has recorded 21 fatal crashes this year, officials said.

The county is developing a Road to Zero Action Plan, expected to be released this fall, that will focus on engineering, education, enforcement, emergency response and technology aimed at reducing traffic deaths.

Prince George’s County Police Chief George Nader said preventing deadly crashes will require more than government action.

“It’s all of us working together with our communities to change people’s driving habits,” Nader said.

Nader also highlighted the personal toll fatal crashes take on families.

“One of the worst things that officers have to do, whether it be a homicide or a fatal crash, is go to someone’s home in the middle of the night and tell them that they will never see their young one again,” Nader said.

Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Michael Jackson said many of the crashes investigators see can be prevented.

“The reason is simple: They are avoidable,” Jackson said.

He also warned against distracted driving.

“You take your eye off that road for a couple of seconds to look at your texts on your phone, you are almost 100 yards down the road, 100 yards,” Jackson said.

Officials are urging drivers to slow down, stay focused behind the wheel and always wear a seat belt.

Source

On Friday, 7News confirmed a March report from ABC News about . A Pentagon official said the mission will continue until “law and order” is restored in the nation’s capital and that it remains committed to supporting D.C. police and federal law enforcement partners.

Also last week, the council members sent letters to governors urging them to recall National Guard troops deployed to support July Fourth and America 250 events. They argued that when the celebrations end, the participating states should bring their Guard members home.

Speaking Tuesday, Council Chair Phil Mendelson said the District remains in court challenging the deployment.

“We’ve made it clear 鈥� We, meaning the citizens as well as the government 鈥� We’ve made it clear over and over again that we don’t want these National Guard troops from other states,鈥� Mendelson said.

“Our National Guard needs to be used, utilized for national emergencies, and not in this way,鈥� Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George told 海角精品黑料.

Public Safety Committee chair and Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto said National Guard troops are not the right tool for public safety in the District.

“To have National Guard troops sent here from states across the nation who are armed, who are not trained in our laws, does not help us advance public safety and is not the right path forward,” Pinto told reporters.

Ward 5 Council member Zachary Parker called the extension “dangerous” and said Americans should be concerned about armed military personnel remaining in the nation’s capital through an election season.

鈥淚t should give us all great pause,鈥� Parker told 海角精品黑料.

At-Large Council member Christina Henderson questioned the value of the deployment and called on governors to withdraw their troops.

“Their governors need to call their guard home, and we need to end this charade,鈥� Henderson said.

Ward 8 Council member Trayon White focused on the broader federal law enforcement presence in the District.

“I think it’s bigger than the National Guards. For us it’s the over-policing of the federal agents and officers all across the district,鈥� White said.

He said residents have raised concerns about accountability for federal officers operating in D.C.

The criticism comes as show overall crime in D.C. is down 20% so far this year compared with the same period in 2025. The numbers show homicides are down 39% and property crime is down 23% year to date.

When 海角精品黑料 reached out to the , a spokesperson referred questions about the extension to the White House. 海角精品黑料 has not received a response.

Source

“It’s a great day,鈥� Ward 6 council member Charles Allen said. “It’s going to help cap the amount that these third-party resale markets are trying to just gouge D.C. residents.”

Allen introduced the Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment or RESALE Act.

The bill would cap most live-entertainment ticket resales at 10% above face value, require upfront pricing and prohibit speculative ticket sales, surveillance pricing and other practices. It would also require that large-scale ticket resellers be licensed and bonded in the District.

“I think it’s an important step to protect District residents from unfair pricing and price gouging that we routinely see in the market,鈥� Ward 5 council member Zachary Parker said.

The RESALE Act passed on a second vote after council members approved an amendment from Ward 2 council member Brooke Pinto, removing language that would have allowed the mayor to regulate fees on tickets sold directly to consumers through primary sellers such as Ticketmaster.

Pinto said she was concerned the provision could put D.C. at a competitive disadvantage.

“We are already competing in the region and along the East Coast and really across the country for these excellent performers, and we want to make sure that they come here and that we are supporting our local venues in the process,鈥� she said.

In a letter to the council ahead of the meeting, Mayor Muriel Bower expressed similar concerns about the language regarding primary ticket sales.

鈥淭he sports and entertainment economy is central to DC鈥檚 economic growth strategy, and these new provisions will disincentivize artists and shows from coming to the District,鈥� she wrote.

Allen said the legislation was always intended to focus on the secondary ticket market, where he believes consumers face the greatest harm.

The bill’s supporters included I.M.P., which operates the 9:30 Club, The Anthem, Lincoln Theatre and The Atlantis. According to Audrey Fix Schaefer, the company’s head of communications, I.M.P. has seen a surge in ticket scalping in recent years, with some tickets being resold for several times their original price.

She also said the practice hurts fans and local businesses by driving up costs and pulling money out of D.C.鈥檚 economy.

“People can’t go and see their favorite artist. They can only see one of them. They can’t go to five of them a year,” Schaefer said.

The Ticket Policy Forum, which represents companies in the ticket resale business, opposed the bill.

Executive Director Brian Berry said some parts of the measure would help consumers, but he argued the legislation could give Ticketmaster an advantage and make it harder to challenge the company’s dominance in the ticket market.

“The question has never been whether consumers deserve strong protections; they do,” Berry said.聽“The answer is greater transparency, stronger competition, and consistent rules that apply across the entire ticket ecosystem.”

Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, said it has “long advocated” for the reforms in the legislation.

“We applaud the D.C. City Council for protecting fans and artists by banning speculative ticketing, reaffirming all in pricing, and capping concert ticket resale prices. No one should be able to scam fans by listing tickets they don鈥檛 have or by pretending to be legitimate ticket sellers,鈥� Kelly Flanigan, president of Live Nation’s D.C.-area concerts, said in a statement to 海角精品黑料.

The bill now heads to Bowser’s desk. If it receives the mayor’s approval and clears the required congressional review process, the law is expected to take effect in January.

Source

After nearly four years of construction, the has reopened in Northwest D.C., unveiling a reimagined campus that combines new spaces with renovated buildings and more than 100,000 square feet dedicated to exploration, storytelling and discovery.

“We broke ground in October of 2022. We’ve been hard at work on the space since then,” said Emily Dunham, chief campus and experiences officer for the National Geographic Society.

The project includes a new pavilion connecting parts of the National Geographic campus, as well as renovations to buildings that date from the 1920s through the 1980s. National Geographic has occupied the block at 17th and M St. NW since 1904.

Before visitors enter the museum, they’re greeted by the iconic yellow National Geographic frame, a courtyard featuring bronze wildlife sculptures and exhibits representing ecosystems from around the world. At night, projections transform the building’s exterior into a colorful display celebrating nature and the ocean.

Dunham said one of the biggest additions is the new pavilion.

“It’s new space for us. It connects some of our existing buildings,” she said.

Inside, visitors will find iconic photographs, artifacts, interactive displays and exhibits that respond to movement, turning guests into part of the experience.

One of the museum’s signature attractions is Geoverse, a 270-degree immersive theater that surrounds visitors with sights and sounds from around the world. Visitors can also learn about the explorers and storytellers behind National Geographic’s photographs and films, while younger visitors can try hands-on activities focused on geography and the natural world.

The museum was also designed with student groups in mind. Dedicated learning spaces feature hands-on activities that teach geography through play, from building a beaver dam to exploring patterns found in nature. School groups can take part in educational programs tailored to their visit.

Displays dedicated to some of National Geographic’s most recognized photography include the famous image of Afghan refugee Sharbat Gula, known worldwide as the “Afghan Girl.” The exhibit explores both the photograph’s history and Gula’s efforts to reclaim her own story.

海角精品黑料/Mike Murillo

海角精品黑料/Mike Murillo

海角精品黑料/Mike Murillo

海角精品黑料/Mike Murillo

海角精品黑料/Mike Murillo

(1/5)

Share This Gallery:

• Share This:
• share on email
• print

Tactile versions of National Geographic photographs are designed for visitors with low vision. The displays also include audio descriptions explaining images and how they were captured.

For visitors looking for insider tips, tour guide Dominik Firlej recommends several stops that are easy to overlook. One is a display that tracks National Geographic explorers in real time.

“You could sit here all day and watch it update as our explorers move around the world,” he said.

Another is a Suzuki 4×4 driven on expeditions by one of those explorers.

“Our explorer, Sandesh Kadur, ran it to the ground. We drained the oil pan, removed the engine, and he donated it to us, thankfully,” Firlej said.

The vehicle was the first object in the new museum, “because we had to crane it in, before the walls went up,” Firlej said.

“Sandesh came back a couple weeks ago and asked to get in the front seat to see if he could drive it out, and we said, ‘Sandesh, even you can’t do that anymore.'”

A moon rock on loan from NASA is another favorite.

“It’s the oldest thing in the museum by far,” Firlej said.

Pieces of National Geographic’s history have been incorporated into the museum itself. Part of the facade from the organization’s former 17th Street building was preserved and repurposed inside the new space, where it now sits underneath Kadur’s truck.

“We reused the National Geographic Society title in the old museum to hold up objects,” Firlej said.

Beyond the exhibits, Dunham said visitors can expect regular programming, including explorer talks, photography events, trivia nights and other opportunities to connect with National Geographic storytellers and researchers. New exhibits and experiences will rotate through the museum.

, with tickets starting at $29.99 for adults, $25.99 for seniors and $22.99 for youth ages 5 to 17. Children 4 and younger get in free.

Source

But according to the Arlington, Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, while the technology is helping prevent crashes, there are still questions about how it affects driver behavior and how safe it is compared to human drivers.

Institute president David Harkey said one of the most effective safety features is automatic emergency braking, which can detect slowing traffic or hazards ahead and automatically slow a vehicle to avoid a crash or reduce its severity.

Harkey said newer driver-assistance systems are also showing promise.

“The other area, when we start talking about partial driving automation systems, where the vehicle may indeed be able to do lane tracking as well as acceleration and braking at the same time, those systems can also have a positive safety benefit,” Harkey said.

Still, Harkey said researchers are concerned some drivers may become too reliant on the technology.

“We do worry whether these systems will enable risky behaviors and more distraction,” Harkey said.

As vehicles become more automated, Harkey said regulators and researchers are working to gather more information about how cars perform in the real-world. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires companies operating autonomous vehicles and robotaxi services to report certain crash data, but Harkey said there is still not enough information to draw broad conclusions about their safety.

Part of the challenge is that autonomous vehicles have logged only a fraction of the miles driven by human motorists. Harkey said that makes it difficult to evaluate how the technology compares with people behind the wheel.

“We’re going to need a lot more data over a more extended period of time to really assess whether those systems are safe or not safe, and how they compare to human drivers,” Harkey said.

While robotaxi services continue expanding in some U.S. cities and testing continues in the Washington area, Harkey said public trust will depend on proving the technology is as safe as, or safer than, human drivers. He said gathering enough data to make that determination could take several more years.

For now, Harkey said advanced vehicle technology should be viewed as a tool that can help improve safety, not a replacement for a driver paying attention.

Source

Maryland has a blunt new message for speeders and aggressive drivers as roadway deaths continue to claim lives.

“‘Slow the Fast Down.’ It is simple. It is memorable, and importantly, it is safe for work,” Gov. Wes Moore said at a launch event Tuesday for the new driver safety campaign.

Moore and other state officials spoke at the Motor Vehicle Administration headquarters in Glen Burnie against a backdrop of mangled vehicles involved in serious crashes, including a Maryland State Police patrol car hit by an impaired driver.

The campaign includes billboards and other messaging aimed at getting drivers to slow down and make safer choices behind the wheel.

Moore said it is designed to grab drivers’ attention.

“We wanted a message that would actually get people’s attention,” Moore said. “We wanted a message that would cut through the noise.”

Maryland has seen roadway deaths decline two straight years straight, but Moore said there’s still work to do.

“Too many people are still being killed on our roads,” he said. “Too many families are still living with that loss.”

Two of those killed on Maryland roads this year were state transportation workers.

“We lost two dedicated members of our MDOT family, Robert Dempsey and Dipakkumar Patel, while they were just out doing their jobs on the roads to keep us safe,” Transportation Secretary Katie Thomson said.

Many crashes come down to choices drivers make behind the wheel, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Michael Jackson said.

“Speed, aggressive driving, impairment and distraction are all things that we can totally eliminate,” Jackson said.

David Harkey, the president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said the campaign’s approach fits the problem.

“It’s a time when we need aggressive messaging to match the aggressive driving that we see on our roadways,” Harkey said.

Source

You really start to see the damage in Damascus, Maryland, with trees down and traffic lights out.

At a small convenience store that was open despite having no power, Damascus resident Olga Deneau was stopping in to buy a beverage and book a hotel room on her phone for the night after losing power Sunday afternoon.

鈥淚t is difficult,鈥� Deneau said. 鈥淪ome people can deal better than others. We’re going to go to a hotel because we live with a senior and imagine without electricity.鈥�

Another issue for many residents in these more rural areas is the need to run a pump to get water.

鈥淢ost people have wells, so they need to pump with no electricity,鈥� Deneau said.

She鈥檚 been without power since Sunday evening, and even though temperatures haven鈥檛 reached the hundreds, the warm weather has made things more difficult. BGE has told her she may have to wait until Wednesday to get power back.

For Dan from Damascus, the storms came through in three strong waves that knocked down trees and cut his power. He told 海角精品黑料 that he was fortunate that he took Monday off.

鈥淪o basically, it’s just being around the house. I can’t do anything, I can’t read, it’s too dark. It’s really been more an inconvenience, considering amount of stuff that fell down during the storm,鈥� he said.

Along Georgia Avenue, BGE crews were working to cut down branches. Down the road in Glenwood, in nearby Howard County, George Shaffer has had a rougher time.

George Shaffer said his Glenwood neighborhood lost power Saturday night, got it back Sunday afternoon, only to lose it again during Sunday鈥檚 storms.

He spent Monday at the Gary J. Arthur Community Center with several neighbors, passing the time while waiting for their power to return.

鈥淲e’re just taking refuge over here at the rec center. They have Wi鈥慒i, and you know, you can take a shower there if you want, I think. And then just air conditioning is really like the main thing right now that is the most important, honestly,鈥� Shaffer said.

Finding a sweet escape from the heat

Just two weeks ago, Emma Bunker opened Frosty Flamingo, a snowball stand on Maryland Route 97 in Cooksville. She didn鈥檛 think two weeks later she鈥檇 be helping cool down her neighbors as they deal with a hot summer day without air conditioning.

鈥淗ope that people can come and stop by and have something to cool down a little bit in the heat, especially with the power being out,鈥� Bunker said.

Her house has been without power since Saturday night. In some ways, going to work has served as a reprieve as her generator hums away, cooling the stand and keeping the ice machine running.

鈥淚 did not think this would be an escape from normally hotter here than at my house, but it’s been the other way around lately,鈥� Bunker said.

Her stand is effectively turning frowns upside down, including for Nick Ibello and his young daughter, who didn鈥檛 have much time to talk as she worked on her dessert.

鈥淭hankfully, we have a generator, so we’re effectively safe, but she’s still getting a little cabin fever, so we like to come out, and this place just opened, so we want to support little local businesses while we’re at it,鈥� he said.

For Bunker, it鈥檚 nice to give back to the community and provide people with an enjoyable way to cool down.

鈥淓specially with a lot of other businesses around here with not being open because power were able to be open with the generator,鈥� she said.

Source