WAMU: Local News

WAMU checks in on the data center fights in VA and MD, where residents are pushing back on big data center projects. Plus we'll look at a key vote by Metro on funding for the RFK stadium site and round up local ice cream parlors to cool off this summer.

Glen Echo Park's band organ celebrates its 100th birthday this summer, and Durward Center has made sure it has sounded terrific for more than half of its life.

The oral history project StoryCorps has launched a special initiative with NPR's Morning Edition to mark the country's 250th birthday. It's called Connect250, and participants across the country are matched with one another for virtual conversations about life, experiences, and what it means to be American today.

An ACLU report looks at the widespread use of force in immigration enforcement in the first year of President Trump's return to office. Recent fatal shootings in Texas and Maine have brought renewed scrutiny to the agency's tactics.

Washingtonian magazine's food editor Jessica Sidman speaks with WAMU about her investigation into a "mafia" of unlicensed food trucks spreading high prices, food borne illness and confusion for tourists and residents trying to just get a snack on the National Mall.

This week WAMU will be checking in on the final vote on a bill to add a surcharge to bottles and cans sold in D.C., an in-depth report on how an organized gang of unlicensed food trucks is impacting the National Mall and a look at a century of the Glen Echo Park carousel's Wurlitzer organ.

Ira Glass, creator and host of This American Life, got his start right here in Washington D.C.. He's back in the District this week for a live performance at Capital Turnaround and spoke with WAMU's All Things Considered host Tamika Smith about how his time here influenced his career. 

This week on Get Out There, we're picking some blue crabs!

Music scholar Anna Harwell Celenza talks to WAMU about her new book "On The Record: Music that Changed America," which surveys iconic American musical works that shaped the nation's laws.

This week on Get Out There, we help locals celebrate America 250.

Jason Samenow is the chief meteorologist and founder of Capital Weather. He joined WAMU host Natalie Yuravlivker to discuss the change and the outlook for the summer weather.

Conditions at an affordable housing complex in Eckington are so deplorable that District leaders are proposing a $21-million-dollar tax break to fix them. Residents (and others) say this isn't a fair solution.

Charvis Campbell, founder of HR Records and the Home Rule Music Festival, speaks to WAMU about the fifth anniversary of the Home Rule Music Festival this weekend and honoring the legacy of D.C. music.

Quincy Bareebe has loaned her congressional campaign nearly $6 million and built it around a rags-to-riches biography. But court records and her family history complicate the picture.

Democratic nominee for D.C. Delegate to Congress Robert White speaks to WAMU about his victory, what voters wanted from a delegate and his own vision for the position.

Squeezed between their young children and aging parents, the 'sandwich generation' needs help! Experts say embracing the role of caregiver can come with support and recognition that can make a difference in mental health.

Other results show that Robert White won the D.C. Democratic primary to succeed retiring House delegate Norton. Winners in down ballot races will take longer to determine, as ranked choice ballots come into play.

This week WAMU will be covering the D.C. primary elections -- from several council races to huge elections for mayor and delegate to Congress -- and we'll be looking at ways area residents can celebrate Juneteenth and Pride this weekend.

For this week's Get Out There, we're telling you how restaurants are keeping customers seats in the streets!

WAMU's Alex Koma and Washington Informer's Sam P.K. Collins get us ready for the D.C. primaries. Plus, Virginia Delegate Vivian Watts weighs in the data center tax breaks stalling budget negotiations.

Summer in D.C. is a great time for ticks. This year, you may want to be especially vigilant about protecting yourself from the diseases they carry.

Tens of millions in taxpayer dollars have been spent overhauling parks and monuments across Washington, D.C. A New York Times investigation explores how expensive no-bid contracts are key to the Trump administration's restoration work.

This week WAMU will be checking in on the D.C. Council's first vote for the FY2027 budget, responses from health officials to increased tick bites across the D.C. region and the politics at play this summer around streateries.

Popular local social media account Barred in D.C. got answers to the question everyone has been asking... what are the D.C. mayoral hopefuls favorite places to eat?

The summer in D.C. offers a great chance to get out and explore the city's jazz scene, whether you bask in the sounds of trumpets on a park blanket or enjoy a cool piano trio in an air-conditioned club.

Earlybirds Dance Parties is a women-led nationwide movement to create a safe and inclusive space for women, transgender, and nonbinary people to enjoy a night out and still get home at a reasonable hour.

A proposal by the Office of Personnel Management to push federal workers to sign nondisclosure agreements, or NDAs, is facing a fierce backlash. Max Stier joined us to discuss how this plan impacts federal workers – and everyone else.

WAMU speaks with documentary filmmaker Jeff Krulik about the 40th anniversary of his documentary "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" - which focuses on Judas Priest fans outside a concert at the Capitol Centre in 1986.

This week, WAMU checks in on Maryland primaries following a significant mail-in ballot error, a memo seeks to have all federal employees sign NDAs and a look at jazz concerts to enjoy this summer.

If you missed this spring's porchfest in Adams Morgan or the one just over the city's border in Takoma Park, you're not out of luck - you've got a chance to catch another one this weekend in Petworth. 

Hau Chu, Prince George's County food and culture reporter for The Baltimore Banner, speaks to WAMU about why there are so few independent sit-down restaurants in Prince George's County and how residents are hoping that changes.

This week on Get Out There, we hit the road for quirky, short summer day trips!

WAMU speaks to the Antidefamation League's Tali Cohen on the anniversary of the shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum about the current state of antisemitism in the D.C. region.

City lawmakers have been debating whether to implement more stringent youth curfews in D.C., following so-called “teen takeovers” that have prompted concerns about public safety. Some young people feel proponents are missing the bigger picture. 

Virginia recorded one of the steepest declines in overdose deaths nationwide over the past year. But spending reductions in Medicaid, one of the largest payers for addiction and mental health treatment in the U.S., could significantly disrupt substance use treatment programs nationwide.

Montgomery County Delegate Marc Korman speaks to WAMU about a recent milestone for the construction of the Purple Line and how a soon-to-be law in Maryland will help spur development around the light rail's stations.

WAMU arts and culture reporter Darryl C. Murphy tried five of the year's new restaurants - ones that are helping to keep D.C.'s dining scene alive. 

Researcher Crystal Foretia joins WAMU to discuss her work looking into the abuse at the House of Reformation and Instruction in Prince George's County and shares thoughts on how the state can work through this dark legacy.

ICE arrests in the D.C. region have quadrupled since the Biden administration. For families with children, that surge is raising urgent questions about what happens when a parent gets picked up.

This week for Get Out There, we're exploring D.C.'s best spots for kids with Austin Graff.

The Mystics start 2026 with a crop of fresh players, two of whom are current NCAA champions. But the team is also without a permanent GM.

Weekend Edition host Scott Simon is a lover of all pets. In his new book, "Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I've Known" Simon shares the stories and lessons learned from his pet friends.