WAMU: Local News

City agencies overspent their budgets by more than $300 million last year. Strong revenue in past years helped blunt the impact, but recently it's becoming more difficult for lawmakers to cover the gaps.

Federal cutbacks to the social safety net and a flagging Northern Virginia economy will be major challenges for Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and the Virginia General Assembly in January.

Stories we are following this week include an outlook on the challenges facing the victorious Virginia Democrats, possible changes coming to consumer credit scores vis-a-vis medical debt and a look at Thanksgiving catering options in the D.C. region.

Three Arlington public schools are offering free dinners to families every weekday during the ongoing government shutdown.

Fairfax Democrat Dan Helmer led the campaign to expand his party's majority in the Virginia House of Delegates. He speaks with WAMU about Democrats' big wins in Virginia.

In WAMU's new series Hidden City, we uncover the stories behind the history, people, and places in our region.

Stories we are following this week include the Virginia general election, changes this year to open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act and WAMU's new series "Hidden City."

This week on Get Out There, we're going leaf peeping!

Artwork, old newspapers, postcards, brochures and other forms of media illustrate how artists outside the mainstream literally made places for themselves to create and display their work from the 1970s through today.

Health care has been a consistent talking point in the campaign for governor in the commonwealth.

The unprecedented Democratic primary challenge to the civil rights icon suggests a growing consensus that after three decades representing D.C. in Congress, Norton should step aside.

Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart explains how the county is dealing with federal cuts an shutdown. Plus, Ward 1 D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau on why she decided not to run for reelection.

Some federal workers are also helping others, setting up dedicated food drives for fellow government employees now in need.

Four weeks into the federal government shutdown and there's little sign of compromise. KFF's Julie Rovner explains why healthcare remains the key sticking point for Democrats.

District leaders used creative accounting to spend hundreds of millions in revenue, despite federal lawmakers holding up the money.

For more than seven years, Geri Mitchell has been a familiar voice on WAMU 88.5.

The D.C. region has been preparing for an economic slowdown. But surprisingly, the outlook isn't all bad, and there may even be some bright spots, including for defense contractors in Northern Virginia.

The Bright Center was already operating on a shoestring. Now the program's sustainability is even more in doubt.

For this week's Get Out There, we celebrate all things fall.

Virginia is just weeks away from electing a new governor, but the government shutdown and an explosive text message scandal in the race for attorney general could reshape the election.

As research funding is cut and thousands of federal scientists lose their jobs, the biohealth hub that took decades to build faces an uncertain future.

The three-term mayor is discussing the possibility of stepping aside, despite months of speculation she planned to mount a bid for a fourth term.

Within the last year, over 50 new dispensaries have opened in neighborhoods across all eight wards. Both newcomers and veterans of the industry are wondering how stable the cannabis business will be, moving forward.

Stories WAMU is following this week include the government shutdown's encroaching impact on the economies of D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia, the future of the biotech industry in Montgomery County and a thorough lesson on the invasive Spotted Lanternfly.

This week on Get Out There, we're hitting the concession stands!

Virginia is just weeks away from electing a new governor, but the government shutdown and a recent text message scandal could reshape the race.

The Trump administration abruptly cleared numerous homeless encampments in less than a month during its federal takeover of the District. Nearly two months later, many people are still in the region, sleeping outside.

The new documentary "Cracked Shells" explores the impact of gentrification on D.C.'s Black residents and how it's changing the demographics of "Chocolate City."

We spoke to KFF Health News reporter Paula Span and Montgomery County mortician Lily Buerkle to get the basics of green burials and why they're on the rise in the region.

WAMU is following local reactions to the government shutdown, the growing popularity of environmentally-friendly burials, and D.C.'s evolving weed market.

At a press conference on Capitol Hill recently, members of Maryland's congressional delegation said they're hearing from federal workers who want them to keep fighting for healthcare spending.

Candidates are lining up to replace Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who has chosen not to run for another term.

Thousands of federal workers are furloughed under the current government shutdown. Many fear their jobs could be lost under further reductions in force.

Federal workers who took the Trump administration's buyout offer come off the payroll at the end of September. Now some are confronting fear, regret and uncertainty as they figure out what's next.

Fall festival season is upon us -- we have your mix of pop punk, independent and go-go music festivals to check out across the D.C. region.

"Through The Veil", on display at Eaton DC until the end of February, features mixed media pieces, decorative masks, and paper sculptures that invite the viewer into the spiritual realm. It also builds on artist Muhammad's exploration of Black identity.

Americans can remain on their parents' health insurance plans only until age 26. In dozens of interviews, young adults describe the unsettling or devastating consequences of having inadequate insurance or none at all.

Washington Post reporter Olivia George breaks down her team's analysis of over a thousand arrest records from the month the Trump Administration controlled the Metropolitan Police Department.

Stories WAMU is following this week include the regional impact of the potential government shutdown, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce's annual State of the District conference and a preview of this fall's music festivals.

For this week's Get Out There, we search for the perfect pawpaw.

Recent federal restrictions limit the vaccine to people aged 65 and older and with underlying health conditions. But federal and local regulations are rapidly evolving, and individual states and providers are responding in different ways.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have left their positions since the start of the year. And at the end of the month, those who opted into the "fork in the road" deferred resignation program will receive their final payments.