WAMU: Local News

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News features from the Washington, DC Metro Area.

WAMU


    • Oct 24, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 4m AVG DURATION
    • 1,049 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from WAMU: Local News

    The Politics Hour: Federal cuts are hitting Montgomery County hard

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2025 50:28


    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.

    In Maryland, the shutdown is sending federal workers to local food banks

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2025 2:19


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

    Healthcare remains at the heart of the federal shutdown four weeks in

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2025 4:00


    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.

    Here's how D.C. solved the billion-dollar budget problem Congress created

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2025 3:57


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

    WAMU's midday host Geri Mitchell says farewell

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2025 4:01


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

    Reporter Roundtable: How the D.C. region is navigating federal cuts and a shutdown

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2025 7:30


    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.

    What Medicaid cuts could mean for one day program for disabled adults in Manassas

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2025 4:03


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

    Get Out There: Explore a fall festival, get lost in a corn maze, and eat an apple cider donut

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2025 3:46


    The two wildcards shaping the tail end of the Virginia race for governor

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2025 3:57


    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.

    Federal cuts threaten the future of Montgomery County's ‘DNA Valley'

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2025 4:00


    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.

    D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser might not run for reelection. That could scramble the 2026 mayoral race

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2025 1:10


    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.

    District of cannabis: Is D.C.'s new weed economy sustainable?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2025 4:06


    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.

    WAMU's Week Ahead: Shutdown impact on local economy, the future of ‘DNA Alley,' the 411 on Spotted Lanternflies

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2025 4:00


    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.

    Get Out There: D.C.'s Best Stadium Eats

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2025 3:55


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

    Government shutdown, text message scandal could reshape Virginia's gubernatorial race

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2025 3:56


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

    Many remain unhoused on D.C. streets, months after the Trump administration ordered sweeping encampment clearings

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2025 6:06


    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.

    New film ‘Cracked Shells' explores gentrification's impact on D.C.'s Black residents

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2025 3:57


    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."

    Green burial practices are on the rise in Maryland: here's what you should know

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2025 3:55


    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's Week Ahead: Leaders hear from workers on shutdown, green burials in Montgomery County and DC's weed market

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2025 4:17


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

    Despite shutdown pain, some federal workers want Democrats to ‘hold the line'

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2025 3:47


    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.

    The first open Ward 1 D.C. Council seat in decades kicks off a frenzied race

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2025 3:35


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

    The federal shutdown presents job risks for federal workers and contractors

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2025 3:59


    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 Trump's buyout get final paychecks and an uncertain future

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2025 4:35


    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.

    Get Out There: Fall music festivals around D.C.

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 4:00


    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.

    Local artist Rashad Ali Muhammad invites viewers to go ‘Through the Veil' and into the spiritual world

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2025 4:00


    "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.

    Young Americans brace for 26, as they age out of their parent's health insurance

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2025 4:01


    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.

    What 1200 arrest records tell us about the surge of federal law enforcement in D.C.

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2025 3:56


    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.

    WAMU's Week Ahead: What a government shutdown would mean for the D.C. region, State of the District conference, fall music festivals

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2025 3:55


    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.

    Get Out There: It's pawpaw season

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2025 4:00


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

    How to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine in the D.C. region

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2025 3:58


    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.

    Mass federal job cuts bring economic uncertainty to the D.C. region

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2025 3:57


    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.

    WAMU's Week Ahead: D.C. Council takes final vote on RFK plan, early voting begins in Virginia and peak paw-paw season

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2025 4:03


    Stories WAMU is following this week include the D.C. Council taking its final vote redeveloping the RFK Stadium site, the start of early voting in the Virginia General Election and a look at the uniquely Mid-Atlantic paw-paw season.

    Get Out There: Art All Night, the District's celebration of culture and creativity, returns

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2025 3:54


    Art All Night kicks off this Friday in all 8 Wards with art installations, performances, and activities to help folks connect with their community. However, will the surge in federal federal law enforcement presence in the District affect the event?

    The D.C. region's real estate market didn't take a dive. What happened instead?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2025 4:00


    We aren't in a buyer's or seller's market – we're in what Bright MLS chief economist Lisa Sturtevant calls a “stuck market.”

    Trump's takeover of D.C. is scrambling local politics, including next year's mayoral race

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2025 3:50


    In the high-profile mayoral election cycle, not a single candidate has jumped into the race ahead of next spring's primary. Mayor Bowser, the three-term incumbent, has yet to announce her plans.

    Reporter Roundtable: How the immigration crackdown looks across the D.C. region

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2025 7:23


    Immigration crackdowns are underway in D.C. and across the region. Our Politics team shares their reporting, from the limits of so-called sanctuary cities to conditions at the local ICE processing center.

    Get Out There: exploring D.C.'s queer comedy scene

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2025 3:51


    This week on Get Out There, we're checking out the alternative comedy scene around D.C.

    Years after a gas explosion destroyed a Gaithersburg condo, residents are rebuilding their lives

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2025 3:59


    Potomac Oaks Condominium was destroyed by a massive gas explosion in November 2022. For the 25 households displaced and struggling to avert homelessness, the incident took a severe financial and emotional toll.

    ‘A Seat at the Table:' Busboys and Poets founder Andy Shallal on his new memoir

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2025 3:48


    Andy Shallal's new memoir chronicles his arrival in the U.S. from Iraq, his entry into the restaurant business, and his founding of the iconic local restaurant chain Busboys and Poets.

    Get Out There: Swinging into a weekend of music at the DC Jazz Festival

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2025 3:56


    This week on Get Out There, we're looking at some of the not-to-miss shows at the 2025 DC Jazz Festival.

    WAMU's Week Ahead: Wards 7 & 8 on Trump's police takeover, back to school vaccines, the DC Jazz Festival

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2025 4:02


    Stories WAMU is following this week include how residents of Wards 7 and 8 are reacting to President Trump's deployment of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers, the possible increased costs for families needing back to school shots, and a look at celebrating the DC JazzFest this weekend.

    How ICE is working with D.C. police to detain moped delivery drivers

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2025 3:43


    The Washington Post reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are now accompanying MPD officers on moped traffic stops.

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