DMV Archives - Page 165 of 193

National Portrait Gallery Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and Día de Los Muertos

Published September 23, 2023 at 10:06PM

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 with special programs, film screenings and an all-ages festival highlighting Hispanic history, culture and stories. The month of festivities will be followed by the museum’s annual el Día de los Muertos event Thursday, Nov. 2. Featuring a video and music installation by artists MasPaz and Guache, the event also will include crafts, performances and culinary treats. Admission for the festival is free.

On Saturday, Sept. 23, the Portrait Gallery will collaborate with its friends at the bilingual children’s book publisher Lil’ Libros, who will return to the museum for the second co-hosted Fotos & Recuerdos Festival. The afternoon event is for all ages and will take place in the museum’s Kogod Courtyard and surrounding galleries from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors are invited to join gallery tours, story times, book signings with Lil’ Libros authors, live performances and crafts workshops inspired by the Lil’ Libros book series “The Life of / La vida de,” which features Latinx sitters from the Portrait Gallery’s collection. The Washington Ballet will also be attending to lead a story time and salsa and bomba workshop. This program received federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the National Museum of the American Latino. NPR is the media partner.

Cheetah Cub Cam Features Litter of Five Cheetah Cubs Recently Born at the Front Royal Campus of Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

By MCS Staff

Published September 23, 2023 at 10:03PM

Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia, are celebrating a litter of five cheetah cubs born to 8-year-old adult female Echo Tuesday, Sept. 12. Viewers can enjoy watching the cubs grow via the Cheetah Cub Cam. Note that Echo may move her cubs out of the den and around her habitat so they may be out of view at times.

Animal care staff will leave Echo to bond with and care for her cubs without interference, but as opportunities arise, staff will perform quick health checks. During a recent weight check, staff confirmed there are three males and two females. The cubs appear to be strong, active, vocal and eating well.

Tropical Cyclone Statement by the National Weather Service

By MCS Staff

Published September 21, 2023 at 10:28PM

Per the National Weather Service: Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen will move northward toward the Mid-Atlantic Coast through Friday before moving northward near the Mid-Atlantic Coast Saturday through Sunday. The main threat will be a storm surge with inundation around 2 to 3 feet most likely for locations along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay as well as the shore of the Tidal Potomac River.

The highest water levels will be around times of high tide Saturdaythrough Saturday night. Rainfall will most likely average between 1 to 3 inches with localized amounts around 3 to 5 inches possible. The best chance for the highest rainfall amounts will be near and east of Interstate 95.

Metro: New Lost and Found Policy Expands Items Metro Will Hold to Return to Customers

By MCS Staff

Published September 19, 2023 at 1:06PM

Left something on Metro and need to get it back? If it ends up at Metro’s lost and found, you may be in luck. Metro will now keep a wider list of lost items left behind on trains, buses, at stations, and other Metro facilities. The new policy, updates changes made due to pandemic-related budget constraints in 2021 that restricted Metro’s lost and found storage to wallets and electronics such as phones, tablets, laptops, and cameras only.

In addition to these items, Metro’s lost and found department will now work to also reunite customers with lost keys, glasses, backpacks, headphones, luggage, and purses. Items such as perishables, clothing, umbrellas, and bikes will not be kept by the lost and found. Non-returnable items, and any other property unclaimed after 30-days will be disposed of, donated to charity, destroyed, or auctioned.

Kaiser Permanente Workers Vote to Strike if Agreement is Not Reached By End of the Month

By MCS Staff

Published September 18, 2023 at 10:31PM

“We Are Ready to Strike– An overwhelming 98% voted YES to an Unfair Labor Practice strike.”

Kaiser Permanente workers in the DMV have authorized a strike that would begin as early as October 1st if a contract agreement between the union and the Kaiser is not reached by the end of September, according to a statement Monday by the local union representing DMV Kaiser employees. The statement can be seen below:

UMD Ranked 19th Among Public Schools in U.S. News’ Rankings of “Best Colleges”

By MCS Staff

Published September 18, 2023 at 5:02PM

The University of Maryland has earned its highest-ever ranking among national universities from U.S. News & World Report, cracking the top 50 for the first time. Per the Maryland Office of Marketing and Communications:

UMD rose nine spots since last year to No. 46 in the national listing and held steady at No. 19 among public schools in the influential 2023-24 “Best Colleges” report released on Monday. The university now has a combined 69 top-25 undergraduate and graduate programs, according to U.S. News, which began its annual rankings 40 years ago.

Maryland Man Wins $580K After Store Clerk Gave Him Ticket For Wrong Game

By MCS Staff

Published September 17, 2023 at 5:49PM

A loyal Maryland Lottery player knows his games as well as he knows his favorite Lottery retailers and their employees. So, when a new store clerk gave him a ticket for the wrong game and tried but couldn’t void the ticket, the Upper Marlboro resident accepted the employee’s profuse apologies and continued on his way home with one very lucky Multi-Match ticket in hand. Full story below, per MD Lottery:

Little did he know that the $10 quick-pick ticket in his possession would win a $580,000 jackpot in the Sept. 11 drawing. “This is the biggest prize of my life,” he said, sitting with his wife in the Winner’s Circle at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. The happy husband said he has read a lot of Lottery winner stories and just cannot believe it is his turn to tell the story of a win that his wife described as “divine intervention.”

Name that route– Metro wants to create Better Names for a Better Bus network

By MCS Staff

Published September 17, 2023 at 12:08PM

Per WMATA: Trying to figure out the various Metrobus routes can be a puzzle with a mix of letters, numbers, and street names, express or limited-stop service. This outdated naming convention dates to Metro’s takeover of the region’s private bus companies and street cars and is about to get a refresh. For the first time in its 50-year history, Metro is looking to revamp the bus system and simplify routes with its Better Bus, Better Names campaign.

Metro has opened a survey to ask the public how Metro can name bus routes to make it easier for customers to understand and use the Metrobus system. People are encouraged to take the Better Bus, Better Names online survey until Sept. 28, to weigh in and help Metro standardize and modernize the entire bus experience throughout the region.

Metro plans full-scale security exercise at Capitol South Station Today (Sunday, Sept. 17)

By MCS Staff

Published September 17, 2023 at 10:31AM

Metro Transit Police in coordination with U.S. Capitol Police will conduct a full-scale law enforcement exercise on Sunday, Sept. 17, at the Capitol South Station. The exercise will simulate a real-life security threat to test operational coordination, communications, and response between law enforcement agencies.

During this time, the Capitol South Station will be closed from opening until approximately 2 p.m. Free shuttle buses will replace trains between Eastern Market and Federal Center SW. The exercise will simulate a real-world response to an active assailant in the Metrorail system. People in the area will see and hear a large emergency response and police activity in and around the station, including simulated ammunition (blanks). Please be assured this is only a drill.

Maryland MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced to 28 Years in Federal Prison for Participating in a Racketeering Conspiracy, Including Murder

By MCS Staff

Published September 14, 2023 at 4:40PM

S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Brayan Alexander Torres, a/k/a “Spooky,” age 29, of Adelphi, Maryland, yesterday to 28 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy, including murder, related to his participation in the Weedams Locos Salvatrucha (“WLS”) clique of the MS-13 gang, which operated primarily in Adelphi, Maryland. Torres was the clique’s leader or “First Word.” Judge Xinis also ordered that Torres pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, including any funeral costs incurred by Victim 4’s estate.

According to court documents, La Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as “MS-13,” is an international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in Maryland and throughout the United States. MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region, and are required to commit acts of violence, both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang and against rivals. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. MS-13 members earn promotions and improved standing within the gang for participating in attacks on rival gang members, often at the direction of MS-13 leadership.

Weekend Track Work/Maintenance on the Red Line to Close Four Stations

By MCS Staff

Published September 14, 2023 at 11:35AM

This weekend, Sept. 16 – 17, Metro will close four stations on the Red Line to perform track work in the interlocking, where the two tracks intersect and is critical to maintaining safe reliable service. To accommodate this work the Shady Grove, Rockville, Twinbrook, and North Bethesda stations will be closed, with free shuttle buses replacing trains.

Normal Red Line service will operate between Glenmont and Grosvenor, every eight minutes during the day, and every 10 minutes after 9 p.m. During the weekend, Metro will replace the switches in the interlocking outside the Twinbrook Station. The switches and equipment in the interlocking are part of the signaling system embedded on the tracks to ensure trains are routed properly and can safely cross over from one track to the other in the event of a service disruption or single tracking.