Ryan M. McDermott

Washington, D.C., residents packing on to the city’s free streetcar

Since the long-awaited D.C. Streetcar was launched Feb. 27, many of its passengers already have made it a part of their commute, riding along H Street NE from Benning Road to Union Station every day.

March 9, 2016

D.C. Ward 5 homeless shelter site has strip club nearby, but no groceries

On a dead-end street in an industrial block in Northeast Washington, fences tangled with razor wire abut the abandoned warehouse where city officials want to house as many as 50 homeless families by 2018.

March 7, 2016

Pepco, Exelon offer new $78M deal in effort to salvage merger

D.C.-based energy supplier Pepco and Chicago-based energy producer Exelon offered a new $78 million deal Monday to D.C. regulators to salvage a $6.8 billion merger that has been on the ropes for the past year.

March 7, 2016

EMS panel advising mayor stonewalled by D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser, fire department

A panel that is supposed to advise D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on emergency medical services policy says it can't get any information from the mayor or the fire department in order to make recommendations.

March 3, 2016

In D.C., proficiency in reading down among poor, black students

Poor and black D.C. third-graders recently tested worse in reading than they did five years earlier, according to a new study by D.C. Action for Children.

March 2, 2016

D.C. Council OKs crime bill with provision to pay people to stay out trouble

The D.C. Council has unanimously approved a sweeping anti-crime bill that includes a provision to pay would-be criminals and victims to stay out of trouble.

March 1, 2016

Pepco-Exelon merger appears dead as D.C. mayor, people’s counsel oppose revised deal

The proposed $6.8 billion merger of D.C.-based power supplier Pepco and Chicago-based power generator Exelon looked dead Tuesday, as D.C. officials rejected a regulatory panel's plan for a proposed fund to offset residential rate increases -- apparently ending a nearly two-year bid to create the country's largest electric utility.

March 1, 2016

D.C. people’s counsel hits revised Pepco-Exelon merger deal, says it hurts residents

The District's resident advocate on Tuesday denounced a revised deal to merge Pepco and Exelon, saying the new agreement steals benefits that should be go to ratepayers.

March 1, 2016

D.C. residents say consumer affairs panel has failed to follow law

A D.C. Council oversight committee hearing on Monday sparked outrage from dozens of residents frustrated by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, which has failed to provide building permit tracking data online as required by law.

February 29, 2016

National Zoo closes, quarantines Kids’ Farm after E. coli discovery

The National Zoo has closed and quarantined its Kids' Farm because E. coli was discovered in a few of the animals.

February 29, 2016

Pothole repairs to begin Tuesday in Prince George’s County, Maryland

The roads of Prince George's County soon will begin to become a bit smoother after recent winter storms pocked the streets with potholes.

February 29, 2016

D.C. $6.8 billion plan to merge Pepco, Exelon is struck down, awaits revisions

D.C. utility regulators struck down a controversial $6.8 billion proposal Friday to merge the city's electric supplier with Exelon, a behemoth power generator based in Chicago. But the deal could go through anyway, if the two companies agree to several minor changes.

February 26, 2016

Flint water crisis prompts fear, demands in D.C., nationwide

Concerns about drinking water have spread to communities across the country in the wake of the lead contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, as government leaders wade in to assess water quality in their jurisdictions and reassure residents.

February 25, 2016

D.C. police arrest third suspect in shooting death of American University graduate

Metropolitan Police have arrested a third suspect in connection with last summer's slaying of an American University graduate near the Shaw Metro.

February 24, 2016

D.C. looks to communist Cuba for lessons to improve literacy

The D.C. Public Schools System is looking to Cuba for lessons to improve literacy in the nation's capital.

February 23, 2016

Deonte Carraway built child trust in porn case, Prince George’s police say

A former Prince George's County teacher's aide would "manufacture" trust among schoolchildren and prey upon their fear of authority figures as he lured them into performing sexual acts that he would record, according to county, state and federal authorities.

February 23, 2016

Metro Transit Police: Man shot on Green Line near Anacostia

Metro Transit Police confirmed that a man was shot Tuesday afternoon on the Green Line near the Anacostia station.

February 23, 2016

Muriel Bowser, D.C. mayor: Washington region may benefit from construction in Cuba

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Tuesday that local businesses might soon reap the benefits of construction contracts in Cuba.

February 23, 2016

D.C. police statistics reveal spike in sexual assaults

Sexual assaults in the District have risen dramatically so far this year — a 71 percent increase over the same period last year, new statistics show.

February 22, 2016

Federal Transit Administration to mull easing funding restrictions on Metro

The Federal Transit Administration said it will consider easing its funding restrictions on Metro so that the transit agency can stop taking short-term loans from private lenders.

February 22, 2016