Zara Norman
@zaraleinorman.bsky.social
Covering D.C. for @washsunmetro.bsky.social. Previously @bangordailynews.bsky.social, Centralmaine.com Let's chat! 📧 zaranorman@washsun.com or Zara.207 (Signal)
President Trump confirmed his much-discussed plans to build a “world championship” golf course at East Potomac Park in a social media post, despite an ongoing lawsuit aimed at halting the proposed overhaul.
Trump Says East Potomac Renovation Will Begin Nov. 15
The president wrote in a social media post that the new golf course will have a “tremendously positive economic” impact on D.C.
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“There’s no room for biking, bird-watching, running, for all of the public uses that Hains point has had for 100 years.” Trump announces a 15-month renovation of East Potomac starting Nov. 15, despite an ongoing lawsuit (@washsunmetro.bsky.social) www.washingtonsun.com/metro/trump-...
Trump Says East Potomac Renovation Will Begin Nov. 15
The president wrote in a social media post that the new golf course will have a “tremendously positive economic” impact on D.C.
washingtonsun.com
It’s been almost a year since the Nationals made Blake Butera the youngest manager since 1972. A few weeks ago, I sat down with him about his first season in the job. The blown saves came up a lot. So did his feelings. For @washingtonsun.com: www.washingtonsun.com/sports/blake...
Blake Butera, One Year In
The Nationals’ young manager learned a lot in his first year — including the toll of repeated disappointment.
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D.C. spent millions on community violence intervention, but according to one study, the programs were associated with an increase in gun violence.
How D.C.’s Investment in Community Anti-Violence Programs Unraveled
The District spent millions on community violence intervention, but according to one study, the programs were associated with an increase in gun violence.
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Earlier this year the D.C. Council passed a bill imposing a price cap on tickets resold on platforms like StubHub. Those platforms are now suing the city, saying the law "violates the Constitution several times over." Our story in @washingtonsun.com: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-tic...
Ticket Resale Platforms Sue D.C. to Block Price Cap
A D.C. law going into effect in January will cap resale tickets at 10% more than their original value.
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Today in D.C. politics mascots: @chenderson.bsky.social with Remy from “Ratatouille” (for a bill she wrote to improve how the city fights rats), and an otter advocating for @brianneknadeau.bsky.social’s 10-cent bottle-deposit bill. Who says local news isn’t fun?
Back in 2020 D.C. started requiring LLCs to disclose details of actual ownership, and as my colleague @zaraleinorman.bsky.social is reporting, the new fight is to get an actual human's name for every LLC so that the city can better enforce housing laws and find patterns in bad owners.
Zara Norman@zaraleinorman.bsky.social · 6d agoWhether you’re a tenant, a city employee issuing a fine or an attorney looking to sue, you may want to know who owns a rental property in D.C. Good luck tracking down an actual human. In @washsunmetro.bsky.social, calls for a revamped rental registry: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-lan...
Whether you’re a tenant, a city employee issuing a fine or an attorney looking to sue, you may want to know who owns a rental property in D.C. Good luck tracking down an actual human. In @washsunmetro.bsky.social, calls for a revamped rental registry: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-lan...
It’s 2026. Do You Know Who Your Landlord Is?
It’s not easy to find out who owns D.C. housing, and advocates say that’s complicating code enforcement.
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Exciting news! We will work with Washingtonian to distribute an initial six-month run.
The Washington Sun@washingtonsun.com · 3w agoThe Washington Sun is creating The Washington Sun Magazine, a monthly print publication featuring some of the most compelling journalism produced by The Sun’s newsroom, with an emphasis on longform storytelling, essays and local news.
The Defense Department has spent over $49 million since October 2025 feeding National Guard members posted in D.C. https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/national-guard-meal-catering-contracts
The Defense Department Has Spent $49M Feeding the National Guard in D.C.
It’s the latest figure ratcheting up the estimated cost of the Guard’s presence in D.C.
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The Department of Defense has spent over $49 million since October 2025 feeding National Guard members posted in D.C. It could spend another $20 million by the end of the year. w Shamira Muhammad & @annackramer.bsky.social for @washsunmetro.bsky.social: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/nation...
The Defense Department Has Spent $49M Feeding the National Guard in D.C.
It’s the latest figure ratcheting up the estimated cost of the Guard’s presence in D.C.
washingtonsun.com
On @washsunperspect.bsky.social: Is “Hamilton” cool again? Anusha Mathur explores how a popular spin class in D.C. set to the 2015 musical could indicate the turning tides of the show’s reputation. www.washingtonsun.com/perspectives...
How ‘Hamilton’ Became Cool Again
What I learned from attending a popular D.C. spin class.
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New: A federal judge declared a mistrial in the bribery trial of D.C. Council member Trayon White after the jury said it could not reach a verdict in the case. https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/trayon-white-verdict
Judge Declares a Mistrial in Trayon White’s Bribery Case
The mistrial means that White, who would have been ineligible for public office in D.C. if convicted, can remain on the D.C. Council — at least for now.
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AVs have been test-driving in D.C. for years. DDOT won't share how many times they've crashed. @waymo.bsky.social reached out directly to tell us it's logged seven crash incidents. Most involved other drivers rear-ending Waymos. In today's @washsunmetro.bsky.social newsletter (sign up for free!)
As D.C. debates whether to legalize self-driving cars like Waymo, people ask: Do the cars get into crashes? My colleague @zaraleinorman.bsky.social wanted to find out, but learned that D.C. refuses to release crash reports: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/waymo-...
Waymo Touts Its Crash Safety Data, But D.C. Won’t Release the Numbers
Autonomous vehicle companies — which could be permitted to operate in the District this fall — enjoy a blanket exemption from public records law.
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The D.C. Council will vote this fall on whether to allow driverless cars to operate in the city. But DDOT has exempted AV companies from public records law, meaning all crash data from its testing program is withheld. My latest for @washsunmetro.bsky.social: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/waymo-...
Waymo Touts Its Crash Safety Data, But D.C. Won’t Release the Numbers
Autonomous vehicle companies — which could be permitted to operate in the District this fall — enjoy a blanket exemption from public records law.
washingtonsun.com
In the year since Trump pushed a crackdown on D.C. homelessness, the city closed twice as many encampments while homelessness increased by 4.4%, Raymond Fernández reports for @washingtonsun.bsky.social. www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-hom...
The Trump Administration Has Made It Harder to Be Homeless in D.C.
Unhoused populations are being pushed — little by little and with nowhere else to go — from one location to another.
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A federal judge in D.C. reportedly got 64 unsolicited pizza deliveries to their home. What could seem like a prank is an unsettling threat to judges, and the D.C. Council is considering a bill to keep more of their personal information private: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-jud...
Security Concerns Spur D.C. to Consider Privacy Protections for Judges
One federal judge is said to have received dozens of unsolicited pizza deliveries.
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A Sept. 26 mutual aid benefit at the Sylvan Theater aims to revive the D.C.’s politically charged punk tradition.
Punk Rock Returns to the National Mall for the First Time in 30 Years
A Sept. 26 mutual aid benefit at the Sylvan Theater aims to revive the D.C.'s politically charged punk tradition.
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NEWS: There's a notice from prosecutors in Ward 8 Council member Trayon White's federal bribery trial that law enforcement observed "improper juror contact" today. Someone in the public said within earshot of an alternate juror: "You broke our hearts. You were our hung jury."
Flights were delayed at Reagan International Airport on Tuesday night after a lighting equipment failure forced the FAA to close runways, according to DCA officials.
Runway Light Failure Triggers Delays and Cancellations at DCA
The flight stoppage was extended until at least 10 p.m.
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Officials with the Prince George’s County Police Department have ruled the death of a Black man found hanging on the side of a road in Upper Marlboro to be a suicide. https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/prince-georges-police-hanging-suicide
Maryland Police Rule the Death of a Man Found Hanging a Suicide
Prince George’s County leaders held an event Monday to offer mental health resources to residents and to quash misinformation about the incident.
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In @washingtonsun.bsky.social's local newsletter I reported on D.C. Council bill that would add new restrictions and process on getting an initiative on the ballot. Proponents say it's to give the public more time to weigh in, critics say it's an effort to strange direct democracy.
Alex Taliadoros@alexctaliadoros.bsky.social · 4w agoThe Home Rule Act gives DC residents the right to propose ballot initiatives and referenda. Today, the Council will vote on a bill to gut that right by imposing dozens of new restrictions, requirements, legal barriers, and delays to effectively block any initiative before it reaches your ballot.
When Kristin Wallace received a new D.C. medical identification card in the mail this week, she didn’t expect it to lead her to a scam website with adult content. https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-medicaid-mail-website
She Received a New D.C. Medical ID. It Sent Her to an Adult Website.
The Department of Health Care Finance says an old web address is still printed on some materials.
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Identifying vacant property. Screening 911 and 311 calls for quality. Improving benefit payments. Here's how D.C. government wants to use AI, and where concerns are creeping in. w @maustermuhle.bsky.social & Michael Brice-Saddler for @washsunmetro.bsky.social www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-gov...
How the D.C. Government Wants to Use AI
Leaders say AI could assist the workers who keep D.C. running. But concerns over job displacement and privacy remain.
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Medicaid cards sent to potentially thousands of D.C. residents included a website address that redirected to some type of porn site. City officials tell us a URL domain wasn’t properly updated: www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-med...
She Received a New D.C. Medical ID. It Sent Her to an Adult Website.
The Department of Health Care Finance says an old web address is still printed on some materials.
washingtonsun.com
The Washington Sun is leading “All-DMV,” a local news collaboration with @fox5dc.com.web.brid.gy, @nbcwashington.com and @wtopnews.bsky.social to cover high school sports across the D.C. area. The inaugural season will start with public and private high school football, soccer and volleyball.
The Washington Sun leads “All-DMV” local news collaborative to highlight high school sports
The Washington Sun (formerly NOTUS) is leading a local news collaboration to spotlight the outstanding talent in high school athletics across the Washington, D.C., area.
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