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The Virginia State Capital Building during the holidays. (Getty Images/Thinkstock)

New laws in Virginia, DC, Maryland take effect in the new year

FBI Pipe Bomb Investigation

Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted US political parties because they were 'in charge,' memo says

Tourists bundle up

Temperatures to drop as howling wind moves through DC area

13-year-old Wynter Wagoner disappeared from her foster home bedroom on Oct. 14, and her family is doing everything they can to bring her home.

Bond hearing for man charged with kidnapping missing Kentucky girl found in Montgomery County

Students walk by the renovated James Branch Cabell Library on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., on April 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

VCU athletics director arrested for drunken driving in Prince William after crashing Escalade into ditch

Trump Ukraine

US offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says

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Trying to improve your health and wellness in 2026? Keep it simple

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WATCH: Where did DOGE work and other Top Local Headlines

Patriots win AFC East, Ravens stay alive and 49ers will battle Seahawks for No. 1 seed in NFC

DOGE in review: Did the agency create opportunities for new government efficiencies in 2026?

Garrett McGuire named winner of Virginia's firehouse Democratic primary for House District 17 seat

CBP increases hiring incentives, amid record DHS recruiting year

'Matt About Town' Wrapped: 2025 in Review

Government Shutdown Timeline

WATCH: WTOP's most viral videos of 2025

Hubble Telescope

2025 has been a banner year for space observation

National Guard members

How will DC’s law enforcement surge be remembered?

Government Shutdown

Could 2026 bring another government shutdown, after the longest shutdown ever?

2025's economic bottom line, from tariffs to the K-shaped economy

FBN Commanders Stadium

How the Commanders’ RFK stadium deal came together in 2025

APTOPIX CPAC 2025

How much of an impact did DOGE have on the DC region?

YE US 2025 Photo Gallery

How the 2025 passenger jet, chopper crash near Reagan National has changed DC's airspace

APTOPIX Trump Inauguration

Chainsaw-wielding Musk, Trump's return, a devastating plane crash. Photos that captured 2025 in DC

WTOP’s most viral videos

Janney Elementary School students 'sing in' the holidays

How will DC's law enforcement surge be remembered?

WTOP’s Beer of the Week: Schilling Veselý Czech Amber Lager

SPONSORED: Camp Accomplish is where kids can be their fullest, truest selves

See the Lynchburg penguin house

Wish kids share words of wisdom

Could 2026 bring another government shutdown, after the longest shutdown ever?

Parents of teen killed by counterfeit pills finally get justice for son

Meet Grizzy, a cuddly Pittie mix puppy who’s seen some hard times

How 2025’s passenger jet, chopper crash near Reagan National has, and continues to change DC airspace

Former nonbeliever helps Santa answer letters in Maryland

Judge allows Kilmar Abrego Garcia to remain free while she considers immigration issues

Incoming interim police chief on the future of the investigation into DC's crime numbers

The nearly complete skull of a dinosaur is now on display at the Smithsonian

HERO Act signed, ensuring faster, increased benefits for families of fallen first responders

DC police Chief Smith gives fiery speech at walkout ceremony

Penny ‘funeral’ brings hundreds to Lincoln Memorial

BWI Marshall Airport nearly $500M expansion project set to open in January

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The 1995 Old Port Fiberglass Boat spent the last 30 years ferrying visitors to Maryland’s St. Clement’s Island State Park. (Courtesy GovDeals)

All aboard! St. Mary's County puts retired water taxi up for auction

Prince William Co. police vehicle

Police arrest Prince William Co. man, seize evidence in online child exploitation case

Be Well Hidden Sugars

Foods with healthy-sounding buzzwords could be hiding added sugar in plain sight

New-Jersey-Helicopter-Crash

Midair helicopter crash in New Jersey leaves 1 dead and another critically injured

Deportation officer's badge

How the Trump administration plans to speed up deportations with new holding centers

France Obit Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot, 1960s French sex symbol turned militant animal rights activist, dies at 91

Expert Edition: How to tackle complex federal cyber challenges

Insight by Carahsoft

The J. Edgar Hoover Building

Is it closing time for DC’s ‘ugliest’ building?

Advanced surgical care with a personal touch at GW Hospital

Insight by by GW Hospital

TV - Severance

The best TV shows of 2025, according to TV Guide's Matt Roush

'Avatar' and 'Marty Supreme' propel strong ticket sales to wrap a turbulent 2025 for Hollywood

a woman and a man

New Prince George's County Council chair reflects on 2025, details what's next for 2026

Tractor-trailer incident in Rockville

Tractor-trailer rolls through fence, nearly strikes 3-story apartment building in Rockville

University of Maryland flag

Maryland universities saw international student enrollment decline over past year

County News

VCU athletics director arrested for drunken driving in Prince William after crashing Escalade into ditch

Temperatures to drop as howling wind moves through DC area

Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted US political parties because they were ‘in charge,’ memo says

Bond hearing for man charged with kidnapping missing Kentucky girl found in Montgomery County

DOGE in review: Did the agency create opportunities for new government efficiencies in 2026?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 05: Cocktails are served during the Prada Forum Shops at Caesars store opening event on December 05, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Prada The Forum Shops at Caesars)

Where to party on New Year's Eve in the DC area

a man on stage in front of a seated crowd

CES 2026: The more things change, the more they stay the same

Interim CHief Jeffery Carroll with Mayor Bowser

DC's new interim police chief on what's next in crime data tampering investigation

VIDEOS

Schilling Veselý Czech Amber Lager

WTOP’s Beer of the Week: Schilling Veselý Czech Amber Lager

Baby Boomer Trivia

QUIZ: Take the baby boomer quiz. How much pop culture do you remember?

Texas Plane Crash

WATCH: Bystander rescues woman trapped in plane crash

PHOTO GALLERIES

Ichabod (left) and Grizzy (right)

2025 Pets of the Week

Front angle of the 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE

Car Review: 2026 Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE

Remembering the stars who've died this year

DC

J. Edgar Hoover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Building

J. Edgar Hoover Building to close for good as FBI relocates its HQ, Patel says

Lifestyle

Group of Christians sit together and pray

In historic shift, more Americans are distancing themselves from religion

Virginia

Bucks Cavaliers Basketball

'Go Bucks!': Virginia boy inspired by Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the special guest at Friday's game

Sponsored

Learn about programs offering no-cost energy conservation kits and rebates for qualifying appliances

Learn about programs offering no-cost energy conservation kits and rebates for qualifying appliances

Insight by Washington Gas

22 Hours: A Second Look

Paul Wagner sits down with Mike King to discuss the Sherry Crandell case

When purpose defines your business plan

Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley

Creed

WTOP's DC Sports Huddle

How the Commanders 'win' NFL free agency

493 | Denmark Confronts Trump Administration over Greenland

thERINpy with Erin Washington

Marni Battista, life design coach and author of Your Radical Living Challenge

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