Photos of the year: 2022’s striking local news pictures

Whether it be elections, Supreme Court decisions, nightmarish winter weather or mass protests, it’s been a long year for the nation’s capital as far as the news goes. As the curtain closes on 2022, here’s a look back at some of the year’s most notable moments — seen through the eyes of WTOP’s reporters and photographers.

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Jan. 4: One of the year’s biggest local stories arrived in its first week as treacherous road conditions stranded hundreds of drivers on Interstate 95 in Virginia — some for well over a day. Drivers were forced to shut off their engines in frigid weather to conserve dwindling fuel, many with little to no food or water. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

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March 3: D.C.’s Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge glows blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, a week after Russian forces began an all-out assault on the European nation the week prior. Many of the city’s landmarks and bridges, including the National Cathedral and Kennedy Center, showed their support for Ukraine. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

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March 12: Flowers are coated in snowflakes after a late winter season storm brought snow and sleet to the D.C. region. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

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March 27: A month after Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the D.C. region’s Ukrainian community gathered outside the Lincoln Memorial urging Congress and the Biden administration to boost weapons shipments and increase aid for refugees. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

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April 22: A climate activist with Extinction Rebellion D.C. drops a banner from the John A. Wilson Building, which houses local government offices, as part of a campaign opposing further investments in gas infrastructure. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

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May 22: Lightning cuts through the sky over downtown D.C.’s Smithsonian Castle, along the National Mall, during a round of severe weather. “Looked like Dr. Claw’s castle, or a scene out of a horror movie set in Transylvania,” WTOP’s Dave Dildine remarked on his Instagram. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

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June 24: Abortion rights demonstrators protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. minutes after a decision upending Roe v. Wade. Both supporters and opponents of abortion rights protested in the nation’s capital and across the country. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

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July 28: Police arrest a protester as climate activists blocked gates at the Congressional Baseball Game, urging politicians to secure climate investments and issue a federal declaration of a climate emergency. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

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Sept. 20: Police stand guard at the Washington Monument after a man dumped red paint and scrawled a message on its base. U.S. Park Police and the National Park Service aided in the monument’s restoration, and there was no permanent damage. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

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Sept. 29: Upper-level cloud cover along the fringes of Hurricane Ian make for a dazzling sunset in Maryland’s Friendship Heights. Ian’s remnants would ultimately bring strong winds and heavy rain to the D.C. region, but the storm’s wrath left a lingering path of destruction to the south in Florida and the Carolinas. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

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Oct. 8: Iranian-Americans form a human chain around the Washington Monument, during one of several marches through downtown D.C. in solidarity with mass demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Iran’s morality police. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

Small token, a painted rock, left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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Nov. 11: A pebble is among collections of letters, flowers and small tokens left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for Veterans Day. “Yellow hat” volunteers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial gave directions and helped visitors find their loved one’s name on the memorial’s panels. (WTOP/Kate Ryan)

Alejandro Alvarez

Alejandro Alvarez joined WTOP as a digital journalist and editor in June 2018. He is a reporter and photographer focusing on politics, political activism and international affairs.