The year in pictures: 2021’s noteworthy local news photos

The decade is young, but it’s certainly felt a lot longer: All eyes turned to Washington in 2021, with the nation’s capital taking center stage in an increasingly divided political atmosphere and the region’s residents still struggling with a pandemic dragging on into its second year. Look back at some of the year’s most local notable moments:

1/19

Jan. 6: Trump supporters gather outside the U.S. Capitol’s east front after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building, breaking windows and clashing with officers. Five people died as a result of that day, whose fallout is still unfolding and whose ramifications will be felt in American society and politics for years to come. (Getty Images/Jon Cherry)

2/19

Jan. 6: U.S. Capitol police officers aim their weapons at the main door in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress to ratify Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over Donald Trump. Members of Congress were taken from the Senate chamber moments before rioters invaded. (Getty Images/Drew Angerer)

3/19

Jan. 6: A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate chamber, having entered the U.S. Capitol building after mass demonstrations in the nation’s capital. Moments prior, Senate staff had evacuated boxes containing Electoral College votes out of the chamber to safety. (Getty Images/Win McNamee)

4/19

Jan. 6: Armored police stand guard with riot shields outside the U.S. Capitol hours after rioters breached the building, tossing over outdoor barricades and smashing through windows. Law enforcement deployed tear gas and flash bangs, though a concerted effort to clear the Capitol grounds did not come until later that evening. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

5/19

Jan. 13: Members of the National Guard march across U.S. Capitol grounds. More than 20,000 armed guardsmen provided security on Capitol Hill following the attack on the Capitol, with much of the area heavily fortified and off-limits in the run-up to the presidential inauguration amid security threats. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

6/19

Jan. 16: A Metrobus stop on Northwest D.C.’s Connecticut Avenue displays an FBI bulletin with the faces of rioters accused of breaching the U.S. Capitol building. For weeks, much of the downtown District was split piecemeal over the possibility of further violence, with anti-scale fencing and vehicle checkpoints. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

7/19

Jan. 20: President-elect Joe Biden, left, and Vice President Mike Pence, right, watch as Lady Gaga steps off the stage after performing the national anthem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration. While events went on at the U.S. Capitol, the rest of downtown D.C. resembled a labyrinth with scale-proof fencing patrolled by armed guardsmen following riots two weeks prior. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

8/19

March 29: The District’s famed National Cherry Blossom Festival welcomed visitors again after a year of pandemic-related lockdowns in which many sightseers were limited to viewing the Tidal Basin on an online webcam. The flowers reached peak bloom a week ahead of schedule, owing to a bout of springlike weather. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

9/19

April 20: Two people in downtown D.C.’s Black Lives Matter Plaza react with relief to former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin’s conviction for the murder of George Floyd. A nexus for racial justice protests, Black Lives Matter Plaza became permanent this year, with two blocks of 16th Street Northwest near the White House redesigned to accommodate pedestrians. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

10/19

May 18: Beware the bug-eyed invaders! Cicadas overwhelmed lawns, trees, roads, buildings and practically any outside surface with the mass emergence of the 17-year Brood X. Amusing for the kids, snack food for the pets and intriguing for the cameras, but it got old fast. We have another 17 years to invent splat-proof shoes. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

11/19

May 26: Bolts of lightning leap between clouds far above the White House. Spring and summer 2021 would prove incredibly active in severe weather, from dramatic, flying-saucer shaped supercells to the remnants of Hurricane Ida spawning tornadoes in downtown Annapolis and D.C.’s National Mall. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

12/19

June 10: A partial solar eclipse rises to the left of the U.S. Capitol building, seen from across the Potomac River in Arlington. The annular or “ring of fire” solar eclipse was only visible in its entirety to some people in Greenland, Northern Russia and Canada. In the D.C. region and across the East Coast, people glimpsed a surreal, crescent sunrise. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

13/19

June 19: Dancers celebrate Juneteenth on Black Lives Matter Plaza ahead of a Million Moe March up 16th Street. President Biden and Congress recognized the long-celebrated Juneteenth, marking the abolition of slavery, as a federal holiday for the first time this year. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

14/19

July 4: Spectators enjoy a dazzling fireworks display over D.C.’s Tidal Basin for Independence Day. Thousands congregated on the National Mall again after last year’s event was largely put off amid the pandemic. While the pandemic still hasn’t ended, the Fourth of July brought a modicum of normalcy as vaccines meant in-person gatherings could resume again — with caution. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

15/19

Aug. 24: Washington’s 3rd Street Tunnel is seen closed after a ruptured main sent water pouring down the walls, compromising the road surface. Commuters navigated around closed highway ramps and ran into heavier traffic as crews rushed to repair one of the city’s most crucial downtown conduits. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

16/19

Sept. 8: A towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee — Virginia’s largest monument to the Confederacy — is hoisted off its base in Richmond more than 130 years after it was erected. “It’s representative of the fact that we’re sort of peeling back the layers of injustice that Black people and people of color have experienced when governed by white supremacist policies for so long,” a community activist said. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

17/19

Sept. 18: Hundreds of thousands of white flags flutter beneath the Washington Monument during In America: Remember, an art installation honoring lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 650,000 Americans had died of the disease at the time. In the three months since the memorial conclusion, the death toll has surpassed 800,000. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez)

18/19

Oct. 30: Communities along the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay experienced some of their worst coastal flooding in over a decade, leading to dramatic water levels along D.C.’s Tidal Basin and on roads, sidewalks, docks and marinas in Alexandria and Annapolis. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

19/19

Nov. 16: Workers demonstrate a new testing and inspection process for the Washington Metro’s 7000 Series rail cars, which were ordered out of service after an October Blue Line derailment Metro’s safety watchdog traced to a faulty wheel assembly. The parking of more than half of Metro’s rail cars meant commuters faced months of reduced service, with many seeking alternatives on the road or by bus. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

MORE YEAR-END STORIES

(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

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.