Author: Ben Nuckols
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8 are great: National Spelling Bee ends with ‘octo-champs’
OXON HILL, Md.— The Scripps National Spelling Bee was broken Thursday night, brought to its knees by eight spellers who were too poised, too prepared and too savvy for any word thrown their way. Faced with a dwindling word list and a group of spellers that showed no weakness, Scripps gave up and declared them…
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USA Gymnastics executive says she was told to keep quiet about Larry Nassar
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save WASHINGTON — The former president of USA Gymnastics refused to answer questions Tuesday from a Senate subcommittee about how he handled allegations of sexual abuse by former team doctor Larry Nassar, and another former executive sat next to him and asserted that he instructed her…
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Unflappable Ananya Vinay wins National Spelling Bee
OXON HILL, Md. — Ananya Vinay never looked all that impressed by any of the words she was given in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The 12-year-old from Fresno, California, showed little emotion and didn’t take much time as she plowed through word after word. Sometimes she would blurt out questions, with…
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Women descend on DC to push back against new president
WASHINGTON — Wearing pink, pointy-eared “pussyhats” to mock the new president, hundreds of thousands of women massed in the nation’s capital and cities around the globe Saturday to send Donald Trump an emphatic message that they won’t let his agenda go unchallenged over the next four years. “We march today for the moral core of…
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World War II Memorial defaced in apparent pipeline protest
WASHINGTON — The National Park Service says the World War II Memorial in Washington has been vandalized, apparently by someone opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline. Park service spokesman Mike Litterst says someone spray-painted the North Dakota section of the memorial. A photo provided by the park service shows that the phrase “#NoDAPL” was written…
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No-brainer: $300K campaign to rescue Dorothy’s ruby slippers
WASHINGTON — It will take more than three clicks of the heels to preserve the ruby slippers that whisked Dorothy back to Kansas at the end of “The Wizard of Oz.” The slippers, which for more than 30 years have been one of the most beloved items at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History,…
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Monumental elevator problems close Washington’s obelisk
WASHINGTON — The Washington Monument is closing indefinitely because of ongoing problems with its elevator, the latest in a series of woes for one of the city’s most enduring tourist attractions. The National Park Service announced Monday that the monument, which draws 600,000 visitors a year, will remain closed until its elevator control system can…
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Georgetown to give slave descendants priority for admission
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save WASHINGTON - Georgetown University will give preference in admissions to the descendants of slaves owned by the Maryland Jesuits as part of its effort to atone for profiting from the sale of enslaved people, the…
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Historic Maryland town faces long recovery after flooding
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — The picturesque main street of Ellicott City — quaint with brightly colored storefronts — was in shambles Monday, two days after a catastrophic storm ripped through town, shattering glass windows, swallowing cars, demolishing structures and devouring their foundations. Severely damaged were antique shops, restaurants, a toy store and a beloved bar…
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2 dead after historic Maryland town ravaged by floodwaters
WASHINGTON — Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing two people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said. Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman told The Associated Press by phone Sunday that the body of a man had been recovered, along with a woman’s body that was recovered…