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Top News From WTOP – 5PM UPDATE – JUNE 15, 2026

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Today’s stories include: The latest on emergency work in Potomac to protect the region’s water supply and a warning from Montgomery County after forever chemicals were found in the Muddy Branch watershed in the Gaithersburg and Rockville areas.

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Eileen Collins

Jason Fraley marks Flag Day by honoring a real American hero in NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, who made history as both the first woman to pilot a space shuttle and the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. They discuss her new documentary “Spacewoman,” now streaming on Apple, Amazon, YouTube, GooglePlay and Vimeo. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley’s “Clarion”)

Before “Glory”: The Black Regiment History Forgot

Did the first Black Union regiment come before the famed 54th Massachusetts?

Retired Army officers Chris Allen and Ben Hodges say the 1st South Carolina Volunteers of African Descent were the first Black soldiers to serve in Union uniforms during the Civil War. In this episode of Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America, they discuss their research, the historical evidence, and their effort to secure long-overdue recognition for a forgotten group of American heroes.

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