Podcasts

Behind the $500M plan to bring ‘modern-day Roman baths’ to DC

Last month, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the District had inked a deal with a company seeking to build a massive $500 million complex in the city. No, it’s not for a new Commander’s stadium or swanky hotel. The agreement is with an Austrian-based company that hopes to build an indoor spa and waterpark the…

Why Md. Gov. Moore says the FBI headquarters shouldn’t be in Va.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recent criticism of the FBI amid its investigation into former-President Donald Trump’s handling of sensitive government documents should play a role in which state is picked for the new FBI headquarters building. Securing the FBI building for Maryland is a top priority for Moore, who is…

‘Seriously, your porn?’ Va. state senator faces threats over age-verification law

A new age-verification law in Virginia has turned the porn industry in the Commonwealth on its head. State Sen. Bill Stanley knew his law requiring porn websites to verify a user’s age with an ID would ruffle some feathers, but he didn’t expect the threats against his family. The law also faces stiff legal critiques…

Inside the deal: How the DC Council passed its emergency crime bill

Violent crime is on the rise in DC. Meanwhile, city officials have been at odds over how to address spikes in homicides and gun violence for much of 2023. But last week, the D.C. Council passed a number of crime bills with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s blessing. Ward 2 Council Member Brooke Pinto ushered in…

Before Oppenheimer: How DC became the unlikely birthplace of the atomic age

Years before Robert Oppenheimer led the Los Alamos lab that developed the first nuclear weapons, physicists in Washington, D.C., thrust the world into the atomic age — inside a narrow, zigzagging tunnel running underneath Chevy Chase. It happened at the Carnegie Institute of Science’s “atom smasher” in 1939. On the show, institute librarian, Shaun Hardy,…

After 26 years, DC’s UFO lobbyist gets his day in Congress

Are we alone? Does extraterrestrial life exist here on earth? Are UFO’s real? Have we made contact with aliens? These questions are usually reserved for the world of science fiction, but they made their way into Congress last week at a House Oversight Committee hearing. For many, the hearing was a bit of a head…

As Commanders eye RFK, DC Council battles over bringing them home

The Commanders are the closest they’ve been to returning to the old-RFK stadium in Washington, D.C. Now that DC-native Josh Harris has bought the team from Dan Snyder and Congress has introduced bi-partisan legislation that would give the District a 99-year lease of the RFK site, the chances of a new Commanders stadium in D.C….

After 50 years, a victim of clergy sex abuse speaks out

The scourge of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church has been well documented. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is now renewing calls that the Archdiocese of Washington release the names of known, hidden abusers. It’s a message Dan Ronan — a survivor of child sex abuse at the hands of…

Do I need to worry about COVID again? What about malaria?

COVID cases are on the rise in the D.C. region. Meanwhile, two new coronavirus variants are popping up and concerning scientists — EG.5 and BA.2.86. On top of that, Maryland reported its first locally transmitted malaria case in over 40 years. Should these emerging variants and disease worry us? For answers, we talk to Andrew…

Chronic absenteeism: Kids are skipping class more and more

Students are filing back into cafeterias, gymnasiums and classrooms — but not as many as before. In the last three years, absenteeism has gone up and up nationally and locally. More and more students aren’t showing up to class consistently. To better understand this concerning trend we turn to WTOP Reporter Kate Ryan, who formerly…

‘Poverty is expensive:’ Why this nonprofit wants to turn a profit

The shiny, new DC Central Kitchen HQ in the Buzzard Point neighborhood — with its nearly 7,000-square-foot production kitchen — is glassy, bright, open and marked by modern design. It almost looks like a tech start-up’s headquarters instead of a food kitchen’s. And that’s intentional, according to the CEO of DC Central Kitchen Mike Curtin. On…

Understanding DC real estate: Is it time to rent or buy?

With interest rates at a 20-year high and a low inventory in the DC real estate market, it’s an interesting time to be a potential home buyer. On the show, I talk to local realtor and social media creator John Coleman. He explains where the market stands and where it might be headed. We also…

‘It is a big deal:’ Why Virginia’s state elections matter

Virginia’s off-season election cycle is up and running with early voting starting on September 22. The previous election in the Commonwealth ushered in a new era of state politics — turning Virginia from blue to purple. But since the election of Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2021, a lot has changed like the fall of…

‘Failure is not an option:’ Bringing life back to Union Station

A year and some change — that’s how long Doug Carr, Union Station Redevelopment Corporation CEO and President, has been at the helm of the D.C. region’s largest transit hub and the effort to redevelop it. In recent years, Union Station has become a shell of its former self — a once bustling and booming…

‘He was off the planet:’ Md. man survives a coma, vows to fight brain cancer

Bob Brams — a Maryland man and once international lawyer — almost died after he was diagnosed with brain cancer and a surgery led to hemorrhagic stroke. He survived, but was in a coma for months. Brams is now years into recovery and out with a new book, “Forever Optimistic: Fighting Brain Cancer, Finding Your…

‘Police, alone, can’t do this:’ DC council member wants to fight violence with better operations

In D.C., homicides are up 38% over last year, and carjackings with a gun are up more than 100%. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is calling for more police and officer presence in District neighborhoods. But At-Large Council Member Robert White doesn’t think more police is the solution. He thinks the devil is in the details…

The Voice of the Evening: WTOP Remembers Dimitri Sotis

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