What in the world is a bat-eared fox? Meet the cute canines hiding at the Smithsonian’s National...

WTOP News 12/8 10:30P Matt Kaufax

This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker. In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker. Step into the enclosure with bat-eared foxes at the National Zoo! Two dark brown eyes, gray, raccoon-like fur and...

A new way to really track snowstorms that blow through the DC area

WTOP News 12/8 9:42P Kyle Cooper

Which is why he’s releasing a pet project called the "Snowzilla Gauge." The gauge is a 3-foot-tall 6-inch-wide wooden snow stick that you can put in your yard to measure the winter storms of the D.C....

Jeff Bezos-funded nonprofit donates millions to DC-area groups fighting homelessness

WTOP News 12/8 9:10P John Domen

Several nonprofit groups around the D.C. area found out this month they’re getting millions of dollars to help fight homelessness around the region. In some cases, the money was a bit of a surprise. In all, the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund donated...

DC police Chief Pamela Smith to step down

WTOP News 12/8 12:04A Jose Umana

D.C. police Chief Pamela Smith said Monday she will step down from her job. Related stories DC Mayor Bowser’s exit sets stage for historic shake-up in city politics DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announces she won t run for a fourth term Bowser nominates...

He shares the ‘wonders of the night sky’ with DC. But this young immigrant may be forced to leave...

WTOP News 12/7 10:55P Matt Kaufax

For 19-year-old Gael Gomez, the  Mount Pleasant Sidewalk Astronomers is a group that has changed his life for the better in many ways. “We bring down the sky and the universe to the sidewalk for...

WTOP’s Bob Immler retires after 40 years in the traffic business

WTOP News 12/6 1:01A Ciara Wells

Friday was bittersweet in the WTOP newsroom as our very own traffic reporter Bob Immler celebrated his last day before retiring after over four decades in the traffic business. Related stories A history of disastrous snow storms in the D.C. area...

DC reports highest graduation rate in over a decade

WTOP News 12/6 12:00A Scott Gelman

D.C. has reported its highest graduation rate in over a decade, a feat that school leaders attribute to expanded course offerings and an emphasis on cracking down on absenteeism. In the 2024-25 school year, D.C. s graduation rate was 78.7%,...

Snow it goes: DC region sees first snow of the season Friday

WTOP News 12/5 1:49A Ciara Wells

Make sure to bundle up if you re heading outside Friday as snow falls in the D.C. area for the first time in December since 2017. It s the first snow of the season, though winter doesn t technically start for two more weeks. A surge of cold air...

Virginia man accused of planting pipe bombs in D.C. on eve of Jan. 6 riot

NBC DC (Local) 12/4 9:12A Ryan J. Reilly, Michael Kosnar,

A man suspected of planting pipe bombs outside Democratic and Republican party headquarters in Washington, D.C. , on the eve of Jan. 6, 2021, siege, on the U.S. Capitol was arrested Thursday,...

Behind the scenes with the newest Canadian lynx at the National Zoo

WTOP News 12/3 8:43P Matt Kaufax

This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker. In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker. Behind the scenes with the National Zoo's newest great cats Making friends with an apex predator is never easy —...

One of the most important religious discoveries of the past century is on display in DC

WTOP News 12/3 4:23A Luke Lukert

The nation’s capital is known to be the home of many very old documents like the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Emancipation Proclamation. But for the next several months, some of the oldest religious texts in history will also be...

DC Council votes to extend youth curfew until April

WTOP News 12/3 3:12A Will Vitka

The D.C. Council has voted to extend the city’s expanded juvenile curfew policy until April of next year. Tuesday s vote to extend the policy comes as lawmakers debate whether stricter curfews should become permanent. Anyone under the age of 18...

DC and Maryland lead in traffic safety — but Virginia lags behind

WTOP News 12/2 11:45P Mike Murillo

When it comes to laws aimed at keeping drivers and passengers safe, D.C. and Maryland are ahead of Virginia, according to a new report from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. But all three jurisdictions have room to improve. The group’s 2026...

Judge issues injunction restricting immigration arrests in nation’s capital

WTOP News 12/2 9:57P WTOP Staff

A federal judge late Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from making widespread immigration arrests in the nation’s capital without warrants or probable cause that the person is an imminent flight risk. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in...

‘This is not who we are’: DC-area members of the Afghan community mourn guard member’s death

WTOP News 12/2 5:42A Jimmy Alexander

Mustafa Kazemi placed purple daisies in front of a picture of Sarah Beckstrom, the West Virginia National Guard member who was killed in a shooting in D.C. on Wednesday. His friend followed, laying down yellow daisies alongside his. The pair...