The Ward 8 council member was arrested in August 2024 and is accused of accepting $35,000 in cash bribes to influence city contracts. Prosecutors say he agreed to accept $156,000 from a business owner in exchange for pressuring D.C. government employees at two different agencies to extend those contracts.

White was expelled from the council in late 2024 but was reelected months later.

He has pleaded not guilty.

In a decision issued last week, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras said White’s jury trial is set to begin in September.

White had requested the bribery charge be dismissed, stating that each of the four alleged payments should be tried as separate offenses, according to court documents. The court denied this motion and said “the four payments CHS-1 made to Mr. White between June and August 2024 were part of a single, continuing scheme.”

White also asked the court to preclude, or rule out, any evidence relating to his gambling, arguing it “plays prejudicially on class stereotypes and other prejudicial preconceptions.” The prosecution disputed that, saying the evidence is necessary and that it can show White “spending substantial amounts of money on chips at a casino shortly after receiving the envelops of cash from CHS-1.”

The judge denied that request abut noted in court documents that “the stigma may be higher when the gambling conduct involves a public official.”

Also denied were two requests by the prosecution, including one seeking to prevent White from arguing he was entrapped by law enforcement.

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As many as 1,500 additional National Guard members are expected to be deployed into the nation’s capital this summer. With a total of 5,000 Guardsmen roaming the streets, they far surpass the 3,200 active D.C. police officers also making rounds in the region.

“This summer, starting now, the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force is going even deeper, even further to surge even more federal law enforcement resources to this District to drive down crime,” Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division Colin McDonald said at a Friday news conference.

The new surge means residents and visitors can expect to see more members of the National Guard patrolling the streets of the nation’s capital.

Gadyaces Serralta, director of the U.S. Marshals Service and head of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, said another law enforcement agency will play a “vital role,” securing America 250 events, national parklands and monuments.

“You will see more U.S. Park Police on foot, in vehicles, and on horseback through D.C. to support the summer surge,” he said.

Serralta said the task force will use every asset available to law enforcement to “turn up the heat” on criminals in D.C., including drones, helicopters and tactical canines.

“The celebration events for America 250 will be safe for everyone to enjoy,” Serralta said. “D.C. will be the safest city in America for those who live, for those who work and for those who visit.”

Since the task force was launched last August, Serralta said overall D.C. crime is down 25% and murders are down more than 35%.

Assistant Attorney General McDonald said more than 13,000 arrests have been made in the city since that time.

Of those arrests, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said her office has made over 7,000 convictions since she took the job in May of last year. “It’s not just about arrests. We are convicting these people,” she said.

McDonald said D.C. has become a law enforcement model for the whole nation.

“Our efforts will serve as an example to the entire country of what it looks like when leaders step up and say enough is enough, when it comes to criminals and lawlessness,” he said.

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The word came Friday as President Donald Trump’s administration announced its biggest summer crime crackdown ever in the nation’s capital.

“Starting today, my office will aggressively prosecute parents under D.C.’s curfew law,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.

The city’s top prosecutor explained that the under existing law, it’s illegal for an adult to allow a minor to take part in delinquent acts.

“If the evidence shows the parent knew, or should have known or permitted, or failed to prevent participation, we’re going to charge them,” Pirro said.

If an adult is found guilty, Pirro said they could face a fine, court-ordered classes or up to six months in jail. She said a parent can also聽be punished even if their child isn’t prosecuted.

“Parents, do your jobs or we will do ours,” she warned.

The announcement follows a series of moves by city leaders to try to control large, social media-driven teen gatherings in various parts of the city, including the Navy Yard and U Street.

In April, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser used an emergency order to set a citywide, nightly 11 p.m. curfew for everyone under age 18.

It also allowed D.C. police to declare preventing minors from gathering in groups of nine or more starting at 8 p.m.

That emergency order expired May 1.

On May 5, instead of approving a new emergency curfew law, the D.C. Council signed off on a permanent youth curfew law that’s not expected to take effect until late summer.

The city’s for everyone under age 17 runs from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

As it stands now, during July and August, the curfew will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily.

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On Thursday, a ribbon cutting was held to open a nearly one-acre park at in Southeast.

It includes a playground, trellises, seating and a multiuse plaza.

“This park will be a green haven for our residents, a place to relax in the fresh air, a place to gather for community events (and) a place for children to play,” said Rahsaan Bernard, chief operating officer for WC Smith, which is part of the development team.

Development at Skyland Town Center was stalled for more than a decade.

We just cut the ribbon at the new Skyland Town Center Community Park鈥攑art of the final phase of the three-phase development.

Today, we’re celebrating the community and people who stuck with tough projects.

鈥� Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser)

The District first awarded the overall town center project but it was met with years of setbacks. One of them was in 2016, when the project lost Walmart as an anchor tenant.

“We are just grateful to everybody involved for keeping their promises, to not giving up when the going got tough, and at the end, delivering a beautiful project for Ward 7,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Now, the development along Marion Barry Avenue SE has housing for renters and buyers, the city’s first LIDL grocery store, multiple restaurants and more.

“When you look at the work of this magnificent development, coupled with this new community park, I’m excited. Neighbors should be excited,” said Ward 7 Council member Wendell Felder. “If you’re tuning in and you’re new to the District and you’re looking for a place to move, you should come to Ward 7.”

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Many of the workers who departed government jobs in 2025 quit, retired or took part in a reduction in force (RIF) program as the Trump administration tasked the Department of Government Efficiency with shrinking the federal government.

Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor in an interview marking .

“I think this is an amazing time to be in public service,” Kupor told Federal 草莓传媒 Network’s Terry Gerton.

Kupor said the first person hired under the , announced late last year, started work this week.

“The goal is to get about 1,000 engineers to come and do two-year stints into federal government. After that, if they love it and they want to stay, that’s great. If they decide they want to go back to the private sector, we’re also interested in helping them with that,” he said.

Another big goal, Kupor said, is to attract young people either from high school or college.

He said just 7% of the federal workforce is made up of people with five to seven years of work experience, while in the rest of the American workforce, that figure is 22%. On top of that, he said, is the fact that many current federal workers will become eligible for retirement in the next five to 15 years.

“Come to a place where you can work on, by far, the most exciting and complex problems in the world,” Kupor said of his advice to young, would-be federal employees.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to better reward great workers, and more easily let underperforming ones go.

“I don’t think it’s an issue of being callous,” Kupor said. “I think it’s an issue of 鈥� ensuring that everybody in the organization who does show up and come to work every day can do the things knowing that all the team members are carrying their appropriate weight.”

Kupor said rules allowing only longtime employees to advance are being changed.

“If somebody does a fantastic job, even if they’ve only been doing that job for six months, we shouldn’t have a time-based restriction to our ability to promote and recognize that individual,” he said.

Amid ongoing efforts to do more with less, Kupor is looking to technology, but said artificial intelligence won’t completely replace federal workers.

“In OPM, we’re encouraging people to look at processes that they’ve been doing. What can they do to actually just help technology make them more efficient?” Kupor said.

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If you’re not familiar with pedicabs, they are big tricycles with a driver in front who pedals, and a carriage in the back that can seat two to three people.

The Ocean City Town Council voted April 28 to award a franchise contract to Atlantic Pedicabs, LLC.

, the New Jersey-based company already operates pedicabs on the Jersey Shore and in Brooklyn, New York.

The company’s proposal says customers in Ocean City will pay a minimum of $12 per ride or $14 per mile.

The service will be cashless, and the company has agreed to absorb the 3.5% processing fee for credit and debit cards.

The first chance you’ll get to hop aboard will be this Memorial Day weekend, although service will be initially limited.

Deputy City Manager JR Harmon told the council that the company will have at least 10% of its fleet ready to go by then.

“This particular company is intending to have 25 pedicabs by July 1,” Harmon added.

Twenty will be in regular operation, with the other five ready to go as replacements.

He said Atlantic Pedicabs’ proposal really impressed him, because of its commitment to transparency.

“Because it’s app driven, they openly and without prompting have offered to share all of their data. So, we will know what they’re making, how many trips per day they’re making (and) any complaints,” Harmon said.

Under the deal, Atlantic Pedicabs will pay for its own fleet, and will pay the town a franchise fee of $25,000 in the first year. The annual fee will rise to $50,000 starting in the second year.

The town has been looking for alternatives to its boardwalk tram, which was in operation since the 1960s but was .

The decision came after a child was hit and killed by the tram in 2024.

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On May 5, a plan to create a permanent youth curfew in the nation’s capital is scheduled for a second and final vote by the D.C. Council.

Ahead of that vote, young people in the city are speaking out.

At held by the council’s聽Committee on Youth Affairs, young people聽discussed possible alternatives to youth curfews.

“In this city, instead of investing in us, you criminalize us, you see groups of young people and assume the worst. You treat us like the problem to be managed, instead of people to be supported,” Naveah Williams, an Anacostia High School student, testified.

Onesti Hill, a gun violence prevention specialist with said a problem she’s seen arise often is adults allowing two bad apples to spoil the bunch.

“There’s been countless times where I’ve been to an event, and just because two people were fighting, now the whole event is shut down and everyone is just roaming the streets, lurking, doing nothing, because y’all shut down the hangout,” Hill said.

Darion Carter, with the Trigger Project, spoke of a lack of places to go.

“There’s not enough safe spaces in the city for youth to have fun,” he said.

Others, like, the senior class president at Thurgood Marshall Academy, agreed. He said a good model is the in Southeast: “We get fed, we can relax, we can play. 鈥� And we receive Uber vouchers to get there and back home safely.”

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It’s your skin 鈥� your body’s largest organ.

Melanoma Monday, which this year falls on May 4, is an annual day aimed at spreading that was launched in 1995 by the American Academy of Dermatology.

Melanoma is one of the most common cancers in young people under age 30.

It’s nearly 100% curable if caught in its early stages, but a recent survey by MedStar Health finds nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) have never had their skin checked for cancer by a doctor.

“It’s a really good idea for all adults to get a baseline skin screening at some point to assess risk,” Dr. Allison Larson, physician executive director of dermatology for MedStar Health, told 草莓传媒.

The study also found 58% of adults don’t know that melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and 83% are unaware that melanoma can become life threatening in just six weeks.

“So if you have a spot on your skin, a dark spot, a mole that is irregular, is changing, it really needs to be checked,” Larson said. “It’s not something that can wait six months or a year.”

To remember the five things to look for when monitoring your skin for cancer, .

A is for asymmetry. A mole with a shape that’s different on one side compared with the other could be cancer.

B is for borders.

“Is it smooth and even, or is it scalloped and notched? Scalloped and notched would be more worrisome,” Larson said.

C is for color. More than one shade of color or a mix of different colors could be a sign of trouble.

D is for diameter. Anything bigger than a pencil eraser, or a spot or mole that’s growing larger should be checked out.

E is for evolving. Changes of any kind over time could be a warning sign.

The importance of wearing sunscreen to prevent skin cancer is well known, but Larson said many people seem to miss a key point.

“One of the most common pitfalls that I see in my patients is this idea is that if I put on a coating of sunscreen in the morning, I’m good for the whole day. The answer is, not even close. We really need to reapply every two hours, and sometimes even more often if you’re doing water sports, or sweating, or in some sort of environment where you’ll be rubbing off your sunscreen.”

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Power was reconnected to residential customers that year more than 11 million times, according to the report.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration is the result of a law passed in 2023, aimed at collecting disconnection and reconnection data from every state and D.C.

“Three years later, we just got the first set of results, which is a 2024 picture. A horrific picture,” Jean Su, energy justice director for the Center for Biological Diversity, told 草莓传媒. “It’s not hyperbole in my mind to understand electricity as being a basic human right in this country.”

The environmental nonprofit pushed for the law after seeing people struggle to pay their bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We started investigating in 2020 the extent of disconnections, and we saw that only half of states actually require their utilities to report shutoffs at all, and that was just giving us a really distorted picture of how bad the crisis actually was,” Su said.

The findings, she said, reflect the nation’s energy affordability crisis.

“If a family gets an electricity disconnection, it means they are really making super tough household decisions.”

Su said the nation’s capital and the surrounding region stood out in a good way, because D.C., Maryland and Virginia all ban residential power customer disconnections when temperatures are extremely cold or hot.

In response to the report, Pepco and Dominion Energy provided statements to 草莓传媒, and both described shutoffs as a “last resort.”

Pepco provided details about disconnections in 2024 for all reasons, ranging from nonpayment to customers moving away to safety reasons.

In 2024, Pepco says 11,880 customers in the District were disconnected and 6,900 were reconnected.

In Maryland that year, 15,100 Pepco customers were disconnected and 12,520 were reconnected.

Pepco said it “always makes multiple attempts to reach customers and offer extended payment timelines, flexible payment options as well as energy assistance programs.”

In 2024, it provided about $39 million in energy assistance to its customers.

Dominion Energy told 草莓传媒: “When a customer falls behind on their bills, we reach out numerous times over several months to make sure they鈥檙e aware of their status and have access to all available resources to avoid disconnection. We work with each customer to find the best assistance programs and payment options that meet their individual needs, including Energy Share bill payment assistance, flexible payment plans, and Budget Billing.

Dominion said in 2024, 368,471 of its customers in Virginia were disconnected for nonpayment, and: “The vast majority were reconnected the same day, many within minutes.”

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“A few years ago, we decided to look into what research was available on how to support young men in the prevention of campus sexual violence. And when we started to look at the field of research, we actually found a pretty large gap in what was available,” Tracey Vitchers, the program’s executive director, told 草莓传媒.

“The majority of research related to campus sexual violence and men pretty much focuses on their role as perpetrators of sexual violence, rather than what are those factors that would contribute to them helping to create a culture of consent,” she added.

As a result, It’s On Us launched a series of studies by surveying young men.

The , which is informed by earlier ones, found Black men in college were more likely than those of other races to be educated about sex and positive intimate relationships because of talks they have with family and friends in their community.

“Because they had these really helpful conversations about the importance of consent from a very young age, they were just more aware of the topic of consent, how to have healthy relationships, how to have healthy communication in relationships, how to fight fair, and things of that nature that are really important, compared to other men in the sample,” Vitchers said.

The survey also found men in the LGBTQ+ community in college tend to go to medically accurate online sources for information about sex, relationships and consent such as the Cleveland Clinic and Planned Parenthood, while straight men are more likely to turn to social media sites like TikTok and Reddit.

The report recommends that all boys receive age-appropriate sex education earlier in life, and that education should be more comprehensive than what most received in the past.

“That content really needs to be expanded to include topics related to consent, communication, healthy conflict and gender norms,” Vitchers said.

The report also calls for enhanced media literacy education for boys and young men because so many are turning to the media 鈥� especially social media 鈥� for guidance.

“It’s really important to teach young men literacy skills to help critically analyze content and how it can impact their own perspectives,” Vitchers said.

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May 1 is the priority deadline to apply if you’d like to start classes at AU this fall through the .

“The idea is really to make the transfer process much more streamlined, affordable, straightforward for students coming into AU,” university President Jonathan Alger told 草莓传媒. “For the first time, we have community college transfer students that can receive up to 50% tuition support, and the ability to transfer up to 75 credits towards their AU degree.”

To be eligible, a student must have earned at least 30 credits at an accredited community college and have a GPA of at least 3.0.

As part of the university’s five-year strategic plan launched in January, the school is to better ensure that its graduates are prepared for “meaningful lives and careers.”

The school is also promising to give every undergraduate student access to up to $4,500 toward a paid internship or research experience.

Through the American Transfer Advantage initiative, transfer students will get orientation specifically designed for them. Also, those transferring after the fall 2026 semester will get pre-enrollment help.

“Students will have access to our advising even before they step foot on our campus,” said Evelyn Thimba, AU’s vice president for undergraduate enrollment management.

Eventually, AU plans to create an even more streamlined “direct entry” process for students with two-year associate’s degrees.

“We know that students who begin their studies at a community college and earn their associate degree, and then transfer to a four-year college are more likely to graduate from that four-year college,” Thimba said.

So far, she said, more than 600 students have applied to transfer to AU this fall, and more than 250 of them are eligible for the new transfer program.

Thimba said she expects a bunch of additional applications to come in just before the deadline.

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The show’s seventh season saw 32 of the world’s best chefs battle it out bracket-style, and bested the rest.

In the final challenge that aired April 19, he competed against another nationally-known chef, .

“I’ve been runner-up so many times, so honestly I just thought that was going to be the outcome,” Voltaggio told 草莓传媒 with a laugh.

Voltaggio beat Lee by just one point to win the Tournament of Champions title, a wrestling-style belt and a $150,000 prize.

“It felt amazing. I’ve been chasing a win,” Voltaggio said. “The finale aired on my 50th birthday, by the way.”

Voltaggio and his brother Michael grew up in Frederick, Maryland, launched several restaurants and later gained nationwide fame.

For years, they’ve been competing together and separately on various TV cooking shows.

“For me to get 鈥� finally 鈥� my first individual win has been nothing but incredible,” Voltaggio said.

One of the dishes he created that sealed the deal was a breakfast dish made of grits, water chestnuts and crab.

It wasn’t Maryland blue crab, but live, Alaskan king crab that he had to grab out of a tank.

Voltaggio said he’s been extremely busy balancing time as a chef and business owner with spending time with family and friends, but during what might appear to viewers as stressful competitions, he finds freedom.

“To be able to go into the kitchen and tune all of that out for a minute and just cook, it’s actually relaxing,” he said. “It’s actually fun. It’s something I really enjoy.”

Voltaggio plans to give some of the prize money from his Tournament of Champions win to 聽a campaign aimed at ending childhood hunger that he’s long supported.

He’s also planning a long overdue vacation.

“It’s time to take my wife and the kids somewhere fun,” Voltaggio said.

But will we see more of him on TV?

“Maybe I haven’t hung up the apron yet. Maybe you’ll see me compete again,” Voltaggio teased.

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Anyone itching for adventure in Maryland has a great opportunity, whether you’re on your own or want to bring the whole family along.

Maryland is holding a scavenger hunt across the whole state to commemorate the country’s 250th birthday.

The “鈥� launched Thursday, and runs until Nov. 15.

“Maryland does have a little bit of everything, just like the United States,” Melissa Boyle Acuti, chief of interpretation for the Maryland Park Service, told 草莓传媒. “You can find waterfalls and mountains out west, and then of course we have our bay and our beaches on the Eastern Shore.”

It for the hunt, and the goal is to take a selfie with, or photo of, different things in state parks to earn points.

Things such as bald eagles, covered bridges, blue crabs and lighthouses are worth five points each.

You’ll earn 10 points by attending a live, living history event, such as the Point Lookout Civil War reenactment in June.

Also, 10 brand new benches have been installed around the state, marked with the words: “Best Seat in the Park.” Find one of those to earn 20 points.

Boyle Acuti said clues to help people find the benches will be released over the coming months, and you can also get tips by talking to park rangers.

It’s not necessary to go to every corner of Maryland to complete the hunt.

“I know, for some, traveling with high gas prices can be a challenge, so you could actually do most of this close to home, if you wanted to,” she said.

Once you’ve gathered 250 points, tally your results and to earn a patch or badge, and be entered into a drawing for prizes.

“Our grand prize is a 2027 state parks annual pass. That gets you into all the state parks for one year 鈥� 12 months from the date of issue,” Boyle Acuti said.

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“This international student exchange program has been a real asset to employers here in Ocean City for 20 years,” Amy Thompson, president and CEO of the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce, told 草莓传媒.

Through the program, about 3,600 international students came to work in the Maryland beach town last year.

This summer, however, it could be tougher than usual for students to get J-1 visas. Those are visas granted to individuals approved to work or study in exchange visitor programs.

Thompson said one reason has to do with the need to check the social media accounts of applicants for red flags.

“The consulates are finding that (doing) a thorough job vetting the social media is taking six times longer than it used to,” she said.

Also, for soccer fans coming to the U.S. to attend the World Cup tournament in June and July.

“What’s happening in certain countries, due to staffing constraints, is that the availability of appointments for visa interviews is potentially reduced,” Thompson said.

These issues were anticipated, however, so work to get international students to Ocean City for high season started extra early. Thompson is also asking members of Congress for help.

“If we turn the spigot off or slow it down, that slows down the economy, which is not good. That’s the argument that we’re taking to our federal partners to get some assistance to help alleviate some of these bottlenecks,” she said.

Thompson said while she doesn’t “have a crystal ball,” visitors to Ocean City may not see a different level of seasonal staffing.

“In my estimation, our employers are doing everything that they can to ensure that they are staffed as forecast,” Thompson said. “I don’t know that visitors to our area really think about it, but if they’re interacting with one of these J-1 visa students, it’s actually a form of diplomacy.”

“Remember, they’re someone else’s kids. We want to take care of them. We want to make them feel welcomed. When they return to their country, we want them to say that their experience in the United States was fantastic, and every visitor can be a part of that,” she added.

According to the State Department, Ocean City’s 3,635 participants in the SWT program last year were more than any other destination in the country.

The Maryland town edged out Orlando, Florida, which landed at No. 2 with around 3,500. Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, ranked third. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was fourth and rounding out the top five was Sandusky, Ohio.

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“Across our region, we’ve seen, and data demonstrates, that Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, and most of these deaths are preventable, unfortunately,” Dr. Darrell Gray, president of , the largest Medicaid-managed care organization in the state, told 草莓传媒.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, multiple factors contribute to the higher maternal mortality rate among Black mothers, including access to quality health care and underlying health conditions.

Gray said regardless of a person’s income or education, the “pattern of disparities … have persisted.”

“We know that there’s bias and racism that’s impacting health care. We understand that there are other variables such as what we call ‘social drivers of health’ that can contribute. That means where someone lives 鈥� (and) how housing secure, food secure they are,” Gray said.

During this year’s Black Maternal Health Week, he’s urging the partners of Black moms and moms-to-be to step up.

They may be the first to notice something isn’t right with her health and ensure she gets checked out, Gray said.

“They can alert the appropriate health care provider about warning signs such as headaches or chest pain, bleeding or abnormal abdominal pain and swelling, and shortness of breath. These can be emergencies that men, that those partners, that those husbands can identify,” he said.

Gray said it’s not about speaking for Black women, but backing them up when they need to speak to a health care provider.

“I think when people are informed, engaged, and present and empowered, we can really change the disparities that we’re seeing,” he said.

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