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City authorities removed a veteran from Washington’s streets. It’s set to happen again. - AWOL

AWOL

A rusty bike leaned against a signpost at the corner of I Street and Vermont on Feb. 13. In September of last year, a notice was attached to that signpost, ordering the removal of Daniel Kingery’s possessions. While the bike of an unknown Washington commuter was untouched last fall, city authorities took down Kingery’s makeshift

An environmental disaster leaves hanging threads - AWOL

AWOL

For 18 years, Richard Farino has equipped Washington’s fishermen to catch shad on the Potomac River. This spring, he said, was the worst season for demand he’s ever seen. Farino owns District Angling, a tackle shop in Arlington specializing in fly-fishing gear. It supplies customers for the shad run, a yearly period where American and

For American University’s student researchers, uncertainties cloud the horizon - AWOL

AWOL

Sophia Gagliardi, a graduate student at American University, heard that the National Institutes of Health would make cuts to research grants when the news first broke in early 2025. Gagliardi, a biology major and a public health minor, said the news was a lot to take in. She worried about the labs at the agency

The killers of 11 transgender people in Washington have yet to be convicted - AWOL

AWOL

On October 14, 2023, someone killed A’nee Roberson. An unknown person pushed Roberson into the street, where a car struck and killed her, according to the Metropolitan Police Department’s web page about Roberson. MPD released photos and a video of a person of interest, but the killer was never prosecuted. Roberson is one of six

A year after confusing layoffs, some former federal workers are moving forward - AWOL

AWOL

Nadine Bùi was a tuberculosis program analyst for the United States Agency for International Development. She worked there for four years. Then, in January 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency began laying off federal employees. Bùi said she felt numb when she was laid off from USAID. She broke down for the first time when

AU’s free speech policy changed three times in four years - AWOL

AWOL

Content warning: This article contains violent messages against Palestinians and Jewish people. Discretion is advised. Over three months after Oct. 7, 2023, the administration of former American University President Sylvia Burwell issued temporary speech policies, writing in a Jan. 25, 2024, announcement that it would evaluate the policies at the end of the

AU’s arboretum had the same manager since its start. That changed in February. - AWOL

AWOL

James Biddle was taking notes on American University’s arboretum before he even became its arboretum manager. Walking across campus to interview for the job last October, he admired how plants added depth and prevented runoff on the field between the McKinley Building and the Hall of Science. The trees also looked healthy despite being vulnerable

Latin dancers form community across Washington - AWOL

AWOL

In a small back room in Northwest Washington, during the frigid month of January, the air was thick with laughter. Purple and red lights illuminated the space, highlighting the drum, saxophone and cowbell on the stage. Samba and jazz music pulsed through the room, and hardly anyone stood still. Heels rhythmically struck the hardwood floor

Two eras of protest - AWOL

AWOL

Over 1,000 American University students took to Ward Circle during rush hour on May 6, 1970. They were protesting the fatal shooting of four student protesters at an anti-Vietnam War protest at Kent State University in Ohio. Students laid down in the streets, blocked traffic and created noise as part of the protest, according to

Trump’s takeover of local police was new. D.C. police departments’ rocky relationship with Black residents wasn’t. - AWOL

AWOL

Five days after President Donald Trump took control of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, the abolitionist organization Harriet’s Wildest Dreams posted an Instagram video of a Metro Transit Police Department officer stopping Afeni Evans. The officer crossed the Navy Yard Metro station faregate and accused her of fare evasion, the video shows. Evans

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