Maryland https://www.washingtonsun.com/maryland Maryland en-US Fri, 30 Oct 2026 17:59:12 GMT A Colorado Congressional Candidate Has a ‘Principal Residence’ in Maryland https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/jessica-killin-colorado-congress-maryland-residence Nicole Belcastro, Kyle Chouinard Democrat Jessica Killin is running against Republican Rep. Jeff Crank in a tight race. Fri, 30 Oct 2026 17:59:12 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/jessica-killin-colorado-congress-maryland-residence Jessica.Killin
Democratic candidate Jessica Killin is running to represent Colorado's 5th Congressional District. Property records indicate she has a "principal residence" in Maryland. Killin's campaign says she is a "Colorado resident." (Courtesy: Killin for Colorado)
Jessica Killin, the Democratic candidate for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, has a “principal residence” in Maryland, according to Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation records reviewed by The Washington Sun.

A Maryland property tax bill due Oct. 31 lists a house in Chevy Chase, Maryland, as being owned by Killin and her husband, Rajeev Date, and having a tax balance of $14,306 due. The assessed value of the home is $2.33 million, according to the document.

After The Sun asked Killin’s campaign about the property records, Killin filed paperwork on Oct. 27 with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation to change her mailing address from the Chevy Chase home just north of Washington, D.C., to one in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Emily Dalgleish, Killin’s campaign manager, told The Sun, “Jessica Killin is a Colorado resident. The paperwork was outdated. It’s been updated and resolved.”

As of Friday, Maryland property records list Killin’s Chevy Chase house as her “principal residence” and her Colorado Springs house as her mailing address. The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation says it takes three to four days for an address to be updated within the system after filing.

In an email to The Sun, Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation spokesperson Alyssa Nolte said that “a principal residence is the property where the owner lives for the majority of the year, which is at least 6 months and 1 day.”

Nolte added that second homes should not be considered principal residences, though “certain situations may be approved on a case-by-case basis.”

Even though Killin grew up in Colorado Springs, her address has been subject to scrutiny from her Republican opponent, Rep. Jeff Crank.

“She air-dropped in, in June of last year. Prior to that, she lived in Maryland. She lived in a mansion in Maryland until June,” Crank said in August, according to the Colorado Times Recorder.

Nick Trainer, a Crank campaign adviser, told The Sun that Killin’s Colorado home is a “campaign prop” and said Killin “thought she could pull off the gambit with the people of El Paso County” in Colorado. Trainer did not respond to other questions about Killin’s property records.

Crank accused Killin of registering to vote in Colorado and run for Congress “a few days” after she and her husband purchased a $3.5 million home in Colorado’s El Paso County in June 2025.
Jeff.Crank.1 (8256x5504, AR: 1.50)Killin’s statement of candidacy filed with the Federal Election Commission is dated July 15, 2025. The Killin campaign provided The Sun documentation indicating Killin registered to vote in Colorado on July 10, 2025.

Killin had a two-decade-long career in Washington where she worked as a Democratic congressional aide, assistant vice president of federal government relations for insurer USAA and as the former chief of staff for former second gentleman Doug Emhoff, the husband of Kamala Harris, before purchasing the Colorado home and deciding to run to represent Colorado.

Killin has listed both her Maryland and Colorado addresses when making recent political contributions to Democratic candidates and the Colorado Democratic Party in 2025 and 2026.

A donation made in August 2025 to the political committee Electing Women Denver identifies Killin as a Colorado congressional candidate with an address in Chevy Chase.

The Cook Political Report rated Colorado’s 5th Congressional District as a “toss up” Friday morning, a shift from its previous “lean Republican” rating.]]> The Sphere Is Officially Coming to Maryland https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/sphere-national-harbor-maryland-approved Kendall Staton Prince George’s County approved the plan for the 6,000-seat venue Tuesday. Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:54:17 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/sphere-national-harbor-maryland-approved National Harbor in Maryland
Construction is expected to begin next year, with a planned opening in 2030, according to Sphere Entertainment. (mpi34/MediaPunch/IPx)
Prince George’s County will be home to the nation’s second Sphere, after the plan for the $1.4 billion entertainment venue got final approval from the county council on Tuesday.

The Sphere National Harbor, a smaller version of the famed Las Vegas venue, will bring a 6,000-seat theater equipped with high-resolution displays and an exterior LED screen to the banks of the Potomac River. Prince George’s County Council unanimously approved the project Tuesday, agreeing to issue $215 million in bonds to the developers. Sphere Entertainment Company will gradually repay that sum to the county.

Construction is expected to begin next year, with a planned opening in 2030, according to Sphere Entertainment. Internal estimates show the venue will create 1,750 on-site construction jobs and support an additional 2,400 through suppliers. The venue will have 328 full-time jobs and 925 part-time positions once it opens, according to the company.

The county council earlier this month shot down a proposal to require 40% of construction labor to come from unionized workers. It did pass an agreement that will allow union groups to organize Sphere workers once the venue opens.

Early estimates project 2 million annual visitors to the Sphere. County Executive Aisha Braveboy previously said the Sphere would bring $67 million in annual tax revenue — three times more than the combined tax revenue from Six Flags amusement park in Bowie, which closed last year, and Northwest Stadium, which the Commanders are leaving to move back to D.C.

If all timelines stay on track, the National Harbor venue will be the third Sphere in the world. Sphere Entertainment Co. is currently working on a 20,000-seat venue in Abu Dhabi, expected to be completed in 2029.]]> The Family of a Teen Who Died in Foster Care Is Suing Maryland, Marriott https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/kanaiyah-ward-lawsuit-maryland-marriott Jenny Gathright A year after her daughter died while in the care of the state, a Maryland mother is suing the governor, the hotel chain and more than a dozen other defendants. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:35:37 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/kanaiyah-ward-lawsuit-maryland-marriott Brooke Ward
Brooke Ward with her father, Michael Ward. (Jenny Gathright/The Washington Sun)
A year after her 16-year-old daughter died while in the care of the state, a Maryland mother is suing the governor, a massive hotel chain and more than a dozen other defendants, arguing that they failed to protect the child before she died by suicide and then failed to hold the responsible parties accountable after her death.

The lawsuit is the latest attempt to seek accountability on behalf of Kanaiyah Ward, who died of a drug overdose in September 2025 while staying in a Marriott Residence Inn hotel room she had been placed in by Maryland’s foster care system.

Her death, which was ruled a suicide, spurred change. Even though they had promised for months to stop placing foster children in hotels, Maryland officials appeared to accelerate those efforts after Kanaiyah’s death, rapidly removing all young people from hotel placements within weeks of the tragedy. Months later, Maryland lawmakers passed legislation, including a bill named after Kanaiyah, to reform Maryland’s troubled foster care system.

But the lawsuit, filed Tuesday, argues that those changes could and should have happened sooner and seeks damages for civil rights violations and wrongful death claims, among others.

“They killed my child,” said Kanaiyah’s mother, Brooke Ward, at a news conference Wednesday. “She was unwatched.”

Kanaiyah was supposed to be checked on every hour, and she was not supposed to be able to access medication freely. But 911 records indicate that when she was found, more than four hours after her last check-in, her body was cold and pill bottles were scattered nearby, according to the lawsuit.

The complaint also says Marriott should never have been housing at-risk young people in the first place and could have done more to keep Kanaiyah safe. And Ward’s lawyers argue that the criminal investigation of the involved parties should have been more thorough.

“Every institution with a hand in Kanaiyah’s care knew what she needed, and every one of them failed her,” the lawsuit says. “This case is about the breadth of that failure — a failure that ran from the Governor’s office in Annapolis to Marriott’s headquarters in Bethesda.”

Marriott did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

Lillian Price, a spokesperson for Maryland’s Department of Human Services, said the department could not comment on the specifics of the litigation, citing privacy protections. But Price pointed to the changes Maryland had made to its child welfare system over the past several years.

“We remain committed to strengthening and reforming child welfare in Maryland and will not rest until every child in our state is safe, thriving in a permanent home, and surrounded by a loving family,” Price said in an emailed statement.

Kanaiyah had lived with her mother and her grandparents before a Maryland juvenile court placed her in the custody of the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services. She had a history of self-harm and suicide attempts along with complex, debilitating challenges with her mental health, the lawsuit says.

“I couldn't take care of her,” Brooke Ward said, “so I gave her to the state.”

After being discharged from a residential program and refused by other facilities, Kanaiyah was placed in a Residence Inn in Baltimore. A company called Fenwick Behavioral Services had a contract with the state to supervise foster children there. Eric Fenwick, the CEO of the company, said Kanaiyah’s death was a tragedy but his company was not to blame. “We did everything that we possibly could,” he said.

Ward said she voiced concerns about the arrangement but was told it was the only option for her daughter at the time. Now, her lawsuit argues that the placement decision actually put Maryland in violation of the terms of a 1988 federal consent decree.

The lawsuit alleges that Kanaiyah was failed by both Fenwick and the worker charged with watching her that morning. Kanaiyah was not checked hourly, as Fenwick’s rules stipulated, and she was somehow allowed to access enough diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, to kill her, according to the complaint.

The worker charged with caring for her had been working more than 40 hours straight when Kanaiyah died, according to a Maryland state investigation. Her assignment had been extended after a replacement worker fell ill, the state’s report said.

Citing a 911 call recording, the lawsuit said Kanaiyah’s caregiver refused to provide the girl with emergency medical care. When the 911 operator offered to instruct her how to perform CPR, the caregiver declined, the complaint says. DeMaurice Smith, a family member of Kanaiyah’s and one of the lawyers on the case, said it was “one of the most chilling things I have ever heard — and I was a homicide prosecutor for 10 years.”

The lawsuit also lays blame at the feet of Marriott, arguing that the hotel chain allowed the franchised location where Kanaiyah was housed to remain in poor condition and failed to make sure the hotel operators were following proper safety protocols. Notably, the lawsuit also argues that the company continues to make money off of foster care placements in other states.

“Marriott still allows disabled foster care children to be housed in its nearly 6,000 hotels across the remaining states where the warehousing of foster children has not yet been made illegal,” the lawsuit says.

Maryland prosecutors declined to charge anyone criminally in connection with Kanaiyah’s death. But Smith, who previously worked as a D.C. prosecutor, argues that the state’s investigation was incomplete. He has commissioned his own outside investigation, which he said he will release in the coming weeks.

“We will serve that report on the prosecutor who should have done his job,” Smith said.

On Wednesday, Ward wore a pink T-shirt with a photo of Kanaiyah printed on it. Her arms were tattooed with markings of her grief: Kanaiyah’s birth and death date, her case number and her nickname, “KK.”

“Kanaiyah,” she said, “was my only child.”]]> Former Montgomery County Public Schools Student Alleges Antisemitic Harassment in a Federal Complaint https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/montgomery-county-public-schools-antisemitism Yasmeen Khan The complaint accuses MCPS of failing to protect an Orthodox Jewish student at Montgomery Blair High School. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:33:25 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/montgomery-county-public-schools-antisemitism School hallway AP - 189081323095
A recent graduate of Blair High School says MCPS failed to protect him. (Jonathan Hayward/AP)
A recent Montgomery County Public Schools graduate filed a federal complaint alleging that the system failed to mitigate years of antisemitic harassment against him, including a telephoned bomb threat.

The complaint, filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, accuses MCPS of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs. It references two executive orders, signed by President Donald Trump, affirming that antisemitism falls under the purview of Title VI as a form of ancestry-based discrimination.

The unnamed Orthodox Jewish student faced online harassment and in-person ostracization during his senior year at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, according to the complaint. The complaint also alleges that the student received a bomb threat from a blocked caller while he was home with his siblings. Immediately after the caller hung up, fireworks were set off outside the student’s home.

The student met with his principal to discuss the harassment. While the complaint acknowledges that the school provided “some protection” to the student, it did not address the hostile environment generated by the discrimination. The student “continued to fear confrontation or physical harm, left school early when overwhelmed, and attended as little as possible.”

The complaint situated the student’s experience within a broader pattern of antisemitic discrimination across MCPS. In May, antisemitic graffiti was found spray-painted onto the wall and roof of Greenwood Elementary School. In September, a student found a swastika drawn on a desk at Walter Johnson High School. Following that incident, 40 rabbis signed a letter urging the MCPS Board of Education to address the “current crisis of skyrocketing school-based antisemitism” in the district.

The Brandeis Center called for MCPS to review the handling of the student’s complaints, issue a statement condemning antisemitic harassment, and mandate training for faculty and education for students regarding antisemitism. It also requested that MCPS incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which deems certain criticisms of Zionism or Israel to be antisemitic, into district policy.

“Montgomery County Public Schools is aware of the complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights,” a spokesperson for MCPSwrote in a statement to The Washington Sun. “As this is an ongoing matter, we are unable to provide further comment at this time.”
]]> Press Groups Compare Gov. Moore’s ‘Censorship’ of Sinclair News Outlets to Trump's Media Ban https://www.washingtonsun.com/media/wes-moore-sinclair-news Gavin J. Quinton The accusations come amid a personal defamation suit against the Maryland Democrat brought by the broadcast group’s chair, David Smith. Tue, 13 Oct 2026 23:45:09 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/media/wes-moore-sinclair-news Wes Moore
In a Tuesday letter, officials from the Freedom of the Press Foundation and seven other press associations blasted Gov. Wes Moore for referring routine inquiries from journalists at Sinclair affiliates into “legal review black holes.” (Rod Lamkey/AP)
Press-freedom groups urged Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to stop scuttling media inquiries from Sinclair-owned news outlets amid his defamation quarrel with the broadcast group’s chair, comparing the practice to President Donald Trump’s recent White House media ban.

In a Tuesday letter, officials from the Freedom of the Press Foundation and seven other press associations blasted Moore for referring routine inquiries from journalists at Sinclair affiliates into “legal review black holes.”

Last month, Moore condemned Trump for his decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters from the White House press pool, accusing the president of having a “real problem” with free speech.

But in their letter, the press-freedom groups said Moore was essentially doing the same thing as the president.

“Personal litigation does not justify impeding reporting or reducing government transparency,” the letter says. “While government agencies under your watch stonewall reporters based on flimsy pretexts, you take to the airwaves to condemn the Trump administration’s unconstitutional ban of news outlets the president doesn’t like from the White House.”

The letter is the latest in a public feud between Moore and David Smith, the Sinclair chair, that culminated in Smith’s July defamation suit against the governor. Smith accused Moore of damaging his reputation after the governor told MS NOW that Smith had close ties to deceased child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and that he bought The Baltimore Sun to "do Donald Trump's work.”

Now, state agencies have reportedly begun sending a generic response to all reporters at The Baltimore Sun, FOX45 News, 7News and Spotlight on Maryland — even when questions are entirely unrelated to Smith’s defamation suit.

“Because of the current lawsuit from Sinclair’s Executive Chairman, David D. Smith, against the Governor, we’re sending all media requests from Sinclair-affiliated outlets to our legal team for review. We’ll get back to you once that’s finished,” the Maryland email responses say, according to records published by The Baltimore Sun.

Moore’s office called the premise of the letter “completely false” and disputed that Maryland agencies are refusing to engage with Sinclair outlets.

“In the last week alone, state agencies and the Governor's Office have answered dozens of questions from Sinclair outlets,” the governor’s press secretary, Ammar Moussa, said in an email. “David Smith chose to sue the Governor. Having our legal team look over inquiries is basic due diligence, not a blackout.”

The friction began after the newspaper published an investigative series questioning Moore’s military record. Those articles drew mixed reception over their fairness and peculiar byline authors: The stories were penned by Drew Sullins, a Sinclair tech manager, and Sean Lawlor, Sinclair’s chief of security.

New York magazine reported that Sullins and Lawlor went beyond normal journalistic norms when they sent emails to Moore’s office saying that “it’s clear to anyone with even a modicum of common sense” that Moore “has a problem with telling lies that grossly exaggerate his record of accomplishment.”

Moore's team responded to the investigations with accusations that Smith had weaponized Sinclair outlets to damage the governor’s image and halt a potential 2028 presidential run.

“Marylanders deserve strong local journalism,” Moussa said at the time. “They do not deserve a newspaper being used as a political weapon by its owner.”

Moore acknowledged mistakenly claiming a Bronze Star on a 2006 White House fellowship application. He was ultimately awarded the medal in December 2024.

Seth Stern, the Freedom of the Press Foundation’s chief of advocacy, told The Washington Sun that Sinclair had not asked FPF to intervene, adding that, even if Moore’s concerns about Smith influencing coverage were entirely correct, “That is still not a basis for official retaliation.”

“It is not the job of state agencies to help the governor win a personal lawsuit,” he said.

The Washington Sun has a content-sharing agreement with The Baltimore Sun.]]> University of Maryland Tennis Club Suspended for Racist Image https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/university-maryland-tennis-racist-image Kendall Staton The image was reported by Howard University’s club tennis team. Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:27:36 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/university-maryland-tennis-racist-image University of Maryland
The school referred the matter to the University of Maryland Police Department for further investigation. (Edwin Remsberg/VWPics via AP)
The University of Maryland indefinitely suspended its club tennis team for distributing materials with racist imagery ahead of a tournament hosted by the school.

The image appeared in an information packet emailed to participants in a tournament held this weekend, the university said. The first page of the document included the Maryland state flag, with the coat of arms replaced by pointed white hoods associated with the Ku Klux Klan, according to Howard University's club tennis team, which first reported the graphic.

Upon learning of the materials on Saturday, the school suspended its tennis club, launched a student conduct investigation into team leaders and referred the matter to the University of Maryland Police Department for further investigation. The tournament continued, and UMD’s team forfeited its matches. The club’s student leaders sent an email to each participating school apologizing, according to the university.

“The University of Maryland is horrified and expresses its regret and sincere apology for the harm that this has caused,” university spokesperson Jordan Dunklee said in a statement to The Washington Sun.

The Howard club team is calling for the University of Maryland to publicly apologize to Howard University, launch a formal investigation into who created the image, provide sensitivity training for UMD’s tennis team leaders and make a donation to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

“True accountability has yet to come,” the Howard team said in a statement posted on social media.

University of Maryland President Darryll Pines said in a statement Tuesday that the university will give cultural sensitivity training to its club tennis team.

Wayne Frederick, Howard University’s interim president, thanked the University of Maryland in a statement Monday for its “commitment to accountability” by suspending the club tennis team and launching an investigation into its student leaders.

“As institutions of higher learning, we share a responsibility not only to confront acts of racism but also to foster communities where respect for the humanity of others is an expectation, not merely an aspiration,” he said. “Our shared humanity demands nothing less.”

The University of Maryland’s Black Student Union called the incident “deeply disturbing” in a statement posted to social media and thanked Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo for reaching out to the organization directly following discovery of the image. Still, the group said administrative action is not enough to address the impact on Black students.

“Racism disguised as student programming is not an accident or victimless oversight; it is a direct assault on the dignity, safety, and belonging of our students,” the statement said. “While apologies and forfeited matches are a necessary starting point, true resolution requires confronting the culture that allows such behavior to occur in the first place.”

The University of Maryland club tennis team did not respond to questions from The Sun.

This story has been updated with Tuesday’s statement from UMD’s president. ]]> Homes With a Wood-Burning Fireplace — For Under $1 Million — in D.C., Maryland and Virginia https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/real-estate-dc-maryland-virginia-homes-fireplace-under-1-million Michele Lerner Our weekly column compares home listings across the DMV. Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:15:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/real-estate-dc-maryland-virginia-homes-fireplace-under-1-million 2412 Brentwood Pl., Alexandria, VA.
2412 Brentwood Pl., Alexandria, VA. (Corcoran McEnearney)
Wood-burning fireplaces sometimes generate heated conversations. For those who love them, moving to a home with a gas fireplace — or no fireplace at all — is unthinkable. The idea of spending a winter without the sound of crackling logs and the scent of woodsmoke would just be chilling.

On the other hand, there are plenty of people who prefer the simplicity of a gas fireplace, particularly if you can take the easy route of lifting a remote control to warm up a room or click it off. This side of the fireplace argument will lean on the mess of managing firewood and ashes.

If you are a bit romantic, though, an old-fashioned wood-burning fireplace is likely to warm your heart. We found options in D.C., Maryland and Virginia for homes priced under $1 million to meet that desire, including a townhouse, a condo and a single-family home.

Which one would you choose? Or, have a comparison you’d like to see in an upcoming column? Let us know at metro@washingtonsun.com.

D.C.

UntitledThe listing: 524 4th St. SE

The price: $949,900

The specifics: This 1,220-square-foot Federal style townhouse, built in 1890, includes two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The bedroom level includes a laundry room. There’s no HOA fee required.

The vibe: Traditional Capitol Hill

What makes it special: The main level includes an open living and dining area with a wood-burning fireplace as the focal point. The fireplace includes a black slate hearth and is surrounded with a carved wooden mantel, which is painted white. The main level also has a modern kitchen that opens to a fenced backyard with a patio, garden and grilling area. The home also has hardwood floors and high ceilings. It’s within walking distance of Barracks Row, Eastern Market, the Metro, the Capitol grounds, restaurants, parks and entertainment.

Agent: Topher Cushman, Coldwell Banker Realty

Maryland

UntitledThe listing: 4960 Sentinel Dr. Unit #10-406, Bethesda

The price: $975,000

The specifics: This three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, 2,170-square-foot condo, is located in Sumner Village, a 27-acre gated community within walking distance of a shopping center. Monthly condo fees are $1,691.

The vibe: Classic Condo Living

What makes it special: This large one-level home includes a wood-burning fireplace in the expansive living room, which opens to a long balcony with an awning for shade. A small step-up opens to a dining room and a kitchen with a breakfast area. The home has been upgraded with new carpet, a new HVAC system and a new electrical panel, and includes a washer and dryer. The community has walking paths, a pool, tennis and pickleball courts, a clubhouse and direct access to the Capital Crescent Trail.

Agent: Hill Slowinski, Long & Foster Real Estate

Virginia

UntitledThe listing: 2412 Brentwood Pl., Alexandria

The price: $965,000

The specifics: Built in 1958, this 1,817-square-foot single-family home is located in the historic Hollin Hills neighborhood of Alexandria on a quarter-acre lot. There’s no HOA fee required.

The vibe: Mid-century Modern

What makes it special: Floor-to-ceiling windows bring nature into every room of this house, blending with its Brazilian cherry floors. The wood-burning fireplace is in the open living room and surrounded by white-painted brick with windows above and on either side. Residents looking for warmth will appreciate the hot tub in the adjacent sunroom, which has skylights and heated slate-tile flooring. The two bathrooms also have skylights, and the grounds include professionally landscaped gardens with LED lighting, patios and a new IPE deck.

Agent: Christine Robinson, Corcoran McEnearney

Sign up for The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for essential coverage of the D.C. region.]]> How Payment Will Work on the Upcoming Purple Line https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/purple-line-payment Kendall Staton The mostly aboveground train system will stretch 16 miles east to west with 21 stations along the way. Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:36:37 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/purple-line-payment Purple line
The final piece of track was laid in the spring, and construction was 92% complete as of Wednesday. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
There are still many unknowns about the Purple Line, the light-rail train that will connect Bethesda to New Carrollton. The opening date is up in the air. The construction hasn’t finished. The cost for riders has yet to be finalized.

But one thing is for sure: It won’t be free. Some future riders have wondered what payment will look like.

When it comes time to pay, riders will be able to use Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority SmartTrip cards or the Maryland Transit Administration’s CharmPass mobile app, the Maryland Transit Administration told The Washington Sun. Riders can also use cash or a credit card to purchase tickets at vending machines located at each of the line's 21 stops.

Trains won’t have entry or exit faregates, and tickets will be a flat rate, not charged based on distance like Metro rail travel. The actual cost per ride has yet to be decided, according to MTA.

The mostly aboveground train system will stretch 16 miles east to west with 21 stations along the way. The final piece of track was laid in the spring, and construction was 92% complete as of Wednesday.

While the contractual opening date is slated for Dec. 30, 2027, there’s a chance the line doesn't open until 2028. Ray Biggs, senior project director at the Maryland Transit Administration, which will run the Purple Line, told the Montgomery County Council’s Transportation and Environment Committee on Monday that the opening date remains “dynamic.”]]> D.C. Water Says Potomac River Sewage Spill Left No Lasting Impact https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-water-potomac-river-sewage Kendall Staton A busted pipe spilled 243 million gallons of waste into the Potomac River in January. Wed, 07 Oct 2026 19:15:17 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-water-potomac-river-sewage Potomac River
Emergency repairs restored flow to the busted section of pipe in March, but work continues on a larger project to rehabilitate the 54-mile sewer line. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
D.C. Water says there has been no lasting harm to the Potomac River after a catastrophic sewage spill in January poured 243 million gallons of untreated waste into the water.

The spill, caused by the collapse of a sewage pipe that carries wastewater from Maryland and Virginia to a treatment plant in the District, resulted in dangerous levels of E. coli bacteria in the river for months, according to daily testing performed by D.C. Water. Levels mostly evened out in March, but more robust testing started in August to get a better picture of the river’s health.

Results from those tests, which measured levels of oxygen, nutrients and metals in the river, placed each within normal range and “found no current signs of harm from the overflow,” according to an update from D.C. Water on Wednesday.

Emergency repairs restored flow to the busted section of pipe in March, but work continues on a larger project to rehabilitate the 54-mile sewer line. Following the collapse, D.C. Water identified four other sections of the pipe that required critical repairs to address “serious damage,” such as corrosion, worn concrete and exposed steel supports.

The agency had completed two of those projects as of Sept. 3. John Lisle, a D.C. Water spokesperson, said work at the other two sites is ongoing, and the agency anticipates most of the remaining projects to be finished this fall.

The Justice Department and Maryland’s Department of Environment sued D.C. Water in April for failing to properly maintain the sewer line. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, a Maryland utility company that supplies water to 1.9 million residents, joined the lawsuit in September. Legal proceedings are ongoing.]]> Wes Moore Says He Was Blocked From Speaking at Trump’s Baltimore Shipyard Event https://www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/wes-moore-skips-trump-event-after-being-denied-a-speaking-slot Joe Gould The Maryland governor says his administration helped bring a $3.7 billion shipyard project to Baltimore. Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:37:57 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/wes-moore-skips-trump-event-after-being-denied-a-speaking-slot Vice Admiral Robert M.
Vice Admiral Robert M. "Rob" Gaucher speaks during an event at the new Anduril Industries submarine manufacturing facility in Maryland. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo)
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he pulled out of President Donald Trump’s event Tuesday to announce plans for a new shipyard in Baltimore after being told he would not be allowed to speak.

The event set for Tuesday afternoon is to announce that Anduril Industries will invest $3.7 billion to open a shipyard at Sparrows Point for Navy submarine parts. Moore was originally set to join Trump, Navy officials and executives from Anduril, a military technology company.

“If the president of the United States wants to bring the circus into town and tell me that I’m not allowed to speak to the fact that we were the ones that helped bring the deal, then I will let the circus be conducted while I go back to the work of the people,” Moore told reporters Tuesday.

The clash adds to a running feud between Trump and Moore, a rising Democratic figure who has faced persistent speculation about a 2028 presidential bid. The two have sparred over infrastructure repairs, a sewage spill and other issues. Trump this year even revoked Moore’s invitation to a White House governors’ dinner.

A White House official said Moore was invited “as a guest.”

“President Trump is willing to work with anyone to revitalize our manufacturing sector, which is why the White House graciously invited Governor Moore to attend today's event as a guest,” said the official. “It’s unfortunate that the Governor is now making a multi-billion-dollar announcement about himself by throwing a tantrum over a federal initiative that will bring sorely needed jobs back to his state thanks to President Trump.”

The dispute came after Moore, Anduril executives and Trump administration officials conducted two separate briefings for reporters on the project. Moore called it one of the largest economic development projects in Maryland history.

“This is a massive new project that’s going to deliver the largest private investment and create the most jobs in Maryland in well over a decade,” Moore said Monday.

Anduril’s president and chief strategy officer, Chris Brose, speaking before the fight erupted, credited Moore and his administration with helping land the project, calling them “remarkable champions” and saying the state had been “incredibly welcoming.”

The company plans to build a 2-million-square foot shipyard at the former Bethlehem Steel site that is expected to support more than 14,000 jobs.

The Navy has awarded the company a production contract worth up to $2.9 billion for submarine components. Administration officials cast the project as part of Trump’s broader effort to rebuild U.S. shipbuilding capacity and expand the maritime industrial base.

The Navy, which is struggling to increase submarine production, approached Anduril about joining the Virginia-class submarine program. The company then launched a nationwide search for a site for the new facility.

Moore said Maryland moved aggressively once his administration learned about the competition. Maryland and Baltimore County have committed to incentives worth up to 13% of Anduril’s anticipated private investment, plus workforce training.

“We just wanted to make sure that they saw not just our interest and aggression in moving forward, but just showing the uniqueness that Maryland could offer for this being the home for this project,” Moore said.]]>