DCA control tower understaffed during crash

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DCA Control Tower Reportedly Understaffed

The air traffic controller on duty the night of the Potomac plane crash was doing a job usually handled by two people, according to an internal FAA report. The update adds to confusion about the cause of the crash, from worries about overcrowded airspace at DCA to Trump’s claims that unqualified air traffic controllers were hired in the name of DEI. Officials have promised a thorough investigation. [City Cast DC 🎧]

Local Skaters Among Flight Victims

Multiple young figure skaters and coaches from Northern Virginia died in Wednesday evening’s plane crash, along with former world figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Crews are still working to recover bodies from the Potomac, but believe none of the 67 passengers survived. Tragically, D.C.’s EMS fireboat, which could have been used to help break the ice and find victims, has been docked for repair since 2022. [NBC4]

Local Landlord Sued For Rental Discrimination

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb is suing a major local landlord for discriminating against renters without housing vouchers. The lawsuit claims that Petra Management Company rented exclusively to voucher-holding tenants, whose subsidies would bring in more rent per month than tenants without vouchers. [Washington Post 🔒]

Big Win for Tiny Amphibian

The Eastern red-backed salamander is now the official amphibian of D.C., thanks to lobbying efforts from fourth graders at Powell Bilingual Elementary School. The legislation passed unanimously. [Washington Post 🔒]

DC Insider Trivia

Lunar New Year might be behind us, but in D.C., the festivities are just getting started. Where was D.C.’s original Chinatown?

1. Blagden Alley
2. Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (where the National Gallery of Art is now)
3. Around Stanton Park on Capitol Hill
4. New York Ave, NW (where City Center is now)

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