National Mall

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An Idea for the National Mall: Wildflower Meadows
It's Time to Ditch the Grass
on the National Mall
OPINION

It's Time to Ditch the Grass on the National Mall

'NYT' essay makes the case for wildflower meadows, as a message against 'Big Lawn'

(Newser) - The National Mall is our "dullest national park" in the view of writer and gardener Alexander Nazaryan. In a New York Times essay, he proposes a fix: Replace all that grass with wildflower meadows. Specifically, plant fauna from different parts of the US in each of the eight lawns...

Thousands March in Washington for Trump

Many appear to be students from Liberty University in Virginia

(Newser) - Thousands of people packed the National Mall in downtown Washington on Saturday to pray and show their support for President Trump, the AP reports. The march, which stretched from the Lincoln Memorial to the US Capitol, was held just hours before Trump was set to announce he was nominating a...

Smoke From West Coast Fires Reaches DC, New York

And it has reportedly also reached Midwest, Canada, Europe

(Newser) - From Washington state to Washington, DC—the National Weather Service said Monday that smoke from the wildfires on the west coast of the US could be seen across the country at the National Mall. The NWS says the smoke caught a jet stream, moving at an altitude as high as...

Trump Plans National Mall Blowout Amid Pandemic

Tens of thousands might show up, the AP warns

(Newser) - As coronavirus cases spike, public health officials are pleading with Americans to avoid large crowds and hold more muted Independence Day celebrations, but subdued is not President Donald Trump's style, and he aimed to go big, promising a "special evening" in Washington that could bring tens of thousands...

Tidal Basin Makes List of Endangered Landmarks

Trust hopes communities save their 'cherished places'

(Newser) - Development, lack of maintenance, climate change and other factors have put historic American landmarks at risk, says the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has compiled its 2019 list of the most threatened sites. It includes such famous places as the National Mall Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., and...

FBI: Man's Belief in 'Sortition' Led to Suicide Plot

Authorities say Paul Rosenfeld planned to blow himself up on Nov. 6

(Newser) - An upstate New York man has been arrested after allegedly plotting to blow himself up on the National Mall on Election Day next month. US Attorney Geoffrey Berman calls it "a twisted plan to draw attention to his political ideology," per CBS New York . Paul Rosenfeld of Tappan...

Giant Nude Woman Could Grace US Capital
Giant Nude Woman
Could Grace US Capital
in case you missed it

Giant Nude Woman Could Grace US Capital

Festival wants to install 45-foot-tall statue on National Mall

(Newser) - It's entirely possible that tourists visiting the National Mall between November and March will be treated to views of the White House, the Washington Monument, and a 45-foot-tall, 16,000-pound naked woman. The Washington Post reports organizers of the third-annual Catharsis on the Mall festival are seeking permission to...

Pressure Cooker in Car Near Capitol Destroyed

Car's owner found, arrested

(Newser) - A bomb squad safely destroyed a pressure cooker found in an unattended vehicle parked on the National Mall near the US Capitol and the vehicle's owner was found and arrested, a US Capitol Police spokeswoman said. Capitol Police officers on routine patrol spotted the parked, unoccupied vehicle on a...

8 Democratic Reps Arrested at DC Immigration Protest

Lawmakers busted as thousands gather on National Mall to urge reform

(Newser) - After lawmakers supported veterans in flooding DC's WWII memorial last week, the civil disobedience by congress members continued yesterday, with eight Democrats getting arrested at the National Mall during an immigration reform rally. The demonstration was intended to push Congress to pass immigration reform legislation, but also succeeded in...

National Mall Suicide Wasn't Political: Family

Neighbors baffled by death of John Constantino

(Newser) - The suicide of the man who set himself ablaze on the National Mall last week was the result of mental illness, not his political beliefs, his family says. John Constantino "was a loving father and husband," and his death "was not a political act or statement,"...

Man Who Set Himself on Fire at National Mall Identified

John Constantino suffered from mental illness

(Newser) - Police have identified the man who set him self ablaze on the National Mall last week—but they have been unable to identify his motive. DC police say the man was John Constantino, a 64-year-old from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, the AP reports. Constantino, who died at a hospital after...

Man Who Set Himself on Fire on DC Mall Dies

But police still have not identified him

(Newser) - A DC police spokesman says a man who set himself on fire on the National Mall yesterday has died of his injuries. But authorities don't know much more than that—he was so badly burned that he will need to be identified through DNA and dental records. The man...

Man Sets Himself on Fire at the National Mall

He dumped gas on his head and set it ablaze: witness

(Newser) - A fire official says a man has been flown to the hospital after setting himself on fire at the National Mall. Fire crews responded this afternoon to a report of a man on fire at 7th Street and Madison Drive in Washington, DC. A witness says she saw a man...

Chinese National Linked to DC Paint-Splattering Spree

Suspect has mental health issues, police say

(Newser) - The capital's statues can breathe easy: Investigators believe a woman arrested for vandalizing the Washington National Cathedral is behind at least four similar acts in DC, including last week's paint attack on the Lincoln Memorial , the AP reports. The suspect, 58-year-old Jia M. Tian, is a Chinese national...

Lincoln Memorial Vandalized Overnight

Now closed for clean-up

(Newser) - The Lincoln Memorial got doused with a splatter of paint overnight in an act of vandalism that has the monument closed for clean-up today. While CBS News reports it was a patrol officer who discovered splashes of green paint on the statue's base and the floor surrounding it, NBC...

Washington Relights Quake-Hit Monument

488 lights will keep it glowing during repairs

(Newser) - While the Washington Monument is closed for earthquake damage repairs over the next year, 488 lamps will restore the marble tower's glow each night on the National Mall. The National Park Service lit up the monument for the first time last night, and will continue to do so each...

National Mall's $700M Plan: Skating, Theater, Gardens

'Overused' lawn set for major renovations

(Newser) - The National Mall is getting a serious facelift: Soon, we'll be going skating, watching outdoor theater, and exploring vibrant gardens in America's so-called "front yard." The $700 million project will mark a big change from the "overused" grass currently between the Lincoln Memorial and Capitol...

'Occupy Congress' Gathers on National Mall

Protest planned to welcome back lawmakers

(Newser) - House members are returning from recess today, and Occupy protesters are braving the rain to yell at them. Protesters are already gathering on the National Mall for an event dubbed "Occupy Congress," the Washington Post reports. Though they were hoping to draw 2,000 to the event, so...

'Weak' Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Makes MLK White: Blake Gopnik

 'Weak' Memorial 
 Makes MLK 
 White 
OPINION

'Weak' Memorial Makes MLK White

But maybe memorials shouldn't be artistic, Blake Gopnik writes

(Newser) - Take a look at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial unveiled today, and one thing is immediately obvious: The famous black activist is white. To be precise, he’s more pinkish and “blush-colored,” carved from stone bearing “a striking resemblance to pale, freckled skin,” writes Blake...

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Opens on Washington DC National Mall Today
 MLK Memorial Opens 

MLK Memorial Opens

Week of formal galas will precede Sunday's dedication

(Newser) - The official dedication isn’t until Sunday, but the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall opens today at 11am. The 30-foot-tall sculpture and 450-foot-long quotations-inscribed wall sit between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the AP notes. A week of white-tie and black-tie events will precede Sunday’s...

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