Good morning. This is the NOTUS Metro newsletter for Aug. 20, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
A famous federally owned performing arts center in D.C. is welcoming the public back.
No, we’re not talking about the Kennedy Center, but rather the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Rock Creek Park. Tonight kicks off a three-night concert series at the famed 76-year-old venue, which has been shuttered for almost a decade. (The Saturday show is sold out, but $15 tickets are available for tonight and Friday.)
Trending
The historic site — it was one of the country’s first integrated outdoor music venues, opened to celebrate the 150th anniversary of D.C. becoming the nation’s capital — is owned and operated by the National Park Service, but long suffered from deferred maintenance.
Dan Puskar is the executive director of the Rock Creek Conservancy, which is helping put on the concert series. He warns that the amphitheater remains “rough around the edges,” but thinks the concerts can serve to reintroduce residents to what was once a beloved institution.
“I hope we’ll see by the end of this weekend there is a model here, so that maybe we can begin doing more of these limited engagements,” he told NOTUS. “Washingtonians deserve to get into Carter Barron. If we can help make that happen, it would be a wonderful thing.”
Still, Carter Barron isn’t fully ready for prime time. Puskar estimates that just fixing its iconic stage could cost $10 million, while a full rehab of the venue could run more than $40 million. But he says making the investment could fit into President Donald Trump’s broader interest in renovating federal sites in D.C.
“It has been amazing to see the administration focus on D.C. in many different ways,” he said. “Could this be a part of it? Of course it could.”
And hey, the venue’s name already incorporates at least one Trump — Barron, that is.
DEEP DIVE
D.C. offers high school students more college tuition assistance than ever. Earlier this year, the city announced it’d increase an annual, congressionally funded grant program known as DCTAG that’s meant to cover the difference between in- and out-of-state tuition costs at public universities to a maximum of $15,000 — a $5,000 increase from a rate set in 1999.
But college costs have exploded in the past 27 years. Educators tell NOTUS’ Zara Norman that D.C.’s $5,000 increase is meaningful, and should allow many students to attend college without taking out loans — but it may not be enough.
“There should be something so [it’s not] every 25 years that we get an increase,” the CEO of another local scholarship program told NOTUS.
FROM THE DISTRICT
An update ahead of Trayon White’s September bribery trial: NOTUS’ Jenny Gathright reports that prosecutors asked the court on Wednesday to admonish the Ward 8 council member over a text they said his chief of staff sent to a government witness last week. The message, sent to Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement Director Kwelli Sneed, included a link to a news story listing the trial’s witnesses and said “Keeping you prayed up,” according to prosecutors.
The government’s lawyers called the message “a clear attempt to rattle or harass witnesses.” White’s attorney said it was the first he had heard of this message, and that he would speak to his client.
After a lengthy and at times contentious legal process, D.C.'s Office of the Attorney General has reached a settlement agreement with the mother of Deon Kay. Kay was fatally shot by D.C. police officer Alexander Alvarez in 2020, weeks after his 18th birthday. The settlement amount is $605,000, a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office tells NOTUS, and the agreement awaits approval by a judge.
The tarp covering the Kennedy Center facade should remain as part of ongoing construction activities following the removal of Trump’s name from the building, Justice Department attorneys argued in a Tuesday court filing, NOTUS’ Jackie Llanos reports.
D.C.’s School Without Walls placed fifth in a new U.S. News and World Reportranking of the nation’s best high schools, jumping from 69th place last year,WTOP reports.
FROM VIRGINIA
Trump’s proposed renovation of Dulles International Airport got a big boost Wednesday, as the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority approved a $15.5 billion budget for the project, The Washington Post reports. Not included in those plans: a record-breaking parking garage.
Democratic Reps. Suhas Subramanyam and Don Beyer announced Wednesday there will be a joint investigation between the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Oversight committees into the case of a Virginia woman confronted by an armed ICE agent last week.
In the minority, the Democrats do not have subpoena power and cannot force the Department of Homeland Security to comply with their investigation. Beyer told reporters Wednesday that he has not yet gotten any sign that DHS will cooperate.
TALK TO TOM
Tom Sietsema is back answering your questions about the D.C. dining scene. Submit your questions here.
We love cheese and are so sad that there are few, if any, cheese shops in the D.C. area. Any thoughts?
Your question sent me into the field — well, into some popular shops in the DMV — where I found extra options for you. Just this week, I admired how the owner of the neighborly Each Peach Market in Mount Pleasant sang the praises of the fluffy, subtly tangy, fresh chevre from Pipe Dreams I selected, then lamented that its longtime maker in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, was considering retirement. In Arlington, at the more expansive Arrowine & Cheese, the aroma at the door alone (pleasantly pungent) confirms you’re in the right place for fromage. A counter in the rear displays more than 130 selections.
Area cheese fanciers of my acquaintance also recommend the family-run Bowers Fancy Dairy Products stand at Eastern Market, a mainstay since 1964; La Jambe in Union Market; Calvert Woodley Fine Wines & Spirits, another of my go-to spots, usually before I’m having friends for happy hour; Gemelli’s Italian Market in Gaithersburg; Stonyman Gourmet Farmer in Kensington; and Piazza Italian Market in Easton, where a well-traveled food friend says she’s found some international cheeses that “I have never seen in this country.”
In the full Q&A: New spots for private dining, the reasons behind a rash of restaurant closures and recommendations from Down Under.
SPORTS
Many baseball fans know Tommy John as the namesake of MLB’s most ubiquitous surgery. But John, who died last week at 83, was much more than that, NOTUS’ Thomas Boswell writes. He was a great pitcher, a good man and an honest quote. Once, late in John’s career, Boswell asked him if he felt a strong desire to chase 300 career wins. “The only thing that burns inside me,” the pitcher responded, “is Szechuan food.”
Training camp update: NOTUS’ Martenzie Johnson reports that it seems increasingly unlikely Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will see the field this preseason. Daniels was held out last week versus Miami and probably won’t play next week against Baltimore because the teams have a joint practice two days prior. That leaves Saturday’s game against Detroit. But if starting center Nick Allegretti (calf) isn’t ready to play, there’s little reason for Daniels to suit up.
“No decision yet,” coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday. “We’ll [decide] after we see the health of everybody.”
What to Watch Today
MLB: Nationals at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. (MLB.TV)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson. Talk to Tom photo by Lillian Bautista/NOTUS.
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