Drayage Brokersin Washington, DC

Capital One Arena may be getting a consolation prize.

In the wake of Monumental Sports and Entertainment’s deal to move the Washington Capitals and Wizards out of the Washington, D.C., arena to Virginia’s Potomac Yard, owner Ted Leonis announced that the WNBA’s Mystics may be moving back in.

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If the deal for the Capitals and Wizards to leave the Capital One Arena goes through, the plan is to bring the Mystics back to its original home, said Leonsis, who owns all three sports franchises.

The Mystics played at Capital One from the arena’s opening in 1998 until 2018, and have since played their home games at the 4,000-seat Entertainment & Sports Arena on the St. Elizabeths East campus at 1100 Oak Street Drive SE. Its lease on the east side of the Anacostia River is not set to expire until 2037.

Under the proposed plan, Monumental would continue to invest directly—with no public funding—in maintaining Capital One Arena’s standing, and envision it to serve as the Mystics’ future home, a spokesperson for the company told Commercial Observer.

“The fandom of women’s sports has exploded in recent years and the Mystics are consistently selling out their home games,” the spokesperson said. “We believe we can create a tailored game day experience for that expanding fan base and provide the space for this championship-winning team to continue growing the franchise to play for 10,000 fans within 3-5 years.”

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser is not happy about that plan, claiming a move for the 2019 WNBA champs would be a big setback for development east of the Anacostia River, a main focus of her administration.

“The District honors its contracts, and we trust and expect our partners to do the same,” a spokesperson for the Mayor told NBC4 on Wednesday. “This partnership and the arena it built have been a catalyst for change in Ward 8, creating jobs and opportunity and paving the way for new housing, retail, and health care on the St. Elizabeths East Campus.”

Monumental’s plan, as outlined by Leonsis at a press conference earlier this month, calls for the Capital One Arena to be transformed from 20,000 seats to 10,000 seats for women’s basketball games, though it would return to the original number for larger concerts when needed. The company pays the District $400,000 annually to utilize the Entertainment & Sports Arena for Mystics’ games and Wizards’ practices, according to the mayor’s office.

The Mayor also hasn’t given up on keeping the Capitals and Wizards from leaving D.C.

Bowser introduced legislation that would extend Monumental’s lease — set to expire in 2027 — until 2052, with $500 million in financing for upgrades distributed over a three-year period, starting in 2024. The legislation states the Capitals and the Wizards would not be able to relocate outside the District until the end of the lease.

“Downtown D.C. is the District’s economic engine that provides revenue resources to support important programs in the city,” Bowser said in a prepared statement. “Mr. Leonsis and Monumental Sports have been critical partners in keeping our downtown thriving, especially after the pandemic.”

Capital One Area opened in 1997, and Monumental’s ground lease is set to expire in 2027. Monumental owns the arena but leases the land from the District.

Snow lovers have long lamented the dreaded “D.C. snow hole,” which refers to a relative lack of snow sometimes seen in or near the District, leaving a gaping hole in snow totals compared with surrounding regions. The supposed snow hole phenomenon has been blamed for embarrassingly low snow totals for individual storms and for entire winter seasons.

So, is the D.C. snow hole real or imaginary?

To answer the question, it’s helpful to first acknowledge there are two types of snow holes at play.

First, there is the microscale snow hole, which is the focused area of suppressed snow accumulation that often occurs in downtown D.C. and across the Potomac River in and around Arlington and Alexandria. That snow hole is absolutely real and a result of the combined impacts of low elevation, the urban heat island effect and proximity to the river.

Temperatures are almost always warmer at low elevations closer to sea level than at higher altitudes, because air is heated from the ground up. Meanwhile, the pavement and buildings in urban areas retain more heat than the grassy and forested surfaces of more rural locations. In addition, the Potomac River helps keep nearby temperatures warmer because water is slower to cool than land.

The confluence of warming factors makes it harder for snow to stick, thus the microscale snow hole commonly seen inside and right around the District and reflected in Washington’s official snow totals, measured at Reagan National Airport in Arlington on the bank of the Potomac.

This microscale hole is especially evident during snow that doesn’t fall heavily enough to cool down the air near the ground and during some late-season March snows when the increasing sun angle keeps the ground warmer. It occurs often enough that Capital Weather Gang and others sometimes incorporate it in their snowfall forecast maps.

The existence of a broader D.C.-area snow hole is a bit fuzzier.

Over the long term, there is no such snow hole, as can be seen in the map of average annual snowfall below. The map shows gradually decreasing amounts of snow from the Northeast into the Mid-Atlantic, with no sign of a hole in the D.C. area.

In some winters, however, we have seen a zone of less snow in and around the D.C. area — such as the glaring snow hole that stretched from Charlottesville to Baltimore in the winter of 2016-2017 — due to tendencies in the seasonal storm track. In these cases, a split flow in the atmosphere tends to steer disturbances either to our north or to our south, leaving us struggling for snow in between. The disturbances may end up merging off the coast before bringing significant snow to the Northeast or New England, but that’s often too late to produce substantial snow around here.

“Long-term data does not show more snow surrounding D.C. than in the District itself,” Capital Weather Gang’s Ian Livingston wrote in 2021. “However, there are some years … when weather patterns can conspire to favor a snow-hole type pattern.”

This type of broader snow hole was last seen when a stormy stretch from late January through mid-February 2021 produced noticeably less snow near and west of D.C. than in surrounding regions. Similar snow holes occurred in the winters of 2017-2018, 2016-2017, 2012-2013 and 2010-2011.

The split flow in the atmosphere that can result in a regional snow hole tends to be more common in La Niña winters. But the sample size isn’t big enough that we can make any concrete conclusions about what is currently a strong El Niño winter.

Only time will tell how much snow the region receives this winter — and whether there’s a hole in the middle of it.

Washingtonians should gear up for crowded travel over the holidays and New Year's.

Driving the news: 115 million people will travel throughout the U.S. during the end of December, says AAA — a 2.2% jump from last year and the second-highest prediction since AAA began tracking this data.

By the numbers: AAA forecasts road and air travel will be up over the holidays. Airports in particular will be busier than ever, with an expected 7.5 million passengers — breaking 2019's 7.3 million record.

Zoom in: The worst traffic days during the holiday period — which AAA defines as the stretch between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1 — will likely be Dec. 23 and Dec. 28, according to INRIX, a transportation data group.

And DMV drivers can expect almost double the usual traffic delays this holiday season, says INRIX.

Be smart: There are steps locals can take to stay safe and avoid the worst of the congestion this holiday season.

If flying, get to the airport two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international travel, says the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

If driving, Maryland travelers can get updates on traffic and weather-related closures via the Maryland Department of Transportation's (MDOT) live dashboard.

Virginia drivers can check out anticipated congestion periods via VDOT's interactive travel trends map, and its 511 app has more info on traffic and construction.

This was the year that artificial intelligence (AI) burst into the mainstream, and Washington, D.C., is playing an important role in advancing the field, according to a new report by JLL.

Government spending on AI research and development has more than doubled in the past five years, while job postings for AI-related positions in the D.C. region have more than tripled in the same period, according to the report, titled “Capital of Artificial Intelligence: Metro Washington, D.C.’s role in shaping the AI industry.”

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While the San Francisco Bay Area remains the leader of the ascendant industry, AI is expected to keep growing, with the potential of becoming a $15.7 trillion industry by 2030, according to PwC.

President Biden’s 2024 budget request included $1.8 billion for AI and machine learning initiatives. With that, defense contractors in Northern Virginia, biotech companies along the Interstate 270 corridor in Maryland, and a growing number of companies throughout the District who dabble in the AI space will most likely benefit from this increase of federal spending on AI research and development, according to the JLL report.

In addition, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and Department of State are among the federal entities in the D.C. region that are actively engaging in research to advance AI technologies.

Given their prominence, it’s likely these agencies will also play a leading role in the regulatory realm, as the world looks to govern and manage the effect of AI technologies on society, per the report.

All this will likely provide a boost to the District’s troubled office market. As of December, approximately 15 percent of AI-related job postings in the D.C. region are for remote positions, JLL reported. That’s lower than the current share of work-from-home jobs in D.C., which should mean a rise in demand for office space.

“Metro D.C. has a well-established AI ecosystem that sets it apart from the prominent West Coast tech markets,” the report noted. “While the likes of Silicon Valley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area have gained recognition for capturing economic growth from recent advancements in generative AI, Metro D.C.’s ecosystem is characterized by the practical application of AI and machine learning in various industries, but especially health care and defense.”

The federal government spent $2.58 billion on AI research and development in 2022, an increase of $130 million over the 2021 fiscal year, and more in this year’s budget.

Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.

Keywords: JLL, PwC, the Department of Defense and Department of State, The National Institutes of Health

Last Spring, eighth grade students at Greenwich Public Schools’ Eastern, Western and Central middle schools traveled to Washington, D.C. for a three-day, two-night educational experiential trip with their peers and teachers after a three year COVID hiatus. This trip was a beloved capstone tradition spanning over four decades.

The 8th Grade D.C. Trip Fundraising Committee, in partnership with the Greenwich Alliance for Education, Pitch Your Peers and the PTAs, teachers and principals at Western, Central and Eastern middle schools are now raising funds for current GPS eighth graders.

Last June, the Committee kicked off with a “Giveback Night” at Garden Catering’s Greenwich and Old Greenwich locations. Both the Hamilton Avenue and Old Greenwich Garden Catering locations generously donated 25% of sales that day.

Next month, the Committee will be hosting a live music fundraiser called “Dancing for DC” on January 19, from 6-9 pm, at Old Greenwich Social Club. The event will feature local band “That’s What She Said” in addition to free appetizers, raffle prizes and a cash bar.

People can purchase tickets by visiting https://greenwichalliance.org/ogsc

Those who can’t attend the event but still want to support, can still buy raffle tickets ($5). Winning tickets will be drawn at the event but supporters do not need to be present to win the prizes.

People can also make a donation to the DC Trip fund directly by visiting the Greenwich Alliance for Education website and type “DC Trip” under Allocation. No donation is too small and all donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

About the 8th Grade D.C. Trip Fundraising Committee: The 8th Grade D.C. Trip Fundraising Committee is a group of parents from all three GPS middle schools. We welcome all parents to join us and help us fundraise by emailing dcfundraisingcomm@gmail.com. We are committed to ensuring that the trip continues for years to come, for all eighth grade GPS students, regardless of financial need. Middle school families with demonstrated financial hardship should reach out to their building principals for confidential financial assistance. Washington, D.C. is more than just about seeing monuments; it’s about making lifelong memories with friends and experiencing the soul of our Nation through an immersive trip to its capital.