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Here are D.C.'s 2026 RAMMY Award finalists: New restaurants, best chefs and beyond

The RAMMYS are back — who's in the running.

Food and Drink

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="RAMMY Awards" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/08/04/2025-rammy-awards-chef-restaurant-bar-winners" data-vars-content-id="b9fe27c8-da75-400f-8d0b-2ee5804e3218" data-vars-headline="Here are D.C.&#x27;s 2026 RAMMY Award finalists: New restaurants, best chefs and beyond" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/08/04/2025-rammy-awards-chef-restaurant-bar-winners" target="_self">RAMMY Awards</a>, D.C.&#x27;s annual hospitality industry honors, just announced their 2026 finalists.Why it matters: The RAMMYs are like a local version of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="James Beard Awards" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/31/james-beard-awards-2026-finalists-dc" data-vars-content-id="b9fe27c8-da75-400f-8d0b-2ee5804e3218" data-vars-headline="Here are D.C.&#x27;s 2026 RAMMY Award finalists: New restaurants, best chefs and beyond" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/31/james-beard-awards-2026-finalists-dc" target="_self">James Beard Awards</a>, spotlighting some of the best dining and drinking spots in town — along with the chefs and teams behind them.

Feds: Those Commanders stadium parking decks are too big

News

Let&#x27;s tone down those <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="11-story parking garages" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/19/commanders-stadium-parking-garages-height-11-stories" data-vars-content-id="f322f804-821c-403f-bafb-8db2bcfabae7" data-vars-headline="Feds: Those Commanders stadium parking decks are too big" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/19/commanders-stadium-parking-garages-height-11-stories" target="_self">11-story parking garages</a>, federal planners are telling the Commanders.Why it matters: While the classical-looking stadium is getting <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="lots of love" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/01/22/commanders-stadium-renderings-national-capital-planning-commission" data-vars-content-id="f322f804-821c-403f-bafb-8db2bcfabae7" data-vars-headline="Feds: Those Commanders stadium parking decks are too big" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/01/22/commanders-stadium-renderings-national-capital-planning-commission" target="_self">lots of love</a>, the Commanders are hearing the first major criticisms of their broader plans at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="RFK redevelopment" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/07/29/what-the-new-rfk-stadium-neighborhood-will-look-like" data-vars-content-id="f322f804-821c-403f-bafb-8db2bcfabae7" data-vars-headline="Feds: Those Commanders stadium parking decks are too big" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/07/29/what-the-new-rfk-stadium-neighborhood-will-look-like" target="_self">RFK redevelopment</a>.

AI pressure grows on the DMV's young workforce

Business

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the job market in the DMV, and it&#x27;s likely to hit younger and entry-level workers particularly hard, a pair of recent reports found.Why it matters: Younger workers and college grads were already facing a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="grim" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/31/hiring-rate-jobs-employment-iran" data-vars-content-id="9ab080ab-f6ba-4fb2-ad54-6a40fde9f52e" data-vars-headline="AI pressure grows on the DMV&#x27;s young workforce" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/31/hiring-rate-jobs-employment-iran" target="_self">grim</a> and &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="frozen" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/25/jobs-market-ai-indeed-retail" data-vars-content-id="9ab080ab-f6ba-4fb2-ad54-6a40fde9f52e" data-vars-headline="AI pressure grows on the DMV&#x27;s young workforce" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/25/jobs-market-ai-indeed-retail" target="_self">frozen</a>&quot; job market, and AI may make it worse.

Caps ticket prices spike amid Ovechkin retirement rumors

Sunday's game is on track to be the most expensive regular-season home match in team history.

Sports

Caps ticket prices for Sunday&#x27;s game are spiking — fueled by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Alex Ovechkin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/04/03/alex-ovechkin-wayne-gretzky-goal-record-nhl" data-vars-content-id="5bae21c8-92e5-48a5-a3fd-50f26ffe8bb9" data-vars-headline="Caps ticket prices spike amid Ovechkin retirement rumors" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/04/03/alex-ovechkin-wayne-gretzky-goal-record-nhl" target="_self">Alex Ovechkin</a> retirement buzz that it may be his final home appearance.Why it matters: Ovi isn&#x27;t just a hockey icon — he&#x27;s D.C.&#x27;s biggest sports star of a generation. If this is the final lap, it marks the closing chapter of a Stanley Cup-era run that defined modern Caps fandom.

Resistance grows to soaring Pepco bills

The utility says it needs to charge its Maryland customers more.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Pepco" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/18/pepco-washington-gas-bills-mayor-race-lewisgeorge-mcduffie" data-vars-content-id="0e6fabf2-a089-4c0c-81c4-19a74b470ec4" data-vars-headline="Resistance grows to soaring Pepco bills" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/18/pepco-washington-gas-bills-mayor-race-lewisgeorge-mcduffie" target="_self">Pepco</a> is facing growing pressure across the DMV, as officials step in to protect customers while challenging rate increases.Why it matters: As frustration with rising bills <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="boils over" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/03/dc-utility-bills-spike-winter-costs" data-vars-content-id="0e6fabf2-a089-4c0c-81c4-19a74b470ec4" data-vars-headline="Resistance grows to soaring Pepco bills" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/03/dc-utility-bills-spike-winter-costs" target="_self">boils over</a>, the utility says it needs to charge its Maryland customers more.

Where D.C. unemployment stands after Trump's first year

The president's return to Washington is inflicting pain on the city's economy, but past recessions offer useful context.

D.C.&#x27;s unemployment rate hit 6.7% in December, following job losses in the hospitality industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Why it matters: D.C.&#x27;s economy took a beating after the DOGE cuts, and residents&#x27; subsequent cutbacks in dining out and shopping have since collided with inflation to hurt restaurants, hotels and other businesses.

Maryland becomes new data center battleground as demand soars

Northern Virginia isn't the only local hotbed of industry activity — or opposition.

Development

The data center wars are heating up in Maryland.Why it matters: When DMV residents think of data centers — and the opposition to them — they likely think of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Northern Virginia" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/10/13/data-centers-us-pushback" data-vars-content-id="93f7b497-f512-471e-8748-dbe4b238afe9" data-vars-headline="Maryland becomes new data center battleground as demand soars" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/10/13/data-centers-us-pushback" target="_self">Northern Virginia</a>, home to the world&#x27;s biggest collection and much local <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="pushback" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/12/12/data-centers-northern-virginia-historic-battlefields" data-vars-content-id="93f7b497-f512-471e-8748-dbe4b238afe9" data-vars-headline="Maryland becomes new data center battleground as demand soars" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/12/12/data-centers-northern-virginia-historic-battlefields" target="_self">pushback</a> against their spread.

Scoop: Congressional Dems help fuel more D.C. labor wars

The restaurants are hot spots for political fundraisers.

Congressional Democrats are throwing their support behind more D.C. restaurant unionization efforts, raising the specter of a boycott if the owners refuse to play ball, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The three restaurants are hot spots for political fundraisers, and losing the business of national Democratic bigwigs could pose a threat to their bottom line.

Exclusive: D.C. restaurants, hotels suffered during Trump takeover, per new data

The restaurants aren't "booming," as the president claims.

D.C. businesses felt pain in September while the Trump administration&#x27;s crime crackdown was underway, per new city data.Why it matters: President Trump, the restaurants are not <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;booming.&quot;" data-vars-click-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjLRRMw_Lyg" data-vars-content-id="15cc07a6-5a91-4d45-959e-96fc76847af4" data-vars-headline="Exclusive: D.C. restaurants, hotels suffered during Trump takeover, per new data" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjLRRMw_Lyg" target="_blank">&quot;booming.&quot;</a>

Two D.C. women launch podcast for aspiring entrepreneurs

"Nail Ladies Show" brings together execs who built multi-million dollar businesses.

Two Washington women and entrepreneurs have teamed up to launch a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="podcast" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/10/31/haunted-federal-buildings-podcast" data-vars-content-id="47ce24f2-1b09-43e0-86f2-b1d5d70a08cc" data-vars-headline="Two D.C. women launch podcast for aspiring entrepreneurs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/10/31/haunted-federal-buildings-podcast" target="_self">podcast</a> aimed at aspiring business owners.Why it matters: The holiday travel road warrior season is officially upon us — you need some fresh content to power through.

What D.C. can expect as the government reopens

The status on museums, paychecks and flights.

As the government starts churning again after a historically long shutdown, there are still questions about how fast things can get back to normal around D.C.Why it matters: Lingering delays are expected for everything from flights to museum reopenings and paychecks.

D.C. plastic surgeons see surge in "Mar‑a‑Lago face" requests from Trump insiders

"[They] want to look like they had something done."

Culture

Since January, D.C. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="plastic surgeons" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/25/cosmetic-plastic-surgery-gen-z" data-vars-content-id="6e5e15cf-0972-4dd7-adac-37afd01866d0" data-vars-headline="D.C. plastic surgeons see surge in &quot;Mar‑a‑Lago face&quot; requests from Trump insiders" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/25/cosmetic-plastic-surgery-gen-z" target="_self">plastic surgeons</a> have seen a wave of Trump insiders asking for overt procedures in line with the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;Mar-a-Lago face&quot;" data-vars-click-url="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/maralago-face-conservative-girl-makeup-brutal-aesthetics-of-maga-trump-gaetz-guilfoyle/" data-vars-content-id="6e5e15cf-0972-4dd7-adac-37afd01866d0" data-vars-headline="D.C. plastic surgeons see surge in &quot;Mar‑a‑Lago face&quot; requests from Trump insiders" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/maralago-face-conservative-girl-makeup-brutal-aesthetics-of-maga-trump-gaetz-guilfoyle/" target="_blank">&quot;Mar-a-Lago face&quot;</a> look.The big picture: President Trump is all in on aesthetics, and bolder is always better.

D.C. furloughed feds are dog walking for income during shutdown

The app Rover has seen a jump in new DMV walkers.

Washington&#x27;s furloughed feds are turning to dog-walking gigs to make ends meet.Why it matters: Federal workers are feeling the crunch as missed paychecks pile up amid the record-shattering <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="shutdown" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/10/30/government-shutdown-free-food-federal-workers-snap" data-vars-content-id="2b8adbe1-fb4f-441b-a1a7-bdce5208bcf9" data-vars-headline="D.C. furloughed feds are dog walking for income during shutdown" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/10/30/government-shutdown-free-food-federal-workers-snap" target="_self">shutdown</a>.

Axios Richmond

A line chart that tracks the District of Columbia's monthly unemployment rate from January 2007 to December 2025. The rate starts near 5.6% in early 2007, peaks at 11.3% in April 2020, then declines to around 4.7% by mid-2023. It increases to 6.7% in December 2025.

Business 🏦

Resistance grows to soaring Pepco bills

AI pressure grows on the DMV's young workforce

Where D.C. unemployment stands after Trump's first year

Maryland becomes new data center battleground as demand soars

Scoop: Congressional Dems help fuel more D.C. labor wars