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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.

New Pennsylvania Ave. could include redoing Freedom Plaza and more flags

Designers also propose fewer lanes and more greenery.

Federal planners advanced plans to revitalize <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Pennsylvania Avenue" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/02/11/trump-stacked-commission-eyes-pennsylvania-avenue-overhaul" data-vars-content-id="4a585279-c84e-4dfd-8946-adadf3057c86" data-vars-headline="New Pennsylvania Ave. could include redoing Freedom Plaza and more flags" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/02/11/trump-stacked-commission-eyes-pennsylvania-avenue-overhaul" target="_self">Pennsylvania Avenue</a> between the White House and the Capitol.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="once-in-a-generation project" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ncpc.gov/initiatives/pennave/" data-vars-content-id="4a585279-c84e-4dfd-8946-adadf3057c86" data-vars-headline="New Pennsylvania Ave. could include redoing Freedom Plaza and more flags" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ncpc.gov/initiatives/pennave/" target="_blank">once-in-a-generation project</a> aims to make it a &quot;people&#x27;s promenade&quot; — shrinking the eight-lane roadway, upgrading its aging infrastructure and adding more greenery to welcome everyday visitors and tourists.

Massive parking garages loom in Commanders plans

You don't see many parking decks in D.C., and these approach the Height Act limits.

You don&#x27;t see many parking decks in D.C., but the ones at the new Commanders stadium could be up to 110 feet tall.Why it matters: At more than half the height of the stadium itself, the latest designs show the 11-story garages swallowing the skyline.

Pro-Trump social media campaign wants to legalize skyscrapers in D.C.

Politics

There&#x27;s a new anonymous push to overturn the Height Act: A Trump-aligned X account that wants skyscrapers in D.C.Why it matters: For a pro-height group, they keep a low profile.

9,000 pages of comments slam Trump White House ballroom plan

A 30-year member of the capital's planning commission has never seen such an outcry over a project.

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="National Capital Planning Commission" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/07/11/trump-deputies-take-over-powerful-dc-planning-commission" data-vars-content-id="43c869a1-f9b7-4267-85ec-fc7b551089b7" data-vars-headline="9,000 pages of comments slam Trump White House ballroom plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/07/11/trump-deputies-take-over-powerful-dc-planning-commission" target="_self">National Capital Planning Commission</a> has released over 9,000 pages of public comments denouncing <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="President Trump&#x27;s ballroom" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/01/08/white-house-east-wing-expansion-ballroom-design-plans" data-vars-content-id="43c869a1-f9b7-4267-85ec-fc7b551089b7" data-vars-headline="9,000 pages of comments slam Trump White House ballroom plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/01/08/white-house-east-wing-expansion-ballroom-design-plans" target="_self">President Trump&#x27;s ballroom</a> project, ahead of a meeting on Thursday when the public is expected to again sound off. Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="East Wing&#x27;s demolition" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/10/21/trump-white-house-east-wing-renovation-backlash" data-vars-content-id="43c869a1-f9b7-4267-85ec-fc7b551089b7" data-vars-headline="9,000 pages of comments slam Trump White House ballroom plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/10/21/trump-white-house-east-wing-renovation-backlash" target="_self">East Wing&#x27;s demolition</a> roiled D.C. and raised existential questions about the future of the White House, in the face of Trump&#x27;s relentless drive to leave his imprint on Washington.

Trump-stacked commission eyes Pennsylvania Avenue overhaul

The last overhaul of the 1.2-mile stretch came in the 1970s.

Development

Federal officials want to move on a &quot;once-in-a-generation opportunity&quot; to remake Pennsylvania Avenue.Why it matters: America&#x27;s Main Street — once considered <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the most prized commercial stretch of D.C." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/04/23/most-expensive-street-commercial-real-estate" data-vars-content-id="ee09af7a-ef24-4fe0-954d-efd19df4ef85" data-vars-headline="Trump-stacked commission eyes Pennsylvania Avenue overhaul" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/04/23/most-expensive-street-commercial-real-estate" target="_self">the most prized commercial stretch of D.C.</a> — needs some sprucing up.

D.C. developments to watch in 2026

We have updates on 11th Street Bridge Park, Bezos Learning Center and more.

It&#x27;s a new year for D.C. — time to check in on some real estate projects happening around town.Why it matters: The DMV&#x27;s skyline is constantly evolving, with future developments always in the pipeline — think <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Therme" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/03/20/therme-wellness-saunas-thermal-baths-waterslides-renderings" data-vars-content-id="1fe03bad-c81f-4d19-8861-065f86b5198d" data-vars-headline="D.C. developments to watch in 2026" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/03/20/therme-wellness-saunas-thermal-baths-waterslides-renderings" target="_self">Therme</a>, or a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Southwest neighborhood" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/02/03/federal-offices-national-mall-wharf-residential" data-vars-content-id="1fe03bad-c81f-4d19-8861-065f86b5198d" data-vars-headline="D.C. developments to watch in 2026" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/02/03/federal-offices-national-mall-wharf-residential" target="_self">Southwest neighborhood</a> — but it can take years to see progress.

What architecture experts like — and don't — about Commanders' stadium designs

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Washington Commanders" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/13/washington-commanders-stadium-architect-hks" data-vars-content-id="6ebe4606-62fc-482a-b6a9-e97be35cda47" data-vars-headline="What architecture experts like — and don&#x27;t — about Commanders&#x27; stadium designs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/13/washington-commanders-stadium-architect-hks" target="_self">Washington Commanders</a> just released renderings of their future stadium at the RFK site — and the exterior, ringed by a white colonnade, appears to satisfy <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trump allies&#x27; request for classical features" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/01/07/trump-allies-classical-design-new-commanders-stadium" data-vars-content-id="6ebe4606-62fc-482a-b6a9-e97be35cda47" data-vars-headline="What architecture experts like — and don&#x27;t — about Commanders&#x27; stadium designs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/01/07/trump-allies-classical-design-new-commanders-stadium" target="_self">Trump allies&#x27; request for classical features</a>.Why it matters: The first look from architect HKS says a lot about the $3.7 billion project, and how it could integrate — or not — into D.C.&#x27;s skyline for decades to come.

East Wing expansion plans revealed as Trump team pushes for fast-track approval

The White House's plans now also include a two-story West Wing colonnade.

Politics & Policy

The new East Wing addition is slated to be two stories, and rise to the same height as the White House, according to plans the architect for President Trump&#x27;s ballroom revealed Thursday. <ul><li>The glowup could now also include adding a second-story addition to the existing West Wing colonnade so the two wings are symmetrical. </li></ul>

Former Key Bridge Marriott site to be developed into housing, hotel, green space

Expect housing, a hotel and public green space.

The developer of the former <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Key Bridge Marriott" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/06/12/key-bridge-marriott-demolition" data-vars-content-id="541de2a8-ee00-4da4-a56f-995d187070e2" data-vars-headline="Former Key Bridge Marriott site to be developed into housing, hotel, green space" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/06/12/key-bridge-marriott-demolition" target="_self">Key Bridge Marriott</a> site has released plans to reimagine the area.Why it matters: The future of the prime piece of land — which sits by the Key Bridge in Rosslyn, overlooking the Potomac — has been a local point of chatter since Marriott vacated the building several years ago.

Maryland becomes new data center battleground as demand soars

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

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.

Development 🏗️

New Pennsylvania Ave. could include redoing Freedom Plaza and more flags

Massive parking garages loom in Commanders plans

Pro-Trump social media campaign wants to legalize skyscrapers in D.C.

9,000 pages of comments slam Trump White House ballroom plan

Trump-stacked commission eyes Pennsylvania Avenue overhaul