McGinley, Powers and Brody represent divergent factions of the American electorate, yet they share an overarching political affinity: Each is open to casting a ballot for former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in their state鈥檚 Republican primary on Tuesday or the general election in November.

 鈥淚 think I鈥檝e tried to be open-minded throughout this process,鈥� Brody said. 鈥淚 think I have learned more about Nikki Haley鈥檚 beliefs, and there are a few things I agree with her on.鈥�

 The Haley campaign managed to outlast a field of 13 fellow Republicans mounting a challenge to former president Donald Trump as he seeks to claim the party nomination for a third consecutive election cycle. 

 Despite a third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, coming in behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis 鈥� who suspended his campaign this week 鈥� Haley continued on in the race, betting her candidacy on a strong showing in the first-in-the-nation-primary state of New Hampshire.

 Though still trailing Trump, a series of and a high-power endorsement from Gov. Chris Sununu gave Haley a spurt of momentum she hopes will carry her to an upset victory over her party鈥檚 standard bearer.

 Haley has seen a substantial increase in support across New Hampshire, partly thanks to the state鈥檚 higher concentration of college-educated voters, most of whom backed her candidacy in Iowa. She also is likely to benefit from an open-primary structure, which allows independents to vote in partisan primaries. 

 In order to win in New Hampshire and subsequent primary contests, as well as the general election in November, Haley will need to stitch together a coalition of conservatives, moderate liberals and unaffiliated voters to overcome both the Trump firewall on her right flank and a begrudgingly united Democratic party machine behind incumbent president Joe Biden.

 Though it is yet to be determined if Haley will win a majority of young voters in her primary race, among those currently backing her campaign, she has managed to draw support from across the political spectrum.

 In young, anti-Trump conservative circles, Haley represents the last hope for a return to the Reagan-Bush era of Republican politics, galvanizing a wing of the party that has been largely driven out in recent years.

  鈥淚 think she鈥檚 a much better alternative, and if she was in a general election with Joe Biden, I think she would be way more competitive than Donald Trump,鈥� Powers said. 鈥淚 just don鈥檛 like Trump.” 

Among Independents such as McGinley, Haley is not a first-choice candidate, but appears to be a more palatable candidate on social issues, such as abortion rights, leading him to weigh voting for her as a means to block Trump, whom he sees as too extreme.

 鈥淎t the very least, I don鈥檛 think Nikki Haley would be winding back the clock the way that someone like Trump would,鈥� McGinley said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e literally turning things back half a century, and they鈥檙e clear about it, that鈥檚 what they want.鈥�

For Brody 鈥� who said she would consider voting for Haley in a hypothetical match-up against Biden 鈥� the ambassador presents a generational shift she yearns for despite her liberal-leaning politics.

If Haley were to earn her vote, Brody said, her ballot would be cast less out of enthusiasm for her and more from concerns regarding the president鈥檚 age of 81 as he seeks a second term in office.

鈥淚 think the problem is it really is kind of a battle of the lesser of two evils,鈥� Brody said. 鈥淚 would consider the lesser evil to be Biden, but to me, I鈥檓 really looking for a younger candidate.鈥�

The post For Nikki Haley, youth support crosses party lines first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

After moving to D.C. in August, she began searching for volunteer opportunities to make fresh grains accessible.

Alexander now works with the Mid-Atlantic Grain Stand, a small farm produce vendor. The stand is funded by a partnership between The Common Grain Alliance and FRESHFARM, a pair of nonprofits that emphasize promoting small organic grain farm goods.

鈥淐ompared to what you would get at the grocery store, because of the national supply chains that those products are on, it takes about 2-3 years for them to hit the shelf, so it鈥檚 a lot older,鈥� Alexander said. 鈥淲hen folks are able to access these local grains, they鈥檙e gaining nutritional value.鈥�

FRESHFARM plays an active role in collaborating with vendors such as the Mid-Atlantic Grain Stand and organizes open air farmers markets across the D.C. Metropolitan Area. Most recently, FRESHFARM hosted its Winter Market in Silver Spring on Dec. 16, 2023.

The Winter Market drew hundreds of shoppers and brought together dozens of Maryland-based farmers and chefs looking to promote their brands in Montgomery County. The market was organized by a partnership between Downtown Silver Spring and FRESHFARM.

FRESHFARM functions primarily as an organizer, partnering with small business owners in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. After starting out in Dupont Circle, FRESHFARM vendor Grace Harmon said, the nonprofit rapidly expanded and now operates out of four locations, including Silver Spring.

鈥淥ur goal is to elevate and raise awareness about local grain options in this region,鈥� Harmon said. 鈥淓verything that is out here has been grown milled and packaged within a 200-mile radius of the city of D.C.鈥�

FRESHFARM is unique among outdoor market organizers in that its satellite vendors, such as the Mid-Atlantic Grain Stand, take Electronic Benefit Transfer cards provided to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollees.

SNAP 鈥� formerly referred to as food stamps 鈥� provides aid for low-income individuals purchasing food, yet program participants often find fresh grains from organic markets are financially out of reach. FRESHFARM Market Operator Pam Simon hopes her organization can work to close the gap through a deal offered to SNAP benefit recipients to match purchases up to $30 at the market, helping to keep the purchase affordable.

鈥淔RESHFARM鈥檚 mission is really to do a lot of support for food access,鈥� Simon said. 鈥淲e have several different kinds of food access avenues for people. Individuals who are on SNAP, EBT, if they use them at the market, they get double, up to $30 to spend. Money comes off their SNAP card, and then we match it.鈥�

聽As groups such as FRESHFARM expand access to fresh grains for many Montgomery County residents, many businesses featured its markets come from outside of Silver Spring, potentially creating economic friction between vendors and local business owners.

Reed Ridwal, assistant manager of a Silver Spring sushi business, said he tends to get along well with farmers market vendors and believes that they, not unlike himself, are businesspeople looking to make a living, but he also said locally owned shops and restaurants feel the pressure to out-sell markets on days they open.

鈥淚f it鈥檚 the same type of restaurant, like one or two Japanese restaurants, that鈥檚 competition,鈥� Ridwal said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fine though, there鈥檚 no problem.鈥�

While they may generate some competition, markets 鈥� particularly those which vend fresh produce 鈥� serve a vital function for under-resourced communities, Carl Brown, the executive director of the District of Columbia Small Business Development Center, said.

Brown said many areas in the greater Washington region are food deserts; areas where residents to fresh healthy foods. For these communities, visiting pop-up markets can provide a rare opportunity to purchase fresh, nutritious meals.

Brown drew on his own experience working at Howard University and recalled a student-led initiative to organize farmers markets on campus as evidence for his claim. He said these markets provided a healthy alternative for students without creating competition for local businesses, as these vendors tend to sell a very different style of food. He added this example could be exported to food deserts on a larger scale.

鈥淒oes it take away from the small businesses that are there?鈥� Brown said. 鈥淣o, because they鈥檙e complementing what they have, right? They鈥檝e got the cookies, the chocolate bars and all that. They don’t have fruit, vegetables that the students want.鈥�

FRESHFARM will return to Silver Spring on Saturday, December 23.

The post Silver Spring outdoor market looks to provide fresh, accessible produce first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The plan builds on existing progress throughout the county, which MCPS officials say placed five dispensers in every high school and three in nearly every middle school under its jurisdiction since 2021. MCPS is now looking to install dispensers in remaining middle schools and begin stocking elementary schools.

鈥淎ll of our 25 high schools have at least five dispensers to date in each school, and of course the products are free,鈥� said MCPS Communications Director Chris Cram. 鈥淭he next was to move to middle schools. When that part of the project is done, at least three student restrooms in each of the middle schools will ultimately have these dispensers.鈥�

After successfully equipping each Montgomery County high school with menstrual health products, Cram said the department moved forward with its plan to place dispensers in White Oak Middle School and Montgomery Village Middle School in January of last year. The , according to a newsletter issued by the school district, was to place two dispensers in every middle and high school and one in every elementary school by the summer of 2022.

MCPS took a different route, Cram said. The district chose first to fully stock each high school with the five dispensers the initiative called for before shifting its focus to middle and elementary schools, with White Oak and Montgomery Village leading the way.

The decision paid dividends for MCPS, Cram said, with the school system eyeing the end of the 2023-2024 academic year as a target date to install three dispensers in each middle school and one in every elementary school.

鈥淚 think we’re on a path to do it far more quickly than that,鈥� Cram said. 鈥淲e seem to indicate that we will very likely be done by the end of this next school year, mostly done this year.鈥�

The move by MCPS 聽builds on a passed by the Maryland state legislature. The state law, introduced as HB 0205, mandates all middle and high schools provide free menstrual products to students by 2025 and comes as Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando introduced a bill () in November requiring the county to install free menstrual product dispensers in public women鈥檚 bathrooms by the same year.

Montgomery County residents have expressed concerns regarding a lack of access to affordable menstrual health products.

County Board of Education Ombudsman Ryvell Fitzpatrick said the general public had urged municipal lawmakers to make tampons more readily accessible to MCPS students during public meetings that pre-dated the 2021 ordinance.

鈥淧eople did come in and provide public comment at board meetings,鈥� Fitzpatrick said. 鈥淭here was definitely the request from the community.鈥�

Montgomery County鈥檚 push for menstrual healthcare equity represents another step in what George Washington University School of Nursing鈥檚 Senior Policy Professor Diana Mason called a global movement to provide free period products to women and girls.

First conceived in Great Britain, Mason said programs to reduce the cost of menstrual health care have yielded positive results in Europe and could serve as a model for both Montgomery County and the United States.

鈥淭his was first identified I believe in Scotland in the UK,鈥� Mason said. 鈥淚t has enabled women and girls to not miss as much school and work. It has reduced or eliminated the barrier of the cost of menstrual products in public places for girls and women.鈥�

Mason, who on menstrual inequality, said lack of access to proper menstrual hygienic products most directly impacts women and girls from working class backgrounds, creating a school and work attendance gap which further exacerbates socioeconomic inequality.

鈥淲e know that there are some girls who, when they have their periods, if they don’t have menstrual products will not go to school,鈥� Mason said. 鈥淲e know that for some women who are particularly in low-income jobs, that if they don’t have menstrual products, they may miss work.鈥�

Beyond the financial and education implications of lacking access to proper menstrual hygiene, insufficient period healthcare can prove deadly.

Mason said women who cannot afford menstrual healthcare frequently find themselves rationing or recycling tampons, which is a leading cause of toxic shock syndrome a potentially lethal condition caused by bacteria.

鈥淢enstrual hygiene is an issue,鈥� Mason said. 鈥淲e know that toxic shock syndrome is a consequence of superabsorbent tampons. If you if have limited access to tampons, you might decide 鈥業’m not going to change my tampon. I’m just going to keep it in.鈥� Well, you’re putting yourself at risk of toxic shock syndrome, which can kill.鈥�

To Mason, initiatives such as HB 0205 and MCPS swift response to the law mark a turning point not only in economic equality for women, but greater gender equality overall.

According to , the average price of a box of tampon is roughly $7, but prices can climb as high as $30 through depending on the brands and stores women buy from 鈥� a frequent expense men are spared from.

As a medical professional, Mason observed men are frequently given non-essential grooming products free of charge. She is hopeful laws such as HB 0205 will play a part leveling the financial playing field.

鈥淚t’s in it’s sort of crazy because so I am a nurse, and in hospitals we provide men with shaving products for free, right, and menstrual products are often charged for,鈥� Mason said.

The post Montgomery County ahead of schedule for providing free menstrual products to students first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

A lack of winter-resistant infrastructure, poor coordination between local public works departments, and an abundantly cautious school cancellation policy loom over Montgomery County, as meteorologists forecast this winter 鈥� roughly the state average.

Predictions include between 22-30 inches of precipitation in southeast Montgomery County and 30-40 inches in the northwest, according to meteorologist Doug Kammerer.

Among the most visible byproducts of winter storms are school cancellations and delays, which hit Montgomery County particularly hard due to the structure of its education system.

Montgomery County, despite its status as the in Maryland and covering a land area of , is home to one continuous school district, serving in both urban population centers near Washington, D.C. and rural communities near Fredrick County.

The result is a network of municipalities with vastly different needs and environments held together under the same umbrella organization, which can lead to issues facing one region of the county rippling across the entire district.

Northern Montgomery County, for instance, is characterized by , leaving it susceptible to snowstorms, and requiring greater efforts to clear roads for school buses.

Southern Montgomery County, meanwhile, is home to lower-lying and more developed terrain, leaving it less vulnerable to the potentially hazardous consequences snow-covered roads.

Yet, due to its unified district structure, parents said a school delay or cancellation in one section of Montgomery County applies to all schools, regardless of geography or snowfall levels.

鈥淥ur experience was that if there was an expectation of two or three inches of snow up into the northern part of the county, they took the whole thing down,鈥� said Chris Rutledge, a former parent of a Montgomery County School District student. 鈥淲e would be sitting there staring at our green soggy perhaps, but still green lawn because we got nothing.鈥�

Montgomery County Public Schools operate through a system determining school closures and delays. Calls for early dismissals are scheduled to be made by 11 a.m., while two-hour delay calls are intended to be made by 5 a.m.

Rutledge said he grew frustrated as a father, viewing the policy as a detriment to both learning outcomes for a majority of students and a burden on working parents.

鈥淭here are so many working parents, and I accept that MCPS is not there to be a babysitter,鈥� Rutledge said. 鈥淏ut, you can’t say to parents, when there’s nothing on the ground, that 鈥榶ou have to take a day off of work鈥� and be with your kids, because we decided to close down because there’s one icy road.鈥�

The effects of the Montgomery County approach to school closures are exasperated, by a tendency on the part of the school district to cancel school relatively quickly, even as predicted snowfall totals appear to be low in affected areas, Rutledge said.

鈥淎t a certain point, when it’s just half an inch of watery slush on the ground [and] that thousands of people seem to get to work every day, and that somehow we can’t pull this off in Montgomery County?鈥� Rutledge said.

At the crux of the Montgomery County winter weather protocol may lie concerns regarding the capacity of smaller, northern towns to handle snowstorms.

Parks and Streets Department Director Preston King of Poolesville said the town braces for snowstorms each year due to its geography, but said he often relies on outside contractors and local residents to assist with snow removal due to a lack of resources.

鈥淲e hire contractors, and most contractors have one to two vehicles that we’re bringing in to assist the town staff.鈥� King said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e an ag community, and so where we’re located, I have several farmers that I can have do an emergency contract, and they got giant equipment to help move the snow.鈥�

South of Poolesville, Rockville Operations and Management Assistant Superintendent Bob Valentine expressed optimism regarding his city鈥檚 ability to negate the worst effects of a snowstorm, but he 聽said he also relied on outside groups to plow snow from roads, along with several additional cities and towns.

鈥淲e have a couple of salt contracts in place, and we have contracts for some contractors if we need them.鈥� Valentine said. 鈥淚 think when you get inundated and hammered and there’s a blizzard all the municipalities need to reach out.鈥�

To current and former parents such as Rutledge, the salt and snowplow resource gap shows an apparent disinterest in addressing school cancellation frequency by county government.

Rutledge said he believes the school district and county government have not, in his view, taken concrete steps to search for a countywide approach to clear roads and keep schools open.

鈥淚 can’t believe that we can’t figure out how to get kids to school,鈥� Rutledge said. 鈥淭here’s less infrastructure in the county to handle snowfall, to which I respond, it snows nearly every year.鈥�

Montgomery County Public Schools and the County Council Education Committee declined requests for comment.

The post Montgomery County Public Schools brace for high precipitation winter first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Chants of 鈥淥ne, two, three, four, we won鈥檛 settle anymore,鈥� and 鈥淗ey-hey, ho-ho, no one should be forced to go,鈥� reverberated across K Street as picketing workers rallied in protest, something the organizers said has not occured at the Post in decades.

The union organized the demonstration in response to a buyout proposal from company leadership intended to cut 240 employees from the Post’s workforce. 聽Employees also took issue with the Post鈥檚 contract proposals, which the Guild said do not include the wages, retirement packages, or job security provisions workers previously asked for.

鈥淸We are] protesting the buyout offer that we were given, and we鈥檙e also demanding that the company continue to negotiate with us over the buyout package, as well as the contract, which has been an ongoing negotiation for months,鈥� said staff writer Daniela Galarza.

Post employees said they grew frustrated with the buyout program because the burden to take the company-offered severance package fell more heavily on a select number of news desks and offices.

最新蜜桃影像ington Post Guild Co-Chair Katie Mettler said each department of the Post was offered the package, but the offer came with a caveat: some departments saw a higher 鈥渃ap鈥� placed on the number of eligible employees than others.

Mettler said departments such as the newsletter, local news, video, audio, copy, and circulation were given a cap of between five and seven employees, implying company leadership expects that number of workers to take the package whether they want to or not. Other departments were given caps of either one or two employees, she said.

The result is a proposal that forces cuts on employees who would prefer to stay at the company and blocks those who may want to leave the company from taking the package, Mettler said.

鈥淲ith the buyout, specifically, for some people it鈥檚 truly voluntary, and that鈥檚 what the company has said,鈥� Mettler said. 鈥淔or those people who feel this is a good deal for them, we want them to take it, but 聽for a lot of people it feels forced or coerced.鈥�

Those who do take the buyout option will receive disproportionate levels of actual take-home compensation based on their age, Mettler said.

The Guild co-chair said the money offered to buyout takers is placed in a secure retirement account (SRA). The money in these accounts is taxed upon withdrawal. Workers who dip into their SRA at a younger age are required to pay higher taxes on the accounts than those who are near retirement age.

reported that the company 聽chose to offer the buyout to employees in response to a steady decline in subscribers and a projected loss of $100 million this year.

But, employees are questioning whether planned cuts to the local news desk is a wise decision for an organization that serves as Washington, D.C.鈥檚 local paper.

鈥淚 just think that some big-time decisions have already been made about the direction of the business in terms of who gets offered a buyout,鈥� said national reporter Robert Klemko. 鈥淔rom all accounts, it sounds like local news is getting hit the hardest, and I鈥檓 not convinced that that鈥檚 the way to make the Washington Post profitable.鈥�

In addition to the buyout, employees took issue with the pace and terms of contract negotiations, which Mettler said did not include a salary floor raise for the Post鈥檚 lowest-paid employees or a more stringent 鈥渏ust cause鈥� policy meant to protect employees from layoffs without sufficient reasoning.

Mettler said employees also sought mental healthcare benefits to address 鈥渟econdary trauma鈥� from reporting on emotionally taxing issues.

Despite nearly a year-and-a-half of negotiations, union members and company leadership were unable to reach a contract. Exasperation with company executives grew as buyouts were announced in the midst of contract negotiation, which Mettler said heightened the stakes of pay and employee protection disputes.

鈥淲e have been contract bargaining for 17 months, and we were at the tail end of contract bargaining trying to get a deal,鈥� Mettler said. 鈥淭he company wasn鈥檛 really taking us seriously, wasn鈥檛 really coming to the table with serious negotiation intent, and then they announced these buyouts.鈥�

最新蜜桃影像ington Post could not be reached for comment.

The post Washington Post employees protest buyouts, slowed contract negotiations first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The tension comes as a potential government shutdown looms and leading national security agencies face crises including expiring Department of Homeland Security clearances and a hard-right

Mayorkas and Wray asked lawmakers to fully finance their agencies, citing national security threats, including geopolitical foes and potential lone wolf attacks inspired by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

鈥淟one actors and nation-states such as Russia, Iran, North Korea and the People鈥檚 Republic of China [can] use computer code to steal sensitive personal information, shut down our critical infrastructure and extort millions in ransom payments,鈥� Mayorkas said.

Mayorkas cautioned lawmakers that the United States could be vulnerable to an attack due to a handful of DHS authorizations that are on pace to expire in the coming weeks.

The DHS lost its ability to carry out anti-terrorism initiatives that prevent hazardous chemicals from being weaponized in July, Mayorkas said.

He also said Homeland Security will lose authorization to mitigate the threat of weapons of mass destruction and gather intelligence, in addition to limiting 鈥渢he Secret Service’s ability to protect the president and vice president.鈥�

Wray reiterated the issue of expiring authorizations and emphasized the importance of continued intelligence collection.

鈥淚t would be absolutely devastating if the next time an adversary like Iran or China launches a major cyber attack, we don鈥檛 see it coming,鈥� Wray said.

鈥楪host bus鈥� and Jan. 6

Mayorkas and Wray鈥檚 points went largely unaddressed by House conservatives who earlier this week to impeach Mayorkas and threatened to defund the FBI.

Republican lawmakers tore into Mayorkas and Wray, accusing them of abdicating their duties and conducting a sting operation during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., addressed Mayorkas first, briefly citing his failed impeachment of the embattled secretary. Higgins complimented Mayorkas as a 鈥渨orthy adversary鈥� but said that he鈥檇 made his case against him already and was done with him now.聽He then turned to Wray.

Higgins asked Wray several times if the FBI had confidential human sources or plants dressed as Trump supporters during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Wray said he could not reveal where he had and had not used confidential human sources but rebuffed claims that FBI plants attended the riot on Jan. 6.

鈥淚f you are asking whether the violence at the Capitol on January 6 was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and or agents, the answer is emphatically not,鈥� Wray said.

Higgins continued his line of questioning.

鈥淒o you know what a ghost bus is?鈥� Higgins asked.

Wray said he wasn’t sure he鈥檇 used the term before.

Higgins said the term was pretty common in law enforcement. He explained that a ghost bus was a vehicle used for secret purposes and referred to a cardboard cut-out of buses behind him.

Higgins said the alleged buses were filled with FBI informants that were planted at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

鈥淵our day is coming Mr. Wray,鈥� Higgins said.

Rep. McCaul, R-Texas., called out Mayorkas for a 鈥渄ereliction of duty.鈥� McCaul cited his concern over 鈥渟pecial interest aliens,鈥� which the Department of Homeland Security defines as non-US individuals who pose a national security risk to the US.

鈥淪ir, I鈥檓 going to argue that you鈥檝e been aiding and abetting the deaths and the criminal enterprise that has occurred in this nation,鈥� McCaul said.

Before the hearing, Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., questioned Mayorkas鈥� representation of the facts.

鈥淭he only person that thinks the Southwest border is secure is Mayorkas,鈥� said Green.

Democratic lawmakers chastised their Republican colleagues, defending Mayorkas and suggesting that conservative attacks were exaggerated and unjustified.

鈥淚 think it’s incredibly dangerous to accuse Secretary Mayorkas of aiding and abetting crimes,鈥� said Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y. 鈥淎s you well know, you need to have the intent to do that, and it’s clear that, whether you disagree or not with Secretary Mayorkas鈥� approach to dealing with the border, that to accuse him of aiding and abetting crime is very serious, and I think, unwarranted in this situation.鈥�

Mayorkas narrowly avoided an impeachment inquiry when the House voted Nov. 13 to send the resolution proposed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. to committee, sidelining it for the moment.

The post Lawmakers and intelligence officials spar over security funding first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The accident was mourned as an anomalous tragedy by Maryland kayakers, who are now reckoning with potentially hazardous yet common practices on the water and weighing giving up whitewater kayaking altogether.

Ella Mills, a Columbia University student, was on a trip with her school kayaking club along the Potomac River on September 17 before her vessel capsized in an area under the jurisdiction of the C & O Canal National Historic Park.

The incident occurred in a section of rapids along the Potomac due east of Maryland鈥檚 Brookmont neighborhood and the Lockhouse 6 landmark and dwelling space. Kayakers flock to this spot where a parking lot across from the canal and town path gives way to a Potomac River inlet alongside the Clara Barton Parkway.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services Public Information Officer Pete Piringer said Mills attempted to swim but was caught in a section of rapids where she remained trapped until rescuers arrived.

鈥淥ne of their boaters 鈥� kayakers 鈥� became distressed and experienced a problem,鈥� Piringer said. 鈥淸She] essentially was brought under the current and underwater, trapped under a rock and unfortunately presumably drowned as a result.鈥�

An investigation into the incident, which was handed over to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, is ongoing. Officers have yet to determine how Mills became trapped, but department public information officer Kristina Saunders said rescuers believe her clothing was ensnared by a rock.

The C & O Canal, a winding waterway and accompanying walking path, stretches and connects Cumberland, Maryland to Washington through what was originally built as a commercial channel adjacent to the Potomac. Kayakers frequent canal property, using it as a staging area to enter a variety of rapids on the nearby river.

The canal and the Potomac both saw of accidents, including drownings, between 1989-2023, according to the National Park Service, but last week鈥檚 incident stood apart because it occurred in a segment of the river not known for treacherous currents.

Jeremy Blum, a kayaker who regularly paddles near the accident site, said the river segment in question is a designated rapid, involving 鈥淪traightforward rapids with wide, clear channels,鈥�

To Blum 鈥� cautiously clad in a helmet and life preserver鈥� last week鈥檚 incident represented an aberration in an otherwise safe region of the Potomac.

鈥淭his run, typically, is one even beginners go on, and they鈥檝e been going on many, many years,鈥� Blum said. 鈥淚t seems to me, based on the descriptions that I鈥檝e read, that it was very much a freak accident, and she just ended up being very unlucky in the way that she ended up trapped.鈥�

As a 10-year veteran of Montgomery County rivers, Blum is reluctant to give up his hobby and does not find fault with any individual or group for Mills鈥� death, but he is willing to acknowledge a cavalier attitude toward river safety persists among some whitewater kayakers and hopes to see a cultural shift.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 blame anyone,鈥� Blum said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 happened is the kayaking community has been thinking about the accident and thinking about what could鈥檝e been done differently to try to avoid it.鈥�

Part of what puts kayaker at risk 鈥� even in calm waters 鈥� Is a sense of invincibility and a pension for showmanship which lifelong Maryland resident and avid rafter Matthew Bothner said leads kayakers to attempt a variety of daring stunts, often resulting in near-disastrous capsizes.

To Bothner, a lethal accident in Little Falls was only a matter of time away.

鈥淚鈥檇 believe it could happen,鈥� Matthew Bothner said. 鈥淧eople kayak down here all the time. I see them doing their crazy flips. Sometimes I even see it where they have to help each other get back in because sometimes they鈥檒l flip themselves under water.鈥�

Bothner said he tried to be abundantly cautious when out on the water. He said despite his wealth of experience fishing from his own vessel, he no longer feels safe on the Potomac after last week鈥檚 incident.

鈥淚 can absolutely see someone getting in over their head out there,鈥� Bothner said. 鈥淚 have a fishing kayak personally and I take it out on a lot of ponds and lakes, and I don鈥檛 feel comfortable taking it on the Potomac River. I wouldn鈥檛 discourage anyone away from a sport, but I would make sure that they鈥檙e cautious before they get into it.鈥�

When reflecting on his own activities, Blum admitted he often rafts solo and said the accident on the Potomac last week opened his eyes to the dangers or kayaking solo, considering deadly accidents can happen even in large groups.

Blum urged novice kayakers to take aquatic rescue courses and explore the Potomac in groups.

鈥淥ne of the recommendations would be to always paddle in a group, make sure there are people in the group who really understand the section of river that you鈥檙e going on, and take a water rescue class.鈥�

The National Park Service published a of safety recommendations for whitewater kayakers, including checking water levels and avoiding rocky areas.

The National Park Service could not be reached for comment.

The post Fatal accident on the Potomac forces safety reckoning among kayakers first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.