Washington Monument reopened after elevator control issues

By Reem Nadeem
November 16, 2019 | 2:40 PM

The Washington Monument has reopened after it had experienced issues with the elevator controls earlier on Saturday.

The Monument was closed for about three hours.

The system that allows park rangers to access the elevator controls lost power, according to the Park Service.

Just two days after the Monument reopened for visitors on Sept. 19, the elevator stopped working for about an hour.

WTOP rides shotgun at 140 mph on DC’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix course

By Jimmy Alexander
August 21, 2026 | 9:49 PM

Less than 24 hours before the first checkered flag waves at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in D.C., drivers got a chance Friday to put the 1.7-mile street course through its paces. WTOP got to ride shotgun in a 670-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette Z06, reaching about 140 mph on the streets surrounding the National Mall. Behind the wheel was Ken Morris, General Motors' senior vice president of product programs, product safety and motor sports. “Oh, inspiring!” Morris said after the run. “D.C. is such a phenomenal place. I'm starstruck by it every time I'm here and to be able to have a track in the middle of it is fantastic.”

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