DC cherry blossom trees reach 1st bloom stage

By Abigail Constantino
March 11, 2026 | 12:58 PM

Small green buds are appearing on D.C.’s famous cherry blossom trees, marking the first of six stages before peak bloom.

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The National Park Service has projected the Yoshino cherry trees along the Tidal Basin will likely reach peak bloom from March 29 to April 1.

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School bus emergency? Fairfax County students have a plan to handle it

By Heather Gustafson
August 21, 2026 | 10:05 PM

This story is part of WTOP’s 2026 Back to School coverage. The wheels on the bus will soon be going round and round again in Fairfax County, Virginia, and some of its young riders are learning what to do if there’s an emergency on the way to school. The annual Safety Patrol Training Camp, hosted by Fairfax County Public Schools' Office of Transportation Services, combined hands-on exercises with classroom lessons to teach students how to keep calm during emergencies on buses. The training can feel remarkably realistic, with overturned school buses on their side or completely upside down in the middle of the county bus depot. Other buses, right side up, fill with smoke that is water-based but mimics the intensity of a bus overheating.

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