Latest news with #DMV
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Remembering a Washington legend
Hey, Commanders fans, do you recall Zema Williams? Or perhaps you might remember him better if I were to refer to him as "Chief Zee?" Yes, that Chief Zee! For those unfamiliar with this part of Redskins history, Williams passed away on July 19, 2016, nine years ago today. Williams, better known as "Chief Zee," is reported to have begun attending Washington Redskins games during the 1978 season. By the way, that season was one of the most disappointing for me while growing up in northern Virginia. You see, the Redskins started that season 6-0, only to finish the season with a record of 8-8. One of the primary reasons that occurred was that Joe Theismann was injured and attempted to play through it, but his performance was severely hindered. Back to Chief Zee. He would appear at home games wearing a full feathered headdress and a Native American costume, complete with a toy tomahawk. Local news media in print and television broadcast stories on him, and pretty soon, the entire DMV fan base loved Chief Zee. Some may even recall how he became friends with his Dallas Cowboys counterpoint, Wilford 'Crazy Ray' Jones. The two teams would visit each other's stadiums and get together to put on a show for the fans of both teams. Crazy Ray in his Cowboys attire and Chief Zee wearing his Redskins attire. Chief Zee would become such friends with Jones that Chief Zee determined to skip a Redskins home game in 2007. Redskins fans learned after the fact that Chief Zee felt it would be a higher priority for him to attend the funeral of 'Crazy Ray' and honor his friend. It was only the second game he had missed since the 1981 season, when his own father had died. When watching one of those NFL Films productions of the Washington Redskins 1982 season, you will see Chief Zee all the way out in Pasadena to cheer on his favorite team at Super Bowl XVII in a 27-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, and in his own Redskins uniform, of course. Some may recall Chief Zee riding around FedEx Field on his moped in his later years. At that point, Chief Zee had suffered one of his big toes being amputated. But still wanting to attend the games, cheer on the team, and interact with fans, the Redskins helped and purchased the moped for him. When things got tough for Williams and he was only living off his Social Security, some fans united together via a GoFundMe campaign, paying both back rent and some future rent as well. reported on July 20, 2016, that Williams had died the previous night in his sleep and that he had been suffering from bad health for his last months. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Remembering a Commanders' legend
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kevin Durant's Nike KD 18 ‘International Blue' inspired by Nike Foamposite
The post Kevin Durant's Nike KD 18 'International Blue' inspired by Nike Foamposite appeared first on ClutchPoints. Nike Basketball recently unveiled an entire slate of upcoming releases throughout the next year via their Nike SNKRS app. All their most popular performance models, include Kevin Durant's Nike KD 18, will see a number of unique upcoming releases in terms of their colorways and themes. Up next for Durant, we'll see yet another homage to the DMV area with confirmation of an upcoming Nike KD 18 'International Blue.' Check our Sneakers news for more upcoming releases and breaking content! Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant hails from the Washington D.C. area and he's always been active in showing support for the towns that brought him up. He reps a massive 'MARYLAND' tattoo across his back along with a Washington Nationals 'W' logo on his stomach, constantly showing love through his signature sneaker releases as well. There isn't another sneaker as iconic to the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) area as the Nike Air Foamposite. The region adopted the trend as their own with celebrity sneakerheads like rapper Wale always putting the Foamposite above all else. Kevin Durant will now offer a new take on one of his all-time personal favorite pairs of sneakers. Nike KD 18 'International Blue' The Nike KD 18 will arrive in an International Blue/Multi-Color-Black in paying homage to the OG 'Royal' Nike Air Foamposite. The uppers of the sneaker, inspired by the Nike Terra Humara, will feature metallic foamposite material extending through the toebox, midsole, and heel. The shoes will also feature an icy translucent outsole and a mesh underlay, both characteristics of the Foamposite silhouette. Both the medial and lateral Nike logos along with the 'KD' tongue logo appear in an iridescent hue to further accent the contrasting black aspects. The laces will feature a blue speckle through the middle to finish the look for what is shaping up to be one of the more unique Nike KD 18 releases we've seen thus far. The release dates have been disputed between Fall 2025 and Spring 2026, so we're still awaiting a solid drop date and official word from Nike. The pair will retail for $160, releasing on Nike SNKRS app and select Nike retailers in limited numbers. What do you think of this Foamposite look on the Nike KD 18? Related: LaMelo Ball unveils newest signature shoe, the PUMA MB.05 Related: Spurs' De'Aaron Fox debuts his newest Curry Fox 2
Technical.ly
2 days ago
- Business
- Technical.ly
DC accrues $514.6M of VC in Q2 — a drop from the start of 2025
Venture capital investment in the DC region slowed in the second quarter of the year, and the White House's lack of clarity on regulation and policy could be to blame. Companies nabbed $514.6 million across 64 deals in the DMV, according to the latest Venture Monitor report released quarterly by PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association. That's a sharp decline from the first quarter of the year, with its reported $1.3 billion across 60 deals — meaning this most recent quarter saw lower deal values. The region isn't alone in venture capitalists writing smaller checks, per the Venture Monitor report. This is part of a broader, 'more cautious investment climate' across the nation, said Tahira Dosani, cofounder and managing partner at ResilienceVC. 'We're no longer in this 'growth at all cost' mentality,' Dosani, who announced a new $56 million fund earlier this year, told 'We're in an era where there's a focus on capital efficiency, on sustainable pathways to profitability and the broader tightening of fewer companies successfully raising rounds because investors are being more selective.' This has been the mindset for the last couple of years, per Dosani. DC has had a handful of blowout quarters, but they're often led by major raises from established companies. Rockville nuclear power company X Energy nabbed about half of the funds at the beginning of the year, as did the e-cigarette giant Juul to close 2024. This is why looking at data quarter-to-quarter can be difficult, explained Les Alexander, a professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. In 2024, companies in the DMV collectively raised $4.3 billion — the highest amount since 2021. 'I often find that in some markets like the DMV, quarter to quarter activity can be impacted by a few larger deals,' Alexander wrote in a statement to 'so you need to be careful to not draw broad conclusions without longer data trends.' Unstable regulations could lead to lower activity ResilienceVC's Dosani noted that uncertainty around policies like tariffs are making investors more cautious. There's generally a tendency toward deregulation under the Trump administration, which can benefit business, but there needs to be clarity, she said. 'Regulatory uncertainty always makes it harder to make decisions,' she said. Because of this precariousness, it's more difficult for investors to vet startups adequately, said Elena Loutskina, a professor at the Darden School of Business. 'The global economic uncertainty, including one about tariffs, hampers VCs' ability to properly evaluate the prospects of given startups,' Loutskina wrote to in an email. 'This makes investments exceptionally risky and unattractive.' Alexander agrees. Inconsistent trade policy is causing investors to be wary, he said. The economic picture also depends on industry, he noted. He's already seen climate technology companies nab less funding because of policy changes. 'On the other hand, defense tech and cybersecurity, which are attractive investment areas for companies and investors in the DMV region, is seeing increased deal activity with the favorable support from policymakers,' he said. What startups — and investors — should know Securing investments will continue to be challenging for startups, especially for those in early stages, Alexander said. But AI companies will likely continue to see funding, he said. Fundraising for the capital to invest is slowing, too, Alexander said. That's because limited partners aren't getting liquidity back from prior funds they've invested in and a lack of exits, ResilienceVC's Dosani explained. Because of all of this, founders need to be capital-efficient, she said. They also need to demonstrate clear traction to investors and show profitability. 'It's not necessarily a bad thing,' Dosani said. 'It just is the reality of this market, and I think what it will translate into is that … the best founders are the ones getting the cap[ital].' This constriction also requires investors to be more supportive of founders outside the money, she said. That means being more hands-on in business strategies, for example. 'Founders have to think about how they tell their story, how they execute and operate their businesses,' Dosani said, 'and I think investors have to do the same.'
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
New text scam in Colorado pretends to be DMV employee, alleges unpaid tickets
A new type of scam text message looks like it's coming from the Colorado DMV. But the goal of all scammers is the same -- separating you from your money. Lakewood resident Lauren Perrin almost got hit with it before asking her father to take a look at the message. It saved her from potentially clicking a bad link or sending money somewhere. "I had to ask two people, and the verbiage was very formal," Perrin told CBS Colorado. "It definitely fit the way that it would be sent if someone here said this." The texts have ended up everywhere, even in our CBS Colorado newsroom, where many of our coworkers have received the scam. The DMV says the texts have started to become more prevalent lately. When a person receives the text, it says they have overdue tickets to be paid, and, if they do not do so soon, there may be more penalties. "I think my text said I had one day to get all the tickets I never paid," Perrin joked. "But it came from a random number. It wasn't like 1-800. I actually asked my Dad and he said forget about it" In a statement to CBS Colorado, the DMV suggests not clicking any links to a suspicious text, not sharing any personal information or replying to the message at all. Those that responded to our question on the CBS Colorado Facebook page said they largely received and deleted them. If you have been affected by a scam text, the DMV suggests changing your passwords, contacting your bank or financial institution, consider a fraud alert and staying generally vigilant. Perrin now has a trained eye as well as a unique strategy for sussing out scammers going forward. "They're probably using ChatGPT or AI to make these texts, so I would run it through there to see if it was," Perrin said. "And just ask your friends."
Axios
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Your D.C. Weekend: Citi Open, Lotus and Water Lily Festival
If you didn't hop the pond to catch Wimbledon IRL, fear not — you can still see some big-name tennis stars in person at the Citi Open, which kicks off in D.C. this weekend. Why it matters: The tournament will bring hometown hero and two-time U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe, seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams, 2025 Wimbledon semifinalist Taylor Fritz, four-time Grand Slam champ Naomi Osaka and more to Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. [[CUT THE FOLLOWING SINCE IT WAS RUNNING LONG BUT LMK IF U FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT ONE OF THESE NAMES... 2025 French Open semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti, 2024 U.S. Open finalist Jessica Pegula ]] State of play: Qualifying matches are Saturday and Sunday, with the main draw beginning Monday. Hungry? Snag food from DMV staples like Ben's Chili Bowl, Roaming Rooster, Duke's Grocery and Dolcezza. Wash it all down with cocktails at the Tequila Lounge or a trip to the Heineken Beer Garden. VIPs will get to nom on bites from big-name chefs like Patrick O'Connell of The Inn at Little Washington and The Dabney's Jeremiah Langhorne. Leading up to the final on July 27, there will be daily opportunities to snag autographs and attend meet-and-greets. Plus: a kids day with tennis games on Saturday. If you go: Onsite parking is $50 a car, and is first-come, first-served. There are also $10 shuttles that run from Columbia Heights. More events to check out this weekend: 🍿 Get your outdoor movie on during Thursday's screening of " Moneyball" at The Wharf's Transit Pier. (7:30pm; free) 🍃 The two-day National Cannabis Festival kicks off Friday at the RFK Campus, with music by artists like Three 6 Mafia and Big Boi, an exhibitor's fair, a marketplace for home growers, and plenty of munchies. (Ticket prices vary) 🪷 Head to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens for the Lotus and Water Lily Festival running Friday-Sunday. Check out the blooming lotuses and water lilies, plus events like nature walks, forest bathing, yoga, and performances by international dance groups and musicians. (Free; some events require registration) 💃 Hit the International Colombian Festival on Saturday at Catholic University for food, live music and dance, and a chance to learn about the country's folklore and culture. (Tickets $24, 11am - 8pm) 🤣 The GOAT of the humor essay, David Sedaris, will be at Wolf Trap on Saturday for an evening of laugh-out-loud storytelling. (Tickets start at $41, 8pm)
