Washington D.C.

This café wants you to take a midday kitten break

By Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

Crumbs & Whiskers has everything you would expect of a typical café -- drinks, a selection of baked goods, and plenty of places to chill or work. They also have resident cats.

There’s a giant ball pit ‘beach’ in the middle of DC

By Colleen Shalby

The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., turned their Great Hall into a massive beach complete with an ocean made of 700,000 to 1 million translucent plastic balls.

Pope’s speech to Congress to be broadcast on National Mall

By Donna Cassata, Associated Press

Pope Francis' historic speech to Congress in September will be broadcast on Jumbotrons on the National Mall.

All clear after D.C. Navy Yard lockdown

By News Desk

Authorities found no evidence of a shooting at the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard on Thursday. Someone had reported shots fired in the same building as a shooting rampage in 2013.

Homeless men, now auteurs, challenge preconceptions through filmmaking

By Aisha Jama

Street Sense, a Washington, D.C., media nonprofit that publishes a newspaper written and sold by the homeless, has branched out to filmmaking. The Street Sense Filmmaker Co-op gives its members the tools to craft their stories, while equipping them with…

LGBT youth home welcomes population accustomed to insecurity

By Eric Krupke

It’s hard to say how many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth are homeless in the U.S. A townhouse in Washington, D.C., decorated with rainbow pinwheels and inspirational messages, is one place where the teens can go to stay…

States to test ways to get food stamp recipients back to work

By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Ten states will test new ways to get food stamp recipients back to work, using Agriculture Department grants aimed at helping some of the 46 million Americans who receive benefits move off the rolls.

D.C. makes pot legal, with restrictions

By PBS News Hour

The District of Columbia joined Colorado, Alaska and Washington state in legalizing recreational use and possession of marijuana. Federal law still outlaws the drug, however, putting the nation’s capital at the high-profile crossroads of both state and federal laws. Gwen…

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How do you count a city’s homeless population? You walk the streets

By Colleen Shalby

Nearly 300 volunteers have until 2 a.m. to find and survey every homeless person they can find on the streets of Washington, D.C. It’s part of Department of Housing and Urban Development's annual point-in-time count of the homeless.

From nurses to social workers, see how public libraries are serving the homeless

By Sandi Fox

Public Libraries have become more than just a makeshift day shelter for the homeless, they are actively reaching out to them to provide services. Here are seven examples of what libraries across the nation are doing to serve the homeless.