Fairfax County firefighters battle early-morning blaze - Monday, March 18, 2024 - Top News from WTOP

TOP NEWS | March 18, 2024 [Web version](   [Fairfax Co. firefighters battle house fire after reports of explosion]( The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said that initial 911 calls reported a house on fire and hearing an explosion. [READ MORE](   [March Madness: Local teams in the men's, women's NCAA tournament]( The NCAA tournament brackets for men's and women's college basketball are set - which means that March Madness is here. Here are the six local teams that made this year's tournament. [READ MORE](   SPONSORED CONTENT [Make 2024 your healthiest year yet]( WTOP talked with health and wellness experts from across the DMV to gain tips both personal and professional for our 2024 Get on Top of Your Health series. Check out the interviews now!   [DC's iconic cherry blossoms bloomed at near record-breaking pace. Is climate change to blame?]( The cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin and National Mall in D.C. have reached peak bloom much earlier than expected. How does it compare to the record early bloom? [READ MORE](   [Police identify 2 men killed in Northwest DC mass shooting]( Two men were killed and five people wounded after a shooting early Sunday morning blocks from the convention center in Northwest D.C. The two men who were killed have been identified. [READ MORE](   Sponsored by Whitman-Walker Health [Get on Top of Your Health: Bringing expanded health care to medically underserved DC wards]( With its new Max Robinson Center, Whitman-Walker Health aims to provide expansive health care to all in need across the city's Southeast wards. We talk with the center's medical site director and an adolescent care doctor about the services available.   [Award in Ruth Bader Ginsburg's name given to Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch is a ‘desecration' of her memory, son says]( The family of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently sent a letter to the foundation that bestowed the award, blasting the selection of this year's nominees and requesting her name be taken off the award. [READ MORE](   [Md. woman arrested at Dulles Airport with 53 pounds of marijuana in her checked baggage]( Officers said they found the marijuana wrapped in bed sheets in her suitcase in 50 vacuum-sealed bags. [READ MORE](   SPONSORED EVENT [Are you ready to scale trustworthy AI at your agency?]( Discover insights shared by policy and tech experts from the White House, Senate, DARPA, NIH, State Department and industry during our recent Federal News Network AI & Data Exchange 2024.   [IVF ‘not the only option' for couples struggling to start families]( “A lot of patients think that if they're being referred to a fertility specialist, then they're going straight to IVF, and it's not the only option,” one doctor says. Here's what you need to know. [READ MORE](   [A second man is charged in connection with 2005 theft of ruby slippers worn in ‘The Wizard of Oz']( A second man has been charged in connection with the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz," according to an indictment made public Sunday. [READ MORE](   Sponsored by Rocky Gorge Animal Hospital [Hidden hazards: Protecting your pets from everyday toxins]( Pets are naturally curious creatures, which can sometimes lead them into trouble. Rocky Gorge Animal Hospital uncovers some of the most common toxins pets can get into and provide you with the knowledge to prevent accidental poisonings.   [She's the only Black woman leading a state military. Her focus is on the future]( Major Gen. Janeen Birckhead is the 31st Adjutant General for the state of Maryland and is currently the only Black woman in the country to lead a state military. [READ MORE](   [Supreme Court weighs how far federal officials can go to combat controversial posts on hot topics]( In a case that could set standards for free speech in the digital age, the Supreme Court is taking up a dispute between Republican-led states and the Biden administration over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts. [READ MORE](   SPONSORED BY ALPAS WELLNESS [No two people are the same, so why would their addiction recovery be?]( No two people are the same, so why would their addiction recovery be, pointed out Alphas Wellness' Marcus Smith. “We won't have you going to groups where you are getting information that doesn't apply to you. … We're going to tailor your curriculum.”   [US senators from Virginia, Maryland urge no increase in long-distance flights at DCA]( The four U.S. senators from Virginia and Maryland are urging Congress to keep the current rules for long distance flights from Reagan National Airport as they are. Here's what that means for flyers. [READ MORE](   Sponsored Event [Federal News Network's DoD Cloud Exchange 2024 | Register now!]( Join Federal News Network on March 26 and 27 for our DoD Cloud Exchange. We'll be hosting leaders from across Defense along with industry tech experts to get in the weeds on the latest policy initiatives, real-world implementations and latest technology developments.   PARTNERSHIP [Listen live for news, traffic and weather from WTOP News on our FREE App!]( Download the app today - sponsored by Navy Federal Credit Union - to stay up to date on all the latest news in the DMV.   [Check out the latest weather forecast]( [Click here for the latest traffic updates]( [Visit WTOP's Podcast Center]( Download and listen to podcasts created by WTOP and our partners CONNECT WITH WTOP [facebook]( [twitter]( [linkedin]( [instagram]( EVERYTHING YOU NEED EVERY TIME YOU LISTEN [DOWNLOAD THE WTOP APP]( [Click here to manage your newsletter preferences.]( This email and the accompanying website are not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. [Unsubscribe](  | [Contact us.](