'Fake pills' are driving DC-area children to the hospital at record rates - Tuesday, May 9, 2023 - Top News from WTOP

TOP NEWS | May 09, 2023 [Web version](   [The small blue pills behind a surge in children's fentanyl-related hospital visits in the DC area]( Doctors at the D.C. area's top children's hospital say they're seeing a dramatic rise in the number of children coming to hospitals to be treated for fentanyl overdoses or seeking help beating an opioid addiction. [READ MORE](   [‘Not my child:' What a mother says you need to know about teens and fentanyl]( Colette Russ was a busy high-schooler with a zest for life. But after a traumatic event, she turned to drugs and fatally overdosed at 19. Her mother, Elena Suarez, is now hoping her story can help save the lives of other young people. [READ MORE](   SPONSORED CONTENT [Does your small business have a legal gap?]( Vennard Wright, CEO of Wave Welcome, a Black-owned small business in Oxon Hill shares that it's easy for a startup CEO - who wears many hats daily on the job - “to skate by longer than you should.” Read how that's changed for Wright.   [Grand jury indicts 2 Va. deputies caught slamming 77-year-old into truck]( Body camera video of Virginia deputies showing them slamming a man into the back of a truck and taking him to the pavement to arrest him made national news last year. [READ MORE](   [DC's mayor appoints architect to transform empty offices into homes]( With the majority of downtown offices indicating no plans to return to full-time work in person, the city is reclaiming commercial space. Mayor Muriel Bowser has hired an architect to handle the job. [READ MORE](   Sponsored by Maximus [CX Exchange 2023: Maximus' MaryAnn Monroe on why good employee CX starts before Day 1]( When it comes to employee customer experience, it's critical to take a lifecycle approach, says Maximus' MaryAnn Monroe. From before day one to their last day, “everything that happens in between is that employee's experience with a company or agency.”   [WATCH: Sweets lure Rockville neighborhood's black bear into trap]( “We wish him all the best in his new journey.” Doughnuts, molasses and vanilla were used to entice the animal into a bear trap, according to the Rockville City Police Department. [READ MORE](   [Md., DC attorneys general warn about dangers of gas stoves, and it's not just hot air]( Nearly a dozen attorneys general nationwide, including in D.C. and Maryland, have signed on to a letter asking the Consumer Product Safety Commission to do more to regulate and warn about the dangers surrounding gas stoves. [READ MORE](   SPONSORED CONTENT [CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield invests in behavioral health]( CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is delivering millions of dollars to community-based organizations in an effort to add money and resources to the fight against a behavioral health crisis that was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.   [DC Fire and EMS welcomes future recruit who went viral]( After his viral video of training to be a firefighter caught the attention of real-life first responders, 11-year-old Darrien Cole of White Plains tested his skills at D.C. Fire and EMS Training Academy in Southwest. [READ MORE](   [2 teens charged in St. Charles Town Center mall shooting]( The Charles County Sheriff's Office said it all began with an argument between the teenagers and two adults. After the shooting, officers found both teens hiding behind a dumpster. [READ MORE](   Sponsored by Melwood [Building a more inclusive STEM pipeline with Melwood's Camp Accomplish]( This year, CGI, one of the largest IT and business consulting firms worldwide, is powering Camp Accomplish's first science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) specialty camp, which will be offered July 31 to Aug. 4.   [DC teachers' retroactive pay delayed due to ‘administrative complications,' union says]( As part of the new contract with the city, Washington Teachers' Union members working since the 2020-21 school year were due to get retroactive pay increases for the three years they worked without a new contract. [READ MORE](   [DC metro region in Top 10 for homebuyers looking to leave]( According to Taylor Marr of Redfin, “People in D.C. are primarily looking to relocate to Miami, or other nearby coastal towns such as Virginia Beach, or up on the coast of Maryland." [READ MORE](   SPONSORED CONTENT [Early spring cleaning for the district]( Six months ago, Washington Gas teamed up with WUSA9 for their first sponsored Recycle Day. The Sept. 17 event was an overwhelming success, and they heard from many people that they had tons (literally) of items still waiting to be recycled at home.   [40 self-serve drinks, heated leather seats at new Warehouse Cinemas location in Baltimore]( Warehouse Cinemas Rotunda, a seven-screen venue at 727 West 40th Street, opened last weekend between the Baltimore Zoo and Johns Hopkins University. [READ MORE](   [Gen Z is the most stressed-out generation. Here's what companies can do about it]( In a survey by the Alexandria, Virginia-based nonprofit, 47% of Gen Z workers reported experiencing stress related to their job at least once per week, compared to 27% of Baby Boomers. [READ MORE](   Sponsored by OPTUM SERVE [VA and partners are trying to bring more vets into the fold as PACT Act expands benefits]( Over the next 10 years, the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) expects millions of veterans will be eligible for VA benefits as part of the PACT Act.   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.](