Capitol Hill

Shooting of Capitol Police Officers Was Turning Point for Department
20 years later, department has seen budget nearly quadruple as concerns rose

Members of the United States Capitol Police honor guard stand with a wreath during the annual United States Capitol Police memorial service on May 8 honoring the four USCP officers who have died in the line of duty. This year is the 20th anniversary of the deaths of Officer Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson while protecting the U.S. Capitol from a gunman'’s attack on July 24, 1998. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

It has been 20 years since a man with a gun walked into the U.S. Capitol and went on a shooting rampage that killed two Capitol Police personnel and set off two decades of hardening security around Capitol Hill.

Security protocols have ramped up everywhere from airports to museums, and much of the change is attributed to the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. But on Capitol Hill, the deaths of Detective John M. Gibson and Officer Jacob J. Chestnut on July 24, 1998, prompted big changes even before the attacks on New York and the Pentagon.

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Gas Leak Stinks Up Senate and Closes Roads
Areas near Hart Senate Office Building affected

A gas leak prompted an evacuation near the Hart Senate Office Building on Friday. (Katherine Tully-McManus/CQ Roll Call)

Roads were closed on the Senate side of the Capitol Thursday morning after a construction crew hit a gas line. A strong gas smell blanketed the area, even outside of the road closures. The D.C. Fire department was on the scene to address the leak. 

Capitol Police enforcing the road and sidewalk closures outside of the Hart Senate Office Building said there was not an estimated time for a resolution of the leak.

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RFK Stadium’s Next Phase: To Revitalize Capitol Hill Icon, Congress Must Act
 

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D.C. Dons Eclipse Glasses, Looks Skyward
 

Roll Call went people-watching for Monday’s solar eclipse, as hundreds of staffers, photographers and tourists took to the Capitol lawn and the National Mall to don their eclipse-viewing glasses and catch a glimpse at this rare astronomical event.

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At Capitol Hill Cemetery, Canine Caretakers Rule the Grounds
 

The Congressional Cemetery is home to a unique, private dog-walking program, which has benefited the resting place for many famous Americans, as well as the dogs and their humans in the Capitol Hill community.

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Trump Returning to Rallies After West Wing Shake-Up, Kushner Testimony
 

It’s a busy week at the White House following Friday’s West Wing shake-up with the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as communications director and the resignation of press secretary Sean Spicer. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is on the Hill on Monday to testify behind closed doors about his meeting with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign, shortly before the president heads back to the campaign trail with a rally in Youngstown, Ohio. See the video for Roll Call White House reporter John T. Bennett’s analysis of the week ahead.

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Shark Week on the Capitol Means Dogs in Costumes
 

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Looking For Free Things to Do in D.C.? Eleanor Holmes Norton Has Some Suggestions

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