Meredith Somers
Articles by Meredith Somers
Remembering the Navy Yard fallen: 12 diverse stories come to a sudden end
The 12 victims of Monday morning's rampage inside the Washington Navy Yard were contractors and blue-collar workers, U.S. Naval Academy graduates and international transplants, softball coaches and Redskins fans. Each brought a story to the place they never left. Published September 17, 2013
Police release list of victims of Navy Yard rampage
D.C. police Tuesday morning released a list of the 12 employees fatally shot Monday at the Washington Navy Yard. Published September 17, 2013
Aaron Alexis had valid pass to Navy Yard when he unleashed fatal attack
Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis had “legitimate access to the Navy Yard” through his contracting work and used “valid pass” to get onto the site Published September 16, 2013
Victims identified in Navy Yard massacre; range in age from 46 to 73
Police in Washington have released the names of seven of the 12 victims killed in Monday's shooting rampage at Washington Navy Yard. Published September 16, 2013
12 killed by lone gunman in Navy Yard rampage
Investigators believe Aaron Alexis was the lone gunman who opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard, officials said at a late Monday night press briefing, before identifying seven of the 12 victims fatally shot by Alexis. Published September 16, 2013
At Navy Yard, hope perseveres but some families near panic
While police helicopters circled overhead and investigators tried to make sense of Monday's mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, family and friends gathered at one of the covered parking lots at Nationals Park, where police had set up a reunion site for Navy Yard workers. Published September 16, 2013
Families anxiously await word on Navy Yard loved ones at Nationals Park
While police helicopters circled overhead and investigators tried to make sense of Monday's mass shooting in Southeast, family and friends began to gather at one of the covered parking lots at Nationals Park, where police had set up a reunion site for Navy Yard workers. Published September 16, 2013
‘Lucky he was a bad shot’: Eyewitness’s haunting encounter with Navy Yard gunman
Terrie Durham came face-to-face with a Navy Yard gunman: "We were lucky he was a bad shot." Published September 16, 2013
Massacre at the Navy Yard: Authorities try to determine what set off rampage
In a mass shooting that sent shock waves through the nation's capital, the FBI and police were piecing together what led a Navy civilian contractor to kill 12 employees Monday at the Washington Navy Yard and injure several others. Published September 16, 2013
Maryland’s restrictive gun laws drive dealer to Pennsylvania to make a living
Jim Greer stood beside his desk in the small back office of Angus MacGregor's Trading Post in Waldorf, Md., and rifled through several papers at the top of a file box. Published September 15, 2013
Perry to pitch Texas in the ‘Fee State’
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday he will visit Maryland next week after his recent television and radio ads that label the Free State the "fee state" and urge businesses to move south for lower taxes. Published September 12, 2013
Lightning disrupts flights at D.C.-area airports
A line of late-afternoon thunderstorms on Thursday disrupted flights at two D.C. area airports and completely shut down a third airport because of a lightning strike. Published September 12, 2013
Muslim rally vastly outnumbered by bikers, counterprotesters
A few dozen demonstrators attending a rally on the Mall once billed as the Million Muslim March were vastly outnumbered Wednesday by a Christian group objecting to their event and a counterprotest consisting of motorcycle riders honoring Sept. 11 victims. Published September 11, 2013
Bikers, Muslims pledge return to D.C. next 9/11
A couple of dozen demonstrators attending a rally on the Mall once billed as the Million Muslim March were vastly outnumbered Wednesday by onlookers who heckled them and a counterprotest consisting of motorcycle riders honoring Sept. 11 victims. Published September 11, 2013
No permit, but bikers plan D.C. ride to protest Muslim 9/11 march
A motorcycle rally prompted by a Muslim group's plan to march on the Mall will go forward on the day the D.C. area and the nation mark 12 years since the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks. Published September 10, 2013
Heat wave brings high temperatures to D.C. area
A late-summer heat wave in the D.C. area will keep residents sweating until the end of the week, with high temperatures forecast to be about 10 degrees above average for this time of year. Published September 10, 2013
Privacy lost in processing gun permits: Md. delegate
A Maryland delegate has asked the state attorney general's office whether it was legal for state police to allow up to 200 state employees from five agencies to view confidential information about prospective gun buyers as officials process a massive backlog of gun applications. Published September 9, 2013
Start of Md. gun laws looms; ‘buy now’ urgency hits
A weekend gun show at the Annapolis National Guard Armory saw a steady stream of longtime owners and potential first-time buyers eager to snap up pistols, rifles, scopes and bullets — some of which will be prohibited when new laws take effect next month. Published September 8, 2013
Flu shot reminders start early this year
The days are still warm, the school year has just begun, and even Congress has yet to return. But hospitals and clinics are gearing up for the flu after epidemic levels and a shortage of vaccines early last season. Published September 5, 2013
Maryland gun applications overwhelm police, dealers as tough limits draw near
Maryland is experiencing a run on guns before some of the toughest firearms laws in the nation take effect next month, testing the limits of state police to process the tens of thousands of additional applications being submitted. Published September 4, 2013