D.C.-based nuclear startup Last Energy Inc. was named by the Department of Energy as one of 11 companies for a pilot program that aims to speed up deployment of advanced reactor projects.
As part of this pilot, the Trump administration is vying to get at least three companies to have operational reactors by July 4, coinciding with the nation’s 250th birthday and a fast turnaround for a process that normally takes a decade or longer.
“Fourth of July 2026 begins the dawn of the Atomic Era,” Last Energy CEO Bret Kugelmass said in a LinkedIn post on the day of the company’s selection into the program.
Some great behind the scenes photos over at the Washington Business Journal.
This summer’s additions also include new premium spaces for fans in the arena — the high-end Vaults suites under the lower bowl and the two-story United Globe Club and Lounge.
Six of the 10 Vaults suites will be ready for the start of seasons for the Wizards and Capitals, while the other four will come online later in the fall. During a recent tour, workers were already doing millwork on the Vaults spaces. Each will weigh in at about 500 square feet accessed via a private entrance and VIP tunnel. There will be room for 20 in each suite, and ticketholders will have access to some of the best seats in the lower bowl of the arena.
The arena is gaining roughly 200,000 square feet of usable space through the overall renovation thanks to Monumental taking on space at the adjacent Gallery Place mixed-use property. Monumental, which owns the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics as well as Monumental Sports Network, will move a lot of back-of-house operations and offices into Gallery Place. The renovation also includes work to more seamlessly connect the two buildings — something that’s also needed coordination with Metro because of how close the subway tunnels run underneath the project.
… Truist Financial Corp., one of the largest banks operating in the D.C. region, is back in growth mode.
The $544 billion-asset Truist (NYSE: TFC) is also planning to hire more financial advisers and place them in branches across these markets in a bid to deepen its relationships with “mass affluent” clients — typically defined as those with between $100,000 and $1 million investable assets.
Slice & Pie, named the 98th-best pizza on the planet by 50 Top Pizza last year, has leased space at 1750 H St. NW, with plans to open as soon as next month after minor renovations, per Giulio Adriani, the internationally acclaimed pizza maker who opened his first local shop at 14th Street and Florida Avenue NW in 2022.
Adriani signed a lease last month for the roughly 1,200-square-foot space. As it happens, he hadn’t been actively looking when the prospect surfaced. He had enough going on, with new locations in the works at Union Market and The Parks at Walter Reed, when representatives for his 14th Street landlord, an affiliate of Douglas Development Corp., which acquired the building in June, came knocking.