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Good morning! It’s Thursday, April 17. Bundle up, because we're starting off with cold temperatures!  

⌚ News4's Mark Segraves broke our top story First on 4. It's is a 2-minute, 30-second read.

First, the deal to bring the Commanders back to RFK Stadium is almost to the end zone. 🏈

D.C. is close to a deal worth more than $3 billion to bring the Washington Commanders back to the District and build a new stadium at the RFK Stadium site.

The deal isn’t final as negotiations are ongoing, so the number could change. However, multiple sources familiar with the deal told News4 that Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Commanders have the framework for a deal in place.

The deal would see the team paying the vast majority of the costs to build a new stadium. Much of the city’s money would go toward infrastructure supporting the entire 180-acre development.

The Commanders would put up as much as $2.5 billion, and the District would provide up to $850 million, documents obtained by News4 show. D.C.’s funding would go toward what are referred to as eligible capital costs associated with the stadium and infrastructure for the stadium and surrounding 180-acre campus, including parking structures that will serve the entire development.

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D.C. close to deal with Commanders for new stadium at RFK

The deal calls for the stadium and parking to be completed by fall 2030. Commanders owner Josh Harris has been clear he wants a new stadium to be ready for the 2030 season.

The mayor’s office and the Commanders declined to comment to News4 Wednesday.

The preliminary agreement News4 obtained refers to the team as the master developer, meaning the team would not only build the stadium but also develop the entire 180-acre campus, which the mayor and council members have said they want to be a mixed-use residential and retail development.

Fans are excited.

“It’s about time that they do something about it and I’m glad to see that the Commanders are trying to come back,” Commanders fan Janelle Westry said.

"I think it will bring some business," said Maryland resident Greg Butler. "I think it will redevelop some of the stuff that's been dormant for a long time."

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'Prioritizing affordable housing': Group prioritizing affordable housing

But, the terms of the deal do not sit well with a group called Homes Not Stadiums.

“I honestly just feel like the public should not have to foot the bill of a billionaire’s playground,” said Kris Furnish, who is with the group.

Homes Not Stadiums just filed paperwork with the D.C. Board of Elections to get an initiative put on the 2026 primary ballot that would prevent the team from building on the 180-acre campus.

“Basically, rezone this land to prohibit any professional sports arenas from being built,” Furnish said. “Instead, for prioritizing affordable housing.”

Zoning will be a big issue going forward, and the D.C. Council will need to iron out those issues.

Another hurdle is the looming $410 million in budget cuts D.C. faces for the current fiscal year that were imposed by Congress, and Bowser said that the city is preparing for possible furloughs and staff cuts if Congress doesn't reinstate the funds.

That budget issue must get resolved, then the mayor can present her budget for fiscal year 2026, which needs to be approved by the D.C. Council and Congress.

“We're firing people over here, but we're going to find money for a stadium over here. That's a tough sell and and so that's the sobering part of this,” News4’s Mark Segraves told Commanders Team Insider JP Finlay.

Read more about what to expect from the stadium deal here. 

 Talking draft and new stadium: All Ears with JP Finlay 

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4Most: Four more big stories

The Department of Justice has released a document in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador.

The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13 and recently included an allegation, without providing evidence, that the 29-year-old was also involved in human trafficking. But in court documents examined by News4, the only allegation Abrego Garcia was in a gang came from one Prince George’s County police officer who was later fired for misconduct in office.

The released document is the final order from an immigration judge issued Oct. 10, 2019 giving Abrego Garcia the legal status to remain in the United States.

Alexi Canas came to the United States from El Salvador 30 years ago. He has eight children from eight to 22 years old and has a home improvement business.

He was living the American Dream until about a month ago, when he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I’m having faith that it will be okay, but at the same time, I’m honestly really terrified, my family is terrified,” said Diana Canas, Alexi Canas’ oldest daughter.

A man who runs a honeybee farm in Stafford County, Virginia, says someone deliberately poisoned his bees, killing about half the population and costing him an estimated $20,000 in business.

Jerry Mattiaccio called the attack personal and cruel.

He walked his property Sunday morning and discovered thousands of dead honeybees — pile after pile at the mouth of the boxes where the bees do their beautiful and delicious work.

The rescue made him a hero — and earned Buford, a 6-year-old Anatolian Pyrenees, a hero’s dinner.

“He got a 2-pound rib-eye last night,” Buford’s owner, Scotty Dunton, said Wednesday. “He’s just a cool, cool dog.”

The meal came after Buford wandered home Tuesday morning with a 2-year-old boy who disappeared the day before from his home in Seligman, Arizona, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.