The Star Is Born Again

NOTUS will relaunch as The Star in the first week of June and expand its Washington coverage, Editor in Chief Tim Grieve said Thursday.

The outlet plans to add local news and sports coverage, increase reporting on Congress and the White House, and grow its newsroom from about 45 staffers to roughly 95 by year’s end. The rebrand—chosen for simplicity—follows accelerated expansion plans after major cuts at The Washington Post.

Founded in 2023 under the Allbritton Journalism Institute with a $20 million grant from Robert Allbritton, NOTUS (News of the United States) was created to train political journalists. Grieve said the relaunch aims to fill a gap left by The Post’s February layoffs of more than 300 journalists and reductions to metro and local sports coverage.

The Post said it remains committed to essential journalism, including local and sports reporting. The Star’s new name also echoes a family connection: Joe Allbritton, Robert’s father, once owned The Washington Star, a daily that folded in 1981.