The D.C. Archives has released nearly 3,000 digitized photographs offering a glimpse of a city undergoing significant change in the years after World War II.

The collection, released last month, includes D.C. government photographs taken between 1947 and 1959.

“They cover about 13-year period in D.C. history, but very but still very fascinating because it’s the beginning of the shift in D.C. government, where you start to see the demographics of D.C. change,” said Lopez Matthews Jr., D.C.’s state archivist and public records administrator. “You start to see more people of color, more women. You start to see a change in D.C.”

The photos document a city in transition.

“Urban renewal really starts to ramp up during that period,” Matthews told Â鶹ąŮÍř.

Available through the , the collection includes photographs of ‘Key to the City’ ceremonies, official proclamations, speeches and neighborhood scenes across the District.

“It’s just interesting to document how the city has changed over the years just by looking at the photographs, looking at the neighborhoods,” Matthews said. “There’s a series of horse troughs that we have photos of, and you’re like, ‘Oh, they were just randomly around.’”

The collection also captures major moments in history, including children receiving polio vaccinations shortly after the vaccine became available, visits by foreign dignitaries and the presentation of a nearly 300-year-old Japanese Stone Lantern at the Tidal Basin in 1953, less than a decade after World War II.

The photographs also offer a window into segregation-era Washington.

“There are photos of children going to the AAA summer camp, and you see the kids on the buses, but you see them, you know, it’s not stated in the photos, not stated in the description, but you notice that all the white kids are on one bus, all the Black kids are on another bus,” Matthews said.

Only 13 years of photographs are currently available online, but Matthews said the archives continue to digitize additional collections and plan to release decades of images in the future.

“We’re trying to move through methodically to get these pictures digitized, make them available,” Matthews said. “When we get to the 60s, and then you start to see a real shift.”

Courtesy D.C. Archives

Courtesy D.C. Archives

Courtesy D.C. Archives

Courtesy D.C. Archives

Courtesy D.C. Archives

Courtesy D.C. Archives

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This story is part of Â鶹ąŮÍř’s 2026 Back to School coverage.

Tens of thousands of students were back in class Monday in Loudoun County, Virginia.

For many parents, the summer was too short; for others however the new school year couldn’t come soon enough.

When asked how it felt to see his kids go back to school after summer break, one father joked, “Oh, it feels great. Can’t wait. It’s been a long summer.”

His young daughter, Alia, told Â鶹ąŮÍř what she was most excited for going back to her first day of class at Liberty Elementary School: “Probably just like seeing my friends and just experiencing a new year here.”

“I do feel like summer for me went past pretty quick,” said Kathrine Lanford, who dropped off her first and second grade students. “They’re super excited about going back to school and meeting new friends, and they’re excited about their teachers and learning. So, I’m happy for them, and I hope that they enjoy the new school year.”

Loudoun County is launching a technology pilot program this year at several elementary schools where younger students from kindergarten to second grade will work with more technology for hands-on learning.

“I feel like the kids are very familiar with using the computer, but I mean, the school does focus a lot on STEM, which is good,” Amira Richardson said.

Her son David, however, is less concerned with technology and is looking forward to PE.

He told Â鶹ąŮÍř his favorite thing about PE is, “That we run track and we play some games, dodge ball.”

Aaron Spence, superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, said the school system will try to balance out the use of technology for younger students to avoid prolonged screen time.

“We are in LCPS running what we call a low-tech pilot … in some of our elementary schools to try to understand the balance between good, productive use of technology and making sure that kids aren’t on screens all day,” Spence said.

He estimated elementary students are on screens only about 20 minutes a day.

For high school students though Spence said artificial intelligence has became ubiquitous and students need to learn how to use it responsibly.

“We are beginning this year to make that available to our students in high school in a way that’s been very thoughtful,” Spence said. “We’ve put guardrails around that, and we’ve worked with our teachers for several years now on how they can use it and how they’ll help their students use it.”

Older students across Loudoun County schools will have to get used to a new dress code — no showing midriff, no transparent clothes and shorts must cover their entire behind.

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After the non-jury trial, Judge Anthony Epstein decided the mounting circumstantial evidence pointed overwhelmingly to Bryan Betancur as the man in the video, as well as his criminal intent. Betancur was sentenced Thursday to six months in jail, the max penalty for simple assault.

Betancur, of Silver Spring, Maryland, filmed himself stroking a blonde woman’s hair aboard a Red Line train on Feb. 28.

The woman, who has remained anonymous, testified that she had been returning home after a friend’s party and was not even aware of the nonconsensual touching until a co-worker showed her the video two days later.

She told the judge that it had been deeply unsettling and disturbing, due to the public nature of being aboard a Metro train and then gaining viral fame. She testified that it has made her more aware of her surroundings to the point of paranoia.

Betancur’s defense attorney argued there was no definitive proof that it was Betancur in the video because only a hand was shown and numerous people could have had access to this X account, “BryanBetan75949,” which posted the video.

But prosecutors supplied mounting evidence that Betancur owned the X account, through pictures of himself and even a video bragging about the presidential pardon he received from being convicted of his part of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. The video displayed court documents with his name on it.

The lead detective in the case also provided video evidence of Betancur exiting the same Red Line car that the victim had ridden and exited a few stops before him.

The judge explicitly pointed out the criminal intent behind the touching via the post’s caption, which read, “Blondes are a good adventure and yeah she gave me permission Lol.” He stated the acknowledgment of a lack of consent showed a conscience of guilt.

This is not the end of Betancur’s legal troubles. He faces an assault charge in Arlington for a similar incident on the Metro there. Betancur is also facing stalking charges in D.C.

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It is a little early and a little hot to start feeling the Christmas spirit, but tickets are already on sale for the upcoming season of ice! at the Gaylord National Resort in Maryland.

You better get yours before someone comes to steal them away because Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” will be this year’s theme.

Ten massive frozen blocks will be carved to tell the story of the Grinch at National Harbor.

“You’ll get to see the Grinch on top of Mount Crumpet. You’ll get to see Cindy Lou and all the other Whos in Whoville,” said Josh Coppens, director of special events and entertainment at the Gaylord National.

Thirty artists from Harbin, China, will sculpt these scenes over the course of a month out of 6,000 blocks of ice that weigh roughly 2 million pounds. If you want to see them, dress appropriately.

“We keep we keep the attraction at 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring gloves, bring a hat with you, a beanie. Keep yourself warm,” Coppens said, adding that parkas will also be available.

There will also be a slide room with thrilling two-story ice slides and a chance to see these ice sculptors at work.

The display opens Nov. 14 and runs through early January but early bird tickets are.

“We’re proud to offer the region’s most immersive holiday celebration,” Dan McKeon, area general manager at Gaylord National Resort, said in a statement.

“Gaylord National is the only destination in the area where guests can experience this combination of immersive Christmas attractions, interactive experiences and beloved holiday traditions under one roof. It’s a place where families can create unforgettable memories together throughout the season.”

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Fairlawn neighborhood Commissioner Tom Donohue filed a lawsuit Tuesday, hoping to recover the promised money as well as bring transparency to the reward process.

Donohue turned over video evidence from his home security cameras of two serious crimes. First, evidence used to convict a man of serial armed robberies, as well as video of a deadly hit-and-run on his street.

“Behind closed doors, MPD reward program operates with a complete absence of policy, zero written evaluation rubrics, no standard operating procedures, and no formal oversight,” claimed Donohue.

“Payout decisions are made arbitrarily behind closed doors, without transparency or accountability.”

D.C. police offers a range of rewards for information that leads to a conviction, including $25,000 for information on a homicide and $10,000 for information leading to a robbery conviction.

According to the Crime Solvers website, a committee determines how reward money is spent. It does not detail how they determine the award.

Donohue provided high-definition video in the 2020 killing of David Farewell, who died in a hit-and-run. Donohue claimed in the filed suit that he was verbally assured that he qualified for the full $25,000 reward through the Crime Stoppers program.

“My reward was arbitrarily slashed to $5,000. High-ranking officials later offered unwritten, invented excuses, claiming on the record, on record lines that video footage of a murder is worth less than witness testimony,” he said during a news conference held in front of D.C. Superior Court.

He also shared video evidence with police that led to the conviction of David Crocker, for two counts of armed robbery. A detective on the case notified Donohue that he had completed the reward paperwork for the $10,000 payout.

Despite approval from higher ups, D.C. police failed to disburse the money. And was told the payout would not happen after corrections.

“Members risk their lives to bring evidence to police. They deserve honesty, clear rules and fair treatment,” Donohue said, adding that he received threats on his own life after handing over evidence in the hit-and-run case.

“When people trust this program and learn that the program isn’t standing up to what it’s supposed to, we lose trust in it. So, it’s my goal to work closely with MPD to bring it to where it needs to be, to bring transparency forward.”

Donohue admitted that he would have turned over evidence without needing the full financial compensation. But when he was told he would receive the money, he told the family of the victim that he would purchase the headstone.

“Nobody should be laid to rest without a marker and their grave being identified. So that’s the driving part of this is that I really wanted to help the families,” he said.

For the past several years, Donohue has requested internal documents from D.C. police through the Freedom of Information Act, he claims they failed to provide any meaningful documents that show the standard procedure of how rewards are valued for different evidence.

“But the good news is, we’re going to bring it out in the full. We’re going to bring it out in the light. Hopefully, MPD will sit down with me and work something out and work together to come up with a solid program that everyone can trust,” he said.

D.C. police said they could no comment on any pending litigation.

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You may start to notice new workers roving around the sidewalks of the Logan Circle area of D.C.

The four-wheeled Coco Robots went into operation in the D.C. neighborhood this past month and has been hustling to get hungry people their orders from Beau Thai. The bots carry everything from pizza to groceries and ice cream.

“Coco is here to make delivery more sustainable, affordable, cost-effective and efficient for local merchants and their customers,” said Carl Hansen, vice president of government relations at Coco.

These robots are limited to a 2-mile zone where they can deliver. They come with insulated compartments to keep food either hot or cold. Hansen said these little bots are not designed to replace delivery workers, just supplement them.

“We take the local portion of orders. They’re the shorter distance trips. Those tend to be a smaller basket size … so tips are lower. Delivery workers generally don’t like those, so they get the better trips, and we’re here to supplement it,” Hansen said, adding they want food to be there within 30 minutes.

The robot can travel only up to 5 mph and matches the walking speed of pedestrians in front of it. There’s also a virtual safety buffer that surrounds the bot, meaning that if a pedestrian steps within a certain distance, its top speed starts to reduce, and if someone gets too close, the bot will stop altogether.

Once it arrives at its destination the customer unlocks it directly from their phone, takes their grub and the Coco bot then returns to the restaurant where it is stationed.

Before Coco arrives in any neighborhood, the sidewalks are meticulously mapped to ensure the bot can easily get around, avoiding or maneuvering over uneven surfaces, potholes and curbs. And with censors on each bot, the maps are constantly updating.

“Even a temporary obstruction, if a tree branch falls and is blocking the sidewalk, or a scooter falls over and is blocking the sidewalk, our bot will get rerouted around the obstruction,” Hansen said. “The obstruction’s added to our map, so the next Coco won’t hit the same obstruction.”

Coco is even sharing this mapping data with an app called Blind Square, a navigation tool for the blind and visually impaired community.

“If Coco sees that fallen over scooter, we can send that immediately to the Blind Square app. A Blind Square user gets an auditory alert on their phone,” Hansen said.

While movies and TV shows have depicted people messing with these futuristic food deliverers, Hansen said it’s uncommon for their bots to be vandalized, though not unheard of.

“People seem less inclined to tamper with something that’s actively being controlled. There’s an alarm on it, and the little bots can wander away. We know immediately if something has gone wrong,” Hansen said.

Coco currently is just operating near Logan Circle, but Hansen said they will be expanding operation across D.C. in the near future.

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The good news for commuters is that the closures will not take place during morning or afternoon rush hour. The northbound lanes of the George Washington Parkway between Spout Run Parkway and Chain Bridge Road/Route 123 are scheduled to be closed from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays until Sept. 1.

The schedule is weather dependent and may change as conditions require, according to the National Park Service.

During the closures, crews will inspect, prune and remove trees as part of ongoing maintenance work aimed to improve safety and maintain the George Washington Parkway’s landscape.

Northbound drivers will be forced to exit at Spout Run Parkway and detour to North Glebe Road and Chain Bridge Road/Route 123, until they can reenter the George Washington Parkway at Chain Bridge Road/Route 123. Southbound lanes will remain open during the project.

in a statement that drivers should plan ahead, expect delays and allow for additional travel time. Drivers may also want to consider alternate routes during closure periods and follow posted signs and directions from road crews in the area.

A map of the George Washington Parkway closure is below:

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A hearing has been delayed by two weeks that will determine whether Catherine Hoggle’s defense attorneys can enter a plea that she was not criminally responsible at the time her children vanished due to mental health issues.

Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy argued that prosecutors had the motion for mere hours before the hearing and requested several days to review the dozens of documents that were filed by Hoggle’s defense team after midnight on Thursday.

The trial is scheduled for October after Hoggle was re-indicted on the murder charges in 2025. Her initial case was dismissed in 2022 after years of ruling that she was unfit to stand trial in the killings of 3-year-old Sarah and 2-year-old Jacob.

Troy Turner, the children’s father, told reporters after the short hearing that he was frustrated with another delay and said that he has seen dozens of hearings and court proceedings come and go seemingly without any progress.

Both children were last seen in September of 2014 and Turner said justice for his kids has not been served.

The judge scheduled an additional hearing for Aug. 20, when arguments are expected to be made on whether Hoggle was mentally fit at the time to be held criminally liable, Maryland’s equivalent to an insanity defense.

In court documents filed by her public defenders, they argue Hoggle, “because of a mental disorder, lacked the substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of the alleged conduct or conform that conduct to the requirements of law.”

Defense attorneys also told the judge during the hearing that it is taking a long time to gather the relevant documents from the Department of Health, which completed psychiatric evaluations when Hoggle was ruled she couldn’t stand trial for nearly a decade.

The judge added that the lack of resources and staffing at the public defender’s and state’s attorney’s offices, as well as at the Public Health Department, is sparking a constitutional crisis.

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Metro is reporting drastic drops in crime aboard its bus and rail system for the second year in a row.

“We are the safest Metro’s ever been,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said during a news conference Tuesday.

Data from Metro’s 2026 fiscal year, from July 2025 through June, show the number of aggravated assaults decreased by 19% compared with fiscal 2025 levels. Robberies fell 36% to 75 cases for the year.

Assaults of Metro personnel, including bus drivers and station managers, fell about 22%. Total violent crime was down 14%.

These “Part 1” crimes were down 61% per million rides in 2026 compared with the 2023 fiscal year, Metro said.

The declines did not extend to all crimes. Drug offenses were up about 25% from the prior year.

“Violent crime is the one that’s gone down the most,” acting chief of the Metro Transit Police Stephen Boehm said.

Officials at Metro are partially crediting the transit system’s stepped up enforcement of fare evasion. During the 2026 fiscal year, there were over 9,600 bus fare evasion citations, up from a 2023 low of just seven total citations for the entire year. Metrorail enforcement went up 485% during the same period.

“When we stop someone for fare evading, we have the ability then to run their name,” Clarke said. “You have outstanding warrants — we will now apprehend you and put you in custody for those outstanding warrants.”

The addition of National Guard troops may have helped as well, he said.

“Clearly, having the National Guard on the system is more eyes and ears of the system,” Clarke said.

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Follow Â鶹ąŮÍř’s Election 2026 coverage online, on air at 103.5 FM or on the Â鶹ąŮÍř News app.

It is an unusual time for a primary election in Virginia, but voters will head to the polls Aug. 4, choosing their nominees in races for Senate, House of Representatives and local offices.

Â鶹ąŮÍř traveled across Northern Virginia to speak to voters about what issues are most important to them.

“It’s the economy, stupid,” said Rana Cullers in Fauquier County, echoing the famous line coined by James Carville after running Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Almost every voter talked about the kitchen table issue of affordability, especially the high price of gas.

“Price of gas, price of food,” said Ken Embrey, who was dining in the Old Salem Cafe in Marshall, Virginia. “Couple of weeks ago, the price of gas was $3.50 and now it’s $4.05.”

He also said his electric bill has gone up by $50 over just the last year.

“We are in an absolutely unnecessary war, which I think is jacking up the prices,” Cullers said, referring to the war in Iran.

“My biggest fear is the war in Iran and the fallout from that,“ John Sweatt said. “Higher prices for everything, it is going to affect the supply chains for everything.”

Jennifer Victor, associate professor of political science at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, said Virginia voters mirror the rest of the country.

“Voters seem to be really concerned about the cost of living,” Victor said. “We hear a lot of chatter about gas prices and grocery prices and things like that. I think there is some heightened concern among widespread voters that it’s just a little bit harder to get by and to feel like you’re able to get ahead and help your kids get ahead.”

Tanya Jackson, who lives in Fairfax County, told Â鶹ąŮÍř that high gas prices and rising costs of other expenses are forcing her and her husband to think strategically.

“Try to limit our driving and riding bikes, etc.,” Jackson said. “Luckily, I work from home, so I can help cut down that additional cost. But just thinking strategically because we’ve seen it in the prices for airlines and travel.”

Another concern that came from many of the voters Â鶹ąŮÍř spoke to across Northern Virginia is data centers and their proliferation in the commonwealth.

“Preserving our land,” Cullers told Â鶹ąŮÍř. “Basically protecting our environment in terms of skewing away from implementing data centers.”

Helen Christian, another Fauquier County resident, said, “I live on a farm. We have wells. Water is always an issue, and the fact that they’re sucking up all the water. My issue with the data centers is in five or 10 years they’re going to come up with some sort of alternative, and we’re going to be left with these monsters. … It’s mind-boggling.”

Victor said, while data centers are definitely a bigger issue in the commonwealth than most of the U.S. because Virginia is home to the highest number of the facilities in the country, it is still an issue that is more present in the minds of certain voters.

“My sense is that data centers in general are still something that like only very informed, involved voters and people who are really invested and connected to their communities,” Victor said. “AI and the technology change is happening so fast. I think a lot of folks just aren’t quite sure what to make of it yet.”

A few other issues came up as a top priority, including gun rights.

“I just want to preserve our Second Amendment rights,” Noah Sadr, a Prince William County resident, told Â鶹ąŮÍř.

Virginia passed an assault weapons and high-capacity magazine ban this year. Currently, there is an injunction on the law stopping it from going into effect.

Ty Jackson told Â鶹ąŮÍř, “I think property taxes is probably high on my list. I’ve just seen a drastic increase since we moved here about 14 years ago. They definitely increased a tremendous amount, and I’m not sure if I’m seeing any difference outside.”

Other voters are considering this election cycle as a referendum on President Donald Trump.

“Getting the Republicans out of office. Simple as that. Just as simple as that, man. They’re a disaster and we need to change,” said one voter from Winchester, who wished to remain anonymous. “I don’t think the Democrats are in much better shape, but it’s the lesser of two evils at this point.”

Christian said, “This crazy person that we have in the White House, how do we get him out of there. The war, I mean, where do I begin? All the cuts to social services. I’m a big Democrat supporting those that are in need. … It horrifies me what’s going on.”

Victor said typically in a midterm election, political scientists expect the party of the president to do poorly and for the out party, in this case Democrats, to pick up seats.

But still, Victor expects this primary to have abysmal turnout.

“People are on vacation. They’re out of town. They haven’t made plans to do an absentee ballot,” she said. “It’s not on their radar. It’s not typical. And then to be honest, like most of the races are not competitive.”

Virginia’s primaries typically take place in June, but they were pushed back this year as part of the democratic push to redraw congressional maps in the commonwealth.

All seats for the House of Representatives and the Senate seat held by Mark Warner is also up for election. Three Republicans — Kim Farington, Bert Mizusawa and David Earl Williams — are vying to challenge him in November.

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Prince George’s County, Maryland, officials celebrated the modernizing of one of their recycling facilities Wednesday afternoon.

The upgrades allow the county to produce higher quality materials for recycling and even make more money off the materials because they are less contaminated.

Recycling trucks are weighed before they back in tons of recycled materials into the Prince George’s County Materials Recycling Facility, or MRF. This is a non-stop process throughout the day.

“On a daily basis, we take in 250 tons per day,” said Michael Bell, senior operations manager at the facility. “We take in over 60,000 tons per year, and we process over 555 to 58,000 tons per year.”

The new upgrade to the MRF are no-wrap fiber screens. They look similar to ninja stars that are constantly spinning. They are spaced out every few inches and allow fiber materials like paper and cardboard to float over, while plastic and other materials fall between the rods.

The original fiber screens would often get damaged by items such as plastic grocery bags winding around the rods.

Bell said the new upgrades fix that problem.

“With this upgrade, these screens have allowed us to drop our downtime by 8% as well as we’ve seen the contamination levels across all our bales drop by 5%,” Bell said.

All the materials are then packaged together in bales. When the bales are less contaminated by other materials, Bell said it allows them to make more money selling these recycled materials to companies that reuse them.

There are other benefits to less contamination.

“Less contamination in recycling is a big deal. Contamination leads to rodents (and it also) makes this job a lot harder for the equipment and the sorters that work on the line,” Bell added.

These new fiber processing lines are just one of the many ways the MRF sifts through the recycling from 180,000 households.

There are also optical laser scanners and magnetic belt. These technological advances have led Prince George’s County to have one of the most successful recycling programs in the state.

Samuel Moki, the director of the Department of Environment for Prince George’s County, told Â鶹ąŮÍř: “For us to install these fiber sorters, that is even going to help us recycle better. It’s even going to make our recyclable materials that we sell out in the in the market of much higher quality and much better revenue for the county, I think it’s a wonderful thing.”

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After consistent problems with people hopping onto Metrorail tracks, Metro is planning to add platform barriers and doors to its most popular line.

The Metro Board of Directors will hear the latest step in modernizing the Red Line during its board meeting Thursday.

The proposal includes adding primarily glass barriers and doors that would stand roughly 5 feet, 6 inches tall. It would be the latest addition to the Red Line in Metro’s modernization plan, which added new signaling systems, equipment rooms and automated trains.

Metro said riders getting onto the tracks is a constant problem for the system. In 2026 alone, Metro has seen over 80 people trespass on the tracks and 10 people have died, according to the transit system. Generally, they see a trespasser about every three days.

Beyond the obvious safety concerns, Metro officials said people on the tracks cause significant disruptions for riders and platform screen doors will provide a safer and more efficient Metrorail.

Transit agency leaders said the partial glass barriers and doors will be installed in a way that maintains the historic architectural legacy of stations. They are also best designed to retrofit existing stations.

The project is in its early phases, where workers will survey different stations before they enter the engineering and implementation phases.

It is not clear exactly when these platform doors and barriers will be operational, but Metro officials said it would be completed no earlier than 2028. And exactly how the stations would operate while they are being installed is not clear.

Metro has also not yet disclosed the cost of the project.

Meanwhile, the Red Line, which has given commuters significant headaches with the shut down of three stations between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights, will still see significant station shutdowns and single tracking coming over the next year.

Metro has released documents showing a planned weekend shutdown between Silver Spring and Rhode Island Avenue stations for train control room replacement in February 2027.

The Red Line will also see an extended shutdown between the Twinbrook and Shady Grove stations for ties and bridge rehab starting in July 2027. An extended shutdown will start in August to rehab interlocking ties between the Union Station and Rhode Island Avenue stations.

Beyond 2027, Metro is planning a full Rhode Island Avenue platform rehabilitation.

Elsewhere on the rail system, the Orange, Silver and Blue lines will see a weekend shutdown on Oct. 17, between the Foggy Bottom and Pentagon stations. The West Falls Church yard will see a full rehab between July and November of next year. In August, the Blue Line will close from King Street and Franconia-Springfield for four days for interlocking tie replacement.

The Yellow and Green Lines will see a weekend shutdown from Hyattsville Crossing to Greenbelt from Sept. 5-7 for a train control room renewal. Weekend shutdowns are scheduled Sept. 19-20 and 26-27 for track rehabilitation.

An extended shutdown in July of next year is scheduled between Georgia Ave and Hyattsville crossing.

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The national average for a gallon of gas hit $4 Monday morning as strikes continue in the war in Iran.

Â鶹ąŮÍř spoke to commuters who were filling up their tanks and already seeing the price go up.

“It’s hard for the pocketbook,” Annie Covito told Â鶹ąŮÍř as she was filling up her tank at a gas station in Fairfax County, Virginia. “It is difficult at this time.”

The price in the D.C. metro area hovers right above $4 a gallon, according to GasBuddy, a company that tracks gas prices. In the District, prices have risen around 15 cents just since last week.

The July Fourth weekend saw a low point for gas prices since the war with Iran began but averages in both Virginia and Maryland have risen by about 30 cents per gallon since the holiday. The average price per gallon has risen in every state for the second week.

“I’m paying right now for what I’m paying before at least $15 to $20 more, that’s a lot,” Teodros Habtemariam said. “As long as the war with Iran continues — ceasefire here, and then ceasefire is broken — we’re not getting any solutions. So I hope they sit down and figure out something because the American people are hurting.”

Analysts with GasBuddy said the war in Iran and turmoil around the Strait of Hormuz continues to weigh on the exporting of crude oil. In addition, continued Ukrainian attacks on
Russian oil refineries are further straining the supply of gas.

“With WTI crude approaching $85 per barrel in Sunday night trading, price-cycling markets are likely to see another jolt higher in the coming days, and motorists should brace for a rougher stretch ahead,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, in a statement.

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On July 10, detectives with the Montgomery County Police Department said an unknown man entered the Georgia Avenue location of The Angry Jerk restaurant’s bathroom at around 10:34 p.m.

He then proceeded to stab another man multiple times before running away from the scene.

Detectives are now looking for the suspect and have released surveillance footage. The man is described as black with long locks of hair. He is about 6 feet tall and around 30 years old, police said.

The suspect was wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, tan sneakers and a tan and burgundy baseball hat.

Anyone with information is asked to contact . Tips may remain anonymous.

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Commuters have dealt with the partial Red Line shutdown for over a week, waiting in long lines for shuttle buses traveling between the North Bethesda and Friendship Heights Stations.

While it is costing Metro commuters time, drivers are paying if they are caught using the temporary bus lanes created for the shuttles on Rockville Pike and Wisconsin Avenue.

Along Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland, drivers see meters covered in red bags with signs reading “bus lane” and “no stopping.” Parking signs have been temporarily covered, but underneath, a sign reading “If towed call 301-279-8000” remains visible.

Still, in just a short time in Bethesda, Â鶹ąŮÍř spotted several cars parked in these new bus lanes with flashers on and buses merging into center lanes to pass.

Metro Transit Police has handled the vast majority of enforcement for these new bus travel lanes along the 7.5-mile route between the stations.

In their first week enforcing these lanes, officers have warned over 570 drivers to steer clear.
They have also written 37 parking tickets and 15 traffic tickets. Each ticket is $60. Montgomery County police are also assisting in enforcement, but the primary agency is Metro Transit Police.

These lanes will be enforced from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until full service is resumed on the Red Line and the Grosvenor-Strathmore, Medical Center and Bethesda stations reopen. The construction includes adding a Purple Line mezzanine at the Bethesda station and completing other routine work.

The work is scheduled to be wrapped up on Sept. 6.

And while many of these bus lanes seem to be frustrating drivers, some may become a permanent addition to Maryland Route 355.

The Maryland Department of Transportation will evaluate whether bus lanes should remain between the Capital Beltway and Marinelli Road; they may extend the pilot program to see how it impacts traffic during the school year and when Metrorail has reopened.

They will also gather public feedback from residents and businesses on the effects of the bus lanes before any final decision is made.

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