2020.09.13 Appeal to Vote, Washington, DC USA 257 14214 by Ted Eytan licensed under Creative Commons.

Maryland polls open until 8 pm today, full results may be delayed due to mail-in ballot counting restrictions

All Maryland precincts are open for in-person voting or mail-in ballot drop-off until 8 pm Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Maryland is the only state holding a primary this month and the only state that must wait two days after the polls close to count mail-in ballots. While this provision in state law was suspended during the state’s public health emergency in 2020,  Governor Larry Hogan vetoed a law making the suspension permanent in May of 2022.  (Post)  

DC nonprofit LGBTQ shelter Casa Ruby has ceased operating, evicting clients, as others seek back pay for services, rentals, and employment

Casa Ruby, the LGBTQ transitional shelter with several locations around the District of Columbia, has not formally closed but has stopped operating its shelters and paying its employees, landlords, and other vendors. The loss of shelter space has put pressure on all existing youth and adult LGBTQ shelters, as well as other social service groups serving the LGBTQ and immigrant populations in DC to provide services to those evicted or who are in danger of eviction, foreclosure, or default on business loans. (Editor’s note: Tracy Hadden Loh, GGWash’s board chair, is quoted in this article. She has no editorial input.)  (Amanda Michelle Gomez / DCist)  

MWAA requests $250 million more for its part in Metro’s Silver Line expansion

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is seeking an additional $250 million for the silver line. The cost would be shared by Fairfax and Loudoun counties, MWAA, and Dulles Toll Road users, though a staff report states that the increase will not impact toll rates. Some reasons for the cost increase of the project, originally estimated at $2.8 billion, include Covid-19 restrictions, increased cost of building materials, and supply chain slowdowns.  (Lori Aratani / Washington Post)  

VA’s George Washington Parkway starts first renovation in its 60-year history.

The National Park Service is rehabilitating the George Washington Memorial Parkway this summer. NPS cautions the 70,000 daily commuters on the parkways to be aware of traffic delays due to construction. The rehabilitation should prevent another sinkhole from forming, as one did in 2019.  (Neal Augenstein / WTOP)  

NoVA Transportation Authority simultaneously commits new funding to transit improvements and road widening projects

The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority announced 20 new projects in its latest six-year fund program last week. The seven projects in Fairfax County, which account for more than half of the funding awarded, include both transit and road widening projects, such as an electric bus pilot program for the Fairfax Connector and a Richmond Highway widening.  (Matt Blitz / FFXnow)  

NoVA transportation leaders indicate support for more express lanes despite public criticism

A panel of regional transportation leaders convened last week to discuss highway express lanes in the region. Though they acknowledged that express lanes have been highly controversial to implement, each speaker highlighted the benefits of express lanes, signaling a strong appetite for adding more to the region’s highways.  (Brian Trompeter / Sun Gazette)  

Baltimore neighborhood homes saved after years of fighting city demolition notice

The City of Baltimore and La Cité Development, a developer the city contracted to aid in the re-development of west Baltimore’s Poppleton neighborhood, have rescinded a demolition order for one set of neighborhood homeowners, Sonia and Curtis Eddy, who had been campaigning for the city to do so since 2000. The city also granted Black Women Build the development rights on a historic set of alley homes adjacent to the Eddy’s property and La Cité announced the next phase of the mixed-use redevelopment work in the neighborhood, a senior center.  (Giacomo Bologna / Baltimore Sun)  

College Park officials and UMD students express concern about proposed Chick-Fil-A project on US Route 1

College Park officials, University of Maryland students and other College Park residents have expressed concerns that a proposed Chick-fil-A project at the former Applebees site on US Route 1 did not do enough public engagement, is not sufficiently walkable, and may become a site of discrimination. The project is in compliance with existing City of College Park planning zoning and is currently under review by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.  (The Diamondback. Tip: MarkusJT)  

Alexandria’s new tunnel boring machine is named after Hazel Johnson, mother of the environmental justice movement

The city of Alexandria will be digging a 2-mile long, 12-foot wide tunnel that will store sewage overflows for wastewater treatment rather than being spilled in the Potomac River. Alexandria’s combined sewers currently discharge excess sewage into the Potomac. The project is required by the Virginia General Assembly to be completed by 2025 and tunneling will begin next month.  (Jacob Fenston / DCist)  

Have a tip for the links? Submit it here.