Smithsonian Metro entrance, coupled with Independence Avenue traffic in the evening by CTB in DC used with permission.

Metro will be free in the evening on the Fourth of July

WMATA has announced Metrorail, Metrobus, and MetroAccess will be free for all riders on the Fourth of July after 5 pm, which is traditionally one of the system’s busiest days. Before the pandemic, ridership often topped half a million on the holiday, and WMATA hopes to mitigate traffic by encouraging ridership.  (Jordan Pascale / DCist)  

DC DMV may have overlooked DUI convictions for up to 15 years

After a driver killed three people on Rock Creek Parkway this past March, it was revealed the District DMV had failed to note that the driver had three previous DUI convictions. Furthermore, DMV employees revealed the agency uses a twenty-year-old system to manage the database, leading to missing records. Upon further review, the DMV admits it may be missing up to fifteen years worth of convictions.  (Martin Austermuhle / DCist)  

Maryland Governor Wes Moore wants legislature to address regressive automatic gas tax increases

Maryland’s gas tax is set to increase five cents on Saturday. Governor Wes Moore spoke out ahead of the automatic change, saying that the gas tax is harmful to working families and he hopes the legislature will find funding sources for the Transportation Trust Fund that are not regressive when it reconvenes in January 2024  (Hannah Gaskill / Baltimore Sun. Tip: Former Commenter)  

Fairfax County to decide on parking at West Falls Church development in July

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally approved a mixed-use development on the parking lot of the West Falls Church Metro station, bringing in new businesses and nearly 1,000 new housing units. However, the Board has yet to decide how to handle parking: developers want to reduce the number of parking spaces, while others state driving is necessary in Fairfax County.  (Angela Woolsey / FFXNow)  

WMATA will use federal funds to turn Franconia bus facility electric and buy 100 buses

WMATA announced on Monday it will use a $104 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to convert a Springfield bus facility to house electric buses and to purchase approximately 100 electric buses. This continues work on WMATA’s transition plan to a zero-emission bus fleet.  (Angela Woolsey / FFXNow)  

Appellate Court of Maryland rules Housing Opportunities Commission can sell historic Black cemetery

The Appellate Court of Maryland ruled in favor of the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission’s wish to sell a historic Black cemetery to developers. The Moses Macedonia African Cemetery in Bethesda served as a cemetery in the first half of the twentieth century but was paved over for a parking lot in the 1960s. An attorney for a coalition seeking to preserve the cemetery says the ruling will be appealed to the Maryland Supreme Court.  (Justin Jouvenal / Post)  

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