D.C. Leads Nation in Traffic — A new report from Consumer Affairs has ranked D.C. as the city with the worst traffic in the U.S., putting it above Los Angeles, which previously held the no. 1 spot. “The average commute to work in DC is 33.4 minutes — the longest in the U.S. On an average weekday, traffic congestion lasts more than 6.5 hours. That’s the equivalent of spending 71 days in traffic each year.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
GMU Professors Criticize Board — “A group of George Mason University professors declared that the Board of Visitors had failed to defend President Gregory Washington and the institution from political attacks in a vote of no confidence.” The vote was “overwhelmingly approved” by the GMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (GMU-AAUP) as the university faces a series of investigations launched by the Trump administration. [Virginia Mercury]
More Data on ICE Arrests — “Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions have jumped in D.C., Virginia and Maryland … In Virginia and D.C., people without criminal charges or convictions made up an average of 60% of daily ICE arrests in early June, per agency data obtained by the UC Berkeley School of Law’s Deportation Data Project.” [Axios DC]
Man Wanted for Hit-and-Run Arrested — According to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, a 29-year-old man was pulled over by deputies on Tuesday (July 22) after he was seen drifting out of his lane on I-95, forcing another driver to swerve to avoid a collision. Showing signs of intoxication, the man is wanted by Fairfax County on a felony hit-and-run charge and was previously convicted of a DUI in 2018, the sheriff’s office says. [DC News Now]
Metro Investigates Duplicate Charges — “It’s been about two months since Metro gave riders the option to pay by simply tapping a contactless credit card or using Apple Pay at the gates, but rider Tanya Lervik — who commutes from College Park to Gallery Place — recently noticed some strange charges on her credit card account … She quickly started wondering how she could have been charged on the credit card even though she only uses her SmarTrip to pay.” [NBC4]
Stream Restoration Underway — “A stream restoration project underway in Seven Corners is aimed at reducing erosion in the Long Branch stream within the Hollybrooke community, between Patrick Henry Drive and Arlington Boulevard … Work on the $1.3 million Patrick Henry Outfall Restoration Project started in June and is expected to be completed in September.” [Annandale Today]
Drug Maker Plans Va. Facility — “In a vote of confidence for Virginia’s growing life sciences sector, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced plans to build its largest drug manufacturing facility in the world somewhere in the commonwealth — marking the company’s single biggest investment ever.” The facility will be part of a planned $50 billion expansion in the U.S. for the U.K.-based company [Virginia Mercury]
Temporary Library Open in Vienna — A temporary Patrick Henry Library opened Monday (July 21) at the Cedar Park Shopping Center in Vienna, offering limited services with construction on a permanent library expected to begin this fall. Local officials welcomed the facility at 262C Cedar Lane SE with a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday (Wednesday) that included free samples from nearby Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream and an open house. [Fairfax County Public Library]
Free Trees Available for Planting — “Community-based organizations in Fairfax County can apply to receive free trees for planting on private properties, through a program by Fairfax County’s Urban and Community Forestry Division (UCFD) of the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services.” The program aims to increase tree coverage “in economically disadvantaged communities.” [DPWES]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 90 degrees, accompanied by a south wind of 3 to 8 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 74 degrees, and the south wind continuing at 6 to 8 mph. [NWS]
