Renaldo Gaines, 35, and Sierra Alston, 33, were taken into custody in Washington on July 23 with help from the U.S. Marshals Service. Police said they turned themselves in to Arlington County police the next day.

Gaines is charged with grand larceny auto, possession of a vehicle with removed or altered serial numbers, two counts of receiving stolen goods, two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and petit larceny. Alston is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, according to police.

The investigation began March 18, 2025, when an officer checking a parking garage in the 800 block of Army Navy Drive spotted a suspicious, unoccupied vehicle, police said. Investigators determined the vehicle had been stolen in Nevada and had an altered vehicle identification number. Officers detained Gaines and Alston when they returned to the vehicle.

Police said the ensuing investigation found that Gaines and Alston conspired to steal or acquire stolen vehicles and alter their identification numbers to avoid detection. Austin was charged in a previous case involving the theft of three BMWs from a Reagan National Airport rental facility.

Investigators reported finding her police jacket and official documents in one vehicle, her phone paired via Bluetooth to a second, and D.C. police bodycam footage placing her with the third. Those charges were ultimately dropped in March 2025.At the time, Alston was a Maryland police officer and used law enforcement resources to help Gaines, according to Arlington County police.

Police obtained arrest warrants this month. The investigation remains active.

Anyone with information can call the Arlington County Police Department tip line at 703-228-4180.

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More than 500 Howard students were unenrolled because they didn’t meet financial deadlines. On Tuesday, Howard said a “considerable” number of students had been reenrolled after meeting payment and documentation requirements and that it continues to review cases.

UDC’s application deadline has been extended to Aug. 7 to give Howard students time to transfer and not lose academic time.

“In addition to that, our admission application fee has been waived,” said Hasanna Tyus, vice president of enrollment at UDC. “And then we have enrollment specialists that are prepared in admissions, financial aid, registration and advising and housing to help students throughout the enrollment process to make sure that they’re prepared to start class on Aug. 21.”

Tyus said most financial aid can be transferred. Students receiving federal aid can update their FAFSA to designate UDC as their school.

Those with private scholarships or other outside awards will need to contact the sponsoring organizations directly to have their funds redirected.

“We are here to serve as many as students as we can,” Tyus said. “If there’s a student out there that wants to begin their studies, continue their studies in the District of Columbia, we want students to know that they have a home here at UDC.”

Howard University that it acknowledges the challenges and is working to accommodate students. Howard apologized for the stress it caused students.

Howard University interim president Wayne Frederick addressed the issue Monday.

Tyus said any student who would like to contact an admissions adviser at UDC should do so .

In a similar move to UDC, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that it would offer expedited late admissions reviews to New York state students unenrolled by Howard.

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Coach and co-founder of District Blossoms Robby Zhang says the group was founded in 2023, and they’ve been working hard to get to this point. He said the kids are showing good promise.

“We are bringing two teams out to Texas,” Zhang said. “We’re also bringing a 16-U girls team. They are the only fully-rostered girls team coming from the D.C., Maryland, Virginia area, so we’re very excited for that.”

Multiple teams from the region are also participating in the competition, which is being held July 30-Aug. 2.

Zhang, who is from the Bay Area in California, started playing water polo at a young age and called it a niche sport that’s not as popular on the East Coast.

“It’s very big in California. It’s got some growing segments in Texas and Florida,” he said. “It’s the biggest youth tournament in the country.”

“I’m really looking forward to just playing with my team and growing together,” said 14-year-old Coralyn from Clarksburg, who said 鈥� even though her team is an underdog 鈥� she has high hopes.

“I think we have a pretty good chance,” she said. “So far, looking at the teams, I believe we’re pretty equal to them, and I think if we fight and try our hardest, then we can defeat them.”

“I’m so stoked 鈥� it’s amazing,” said 11-year-old Vaughn from Bethesda. “I’m looking forward to good food and playing great polo!”

“Water polo has taught me that community means a lot,” said 15-year-old Suriel from Bethesda. “I’ve made a bunch of friends, people who have developed me as a person.”

“I think the team is going to do pretty good,” said 12-year-old Faris of the District. “We’ve been practicing really hard, four days a week. It’s going to be really fun.”

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“Six months ago, we concluded our investigation and adopted , issuing 75 findings and 50 safety recommendations, all of which must be implemented to prevent reoccurrence, yet we are no closer today to addressing many of the serious safety gaps that contributed to this terrible tragedy,” Homendy said

Sixty-seven people, including three Army crew members in the helicopter, were killed in the crash on Jan. 29, 2025.

“Every day that passes without implementation of all 50 NTSB recommendations represents a continued and unacceptable risk to public safety,” Homendy said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Army have agreed to close a helicopter route near Reagan National, and the agencies have also agreed to suspend what’s known as “visual separation,” where direct visual observation is used to keep aircraft apart.

In direct response to the NTSB recommendations, the Senate passed the in December 2025, but it failed in the House. In April, the House passed the

In her statement, Homendy urged members of Congress to move with urgency.

“Congress left for August recess without action on a final bill and we urge they work through differences during this recess so that a final package can be voted on when Congress returns in September,” she said.

She said that the NTSB’s “clear road map” will reduce the likelihood of another tragic incident, adding that they聽“owe it to the victims, to the families who continue to grieve their loss, and to the millions of people who rely on the safety of our aviation system every day.”

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David Marchick’s term as interim president of American University began on July 1, but he already had a big vacation planned: a bike ride through the Pyrenees mountains in the south of France.

He didn’t want to cancel his trip. So, he had a thought: “Let’s turn this into fundraiser to help students,” he said.

“I love biking. I’ve been biking for years,” Marchick told WTOP. “I had planned as a bucket list trip to bike some of the Tour de France routes and then realized that I was going to be on vacation in the first week of my presidency.”

Posting on social media with the hashtag #SummitForScholarships, Marchick started the grueling ride through the mountains with an elevation goal 鈥� 29,000 feet, the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest.

Marchick, 60, completed the 549-kilometer journey in about a week.

“There were so many times I wanted to quit,” he said. “But I was thinking of the students and the example I was setting. And I couldn’t quit.”

His ride from more than 250 donors.

“That money will change students’ lives. I’m very happy and proud of the effort,” Marchick said.

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The child’s mother allegedly told authorities the child was left in the closet for around 12 hours every day.

, sheriff’s deputies went to a residence in the 20000 block of Roh Ranch Lane in Callaway on Monday, after a caller reported a child was being confined in a closet.

When they arrived, the closet door was tied shut with a bungee cord and the 4-year-old was inside, deputies said.

“The closet was in deplorable conditions,” said ALisa Casas, public information officer for the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. “There was no light in that closet, and they did not observe any edible food.”

The child, whose name and gender were not released, was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Their condition is not known.

Four other children were also found inside the residence, but they did not require medical assistance, the sheriff’s office said. They are being cared for by Child Protective Services.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested the child’s mother, 28-year-old Kaylynn Nicole Moore, and Moore’s boyfriend, 27-year-old James Earl Stone.

The sheriff’s office said Stone admitted tying the door shut with the bungee cord.

All the children belonged to Moore and there was another adult living in the home, but that person was not involved in the investigation, according to sheriff’s deputies.

Moore and Stone have been charged with child abuse and seven counts of child neglect. They were transferred to the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Leonardtown to await bond hearings.

“This is the kind of case that sticks with any first responder,” Casas said. “This case is heartbreaking because it involved a young child.”

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“It worked for the past six years, why tear it down now?” said Patrice Cleary, chef and owner of in Mount Pleasant.

For months, the District Department of Transportation allowed restaurants seeking permanent streatery permits to continue operating existing structures, most of them constructed under special COVID-19 permits, while their applications moved through the approval process.

Temporary permit extensions expired May 31, and inspectors began enforcing new rules for permanent structures in June.

Cleary told WTOP she has been compliant, but that multiple layers of bureaucracy are slowing the process for her and other restaurant owners.

“We just had an inspector come by over two weeks ago and said, ‘If you don’t have this structure down within two weeks, you’ll be fined $500,’ and the possibility of having this structure torn down by the city at three times the amount that it would normally would have been charged,” she said.

“Why would we be fined if we are doing everything correct but it’s being held up by the government? That’s not our fault,” Cleary said.

DDOT said it has given restaurants multiple deadline extensions and provided regular updates throughout the permitting process. The D.C. Department of Buildings has also started a fast-track review program aimed at accelerating approvals.

Officials said the tougher standards are designed to improve safety, ensure outdoor dining structures are more durable and maintain access to city streets.

While Cleary said she understands those goals, she believes her streatery and others like it have become centers of their community and should be preserved.

“To keep this structure would mean so much to the community, not just the restaurants that use it because it’s very much a community space,” Cleary said.

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The deck in D.C.’s year-old Connecticut Avenue is starting to take shape.

Using a crane and working overnight, crews have been placing steel beams across the area between Q Street and Dupont Circle Northwest where four Connecticut Avenue lanes descend beneath the circle.

The crews are constructing a pedestrian plaza at the site. Construction began in June 2025 and is expected to be complete in late spring or summer of 2027.

When the plaza is finished, it will provide ample space for community events and feature a large collection of public art.

Progress has been steady and the project remains on schedule, according to the D.C. Department of Transportation.

People can follow the progress of the project by going to .

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A study published in Consumer Reports .

Its researchers tested sunscreens from K-beauty brands Beauty of Joseon, Innisfree and Round Lab against formulas from the same brands with Food and Drug Administration-approved ingredients.

“What we found in each instance was that the Korean formula was more effective than the U.S. formula in protecting against UVA and UVB rays,” Trisha Calvo, Consumer Reports’ deputy editor for health and food, said.

The FDA regulates sunscreen as a drug, introducing new UV filters in the U.S. versions requires a lengthy and costly approval process.

In South Korea and many other countries, however, sunscreen is regulated as a cosmetic product, allowing new ingredients to reach the market more quickly.

“The true Korean sunscreens use ingredients that are not approved in the U.S. for reducing the exposure to UV light,” Calvo said.

As a result, sunscreen makers outside the U.S. can often incorporate a wider variety of UV filters into their products.

As for how each sunscreen felt, panelists conducting the testing said they were surprised to find U.S.-formulated sunscreens were just as good as the Korean formulas and they saw little difference between the pairings.

Consumer Reports notes that while it is possible to buy Korean sunscreen from overseas retailers, and it did so for its testing, there is some risk involved.聽Packages may be stopped at the border and potentially seized by customs officials, it said.

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With Greenbelt’s Beltway Plaza Mall as a backdrop Wednesday, Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman announced this year’s “” is Aug. 9-15.

“Marylanders buying clothing and footwear priced under $100 will not pay our state’s 6% sales tax,” Lierman said, surrounded by local elected leaders and business owners.

In addition, the first $40 of the purchase price of a backpack or bookbag will be tax-free during the period. Accessories other than backpacks聽are not eligible for the tax exemption.

“We know that times are tough right now,” Lierman said. “We know that costs are rising. We know that you paid more for that tank of gas to get here today. And we know that we have to do everything we can to build a more affordable state.”

The savings can have a big impact on household budgets, officials said. This year, families with elementary- through high school-aged children plan to spend $863.86 per student, on average, according to the National Retail Federation.

“This is an initiative that we as a General Assembly are very proud of,” Del. Nicole Williams said. “It is something we feel is super important for all of our families across the state of Maryland, and we’re so excited that for almost two decades we have been fostering this program to really help all of our families during their back-to-school efforts.”

Officials and Beltway Plaza business owners also touted the tax holiday’s benefits to the local economy.

“Tax-Free Week is especially important for small businesses like ours,” said Pierre Abraham, who owns the Shoe Box store in the mall.

“It brings more families into the mall, it helps shoppers save money and gives local businesses an opportunity to grow during this busy back-to-school season,” he said.

Another Maryland Tax-Free Week promotion is a video contest. Shoppers can win cash prizes of $250, $500 and $1,000 for posting during the sales tax holiday.

Virginia’s sales tax holiday is Aug. 7-9. include school supplies priced at $20 or less, and clothing and footwear priced under $100.

That state’s sales tax exemptions also apply to emergency supplies such as chainsaws and portable generators, and certain energy- and water-saving products for the home.

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Under the bill, known as the , the money would be refunded when the items are returned.

Council members intend for the bill to decrease the amount of plastic bottles that end up in the District’s rivers and streets. The bill aims to incentivize people to recycle their bottles and encourage city residents to earn money by collecting discarded bottles and cans.

But the business community sharply rebuked the bill at Thursday’s roundtable discussion led by Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, chair of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, on the grounds that it would unjustly increase cost burdens on beverage distributors.

Brendan Williams-Kief, who testified on behalf of the District of Columbia Beverage Alcohol Wholesalers, detailed a study funded by his association indicating the bottle bill would increase costs to consumers by some $60 million every year.

Pushing back on that study’s findings was the bill’s main sponsor, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who said that extra cost would be ultimately refunded to consumers.

“Six hundred seventeen million bottles and cans per year are distributed and sold in the District, and we are paying for each and every one,” Nadeau said. “It’s no wonder that the big beverage industry doesn’t want this bill; they don’t want to pay for the cost to clean up the mess they created.”

“I haven’t paid myself in two months,” said Thor Chester, co-owner of Right Proper Brewing Company. “I cannot pay (for) another government program,” he said, adding that his margins are already narrow, and it was difficult to see how his business could incur any extra costs.

Allen and Nadeau say they have made changes to the bill that would negate any impacts to brewers in the city. Nadeau said the recycling program would be run by a nonprofit organization, minimizing any potential expenditures to the city.

Ten states in the U.S. currently have container deposit laws in place.

Supporters say there is evidence that financial incentives have a big impact on the environment. They point to the District’s five-cent plastic bag fee as an example, noting that plastic bags quickly disappeared from the Anacostia River after the charge was introduced.

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One person had contact with the cat, which later tested positive for rabies, on June 18 at a veterinary facility in the county. The Loudoun County Health Department is working with this individual for proper treatment, the department said in a news release.

The cat, which was euthanized June 26, was an average-sized brown tiger/tabby cat with white feet and white markings on her face and had no collar or microchip, according to health officials. The cat was seen with five kittens with gray and white fur and black striped markings.

Anyone who thinks they may have been in contact with the cat or kittens between June 6 and June 16 should contact their healthcare provider or the Loudoun County Health Department at 703-777-0234 or via email.

There have been several reports of rabid animals in the region this year. Across the state, 117 animals tested positive for the virus during the first three months of the year, including a bat and a skunk in Culpeper County, and three raccoons and a skunk in Fauquier County.

No human exposures have been reported, and Virginia has reported only two human cases of rabies since 2009, according to the state’s health department.

In Maryland, officials at the Carroll County Health Department are asking anyone who attended a fireworks display on July 3 in Mount Airy to get evaluated for possible rabies exposure after bats were scared out of trees as the fireworks began.

, county health officials warned of potential exposure.

鈥淏at bites are very small and may not be noticeable. If you had contact with a bat, get a rabies risk assessment to make sure you get treatment if needed,鈥� said Joe Mancuso, rabies program manager with the Carroll County Health Department.

The bottom line, “Avoid contact with wild animals and unfamiliar pets,” said Dr. Zelalem Attlee with the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health Department.

Attlee said officials are not noticing a spike in confirmed rabies cases but that it’s never a bad time to remind the public that there is a potential danger for infection, especially among animals such as raccoons, ferrets, bats and cats. He said any animal that spends time outdoors potentially interacting with wild animals is at risk.

Attlee advised immediate action if a person thinks they have been exposed.

“Seek medical care immediately. Do not wait for symptoms,” Attlee said.

If you’re bitten by an animal, wash the wound immediately with soap and water, and use rubbing alcohol if it’s available. If a pet has been exposed, Attlee recommended immediately contacting a veterinarian.

“If possible, safely identify the animal so it can be evaluated or tested,” Attlee said. “Do not attempt to capture it yourself.”

Symptoms of rabies in humans generally appear after an incubation period of one to three weeks. Early symptoms are much like the flu: Fever, body aches and sore throat. Advanced symptoms include hyperactivity, extreme anxiety, hallucinations and, in severe cases, severe pain in the throat while attempting to drink water.

Pet owners in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are legally required to get their pets vaccinated against rabies by the time they are four months. A booster shot is required one year later.

If not treated, rabies infection is almost always fatal. But with early intervention and treatment, the disease is 100% preventable, according to Attlee.

“Early treatment can prevent rabies and save lives,” he said.

WTOP’s Jessica Kronzer contributed to this report.

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The productions continue CATF’s long-standing commitment to developing and showcasing new American work.

This year’s season also underscores CATF’s unique place in the theater world. The festival is now the last remaining U.S. summer theater festival devoted exclusively to producing new, fully staged American plays, making it a critical incubator for new voices and stories on the national stage.

“If we don’t have new work, we don’t build the canon of work that people see on the theater stages across the country and even across the world,” said festival artistic director Peggy McKowen.

Now in its 36th season, CATF’s summer lineup features five contemporary plays 鈥� four of them world premieres 鈥� presented in repertory at Shepherd University.

McKowen said the festival’s close connection to the community is one of its greatest assets. In Shepherdstown’s intimate setting, audiences often find themselves sharing sidewalks, restaurants and coffee shops with actors, playwrights and fellow theatergoers between performances.

“We have a responsibility to our industry and the audiences who love theater to continue to provide that opportunity,” McKowen said.

“We know that arts organizations in general are suffering,” she added. “We feel the need to continue to produce so that we can continue to keep art alive in our cultures and community.”

Founded in 1991 in West Virginia’s oldest town, the festival invites audiences to delve deeper into the creative process through its extensive TalkTheater program. The series features more than 30 events, including backstage tours, scene-change demonstrations, artist talks, lectures, post-show discussions and opportunities to meet playwrights and performers.

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Algorithmic pricing refers to software that uses complex algorithms to gather and analyze large amounts of public and private market data on behalf of landlords and property managers.

These tools can evaluate factors such as local rental trends, vacancy rates, tenant demand and competitors鈥� pricing to generate recommendations on rental rates and lease terms.

Landlords may use this information to set rents, determine fee structures, adjust lease conditions and make pricing decisions aimed at maximizing revenue and maintaining competitiveness in the housing market.

The amendments to Chapter 18 of the Rockville City Code, 鈥淩ental Facilities and Landlord-Tenant Relations,鈥� are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1.

During the hearing Monday, members of the public, including Wendy Murphy, testified before the council about the practice before the vote.

“I’ve watched families in the city get priced out of apartments they’ve lived in for years. That left kids switching mid-year as people find they must leave neighborhoods they’ve been part of for years,” Murphy said.

The rewrite of the city code is intended to provide greater clarity for landlords and tenants while strengthening housing stability and tenant protections.

“Everyone deserves a fair chance to find and keep a place to call home,” Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton wrote in an email to WTOP. “This comprehensive update reflects our commitment to fostering a housing market that works for everyone.”

The updated law limits and clarifies landlord fees, including restrictions on payment-processing and administrative charges. It also expands relocation assistance for tenants displaced by unsafe housing conditions or code violations, requires greater transparency around lease terms, utility costs, and other mandatory fees, and strengthens the city鈥檚 enforcement authority in accordance with Maryland law.

Grant Samms, president of the Rockville Renters Association, said even with the adjustment to the city code, there will “still be a serious shortcoming in our city’s laws that leaves renters vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.”

Samms urged city leaders to do more to curtail what he called abuse of renters by some landlords.

Similar legislation has also been introduced at the state level that would prohibit the use of algorithm-driven rent-setting practices.

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On a list ranking cities with the best drivers, D.C. comes in second to last, surpassed only by Boston, which ranked dead last.

“I think there are a lot of distractions,” said Allstate’s Rudy Alston about driving in the D.C. area.

“You have a lot of Uber drivers, you have a lot of the DoorDash drivers on the motorcycles, you have a lot of pedestrians, the Metro buses,” Alston said. “Then when you mix in all of the speed cameras, the stop light cameras, all those things put together and then in such a small area, it just creates a unique environment that promotes a lot of claims.”

The report ranks the 200 largest U.S. cities using auto insurance claims data and includes insights from a feature in the Allstate app that tracks habits like speeding, hard braking and phone use behind the wheel.

Texas is once again home to several of the nation鈥檚 safest cities for drivers, while Massachusetts communities including Boston, Worcester and Springfield rank among those with the highest crash risk. The report gives drivers a better idea of how likely they are to be involved in a crash where they live, and what they can do to lower that risk.

The top five riskiest cities:

1. Boston, Massachusetts
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Baltimore, Maryland
4. Worcester, Massachusetts
5. Springfield, Massachusetts

The top five safest cities, according to the report:

1. Brownsville, Texas
2. Fort Collins, Colorado
3. Boise, Idaho
4. Laredo, Texas
5. Cary, North Carolina

As for D.C.-area drivers, Alston said not everyone in the region is accustomed to driving on District roadways, which presents a challenge.

“You have the locals who are kind of more accustomed to the driving patterns, the road signs, the traffic circles, all the speed cameras,” Alston said. “But you get a lot of people from Maryland and Virginia that aren’t as familiar with how to navigate through D.C.”

The report determined just how frequently drivers made claims. In Brownsville, Texas, for instance, a driver on average makes an insurance claim once every 14.99 years. In D.C., it’s once every 4.24 years. And in Boston, the riskiest city in which to drive, it’s one in every 3.76 years.

Waco, Texas, posted the biggest year-over-year improvement, climbing 40 spots in the rankings. Detroit saw the largest drop, falling 38 places. Overall, about one-third of the cities moved at least 10 spots, with three newcomers entering either the top or bottom 10 鈥� highlighting how changing traffic patterns and driver behavior can quickly affect crash risk.

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