A morning roundup of news, opinion, and links from City Paper and around the District. Send tips and ideas to citydesk@washingtoncitypaper.com.

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Warren Graves, the former chief of staff for ex-City Administrator Allen Lew, who served in the Vince Gray administration, has pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Graves will pay more than $220,000 to the federal government. Prosecutors say his case is related to the Jeff Thompson shadow campaign scandal that helped Gray win election.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • Do D.C. taxis need to deregulate in order to survive? A new paper suggests precisely that. [WAMU]
  • General Motors has launched a new car-sharing service in the District called Maven. [Post, The Hill]
  • A house under renovation in Northwest partially collapsed after a storm swept through D.C. [WUSA9]
  • Rachel Hoff, a D.C. delegate to the GOP Convention, tried advocating for LGBT recognition. [WAMU]
  • For the rest of this month, select District spray parks will stay open two hours longer than normal. [DCist]
  • The D.C. streetcar has a new ad campaign that cost over $200,000. Preview: “Streetcar!” [Washingtonian]
  • Temperatures could rise to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend, setting new records. [Post]

RECENT CITY PAPER STORIES TO HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF YOUR DAY:

  • “Forks Up, Guns Down”: Beuchert’s Saloon is hosting a fundraiser on July 31 against gun violence.
  • Government Graft: A District Department of Transportation official has pleaded guilty to hiding income.
  • Poke-venture: What happens when you organize a bunch of Pokemon Go players on the National Mall?

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Will Sommer (tips? wsommer@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Former top Office of the City Administrator official’s side business traded access for money. [LL, Post]
  • DDOT official pleads out on disclosure charge, but keeps his job. [LL]
  • D.C. Jail officials say inmate’s death wasn’t caused by heat [NBC4, DCist]
  • Consultants say Metro has too many employees. [GGW]

ARTS LINKS, by Matt Cohen (tips? mcohen@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • When Fringe does Shakespeare [Post]
  • Fringe review: Dial R For Robot fails to honor its source material. [WCP]
  • Meet the D.C. composer who wrote a rock opera based on Beck‘s 2012 album Song Reader. [Washingtonian]
  • Fringe review: The positives and negatives of parenthood are explored in soft animal.hideous heart. [WCP]
  • Hand to God has plenty of Tony nominations, but Studio’s production manages to elevate it even further. [WCP]
  • Watch Thaylobleu perform live at WAMU. [Bandwidth]
  • If you see a car crushed by a boulder outside the Hirshhorn next month, don’t panic: It’s just art. [WCP] 

YOUNG & HUNGRY LINKS, by Laura Hayes (tips? lhayes@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • ChurchKey part of new program to thwart sexual assault in D.C. bars [Upworthy]
  • Five local refreshing beers, because it’s hot in here. [DC Refined]
  • 17 places to get dim sum around D.C. [Eater]
  • Tips for those looking to dine near the Convention Center. [Post]
  • Ashburn gets Aggio from Bryan Voltaggio. [Washingtonian]