Humidity was high, Metro had a smoke incident—it was a typical D.C. July weekend! Here’s what you may have missed over the past few days.

Back to Before

New Metro GM Randy Clarke couldn’t even make it a week into the job without service being suspended. An electrical fire broke out due to a low voltage cable failing between Dupont Circle and Woodley Park on the Red Line on Saturday Night. Shuttle buses replaced trains between Van Ness and Farragut North through this morning, but full service has been restored as of 10:30 a.m. And hey, at least Clarke is seemingly providing more information than the GMs who preceded him. Sometimes tweeting through a crisis is the best option!

In other Metro news, MetroAccess workers are striking today in Forestville. Members of Local 689 say contract negotiations broke down with TransDev, the company WMATA contracts to provide MetroAccess services.

Three Double Shootings

Double shootings took place in Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest D.C. within 30 minutes on Friday evening. Patrick Phillips, who was shot on Alabama Avenue SE, later died of his injuries; the condition of the other victims is unknown. D.C. has recorded 126 homicides to date in 2022, a 12 percent increase over 2021. Police are looking for a burgundy GMC Yukon Denali that may be connected to Phillips’ shooting. 

For Your Health

COVID cases are creeping up in D.C., but public health officials say mandated masking is not yet required. State epidemiologist Anil Mangla tells the Post that at-risk people should consult a health care professional about indoor masking when we reach a medium level of transmission.

President Biden has COVID … again. After reporting negative test results last week, he came down with a rebound case after taking Paxlovid. While the drug is quite effective at preventing unvaccinated individuals from getting seriously ill or hospitalized, its effectiveness for those who are vaccinated is more complicated, Rachel Gutman-Wei writes in the Atlantic.

In better health news, D.C. has opened a new monkeypox vaccination site in Ward 8. Vaccines are still being distributed on an appointment basis.

—Caroline Jones (tips? cjones@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • To see today’s COVID-19 data, visit our coronavirus tracker.
  • The sister of the 31-year-old man shot and killed by D.C. police wants to see the body camera footage of the fatal incident. Kevin Hartgraves-Shird fled from a car in Northwest on Saturday. Police said he did not comply with commands. [NBC Washington]
  • If National Landing is considering calling itself “NaLa,” I propose renaming the area near the World Bank “SIMBA” (South of I, MBAs). [Post]
  • Want to know more about D.C.’s rats? There’s a class for that. [CityLab]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • The D.C. Council could pass bills next month ending right turns on red and legalizing the “Idaho stop” for cyclists, which would let bikes roll through stop signs. The measures are part of broader safety reforms backed by Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh. [Post]
  • D.C. police are investigating a June arrest in a drug case, after an officer put his knee on a Black man’s neck. The tactic has been banned and could result in disciplinary action for the officer. [NBC Washington]
  • Eric Goulet is pivoting to a bid for Ward 3’s State Board of Education seat after his Council campaign fell short. Much like Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, Goulet will be barred from using public funding again since he accepted Fair Elections money in his first race this cycle. [Twitter]

By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Two rounds of PPP loans and Restaurant Revitalization Fund support weren’t enough to save Bad Saint. Co-owner Genevieve Villamora says the Columbia Heights Filipino restaurant hadn’t turned a profit in two years. [Axios]
  • Underground Food Court in Dupont Circle (between Kramers and Starbucks) offers take-out and delivery from several ghost kitchens. [DCist]
  • Michael Schlow closed his 14th Street NW taco restaurant, Tico, to clear the way for a sushi spot. [Eater]
  • Chicken + Whiskey opened another location across from Nationals Park last weekend. [Washingtonian]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

Professor Goldstein Embraces Pop-Punkish Theatrics in New EP

The Fork Universe of Funky Love, a five-track EP local pop-punk band Professor Goldstein dropped […]

  • Howard University professor and author Natalie Hopkinson has written a “music-focused theatrical work” about Chuck Brown and singer Eva Cassidy, which will premiere at Source Theatre via IN Series next June. [Washingtonian]
  • From Takoma Park to radios, Walkmen, and nightclubs, Crystal Waters talks about the resurgence of ’90s house sounds thanks to Beyoncé’s Renaissance. [Post]
  • A new mural at U and 14th streets NW spotlights the rise in gun violence in D.C. and across the country. [NBC Washington]

By Sarah Marloff (tips? smarloff@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • A judge ruled against Rebekah Vardy in what’s become known as the “Wagatha Christie” libel case. Vardy sued Coleen Rooney (wife of new D.C. United manager Wayne Rooney) for accusing her of sharing stories from Rooney’s private Instagram account with tabloid journalists. The case reportedly cost both sides millions of dollars in legal fees. [Guardian, AP]
  • Juan Soto watch: Will the Nationals move their 23-year-old phenom before Tuesday’s trade deadline? [Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report]
  • The Mystics are heading to the WNBA playoffs! [CBS Sports]
  • It’s been a year since the Nats’ rebuild officially started. How’s it going? [Post]
  • The Mystics, Wizards, Nationals, and Ted Leonsis remember 11-time NBA champion and civil rights activist Bill Russell, who died yesterday at the age of 88. [Twitter]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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