ReportWire

Tag: metropolitan washington council of governments

  • New study shows fatal vehicle crashes are rising across the DC region – WTOP News

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    Vehicle crashes in the D.C. region remain below prepandemic levels but have been rising since 2020, and crash-related deaths have grown almost continuously since 2015.

    Vehicle crashes in the D.C. region remain below pre-pandemic levels but have been rising since 2020, and crash-related fatalities have increased almost continuously since 2015, according to the findings of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board’s 2025 Roadway Safety Study.

    “Crashes have become more severe,” said Janie Nham, a transportation planner who contributed to the report.

    Nham works for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board, and she presented the findings at a board meeting Wednesday.

    The analysis covers five years of regional crash data through 2023, and builds on a 2020 report that analyzed 2013-17 data.

    “The fatality rate is highest in the inner suburbs, while the serious injury rate is highest in the inner urban core,” Nham said.

    Both data points are also well above the transportation board’s five-year targets. Fatalities are 38% higher; and the rate of serious injuries, though trending lower, is 29% over the target.

    The report also looked at local efforts to identify and address road safety problems since the 2020 study.

    Bad driver behaviors were the main issue in both reports.

    “Speeding, impaired driving and unbelted driving remain top contributing factors to fatal and serious injury crashes in the region,” said Nicole Waldheim, a transportation safety expert with Fehr & Peers who also assisted with the safety study.

    According to the report, speeding is involved in 9% of crashes, but is a factor in 32% of fatal crashes and 22% of crashes causing serious injuries.

    Local jurisdictions have been working on reducing speeding through traffic calming projects, which include speed tables and narrowing roadways. But those efforts often face funding shortfalls and public and political pushback, Waldheim said.

    Enforcement measures such as automated speed and red light cameras are another safety tool, and an effective one, Waldheim said.

    “Montgomery County reported a nearly 40% reduction in KSI (killed or seriously injured) crashes on enforced corridors. And then both Alexandria and Fairfax have seen early improvements in their localized crash risk,” Waldheim said.

    Vehicle sizes and weights were not included in the crash study, and the board said further research is needed “to understand the dynamics that are resulting in a rise in fatalities while serious injuries are decreasing.”

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Thomas Robertson

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  • Report: Alcohol and drug-impaired traffic deaths are down in DC region, but crashes and injuries are up – WTOP News

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    While police enforcement increases during the holidays, a new report shows where the D.C. region stands on drunk and drug-related driving deaths and crashes.

    It’s the holiday season, which usually means an uptick in drunk drivers on the roads. While police enforcement increases during the holidays, a new report shows where the D.C. region stands on drunk and drug-related driving deaths and crashes.

    The good news?

    “Drug and drunk driving fatalities on D.C. area roadways have gone down, not just a little bit, they’ve gone down by a double-digit percentage, 26% between 2023 and 2024,” said Kurt Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program.

    Erickson said the new report by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments showed deaths fell from 100 to 74.

    He said he thinks that D.C. police are increasing enforcement has helped.

    “They’ve stepped up their efforts to identify and apprehend drunk drivers. They’ve done this through weekly traffic checkpoints. They’re not necessarily sobriety checkpoints, but they will catch drunk drivers, and also that they’ve stepped up their game in terms of training of officers to identify and apprehend drunk drivers,” Erickson said.

    But while deaths were down, he said there’s still some work to be done.

    “Drunk driving injuries are up, and drunk driving crashes are up, and that we’re still a region where, while DUI arrests are down, we’re still arresting somebody for drunk driving every 60 minutes … in the greater Washington area every single year,” Erickson said.

    Impaired driving-related injuries rose by nearly 4% while crashes increased by 2%, according to the report.

    “Each one of these fatalities, injuries, crashes, arrests, they’re all 100% preventable,” he said. “There’s an alternative to drunk driving between now and New Year’s, which is a free, safe ride — Sober RIDE program — a service that the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program has done since 1991, of which almost 100,000 people have taken advantage of.”

    Find more information on the Sober Ride program here.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Valerie Bonk

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  • A DC-region AI platform seeks to match displaced federal workers with available jobs – WTOP News

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    The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) rolled out TalentCapital.AI to connect furloughed federal employees with current openings in the D.C. region.

    The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) earlier this month rolled out TalentCapital.AI, a robust workforce development initiative that uses an AI-powered platform to connect displaced federal employees with current openings in the D.C. region.

    COG executive director Clark Mercer told WTOP that the platform is gaining traction.

    “We’ve got over 32,000 unique users — that’s not repeat visitors,” Mercer said. “Every day we have around 3,000 active users, which is someone who is interacting with ‘Celeste,’ the AI agent, and is having a healthy back and forth in terms of looking for work,” he said.

    TalentCapital.AI is designed to connect talent with employers, strengthen the region’s economy, and provide a lifeline for those impacted by layoffs or looking to make a career change, Mercer said.

    Federal workers are logging in from across the D.C. area including the District, Silver Spring and Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Reston, Ashburn, and Alexandria, Virginia, Mercer said. “So it’s all over the metro capital region, which is pretty neat to see.”

    Mercer said more than half the users on the site are using desktop computers, which could be an indication that they are serious about their job search.

    The team at the Talent Capital platform go through every day and weed out dead links, an issue that’s been raised among users of other job boards, according to Mercer.

    Mayor Muriel Bowser launched the new initiative to help job seekers get back on their feet — and it combines cutting-edge tech with community support.

    The program partners with George Washington University, University of the District of Columbia and nonprofits to offer hands-on guidance.

    TalentCapital.AI was created “in response to what’s happening (in the federal government),” Mercer said. “Anyone can go on the site, but particular attention is being paid to federal workers and contractors, and we hope it’s the start of our three governments working more closely together when it comes to workforce development.”

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Alan Etter

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  • Decision looms on future of I-495 express lanes across Woodrow Wilson Bridge – WTOP News

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    The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board is expected to decide whether a proposal to bring express lanes to the southern side of I-495 should remain on the table.

    On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board is expected to decide whether a proposal to bring express lanes to the southern side of Interstate 495 should remain on the table.

    The project, which has been pushed by the Virginia Department of Transportation since 2022, would add 11 miles of new express lanes from the Springfield Interchange in Fairfax County, Virginia, crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and ending at the Maryland Route 210 interchange in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

    The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from board members, whose approval is needed. Among those weighing in is David Snyder, a longtime board member and Falls Church City Council member, who said everyone agrees improvements are needed.

    “The question is, what is the something and when?” Snyder said.

    He added that while VDOT’s inclusion of transit components, such as a proposed bus route, was encouraging, more clarity is needed.

    “It makes no sense to expand the highway in Virginia if it just creates a bottleneck right across the bridge in Maryland,” Snyder said.

    Speaking at a meeting in July, VDOT mega projects Director Michelle Shropshire said the project, which would be a public-private partnership, would “pour millions of dollars into vital transit and transportation improvement projects.”

    According to planners, the express lanes would be roughly 19 minutes faster than the general-purpose lanes and help commuters as peak travel times are expected to at least double by 2050.

    Supporters also believe the lanes would improve job access by speeding up commutes and would include a new bus route between the Branch Avenue Metro station and Tysons.

    But the project has faced many concerns from local leaders, especially in Maryland. Among them are air quality impacts in Prince George’s County, and whether the express lanes could block a future Metro extension across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which was originally built with rail expansion in mind.

    VDOT has said space would remain available for rail. Others have questioned whether the project is worth the high cost.

    Neil Harris, vice chair of the transportation planning board and a Gaithersburg City Council member, said it doesn’t appear the support, especially in Maryland, is there for the project.

    “The environmental piece is … really minimal,” Harris said. “But the local people who are closest to the situation are very adamantly against it.”

    Maryland lawmakers and residents also raised concerns about safety on Maryland Route 210, equity and a lack of community engagement, all of which were prominent themes in public comments.

    While the vote could remove the project from the region’s long-range transportation plan, Harris said it wouldn’t necessarily be the end, as Maryland and Virginia could continue discussions in the coming months.

    “Any project could always come back at a later date,” Harris said.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Mike Murillo

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  • Prince William Co. foster mom receives top parent award – WTOP News

    Prince William Co. foster mom receives top parent award – WTOP News

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    Linda Cheeks has fostered more than 20 children, primarily teenagers, over the last 15 years. The 66-year-old hair stylist also volunteers to visit and style residents’ hair at nearby nursing homes.

    Dumfries, Virginia, resident Linda Cheeks has fostered about 20 children. She is the 2024 Prince William County Foster Parent of the Year. (Courtesy Linda Cheeks)

    Linda Cheeks makes sure her foster children learn many lessons before leaving her care.

    The most important one is “giving up is not an option,” she told WTOP.

    “It’s OK to fail. Just get back up,” said Cheeks. “Don’t stay down. That’s the most important thing.”

    That goes for the 66-year-old hair stylist, too.

    As a result, she has fostered more than 20 children, most of them teenagers, over the last 15 years and was recently named the 2024 Prince William County “Foster Parent of the Year” by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).

    Each year, the organization gives the award to foster parents in 10 counties and cities, including Montgomery County, Maryland; Alexandria, Virginia; and D.C.

    “When a child is in need, these foster parents answer the call time and time again, even when faced with the most difficult circumstances,” said Regina Lawson, COG’s Foster Care Advisory Committee co-chair. “These outstanding parents readily step up with compassion, grace and incredible dedication.”

    The top title was a surprise for Cheeks.

    “When you’re going about your business every day, I never even thought about it,” she said. “I’ve never thought about it because I’m busy all of the time.”

    A self-titled “people person,” Cheeks became a foster parent after hearing about it from a client. She took the classes, did a background check and soon, the children started arriving.

    Cheeks said her relationship with many of her foster children remains strong, even after they leave. Her motherly role is intact for many of them, especially those who age out of the system.

    “I will contact them from time to time,” she said. “If I see something crazy on Facebook or something like that, I may call them and tell them to shut it down. They’re like family.”

    Some of her foster children make brilliant turnarounds while living with her in Dumfries, Virginia. Cheeks said one teen, who often used profanity, repeatedly broke one of the foster mom’s big rules: “Speak to others with respect and kindness.”

    “She lives in Louisiana now, and she’s doing great,” Cheeks said. “She gave me the hardest time. I was like, ‘Lord, I don’t know what I’m going to do with this one.’ But despite her behavior, I hung in there. And she’s a totally different person now.”

    Cheeks follows the “it-takes-a-village” school of thought to raise children. She has one biological daughter, who helps her with the teens occasionally. She sometimes relies on friends, neighbors and church members as well for a much-needed break.

    But her care isn’t just for kids.

    Cheeks also volunteers to visit and style residents’ hair at nearby nursing homes. Many of them can’t leave their homes, so the visits allow residents to enjoy the same conversation and company they once did at her salon, Linda’s Unisex Salon in Arlington.

    “You have to love people to do this work,” Cheeks said. “That’s my thing. I think everybody is important.”

    She plans to retire one day, but Cheeks said that day is far into the future.

    “I don’t have an end date. I just try to do the best I can for each person,” Cheeks said. “You’re only as old as you feel. So, I say, ‘Do what you can while you can do it.’”

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Gigi Barnett

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  • Months of record-breaking heat put DC area under drought watch – WTOP News

    Months of record-breaking heat put DC area under drought watch – WTOP News

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    Abnormally dry conditions across the D.C. area have given way to a drought watch affecting almost 6 million residents across the region.

    Abnormally dry conditions across the D.C. area have given way to a drought watch affecting almost 6 million residents across the region, area leaders said Monday.

    The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments said in a news release that the Potomac River and backup reservoirs currently have an adequate water supply, but voluntary water conservation efforts will help “complement measures already in place” to mitigate water demand.

    “Due to years of planning and preparation, our water supply infrastructure is well-equipped to handle drought. Nevertheless, it makes sense for all of us to use water wisely and not waste this precious resource,” Michael Nardolilli, the executive director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, said in a statement.

    Residents and businesses are asked to conserve their water use. Steps that can be taken include fixing plumbing leaks, washing full loads of dishes and clothes and keeping showers to less than five minutes. More tips are available on the council’s website.

    A drought watch is the step that comes before a drought warning, per the region’s drought response plan. During a drought warning, additional water restrictions are encouraged and can become mandatory, according to the Council of Governments.

    Experts are closely monitoring flows in the Potomac River and keeping up with weather forecasts to determine whether it’s necessary to release backup reservoir water supplies.

    Nardolilli told WTOP earlier this month that the probability of releases from backup reservoirs is higher than normal this year.

    According to the council, “record-breaking high temperatures” experienced over the last two months — as well as periods of historically low streamflow and groundwater levels — have contributed to drought conditions.

    Ninety-five percent of the Potomac River Basin is experiencing abnormal to extreme drought, and precipitation levels have dropped nearly 4 inches below normal amounts in the past 60 days, according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

    D.C.-area residents have taken notice of the dry conditions and hot temperatures throughout the summer, including local farmers who spoke to WTOP earlier this month about the impact the weather has had on their livestock and crops.

    Residents should also be mindful of fire safety amid these dry conditions, and use caution when doing outdoor activities involving flammable materials, like smoking and grilling, according to the council — even though the region is not currently at high risk for wildfires.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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  • Metro avoids drastic cuts, but fares are going up in new, nearly $5B budget – WTOP News

    Metro avoids drastic cuts, but fares are going up in new, nearly $5B budget – WTOP News

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    Metro fares will soon be going up as part of the $4.8 billion budget approved Thursday by the WMATA Board of Directors.

    Metro fares will soon be going up as part of the $4.8 billion budget approved Thursday by the WMATA Board of Directors.

    This budget, which goes into effect July 1, avoids drastic service cuts the transit agency proposed in December when it said it faced a $750 million deficit. But to help bring in more revenue, fares will increase by 12.5%. That means the base fare will go up from $2 to $2.25, while the maximum fare jumps up from $6 to $6.75. Metro Access fares will also rise to $4.50.

    Metro is also freezing hiring and wages, cutting administrative costs by $50 million and moving $181 million over from its preventive maintenance fund. The rest of the gap is being closed with a combined $463 million in funding promised by D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

    Only Maryland has actually passed its budget with its contribution included. Earlier in April, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin removed the state’s funding from his budget proposal, putting its inclusion in the final version into question.

    Nevertheless, Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke thanked the three jurisdictions in a statement.

    “This region is a great place to live, work and play, and our recent ridership reflects the vital role Metro plays in getting people where they need to go,” Clarke said.

    As the board passed the budget, multiple members noted the region needs to find a more reliable way to fund the transit agency or it will end up facing more deficits in the future.

    “It’s a choice that’s not perfect,” board member Joe McAndrew said. “Until there’s an adequate funding source for WMATA long term, it will never be perfect. So to that point, we’ve done our bit. We’ve got ourselves a year, maybe two.”

    Board member Matt Letourneau called for Metro to develop a reserve fund.

    “We don’t have that here. Most of our peer organizations do and certainly the jurisdictions do,” Letourneau said. “When money is saved, we can keep it and we can put it in a reserve fund to enable us to get through the inevitable things that are going to happen.”

    Metro’s board will hold a joint meeting with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments next month, where finding financial stability for the system will be discussed.

    The board also hired Michelle Zamarin as its next inspector general Thursday.

    Zamarin currently works as litigation counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Before that, she spent 20 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, most recently overseeing its prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. She will join WMATA in June.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jacob Kerr

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