Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for Oct. 22, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
In today’s newsletter: Parking fines, how to power RFK and the Wizards’ season opener.
Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 9/10. Clouds are again hard to find. A bit breezy, with highs in the 60s to near 70 feeling a touch cool in the shade. Read the full forecast.
THE LATEST
Trending
If there’s one thing most people in D.C. agree on, it’s that parking and traffic tickets are plentiful — and plenty expensive.
Some D.C. lawmakers seem to be listening, The Washington Sun’s Martin Austermuhle reports. This month, there’s been a flurry of proposals to reduce fines associated with the tickets handed out by parking enforcement officers and the city’s many traffic cameras.
Cut the fines in half is one idea that At-Large council member Robert White floated with his colleagues, specifically targeting parking tickets. (In 2025, D.C. gave out more than a million of them; average fine: roughly $59.) This week, Ward 8 council member Trayon White advocated for getting rid of the policy that doubles any unpaid fine after 30 days.
“We can hold motorists accountable without financially devastating them,” he said.
But making tickets cheaper for drivers would be costly for D.C. The revenue from parking and traffic fines is factored into the city’s annual budget, so reducing any of those fines would require lawmakers to offset the loss. “It’s hard to justify cutting tickets in half when we’re cutting education programs and food assistance,” Ward 5 council member Zachary Parker said this month.
How does D.C.’s likely next mayor, who campaigned on making the city more affordable, feel about losing a big source of revenue just as the city faces leaner budgets?
“We have to balance affordability and the conversation around enforcement and accountability,” Janeese Lewis George told The Sun. “It’s a nuanced conversation.”
FROM THE DISTRICT
No natural gas power plant is planned as part of the new $3.8 billion RFK Stadium project, officials said Wednesday. The Sun’s Will Hofmann reports that the clarification came after a coalition of advocacy and neighborhood organizations held a press conference opposing a natural gas power plant at the site.
According to a spokesperson for the RFK Project Management Office, “there is no need for, nor will there be, a natural gas-fired power plant.” A Washington Commanders team official said the stadium would use some natural gas to make its 2030 opening date, but only for cooking and heating.
D.C. is expanding a truancy reduction initiative to include every public high school in Wards 7 and 8 starting next school year, The Sun’s Kendall Staton reports. The program, which was piloted in 2024 and has since expanded to 10 schools across four wards, aims to reduce the number of school days that students miss.
If you can’t do the Lime, you won’t do the crime? Lime has banned nearly 1,000 accounts it flagged as belonging to underage users, or those allowing riders under 18 to use their accounts, in just under four weeks, the company announced Wednesday. D.C. has seen a rise in Lime’s e-bikes and scooters being used as getaway vehicles from crime scenes, with police sharing that in some instances the suspects have been underage.
A man accused of shooting and injuring a National Guard member outside a Capitol Hill bar last weekend will be prosecuted in federal court, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro announced yesterday.
Upon reflection, the Justice Department’s inspector general won’t investigate how the case of the ex-Olympian canoeist wrongly accused of intentionally damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was handled, The Associated Press reports.
The Nov. 3 election looms, but D.C. has already cast a decisive vote in one critical race: to name the National Zoo’s new red panda cub Dolly, after the country music legend. The name was far and away D.C.’s favorite, winning 65% of the more than 20,000 votes cast, the zoo wrote in a Facebook post.
FROM MARYLAND
The mother of Kanaiyah Ward, who died by suicide last year while in state custody, filed a lawsuit against Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the Marriott hotel company and more than a dozen others this week, The Sun’s Jenny Gathright reports.
The suit alleges that the parties failed to protect the 16-year-old, who overdosed on pills while staying at the Residence Inn where the state had placed her. Maryland officials took swift action in the aftermath of Ward’s death, removing all foster children from hotel placements within weeks. But the lawsuit alleges that the state could, and should, have taken such action before the tragedy.
A recent Montgomery County Public Schools graduate filed a federal complaint alleging that the school system failed to mitigate years of antisemitic harassment against him, The Sun’s Yasmeen Khan reports.
FROM VIRGINIA
The Arlington County Board is suing the Trump administration over allegedly authorizing armed federal agents to be present at polling places during the midterm elections, The Sun’s Justice Covert reports.
The complaint accuses the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department of crafting policies that allow armed federal officers, including FBI and ICE agents, to carry out civil and immigration law enforcement operations at election sites.
TALK TO TOM
Tom Sietsema is back answering your questions about the D.C. dining scene. Submit your questions here.
Since the Washington National Opera is performing at DAR Constitution Hall, I am looking for dining recommendations nearby.
Let me suggest you sup pre-performance at Rasika West End for modern Indian cooking, Old Ebbitt Grill near the Treasury Building for solid American fare (and great oysters) or Casa Teresa near Farragut Square for very good Spanish. The more rustic the dish at Casa Teresa, the more I’m inclined to try it. Go, then, for the coarse pork sausages with navy beans, and the golden chicken croquettes, based on the chef’s mother’s recipe.
The recommended venues are about 10, seven and five minutes away by car, respectively.
In the full Q&A: Wine pouring etiquette, squid ink and a fancy Filet-O-Fish.
SPORTS
The Wizards are 1-0. Washington opened its season with a 128-116 win over the Bucks at Capital One on Wednesday night. Anthony Davis looked healthy and motivated in his Wizards debut, leading the way with 34 points and 12 rebounds. As The Sun’s Alex Schiffer writes, the veteran forward even earned a few “MVP” chants from a giddy home crowd.
The Mike Locksley era has officially come to an end at Maryland. The school announced Wednesday that it is parting ways with its football coach after eight seasons, The Sun’s Alex Schiffer reports. Locksley, a DMV native and celebrated recruiter, led the Terps to three bowl wins but had struggled mightily in recent seasons, losing 18 of Maryland’s last 20 Big Ten games.
It’s Happy Time, people! Happy 25th birthday to Pardon the Interruption, ESPN’s beloved weekday talk show featuring former Washington Post columnists Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. The pair are just as fiery as ever — this week, Wilbon labeled Commanders coach Dan Quinn “inept” and Jayden Daniels “clueless” after Washington’s loss to the 49ers on “Monday Night Football.”
What to Watch Today
NFL: Patriots at Bears, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson.
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