Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro Newsletter for Oct. 30, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
In today’s newsletter: The delegate’s decision, trash talk and a call for your best D.C.-themed Halloween costumes.
Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 9/10: Plenty of sunshine, highs from near 70 to the mid-70s and low humidity. Only a gusty breeze keeps it from perfection. Read the full forecast.
THE LATEST
Trending
It’s official: Robert White will resign from his role on the D.C. Council effective Monday to remain eligible in the race for D.C. congressional delegate.
“I made the decision this afternoon after hearing from many residents who expressed their hope that I would represent them in Congress,” White said in a statement yesterday evening. “Their trust means a great deal to me, and I wanted to remove any doubt before Election Day about my eligibility to serve as Delegate.”
The at-large council member told reporters just one day prior that he would continue exploring remedies to his eligibility status. The issue hinges on the interpretation of a 1970 law that requires that the delegate cannot hold another paid public position at the time of their election, complicating a race White was all but certain to clinch as the Democratic nominee.
But White previously told The Washington Sun’s Michael Brice-Saddler that he and D.C.’s attorney general differ on their reading of that provision. He thought he had to resign by early December, when the election is certified, but the AG thought it meant Nov. 3. Republican nominee for delegate, Denise Rosado, thinks he’s already disqualified since early voting is underway.
Clearly, though it’s thrown the future of some of his housing bills into the air just as the council period is coming to a close, White has decided to hedge his bets.
“I’m not going to jeopardize going into Congress,” he previously told The Sun.
Council Chair Phil Mendelson’s office told Michael earlier this week that the chairman will take on White’s staff until the end of the calendar year, the usual policy when there is an unexpected council member absence.
“I have an incredibly capable team who will remain at the Council through the end of the year and work with my Council colleagues to get our bills passed. They understand the urgency of the housing challenges residents face and share my commitment to following through on the work we’ve started,” White told The Sun.
DEEP DIVE
D.C. is out of its most commonly used trash cans. The city’s department of public works ordered more of its 96-gallon “supercans” in August, but a supply chain issue has delayed their getting into residents’ hands, The Sun’s Zara Norman reports.
More are en route, interim department director Chris Rodriguez said, and should arrive within the next 7 to 10 days. But the delay — which is around typical for the agency, according to a 2025 performance oversight report — has rankled some residents who’ve been waiting for months.
“I do not understand how the city can simply be out of trash cans,” one Ward 3 resident wrote The Sun in an email. “The city requires that residents use these particular cans for trash pick-up and requires residents to pay for these cans.”
Adding to that anxiety? D.C.’s eternal nemesis, the rat, which tends to chew through city cans.
“Although this seems to be a relatively small matter, trash disposal is a vital basic city service, and is important to the safety and quality of life of all residents, especially given the massive and growing rat problem throughout the city,” the Ward 3 resident wrote.
FROM THE DISTRICT
Nickel and dimed: A class action lawsuit filed yesterday alleges that major D.C. landlord Vivmark Residential, which owns more than 5,300 units in D.C., illegally charged tenants excessive “junk” fees for services that should have been included in rent, like trash removal or having keyless doors, Zara reports.
Closing (tee) time: The National Park Service intends to close East Potomac Park by Nov. 15 to begin the planned redevelopment to turn the golf course there into a “world class championship” facility, The Sun’s Justice Covert and Gavin J. Quinton report.
Today at 10 a.m., Trump administration lawyers will explain to U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes what its plans are regarding the closure and provide details on when President Donald Trump directed the Interior Department and NPS to shutter the course.
A lively policy debate over the District’s purse strings unfolded Thursday after D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson floated an early stage proposal to abolish the independent chief financial officer and return the role to the executive branch, Michael reports. Patterson argued the setup is an “expensive hindrance” that fails to stop agency overspending, prompting Mendelson to defend the office as a vital guardrail.
Mayor Muriel Bowser is on her way out, and neighborhood blog Popville landed the first interview in her departure tour. She talks about her proudest accomplishment over 12 years in office, says D.C. needs to be more accommodating of local restaurants and businesses, admits to avoiding most social media, and more.
FROM VIRGINIA
The mystery buyer of an Arlington credit union and Crossfit gym has pitched turning the building into a “first of its kind” car wash manned by robots, the Washington Business Journal reports. The facility would apparently clean both the exterior and interior of up to 22 vehicles at a time in 22 separate bays.
FROM MARYLAND
A Maryland woman faces 38 counts of fraud and theft after billing the D.C. Medicaid program for services she didn’t actually provide, resulting in fraudulent payments of $109,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, The Sun’s Kendall Staton reports.
TRICK OR TREAT
It’s Halloween tomorrow, and we want to see all your D.C.-themed costumes and home decor. Email us at metro@washsun.com by Sunday evening for a chance to be featured in a very spooky edition of the Metro newsletter.
METRO MOMENT
We may just be adjusting to the fall, but there’s reason to look forward to the spring.
This week the organizers of the National Cherry Blossom Festival unveiled details about next year’s 100th annual celebration — including the festival’s official artwork. Produced by D.C.-born artist Chris Pyrate — who has worked with the Wizards and Metro — the piece shows the Tidal Basin awash in both pink cherry blossoms and references to the city’s dual identities.
“There’s a lot of things here that call back to D.C. culture and the international presence in the city,” he said, pointing to Japanese dancers, our famed pandas, Anacostia’s Big Chair, go-go legend Chuck Brown and local culinary staple mambo sauce.
The festival will run from March 20 to April 11, 2027.
SPORTS
Twenty-five years before Caps star Alex Ovechkin embarked on his final-season farewell tour, another “Great 8” had the chance to go out on his own terms. Orioles legend Cal Ripken spoke with The Sun’s Dave Sheinin (who covered Ripken’s final year) about what Ovie can expect.
“First of all, your priority is always to the game,” Ripken said. “Focus on the game, prepare yourself for the game. But beyond that, go ahead and let yourself surrender to it — to the acknowledgment of you and what you meant to the sport.”
“When you’re sitting in that rocking chair — which some of the teams actually gave me as sort of a joke — and you’re thinking back, you think of it fondly,” Ripken added. “Going out [of the sport] can be a wonderful, positive experience.” Read Dave’s full story here.
Wizards rookie AJ Dybantsa looked like a veteran in his NBA debut, The Sun’s Alex Schiffer writes. Alex also heard from other former No. 1 overall picks on what Dybantsa can expect.
What to Watch Today: Wizards vs. Hornets, 7 p.m. (Monumental)
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The newsletter was produced by Jeff Dooley, Gaby Morera Di Núbila and Andrew Burton.
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