The Washington Post

Bus riders wearing masks

U.S. District Judge Ends Federal Mask Mandate on Transit

A Trump-appointed U.S. district judge in Florida voided the Biden administration's mask mandate that applied to plane, train and bus travel. It had just been renewed by the CDC on April 13 and was due to expire on May 3.

April 19, 2022 - The Washington Post

Amazon headquarters under construction in Arlington, Virginia

Amazon’s Housing Initiative Does Little for Low-Income Workers

Of the thousands of units Amazon has secured as part of its pledge to create affordable housing near its new headquarters, just over 200 are reserved for the lowest-income renters.

April 14, 2022 - The Washington Post

FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland

Maryland Proposes $400 Million Redevelopment Around Commanders Stadium

The state is offering to make a massive investment in revitalizing the neighborhood surrounding FedEx Field, but offering no direct incentives to the NFL team.

April 13, 2022 - The Washington Post

MARC train going through the Gaithersburg, Maryland train station

Maryland Legislators Override Governor’s Veto to Support Regional Rail Investments

The latest round of Gov. Larry Hogan v. public transit goes to the latter.

April 13, 2022 - The Washington Post

Sprawl

The Urgent Need for Climate Action Includes Land Use Reforms, IPCC Report Says

The United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report earlier this week, sounding the alarm that time is running out to make the changes that can prevent the worst outcomes of climate change.

April 8, 2022 - The Washington Post

Indian Trail, North Carolina

HOAs Fight Back Against Institutional Investors

A growing number of homeowners associations around the country are using old legal tools to keep institutional investors from buying up, and renting out, the neighborhood.

April 3, 2022 - The Washington Post

Washington D.C.

D.C. Could Expand Traffic Camera Program

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to add hundreds of new traffic enforcement cameras to stem the city's rising rate of traffic fatalities.

March 25, 2022 - The Washington Post

A long exposure of Interstate 395 through downtown Washington D.C. on a busy night.

Car Commutes and Congestion Are Back in D.C.

Low transit ridership and a more dispersed daytime workforce are creating new headaches for car commuters in the D.C. area—in a story likely to be repeated all over the country as work returns to the office.

March 23, 2022 - The Washington Post

Highway Construction

Federal Rules Let States Count More Road Deaths as 'Progress'

The majority of federal infrastructure funding is not tied to federal requirements, letting states set their own targets for road safety and improvements.

March 21, 2022 - The Washington Post

MBTA Bus

Boston Aims for Fare-Free Transit

The city's new mayor wants to see fare-free transit funded as a public good throughout the Boston region.

March 16, 2022 - The Washington Post

Two young people wear masks while standing outside in Florida.

CDC Relaxes Guidance to Allow Most Americans to Ditch Masking

In a major reversal, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised the metrics and thresholds that determine when masking is recommended. Only 5% of counties met the old metric on Feb. 25; now 70% of Americans need not don a mask indoors.

March 1, 2022 - The Washington Post

COVID-19 and Public Health

Let the Endemic Planning Begin

The first state in the nation to issue a stay-at-home order to slow the spread of a novel coronavirus that humans had no immunity from became the first to release an actual endemic plan, complete with a fancy acronym, SMARTER.

February 23, 2022 - The Washington Post

Electric Vehicle Charging

Federal Government Pledges $5 Billion for Electric Car Charging

A $5 billion federal investment will contribute to state efforts to install electric vehicle charging stations along interstate highways and major corridors.

February 11, 2022 - The Washington Post

Washington D.C.

D.C.'s Ambitious Bike Infrastructure Plans

The District of Columbia plans to install ten miles of protected bike lanes this year, among other improvements including additional bike parking and more e-bikes for the Capital Bikeshare fleet.

February 7, 2022 - The Washington Post

An image of a sign asking people to wear masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Omicron Breaks Another Pandemic Record: Hospitalizations

The highly infectious Omicron variant is contributing to a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. The record set in last winter's surge fell on Tuesday as hospitals suffer from massive labor shortages caused by the variant.

January 16, 2022 - The Washington Post

 The remains of a mobile home park in Sylmar, California. 480 of the park's 600 mobile homes were burned in the Sayre Fire in November 2008.

U.S. Communities Increasingly at Risk of Extreme Weather Events

As development pushes into more wildfire-prone areas and climate change makes extreme weather conditions more common, more Americans are experiencing the destructive impacts of climate disasters.

January 9, 2022 - The Washington Post

Houses on Washington Street in the Pine Street Neighborhood Historic District, Cambridge, Maryland.

Opinion: Oversized Mansions Are Harming Maryland Neighborhoods

'Mega-mansions' are rapidly replacing smaller single-family homes, pushing Maryland residents out of its formerly affordable suburbs.

January 9, 2022 - The Washington Post

Governor Hogan Signs Agreement With U.S. DOT for the Purple Line by Steve Kwak at 4800 Veterans Pkwy. Hyattsville MD 20784

Beleaguered Purple Line Continues to Stoke Gentrification Fears in Maryland

Affordable housing advocates and other community groups in Maryland are calling for early and robust mitigation efforts to prevent displacement of longtime residents and businesses along the new Purple Line corridor.

January 5, 2022 - The Washington Post

An image of Washington D.C. with highways and the streaks from car head and tail lights in the foreground, and the Washington Monument in the background.

Nation's Capital Is #1 COVID Hotspot

Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations per capita in the District of Columbia are higher than in any state or U.S. territory on New Year's Day. Only Puerto Rico and Louisiana have seen hospitalizations increase faster than D.C. in the last two weeks.

January 3, 2022 - The Washington Post

A statue of the Little Mermaid, overlooking the waterfront of Copenhagen, Denmark, is adorned with a mask during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus Geography: Denmark Could Be an Omicron Harbinger

Denmark is one of three countries that experts suggest watching to determine how the Omicron wave will affect the U.S. and other well-vaccinated nations. Cases are surging notwithstanding having 78% of its population fully vaccinated.

December 27, 2021 - The Washington Post

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