Good morning, D.C. In today’s newsletter: A welcome, a scathing audit, free buses (maybe) and the AJ Dybantsa hype train.
HELLO!
Welcome to NOTUS’ daily newsletter focused on all things D.C. We’re building Washington’s next great newsroom, and over the past two months, we’ve formed a team of local reporters to cover news, sports, food and all the quirks and curiosities that make our region tick.
Martin Austermuhle and Zara Norman will keep you in the know and set the tone for your day.
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THE LATEST
Add a scathing audit to the mountain of problems plaguing D.C.’s housing authority, which has also struggled to address poor housing conditions, leadership turnover and a recent cyberattack.
Auditors from the D.C. inspector general’s office, who released their findings last week, couldn’t verify how much money the agency had, or where it was, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, according to NOTUS’ Jenny Gathright.
The housing authority also didn’t adequately protect millions of dollars in bank deposits, and there were signs that money designated for certain federal programs may have been used for other purposes, the audit found.
The mistakes could have serious implications. The housing authority, which receives a significant amount of its funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, submitted “material misstatements” to the federal government, the report said.
The agency did not dispute the findings. It is working to remedy the issues, many of which were repeated from last year, and noted that a transition to new accounting software exacerbated some of them.
DEEP DIVE
Where are D.C.’s free buses? District leaders, including Mayor Muriel Bowser and council member Charles Allen, have tried for years to make it happen. It’s never stuck.
Janeese Lewis George (who’s all but certain to be D.C.’s next mayor) wants to make the Metrobus free for SNAP recipients, who already get a 50% discount. She’s not ruling out eventually making it free for all, her campaign told Zara.
Will it happen? It’s not just a District decision, since WMATA is a multistate agency, and JLG would need to find the revenue. WMATA relies on bus fares for 10% of its passenger revenue, but only 1 in 4 riders paid to board this May. In May 2019, it was 3 in 4.
Rather than writing that off, WMATA is cracking down. The agency asked bus operators to start quoting the fare again as riders board — something drivers say can lead to violence.
Expect a debate next year once a new mayor is sworn in, Allen told NOTUS.
FROM THE DISTRICT
D.C.’s cyclist community gathered at East Potomac Park over the weekend to protest President Donald Trump’s planned renovations there, NBC4 reports.
Protestors also rallied outside an old hospital campus in Southeast D.C., worried it will be redeveloped into an ICE facility, WTOP reports.
Three people were arrested after a car crash near D.C.’s World War II Memorial, including two people who stopped to help the driver but were later picked up on drug charges, ABC7 reports.
FROM VIRGINIA
Vice President JD Vance is reportedly moving into a second home in Middleburg. The affluent Loudoun County town has mixed feelings about its newest resident, The Washington Post finds.
FROM MARYLAND
Ten people were hospitalized, and a Tesla Cybertruck was cut in half, in a Silver Spring collision Saturday that involved at least 11 vehicles, WTOP reports.
D.C. TRIVIA
Which president was famous for skinny-dipping in the Potomac River?
- James Madison
- John Quincy Adams
- Teddy Roosevelt
Email us the answer — the first reader who gets it right gets a shout-out. The answer will be at the end of tomorrow’s newsletter.
SPORTS
The AJ Dybantsa hype is real, with Wizards owner Ted Leonsis going so far as to compare the NBA’s No. 1 overall pick to an all-time great.
“What I was impressed with was when we introduce him to people, he makes eye contact, he asks, ‘What’s his name?’ Shakes his hand. He’s a very magnanimous personality,” Leonsis told ESPN. “It reminded me, I hate to say this, of Alex Ovechkin, where he just lights up the room.”
Josiah Gray may have been forgotten by many Nationals fans, but he’s still fighting to get back on the mound. NOTUS’ Jesse Dougherty has the exclusive interview.
What to Watch Today
Nationals at Rockies, 8:40 p.m.,MLB.TV
Mystics at Valkyries, 10 p.m.
Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Jeff Dooley and Nikie Johnson. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please sign up — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at metro@notus.com.
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