Safety Concerns After Fatal Crash — “Virginia State Police say they believe a driver of a Scion XB stopped in the roadway as she entered the Express Lanes before a chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles Monday afternoon… The details of Monday’s crash are still under investigation, but McGurk says you should never stop in the lanes if you have mistakenly entered them.” [NBC 4]
More on Rising Ambulance Fees — “The fire department went on to explain the expenses for providing EMS care have gone up due to rising costs of technological advances, medical equipment, wages for personnel, fuel and the ambulances themselves. No one is ever denied services because they can’t pay or don’t have insurance, ACFD said.” [NBC 4]
Aspire Faces Funding Cut — “Aspire is now confronting an existential crisis, which CEO Paul Fynboh said could result in turning students away. The program, which provides free academic and enrichment support to low-income families in Arlington County, has lost nearly a third of its funding after the Trump administration cut roughly $400 million in federal funding for AmeriCorps.” [DC News Now]
New Fund for Ballston VC — “Arlington venture capital firm Marlinspike is nearly halfway to its goal of raising $70 million for an investment fund to back emerging defense tech startups… It plans to cut checks totaling $250,000 to more than $10 million to companies developing technologies at the convergence of AI systems and manufacturing.” [WBJ]
Recognition for Motor Startup — “Torev Motors, an Arlington-based developer of electric motors that don’t rely on rare earth minerals, was named the “People’s Choice Award” winner at this month’s Accelerate Breakfast Series event in Reston.” [Potomac Tech Wire]
Defense Conference Mulls Threats — “Leading experts in national security, aviation, and transportation convened this week for a critical workshop, “Defense of the Homeland: Aviation and Transportation in Irregular Warfare.” Held from July 15-16 in Arlington, Virginia, the event brought together government officials, military leaders, academics, and industry professionals.” [DVIDS]
D.C. Traffic Worse Than LA? — “Washington DC has overtaken Los Angeles as the US city with the worst traffic, in annual rankings from ConsumerAffairs. Drivers around the US capital spend more time in traffic than in any other city, with average daily commute times of 33.4 minutes, according to traffic data from the 50 biggest metropolitan areas in the nation.” [BBC]
FCNP Publisher Honored — “The venerable Washington Business Journal… honored 14 LGBTQ+ business leaders in the D.C. region with a classy rooftop reception in Arlington… Among the honored are two from Falls Church, Falls Church News-Press founder, owner and editor Nicholas F. Benton and Dr. Jorge Ramallo, medical director of the Inova Pride Clinic located in Falls Church.” [FCNP]
It’s Friday — Showers and thunderstorms are possible, mainly between 2pm and 5pm, with increasing clouds and a scorching high of 98. A heat index up to 106 is expected, with a southwest wind at 5-7 mph and a 30% chance of precipitation. On Friday night, anticipate more storm chances, primarily before 7pm, followed by partly cloudy conditions and a low of 77. There will be a northwest wind around 6 mph, and a 30% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
