WASHINGTON – Good news — a woman who had been hit with thousands of dollars in speed camera tickets from the D.C. DMV won’t have to pay a dime.

FOX 5 initially reported on Nov. 1, after Angela DeVore reached out and said she was frustrated with the lack of help she was receiving from District officials.

Following that initial story, Fox 5’s Homa Bash checked in with the DMV constantly, and on Monday – nearly three weeks later – DeVore received an email that all of those traffic tickets have been dismissed, and her case has been closed.

She said it’s a huge relief, and she’s grateful she reached out to FOX 5 when she did.

“I want to thank God that it’s done, it’s over with, I don’t have to deal with it anymore. I want to thank you and the FOX 5 family for being there and getting my story out there, and I also want to thank the DMV,” DeVore said.

DeVore’s predicament began back in June, when she started receiving automatic speed camera tickets nearly every week – more than two dozen from D.C., Maryland and Virginia – totaling thousands of dollars.

Here’s the problem: the photos captured by the speed enforcement cameras show a two-door BMW convertible – but DeVore owns a four-door Volkswagen Jetta.

The license plates are almost the same – except the one getting tickets has a dash in zero, which is why it seems the system was glitching and sending citations to DeVore instead.

When she told DMVs in Maryland and Virginia about the mixup, they dismissed the tickets immediately.

The D.C. DMV, however, said she had to keep continually contesting them, and for months, told her they were still investigating.

“It was frustrating, it was draining. I felt like I was being targeted,” DeVore said.

“I want to jump for joy but I don’t want to hurt myself,” she added, laughing with relief.

The DMV did not clarify to DeVore exactly why the case was closed – for example, if the other plates were fake or cloned, or who will be responsible for payment now.

But she wants to encourage people facing the same issue to speak up, and stay persistent.

Below is the statement sent to Fox 5 from a DMV spokesperson:

“A Hearing Examiner has dismissed the tickets in question. A hearing record will be mailed to Ms. DeVore’s address on file. DC DMV encourages residents with questions or concerns about tickets to reach out for assistance.”

“For customers who may encounter this rare circumstance, we recommend the following:

Immediately file a Police Report with MPD: https://mpdc.dc.gov/service/file-police-report  

Contest the ticket(s) to be dismissed: Contest Parking and Photo Enforcement Tickets | dmv

Prior to contesting the ticket, customers are welcome to reach out to our DMV Ticket Adjudication Ombudsman for advisement: Ticket Adjudication Ombudsman | dmv

For all customer matters the DMV can be reached online: Contact Us | dmv

Please consider registering for DMV’s Ticket Alert Service (Registration for Ticket Alert Service (TAS) | dmv) to ensure that you have an extra layer of notification for tickets issued to your vehicle.” 

Drivers frustrated by the long-term Ohio Drive road closure along D.C.’s Southwest waterfront should see a little bit of relief with the opening of a new access road Monday.

Since June, a small section of Ohio Drive, along the Potomac River, has been closed off for work on the Potomac River Tunnel Project. DC Water is opening a new access street, West Potomac Park Drive, that will connect Independence Avenue and Ohio Drive.

The three-lane road has two lanes headed north and a single southbound lane.

“As we work to improve water quality and reduce sewer overflow in the Potomac River, we also recognize the importance of maintaining access for traffic and the millions who visit West Potomac Park each year,” said DC Water CEO and General Manager David L. Gadis.

“This road will help minimize the impact on our community while we embark on this bold project to safeguard this vital water resource for our region,” Gadis said in a news release.

West Potomac Drive will also have a shared bike and pedestrian path and a new traffic light at the intersection of Independence Avenue. The road will also include new metered parking spaces.

It will open in two phases: On Nov. 18, the road will be restricted to right turns only. Beginning Nov. 25, the traffic signal will be “fully operational, and the intersection and road will be open for all vehicular and pedestrian traffic from Independence Ave SW.,” DC Water said.

The Potomac River Tunnel project is scheduled to be completed in 2030. At that time, Ohio Drive will be restored, and West Potomac Park Drive will be closed and turned back into park space.

The tunnel project is constructing a huge tunnel to catch sewer overflow that would normally flow into the Potomac River and instead carry it to the Blue Plains wastewater treatment facility.

In September 2023, crews completed work on the Northeast Boundary tunnel, a 5-mile underground tunnel in Northeast that aims to reduce sewer overflow into the Anacostia River.

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Ah, your golden years — time to kick back and enjoy. But therein lies the question: Where?

U.S. News & World Report has developed a list cataloging the best places to retire in 2025. And there are some sweet spots to consider … including the nation’s capital.

U.S. News’ Dawn Bradbury told WTOP, “Big cities are great places to retire. Speaking anecdotally, you have great services. There’s usually good walkability, good transportation.”

Affordability is definitely a concern, but happiness is important as well.

“Washington, in particular, did well because of its high scores in happiness, access to quality health care and its job market,” Bradbury said.

“Job market is important for retirees, because not everyone is ready to completely leave the workforce.”

Overall, D.C. did not make it into the Top 10 — it’s at No. 12 — but it did land at No. 3 for well-being “according to share cares community well-being index out of 150 cities. That’s pretty good,” Bradbury said.

A final note of good cheer?

“There’s always something to do in Washington,” Bradbury said.

As far as other notable spots, Virginia Beach scored high.

“It ranked number eight out of 150 cities for happiness. Its affordability is kind of middle of the road, and desirability, very high desirability, a good job market. So I think we’re finding a theme here,” Bradbury told WTOP.

U.S. News’ full report is online.

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