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Washington, D.C

Controversial ride-hailing app Empower is now in Baltimore

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Controversial ride-hailing app Empower is now in Baltimore


Empower, a ride-hailing app that has generated controversy by bucking regulators in Washington, D.C., has expanded service to Baltimore as a state regulatory board has tried to stop it.

The company’s announcement came Friday, shortly before a D.C. judge forced the company to cease operations in the nation’s capital. That’s because the company, which markets itself as a cheaper alternative to Uber and Lyft, had not registered with a District of Columbia agency that oversees for-hire vehicles. D.C. requires companies to pay taxes and congestion fees, have insurance and conduct background checks, in addition to subjecting them to additional oversight. Empower has kept costs low by not complying with such requirements, officials said.

Empower CEO Joshua Sear rebuffed these claims earlier this year and told local media that every driver undergoes a background check. The company, which facilitates over 90,000 rides a week in the Washington metro area, contends that drivers who appear on the platform are not employees, but rather buyers of software that in turn helps them reach riders. Drivers pay for software access, then set their rates and keep their earnings.

If the app gains traction here, Empower could drive down prices for ride-hailing Baltimoreans. It could also bring some of the D.C.-area chaos that it ignited up to Charm City.

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Empower has not yet engaged with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Sear said. “We welcome the opportunity to work with them to improve the lives of drivers and help facilitate more transportation options for Baltimore Metro Area residents,” he added. “We intend to reach out after the holidays.”

Here in Maryland, the state’s Public Service Commission regulates ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft, issuing them “transportation network company,” or TNC, licenses.

Ride-hail drivers also have to apply for and obtain a specific license from the commission in order to operate — they do so through a specific operator, such as Uber or a taxi company. The license doesn’t cost the driver anything, but requires a fingerprint-supported criminal background check and compliance with all Maryland insurance and vehicle registration laws.

In April, the PSC filed a formal complaint against Yazam Inc., which it says has operated as a TNC under the name Empower in Maryland since at least 2021, and has done so without authorization.

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The commission directed Empower to apply for authorization in January 2022, writing in a letter that it could face fines of up to $2,500 for every day it was out of compliance, as well as possible criminal consequences.

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The company had not done so by the April filing, the commission wrote in its complaint. The company “continues to operate unlawfully in Maryland,” the complaint alleges.

A PSC spokesperson declined to comment on the matter and cited the pending case against the company. Officials at Baltimore’s transportation department, which has a rideshare coordinator on its staff, also did not respond to request for comment.

In its response in June, Empower argued that it is not a TNC because of the nuances that differentiate it from Uber and Lyft, and therefore it is not subject to Maryland’s regulation of ride-hailing companies. “Empower does not provide transportation anymore than OpenTable provides lunch or Expedia provides flights,” the company wrote.

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The company response also argues that Empower isn’t harming Marylander consumers but rather providing additional competition that is helping them. It further alleges that the commission itself has even recognized that Empower does not fit Maryland’s definition of a TNC.

Empower, based in McLean, Virginia, has been marred by controversy since it launched in the District of Columbia in 2020. Earlier this year, a woman told police in Arlington, Virginia, that she was sexually assaulted by an Empower driver. The driver has since been suspended, The Washington Post reported.

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Competitors Uber and Lyft also pushed back against regulation in Washington, D.C., during their infancy about a decade ago, but came to a resolution with the local government.

These scandals prompted D.C.’s attorney general to file a lawsuit against Empower in July. He accused the company of failing to maintain rider records and conduct background checks adequately.

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Washington, D.C

Mother still searching for answers 1 year after son was gunned down leaving church service

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Mother still searching for answers 1 year after son was gunned down leaving church service


A mother is pleading for answers nearly a year after her son was shot and killed during an attempted robbery in the District.

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The unsolved murder happened on South Dakota Avenue here in Northeast in January of this year. The victim’s mother says her grief is never-ending.

“Every day moving forward is going to be a struggle for me. This does not go away. This is not something that could be easier with time. You learn to live with it. That’s all you do,” Janet Realbuto told FOX 5. 

Realbuto is reflecting on the murder of her 23-year-old son Ryan, a graduate of St. Bonaventure University who was doing a year of post-graduate service in D.C. when he was shot and killed on this snowy street during an attempted robbery.

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“I still have not gotten over the shock and the reality that my son was murdered walking down the street in Washington D.C. Not coming from a bar. Not a drug deal that went wrong. Not somebody that he wronged. He was coming from a church service. He did not even know the person that got out of the car and that killed him. And this act…this one split second has completely changed all of our lives,” she said. 

Ryan Realbuto was from upstate New York. He came from a close-knit family and was one of three brothers. His family’s life was shattered on Jan.18, 2024 when he was killed in the 5000 block of South Dakota Avenue, Northeast. His death is one of 115 unsolved murders in D.C. this year.

READ MORE: 23-year-old volunteer fatally shot in DC: “His precious life was taken by senseless violence”

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“The pain. The trauma. The horror of what goes on with the family members after somebody is so suddenly and brutally taken. No goodbyes, no nothing. Just like in a split second, he was gone. Gone,” Janet said. 

Ryan had attended a church service with two friends at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Shaw. They’d taken a Metro train to Fort Totten and decided to walk the rest of the way home because it was a beautiful, snowy night.

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But on the way, they were robbed at gunpoint and Ryan was shot dead in front of his two friends just after 10 p.m. 

“He was the kindest, most gentle person and I just feel that whoever did this has not been caught. There’s been no justice. There has been no consequence. There’s been nothing and for my 23-year-old beautiful son. He’s in the ground,” Janet said. 

Janet’s 2024 yearbook is a scrapbook of notes and letters and news articles about Ryan.

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“I have not read them all,” she said. 

And Janet says the police reaction to the recent murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in New York City leaves her longing for a larger police response, a year out from her son’s murder. 

“I want to talk to the mayor in D.C. I would like to talk to the higher-ups to see what’s going on. I need some assurance, something to know that this case is not just on the bottom of somebody’s desk right now. That there’s a network of people still trying to find who murdered Ryan,” she said. 

FOX 5 spoke to D.C. police Tuesday. They say this is not a cold case and that it remains a very active case with leads still being pursued but there have been no arrests yet – only one home security camera video and it didn’t provide any helpful information.

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Police make new arrest, child still in hospital after DC 5-year-old accidentally shot

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Police make new arrest, child still in hospital after DC 5-year-old accidentally shot



Police make new arrest, child still in hospital after DC 5-year-old accidentally shot – NBC4 Washington







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Washington, D.C

Inside Owl’s Nest, a Historic Mansion in Washington D.C. Listed for $10.5 Million

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Inside Owl’s Nest, a Historic Mansion in Washington D.C. Listed for .5 Million


A landmarked Gilded Age manor is a rare find on the market in the nation’s capital. But one address matching the profile just listed with ties to the founder of the National Press Club, one of the world’s leading professional organizations for journalists. Now listed for $10.5 million, the four-story mansion includes a host of modern amenities that complement its historic appeal. Daniel M. Heider of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing. 

Named the Owl’s Nest, the mansion was built in 1897 as a country house for journalist William L. Crounse within the Forest Hills community. He tapped Appleton P. Clark, Jr. to design the hilltop retreat, which DC Historic Sites credits as “one of the city’s best examples of the Shingle style.” The nearly two-acre property was reportedly bought by the Jewish Day School in 2001 with plans to tear it down. It was designated a historic landmark that same year, amid those efforts, and Washington developer Chris Donatelli was next in line to buy the pad for $2.69 million in 2007. 

The converted office/library features a wood-clad tray ceiling.

Photography by Derek & Vee

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The property had fallen into disrepair by that time. So, Donatelli hired local architect George Myers and Gibson Builders for a major renovation that expanded and modernized it before moving in a year later. It now spreads out across 10,780 square feet in two wings, one restored and one brand new, with eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

While its many special details, including a stone archway at the entrance, a central turret, and stained-glass panels, speak to the home’s past, Donatelli’s time at the residence gives it even more political cachet. The architect and his wife, Karen, often hosted high-profile events at the home in Forest Hills where “wealthy Washingtonians would weekend,” Heider tells Mansion Global. Their most notable guest was former President Barack Obama, who reportedly attended a dinner party in 2014. “It’s the perfect home for a diplomat, an ambassador, or global CEO,” he continues. 

The Owl's Nest washington DC turret bedroom

A light-filled bedroom sits at the top of a three-story stone turret.

Photography by Derek & Vee

Massive stone walls are exhibited along the home’s castle-like façade, plus asymmetrical massing that gives it a pleasantly uneven shape and weight, visually. Inside the grand foyer, a wood-paneled staircase sits across the way with a stained-glass window depicting an owl. The home’s name and this detail honor the land’s history of attracting owls as one of the highest points in the D.C. area. Standout spaces added onto the mansion include a chef’s kitchen with custom cabinetry and Wolf appliances, a converted library with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, and two covered porches.  

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RELATED: A New Report Shows Where Luxury Home Prices are Expected to Increase Around the Globe

The primary suite is situated on the second floor with a covered terrace and spa-like en suite featuring checkered marble flooring. The abode’s top level, meanwhile, provides access to the airy turret bedroom with mullioned windows. Back downstairs, a sun-soaked rear patio with a lap pool and alfresco dining space rounds out the Owl’s Nest in northwest D.C. 

Click here for more photos of the sprawling Washington, D.C. mansion.

The Owl's Nest, DC slide cover

Photography by Derek & Vee





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