Washington, D.C
Washington, D.C., Suburb Starts Traffic Signal Modernization
Transportation will be the launching point for the smart city journey in Falls Church, Va.
This small city of just more than 2 square miles near Washington, D.C., is beginning the first phase of a smart city initiative with Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute (VTTI) Division of Technology Implementation and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The project will involve traffic management technology modernization and signal upgrades.
“We are introducing modern signal controllers equipped with software designed to meet both current and future roadway needs,” Cindy L. Mester, Falls Church community relations and legislative affairs director, said via email. “These controllers will not only address today’s challenges, but also support the integration of connected and automated vehicles, ensuring that Falls Church is prepared for the transportation technologies of tomorrow.”
The “smart intersection” modernization is the project’s first component, and will update all of the signals on Broad and Washington streets — two major corridors. It will be completed in the fall of 2025. Other project phases include adaptive street lighting, smart parking, and tools to gather and analyze data. The project, to be completed in 2028, is being funded in part by a $10 million state grant managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation. The grant will fund the selection and deployment of a variety of technologies, in a set of categories.
VTTI will serve as “the technology implementer” while also conducting research.
Falls Church “prides itself on being kind of a pedestrian and biking community,” said Mike Mollenhauer, VTTI division director of technology implementation, who will serve as the university’s project lead.
“But they have roadways that have high traffic levels and congestion at various parts of the day,” Mollenhauer said, outlining some of the transportation challenges the city faces. “You want to move vehicles through the system. But you also want to make sure it’s a walkable and bikeable and livable community. And you have to try and strike a balance there, to make sure you aren’t overemphasizing one mechanism over another.”
VTTI will serve as a third-party evaluator for the technologies and assist the city in the design of the urban tech systems, which will then be handed over to the city for its technology officials to manage.
Beyond smart intersections, the project will also explore the deployment of intelligent parking and curb management, adaptive street lighting, community engagement and use of a data dashboard that brings multiple operations into one platform. This, Mollenhauer said, will make system management and operation easier for officials.
One focus will be deploying the technologies in a redevelopment area where new streets and other infrastructure are planned.
“However, as we think about deploying technology for the city, we don’t want them to end up with a patchwork, where you have one technology from a vendor that’s in one part of the city, and then a different technology somewhere else,” he said.
Some of the most “near-term needs” lie in the traffic system, which will get upgrades to traffic signal controllers “so they can interface with some of the smarter technologies that’s coming along,” Mollenhauer said.
“Our central signal management system will empower city staff with innovative tools that allow them to work smarter, not harder,” Mester said. “This system provides centralized command and control capabilities, with real-time alerts prompting staff of issues while providing information on the current health of intersection equipment.”
The new signal technology will be designed and deployed to create a coordinated transportation ecosystem, improving the flow of traffic with adaptive intersections and giving transportation officials new insights for better traffic management and improved safety.
“With smart intersection data, we will have the tools to understand the factors that precipitate conflicts between vulnerable road users and vehicles,” Mester said. “Empowered with this data, we can make informed design decisions to implement countermeasures that result in safer intersections for everyone.”
WASHINGTON (7News) — An ice cream truck caught fire in Southeast D.C. on Thursday, the D.C. Fire and EMS Department said.
The commercial vehicle was reported fully engulfed when crews arrived in the 1700 block of Tobias Drive SE.
SEE ALSO | Man, woman injured in Southeast DC double shooting
Firefighters quickly put out the flames and prevented the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
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No injuries were reported.
WASHINGTON (7News) — The Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy, on Wednesday removed a well-known priest as an exorcist of the archdiocese after he made public comments suggesting that UFO sightings were the work of demons.
McElroy said the archdiocese also was cutting ties with the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a Washington-based nonprofit headed by the priest, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.
The archbishop said Rossetti’s statements “linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.”
“There’s a danger here,” Rossetti said in a May 29 video posted on his Facebook page addressing UFO sightings and the existence of aliens. “As an exorcist I wanted to raise that danger. And that is that demons like to hide. … They don’t want us to know what they’re doing because they’re more effective when we don’t realize it.”
“They can kind of get into your head, you know, and manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil.”
“It’s my personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” Rossetti added.
Rossetti also said that people can be good Catholics and believe there’s life on other planets, though he does not personally believe life exists elsewhere.
In a statement posted on the St. Michael Center website, Rossetti said he was saddened by the action of the archdiocese.
“I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on ‘aliens and the demonic,’” he said. “I believe it is of the utmost importance to be obedient to the Church and I will continue to endeavor to subject all that I do and the Center to be thus obedient.”
Rossetti, who has over 148,000 followers on Instagram, is a prominent psychologist as well as an exorcist. His center has specialized in offering spiritual healing for priests troubled by various difficulties.
In 2023, he told The Associated Press there was increasing and renewed appetite for information about demonic possession and exorcism.
Washington, D.C
Nurses at Washington D.C.’s largest hospital call on leadership to reverse planned cuts to maternal health
RNs at MedStar Washington Hospital Center say closure of postpartum unit will disproportionately harm marginalized and underserved communities
Union nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) in Washington, D.C. are demanding that management stop the planned closure of an entire postpartum unit, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). The hospital notified the union on May 26, 2026 of its intention to eliminate 11 maternal health beds and displace eight nurses by July 26, 2026, leaving MWHC with one postpartum unit.
In a follow-up town hall with staff nurses, Chief Nursing Officer Ariam Yitbarek confirmed the closure. Other leaders have additionally informed staff that the hospital will strictly limit scheduled C-sections and inductions for patients from numerous D.C. maternal health organizations. The list of organizations includes many that primarily serve low-income patients, immigrants, and patients of color, all communities with significantly higher risks of maternal mortality. Additionally, staff were informed that Kaiser Permanente, which notably insures a large number of DC city employees and even many of MWHC’s own workers, will see a strict limit on scheduling inductions and C-sections for their patients as well.
“Closing postpartum unit 5F will gravely impact those most affected by health disparities,” said Stephanie Sims-Coates, RN in the neonatal intensive care unit. “Our low-income families and families of color will be most affected by this closure. Families trust the medical staff at MWHC and plan to come to us for their care. In a city where Black women make up 90 percent of pregnancy-related deaths despite being only half the population, the hospital’s decision to close this unit is a significant mistake.”
Community leaders and healthcare workers are joining the call for MedStar to put patients before profits and keep the unit open. This past weekend, nurses met with D.C. mayoral candidate and Ward 4 councilwoman Janeese Lewis George about the planned closure and the impact it would have on DC’s most vulnerable residents.
“Maternal mortality is a crisis for Washington, DC, and our healthcare system needs to address the crisis immediately, rather than exacerbate the challenges that birthing parents face,” said Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George. “Now is the time to invest in health care, rather than make cuts. I want to work with the hospital to identify solutions that work for patients and the provider.”
“In my time at Washington Hospital Center, I’ve seen the hospital tout its Safe Moms, Safe Babies program and host a community baby shower specifically designed to call attention to the maternal mortality crisis,” said Marcqueata “Tiya” Butler, RN in the Mother/Baby unit. “Their current plan to shut down 11 postpartum beds betrays the hospital’s stated commitments. They are aware of persistent inequities in access to care. We are calling on the hospital to consider the impacts on the community, safeguard the mothers and infants of DC and commit to addressing the maternal mortality rate.”
In 2024, MedStar Health, a registered non-profit, reported $9 billion in operating revenue.
NNOC/NNU represents more than 2,200 registered nurses at Washington Hospital Center.
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
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