D.C.'s latest weapon in the war on rats? Learning to think like one.

Why it matters: After trying everything from hunting dogs to dashboards and birth control, a new coalition says D.C. won't solve its rat problem until residents understand what's helping them thrive.

• Dubbed DC Rat Rangers, the group is launching free nighttime "rat walks" across all eight wards to teach residents how rats behave — and why cleaner streets can do more than bait boxes.

The big picture: The coalition says D.C.'s rat problem is often a trash and access problem.

• "As long as food is there, rats will keep coming back," Max Broad, executive director of DC Voters for Animals, tells Axios.
• And to rats, food isn't just old produce — it's pet waste, compost and more.

What's driving it: The coalition's push isn't just about rats — it's also about rat poison.

• DC Responsible Rat Management, whose members include Humane Rescue Alliance, City Wildlife and DC Bird Alliance, wants the city to ditch poisons for prevention.
• The effort grew out of City Wildlife's finding that 85% of animals treated for blood-clotting issues at its rehabilitation center tested positive for rat poison, according to Broad.
• Members say those poisons can move up the food chain, harming pets, as well as hawks, owls, foxes and other wildlife.

Zoom in: The Rat Rangers aren't exterminators. They're more neighborhood naturalists.

• Led by an anthrozoologist and an urban rodentologist, the hourlong evening walks teach residents how to spot rat habitats, how they breed and how to identify trash issues.

Yes, but: Nobody involved thinks education alone will solve the problem.

• The coalition also backs tougher sanitation policies, rat-resistant trash containers and continued research into poison alternatives.

The intrigue: Rats are becoming increasingly political.

• Likely next mayor Janeese Lewis George campaigned on tackling rats, while the coalition is backing the RAT Act promoting rat-resistant waste containers.
• Broad's wishlist also includes a citywide "rat czar" to coordinate agencies. (Not to be confused with a rat king.)

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Waymo says it just leased a third D.C. location, but its robotaxi rollout is still pending a council bill.

Why it matters: The company wants to show council members skeptical about job losses that it's already putting down roots and ready to invest more.

🔋 State of play: Waymo's third location is its largest yet locally, meant to support EV charging and vehicle maintenance, says Matt Walsh, the company's east coast policy chief.

• Waymo declined to give specifics like the addresses of its facilities or their total anticipated investment in D.C. ("tens of millions of dollars" and "hundreds of jobs").
• But Walsh gave reporters a tour of a separate facility it's constructing in Northeast yesterday. The 32,000-square-foot space is across from a Metrobus depot and will act like a tire-and-repairs center for its Jaguar SUVs tricked out with radars and sensors.
• Jobs include maintenance technicians (hefty EVs wear out tires faster), "autonomous specialists" for its testing vehicles, and vehicle cleaners.

What's ahead: Walsh says Waymo continues to push back against the council bill's proposed 200-vehicle cap.

• The company believes existing ride-hailing companies have upwards of 3,000 vehicles on D.C. streets.
• The D.C. Council could make a final vote on the pending bill this coming fall or winter. If approved, service wouldn't begin until 2028.

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🦆 Initiative 86 — aka the proposal to ban foie gras in D.C. — will officially be on the ballot this November after organizers collected the required number of signatures, per a release. If passed, it would go into effect July 1, 2027.

🌳 Logan Circle reopened yesterday after a restoration project to add and refresh lights, benches, a water fountain and grass. Expect temporary fencing through the fall, though. (WJLA)

🦀 A Republican amendment to ask Maryland voters whether the Eastern Shore should secede from the state failed in the House of Delegates earlier this week. The suggested name for the new area? MarDelVa. (Kent County News)

🐎 Preakness, the annual Baltimore horse race, will be held later in May, and on a Sunday, for the first time next year. The goal is to put more time between the Kentucky Derby so that more horses can compete. (CBS Sports)

Union Station is betting more local restaurants, shops and amenities can help revive the historic rail hub as a destination, not just a place to catch a train.

State of play: Five new tenants are expected to open in the coming months, including local faves Andy's Pizza, Capo Deli and upscale beer/wine/spirits shop, Housebar, per a Union Station Redevelopment Corporation press release.

• Also Springbone Kitchen broth bar and Joe & The Juice.

By the numbers: The station has added 21 new retail tenants over two-plus years, including Rail Records + Books, a Wolfgang Puck bar, and Bullfrog Bagels.

Between the lines: The leasing momentum comes as the Trump administration announced this week that it's abandoning Union Station's previously approved, multibillion-dollar expansion plan in favor of a new public-private partnership.

Yes, but: The bigger question — what Union Station will ultimately look like after the expansion plan was shelved — remains unanswered.

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Sheila Johnson has sold her Arlington home for $3.15 million in a private sale, the listing agent tells Axios.

Why it matters: The local philanthropist and entrepreneur co-founded BET and is the CEO of the Salamander Hotels group, as well as a shareholder of the Capitals, Mystics and Wizards.

State of play: The home has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms with over 8,000 square feet, according to the listing.

• Plus: An exercise room, a game room, and a three-car garage.

The big picture: The sale comes as the Salamander location in Southwest D.C. recently rebranded as a Marriott property.

The agent declined to provide Axios with information about the buyer.

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