U.S. Park Police veteran Pamela Smith has been nominated to be D.C.'s next police chief.

Why it matters: The District is confronting how to battle a rise in homicides and violent crime while officers try to improve their relations with communities often distrustful of law enforcement.

By the numbers: D.C. has reported 133 homicides so far this year, per police stats. That's an 18% increase over the same time last year when D.C. registered its second year in a row with more than 200 murders.

• Overall violent crime is up 36%.

Driving the news: Mayor Bowser yesterday named Smith to be the permanent successor to Robert Contee, who retired from the force in June.

• Smith takes charge immediately as acting police chief while she awaits D.C. Council confirmation.

What they're saying: "The community wants the police to be the police and do so in a constitutionally safe and respectful manner," Smith, an ordained minister, said at a press conference yesterday.

Backstory: Smith began in the U.S. Park Police as a patrol officer in San Francisco in 1998. She also worked in field offices in New York, Atlanta, and D.C.

• Smith took over in 2021 as the first Black woman to lead the U.S. Park Police. Among her first actions, she pledged to require officers to wear body cameras, DCist reported at the time.
• The vow came after calls for accountability following the 2017 fatal police shooting of 25-year-old motorcyclist Bijan Ghaisar, who was killed by two Park Police officers after a chase on the George Washington Parkway.
• The bodycam policy was implemented last year.

Between the lines: When Smith retired from Park Police last year, it came months after an Interior Department report harshly criticized the agency's dispatch center as ineffective, the Washington Post reports.

• Later in the year, the Park Police officer's union filed a complaint that understaffing was putting the public and officers at risk.

What's ahead: D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto said a confirmation hearing will be held as soon as possible, per the Post.

Virginia lawmakers forgot to renew an annual back-to-school sales tax holiday, Axios Richmond's Ned Oliver writes.

Why it matters: That means no break for the first time since 2006 on the state's 5.3% sales tax on purchases of school supplies, clothes, and shoes, reports Cardinal News' Markus Schmidt.

Details: The three-day window was typically pegged to the first Friday in August.

What they're saying: "It was a mistake on the legislature's behalf, and I'm just being honest," Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt County, told Cardinal News.

Of note: With the state budget still pending, there is theoretically still time for lawmakers to revive the holiday ahead of this school year.

• Yes, but: That seems unlikely given budget negotiation differences.

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Welcome back to "I Spy," our series where we spot new or notable happenings around town.

A new vintage store in Eastern Market sells fun gifts like disco balls and invites patrons to spruce up their outfits themselves at its "makery."

Why it matters: Relume, which opened this month, is meeting the cultural moment by advertising its products as "Barbiecore," a dreamy, pink aesthetic inspired by the upcoming movie.

💭 Chelsea's thought bubble: If you get your fashion inspiration from TikTok, this is the place for you — and the prices are reasonable to boot.

• For $50, I got four pairs of handmade earrings, including ones that look like disco balls and pink lollipops.
• There are also local makers represented, including floral art studio Wildry.

🪡 What we're watching: Upcoming DIY events in the space — which has a wall of knitting materials, paints, glitter, and sewing machines — include:

• A kids' tie-dye workshop on Wednesday.
• Succulent candle making on Thursday.
• A clothes mending workshop on July 26.

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💵 Broccoli City has promised to issue refunds to last weekend's music festival after headliners Lil Uzi Vert and Jazmine Sullivan were rained out at RFK Stadium. (DCist)

🚉 Maryland's Purple Line project connecting the state's D.C. suburbs is delayed and expected to cost almost $150 million more. (Washington Post)

👶 A new drug that's designed to protect toddlers and babies from the RSV virus scored FDA approval. RSV cases overwhelmed D.C.-area children's hospitals last year. (WTOP)

🗞️ Politico's top editor Matt Kaminski is stepping down in August as U.S. editor-in-chief but will stay at the news outlet as editor-at-large. Co-founder and former EIC John Harris will lead the U.S. and European editions. (Washingtonian)

🪧 Unionizing efforts are on the rise in D.C. restaurants. RAMMY Award-winning Compliments Only staff picketed outside the Dupont Circle sandwich shop last weekend after workers said management declined to recognize the union. (Amanda Michelle Gomez via Twitter)

💼 Check out who's hiring now.

1. Associate Vice President, Analytics & Insights at Precision Strategies.
2. Director, Health Care - Enterprise Architect at KPMG.
3. Manager, External Affairs at CTIA - The Wireless Association.
4. Senior Vice President, Communications at Precision Strategies.
5. Vice President of Strategic Communications at S-3 Group.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Use code FIRST50 for $50 off your first job post.

Are you a mountain-climbing lawyer? Or a teacher who's into street luge?

We want to talk to you (or that extreme someone you know) for a new "Weekend Warrior" series — our column that hits the pavement with Washingtonians who spend free time taking on challenges and testing boundaries.

• People like Arlington ultra-marathoner Michael Wardian, aka, "The Real Life Forrest Gump'' who ran across the country.

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