Monday’s Headlines Go to Infinity and Beyond!

A new NASA administrator lets Sean Duffy get back to the his main job, pulling funding for anything not involving cars.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on December 29, 2025

There’s a starman waiting in the Senate.

|Bill Ingalls/NASA

The U.S. Senate finally confirmed President Trump's nominee for NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman (Jalopnik). Regardless of what you think about the privatization of space travel or tech billionaires in general, at least it takes that job off of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's plate so he can focus on what he does best — threatening local transit agencies and pulling grants for "woke" bike and pedestrian projects.
The Milwaukee County Transit System raised fares and reduced service on six bus lines to address a $9 million budget deficit, but avoided canceling those routes altogether. (Urban Milwaukee)
Cleveland is raising parking meter rates and extending enforcement hours. (Plain Dealer)
The Michigan DOT announced $133 million in grants for 20 transit agencies statewide. (Detroit Free Press)
Residents of Pittsburgh's Allentown neighborhood want light rail service restored. (CBS News)
The Phoenix city council will vote next month on a route for the West Valley light rail project. (KJZZ)
The Kansas City Streetcar's Riverfront extension is on track to open in April. (KCUR)
Seattle Transit Blog floated the idea of making the Fremont Bridge car-free.
Austin is beginning to reap the dividends of Vision Zero. (KXAN)
Richmond is putting an emphasis on road diets in 2026 through its Vision Zero initiative. (12 On Your Side)
Drivers in Roanoke are parking in bike lanes and on greenways, and the city isn't doing much about it. (WDBJ)
Three crashes in Athens, Georgia within less than a week killed a total of six people over the holidays. (Banner-Herald)
An audit of Chattanooga's transit agency found that it's currently stable but faces long-term financial challenges. (Times Free Press)
A Knoxville historical society is restoring a nearly 100-year-old streetcar and displaying it in a museum (Daily Beacon). Too bad it's not still in use.