August 27, 2007
Morning Roundup: First Day Back Edition
Today tens of thousands of District children return to school, leaving behind the late-morning starts, extended curfews and breaks at the public swimming pool that summer afforded them. And though the year will proceed as it usually does, they will be part of a school system that has seen drastic changes over the last few months. Now under mayoral control and led by new chancellor Michelle Rhee, the District's public schools have entered a new era. But like every school leader to come before Rhee, past eras have yielded little by way of positive and sustainable change. Will this one be different? We'll discuss the question today in two posts. Until then, this is what's what in D.C. today:
One Less Texan: In breaking news, it seems that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned. A press conference is set for 10:30 a.m. to make the announcement official.
Purple Line Fate Up To Feds: According to the Post, the fate and design of Maryland's Purple Line -- which would connect Bethesda to New Carrolton -- is in the hands of the Federal Transit Administration. In an effort to secure all-important federal funds, state officials have delayed the construction of the 16-mile line and made a number of changes to its design, including opting for light rail or express buses instead of traditional heavy trains. Virginia officials recently nixed a tunnel beneath Tysons Corner to save $900 million in federal funds for the Orange Line extension to Dulles. The Purple Line is set to cost $1.6 billion and be completed by 2015.
Metro Has Tough Weekend: Five separate incidents over a two-hour period yesterday left six Metro stations closed and all five lines affected, reports the Post. Reports of smoke and fire forced the stations to close, including Foggy Bottom, Farragut West, Farragut North, Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center, Huntington and Reagan National Airport.
Hydrant Testing Completed: Almost all of the District's 10,000 fire hydrants have been tested, reports WTOP. After an April fire at the Georgetown public library was prolonged due to broken hydrants, city officials announced that over 25 percent of the District's hydrants, most of which are controlled by the Water and Sewer Authority, did not work. They have promised to fix them.
Briefly Noted: New front opens in Virginia immigration battle ... MoCo students get to carry cell phones ... Actor pleads for end to violence in District ... Some companies gets lots of parking tickets in D.C.
Previously on DCist: On this day last year and the year prior, it was the weekend, so we took a break. In 2004, though, we reported on a Rock, Paper, Scissors contest at DC9 and saw President Bush lose big in a Krispy Kreme poll.
Picture snapped by {ryan}
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Holy crap, Gonzales resigned!
Fewer, not less
So shines a good deed in a weary world.
Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out, Gonzo.
And by "don't" I mean "repeatedly."
Anyone know the story behind the smashed up DC police car last night at 16th and U streets? Front was smacked up pretty good, but I didn't see any other cars around, aside from two other police cars blocking traffic.
Saw that too MikeB. No idea either.
Gonzalez is out!
Never mind Alberto - what about parking? The Washington Times article says D.C. Councilmembers can legally park in bus zones, in restricted spaces near intersections, at building entrances, on restricted residential streets, and don't have to put money in parking meters.
How does anyone expect the Council to attend to DC parking issues when they have none themselves? Rescind these perks now.
Mayor Adrian Fenty who champions better schools in the District of Columbia has made it clear that he will not enroll his two sons in our public school system.
The fact that Mayor Fenty will not enroll his sons in our public school system should be a warning sign to all that Fenty knows that he will fail in making the DC public school system better than it is.
I have argued that the best Fenty can accomplish is to slap on a few coats of paint, replace a few windows and doors and other repairs but he will have no impact upon the performance of our students.
If Fenty was confident in what he is doing and that the outcome will be good, then he would enroll his sons in the public schools NOW as a showing to all that he is confident that he will succeed in what he is promising.
Again, if our public schools are not good enough for Fenty’s sons then they are not good enough for your children and we should pull our children out and enroll them in private schools. In sum, do as the mayor is doing not what he is saying!
Yeah after taking a 4.5 hour bus from NYC I really enjoyed being stuck and starving on the Metro for 2 hours! Wow, I feel so sorry for the couple in the Post article who were at Foggy Bottom. I wish I had the luxury of hanging out at the restaurant. What a joke.
The "can carry but can't use" cell phone policy has been in effect in Montgomery County since like, 2002. It may have been unofficial, or it may have been up to individual schools, but I remember it deliberately being announced as the new rule when I was a sophomore in high school. Incidentally, we all used during the school day anyway, and the only result was a very occasional request to put them away.
Moral of the story: dumb rules won't do anything. Stop making them.
Gone ... Gone ...Gone ... Gonzales.
Post #7 sounds an awful lot like He Who Shall Not Be Named.
Guest 7 said...
I love this type of rationalization that just because someone runs a city, means beholden to use the same facilities even though no one else in their income bracket does. Listen, Fenty is very well-off. No matter how good any public school system is, it doesn't top the type of individual attention and opportunity one gets at a private school. I might add that it shows that Fenty is a realist in the sense that he's well aware that DC schools need serious improvement before he sends his own kids there. If you had the means and the local school system wasn't up to par, then wouldn't you want to send them someplace where their education will be decent?
Demonfafa...
Love your rationale but Fenty is the one who is asking us to trust in his judgment and therefore, he should take the moral high ground and set an example by saying he is so confident in what His team will do that he is going to place his own kids in the system.
It has more to do with image than substance.
Post #7 does appear to be the handiwork of Ramonathon but he only crawls out when Martin posts things.
Fenty is a moron. He's the George W. Bush of D.C. mayors.