June 6, 2008
Morning Roundup: On the Rise Edition
Welcome to Friday, Washington. We hope that those of you who are in the 85,000 homes still without power after Wednesday's storm get the juice back soon: temperatures for the weekend are now forecast to be pushing up against triple digits. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat advisory, and Accuweather's Jim Kosek puts it in more technical meteorological terms: you're "screwed" without AC. In other news of the hot (politically), Barack Obama's rally at Nissan Pavilion yesterday went off without the Radiohead-esque traffic armageddon some were predicting on 66. It helped that the turnout was closer to 10,000, short of the 25,000 the venue could hold, and well short of the 50,000 organizers were predicting might show up. As it was, everyone got there early, and the Post reports that traffic was no worse than normal. Be sure to click through to page 2 of that story, where the Post actually gives the full name and specific occupation (including location) of an attendee who is quoted as saying that she feigned illness to get out of work early. Let's just hope for her sake that her boss isn't a reader. Did you go? Tell us about it in the comments. But feel free to do so anonymously if you told a fib to get there.
New Math to Bring Art and Music: Michelle Rhee is facing a divided response to her new budget model for D.C. schools, which will take many budgetary decisions out of the hands of schools, and bring more transparency to the budgeting process. The Post reports that the plan will allow schools currently lacking music, art, and P.E. teachers to reinstate those programs, but some fear that a top-down budgeting model won't address children's needs. But it seems to us that these kids need art and music instruction (which helps all other curriculum areas) that the current model has failed to provide.
Potomac Yard to Get Metro?: The Alexandria City Council is doing all they can to bring metro to the growing Potomac Yard complex, and are on the verge of moving a planned office development from the south to the north of the complex. The aim is to make it into a "town center" area that will make the idea of a metro station more viable. They're helped by the fact that the tracks at Potomac Yard were built with a future station already in mind; the big question now is exactly how to pay the $125-150 million price tag.
Briefly Noted: Race for the Cure in D.C. on Saturday; be sure to check out road closures before you drive ... Manhunt under way for two men who kidnapped a Fort Washington preschooler after tying up mother ... 11 D.C. students drop out every day ... Court to MD man: Stay away from the WaWa!
This Day in DCist: A year ago today we reported on a setback (that we're happy to say was permanent) in Jim Graham's crusade to put an end to D.C.'s all-ages club tradition...the year before we got our first inside look at LNS, before its members made it common knowledge that they were standard-issue collar-popping douchebags by giving interviews to that effect.
Photo by Flickr user Bullneck.
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"They're helped by the fact that the tracks at Potomac Yard were built with a future station already in mind; the big question now is exactly how to pay the $125-150 million price tag."
Wouldn't it make sense to float bonds backed by a special tax on the development? I'm no accountant, so I don't know what the burden of a $150 million dollar bond is (fwiw, at 5% APR, the annual interest on that would be 7.5 million. According to the webpage of the development, there will be around 2.1 million square feet of office and retail space. If the tax were just leveied on that, it would end up costing around $4.00/sqf/year to service the loan. Again, I'm no accountant and I have no idea if that's correct or whether that's a reasonable tax hike), but since the value of that development would skyrocket with the addition of a metro stop, wouldn't it make most sense for them to take the burden?
We hope that those of you who are in the 85,000 homes still without power after Wednesday's storm get the juice back soon
Question: how would someone without any power even be able to read this on their computer? Unless...THEY'RE READING THIS OVER YOUR SHOULDER! WE'VE TRACED THE CALL. IT'S COMING FROM INSIDE YOUR HOUSE! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! FOR GOD'S SAKE!
They should be able to pull off a Potomac Yards Metro using the New York Avenue Metro as an infill model: it was funded by both Federal, local government, and a tax on businesses around the station. The real problem would be borrowing the cash, what with the tight money market and all that filthy lucre tied up in collapsing ghost towns in the Prince William Counties of America. Also, they're moving away from residential infill around Potomac Yards and more towards commercial construction, where demand continues to climb and VA can really gouge on the taxes. That should sufficiently sweeten the development pot.
"Barack Obama's rally at Nissan Pavilion yesterday went off without the Radiohead-esque traffic armageddon some were predicting on 66."
By some, you mean DCist, right?
OH CRAP. after a holiday party a few years back, i stole a stuffed santa from the top of the deli counter of a Wawa. I wonder if they have my photo taken from the surveillance video in the back room.
Jim Kosek needs to be stopped. Why has he not been fired yet?
In lieu of a station at Potomac Yard, why not slow down the Metro cars as they come near, open doors (it's Metro's slogan, after all), and let people hop on and off? That would be highly entertaining to watch. Sort of like the San Francisco street trolleys. But with a third rail.
@Cranky:
I think they're moving towards this with last week's test of a 12-car train. Eventually, Metro will consist of one never-ending flatbed railcar that people can jump on and off as they please. Also, every 10th car will have a wet bar, of course serving only "rail drinks".
Jim Kosek needs to be stopped. Why has he not been fired yet?
Bite your tongue! I look forward to his segments every week! Yesterday he offered to start a raffle for his personal chipped coffee mug as a thank you to all the viewers who wrote to ask where he was while he was away. Then he changed his mind and was going to offer some adhesive cement instead. BRILLIANT!
re: Potomac Yard, The aim is to make it into a "town center" area that will make the idea of a metro station more viable. In other words, We are going to keep adding crap until traffic is so bad you'll have no choice but to add a metro stop. But you won't.
see? Not bad traffic, nay sayers.
...also, free Obama show not as highly attended as $50 Radiohead show...
Hmm.
i wonder how many people will skip Race for the Cure because of the outrageously hot temperature
"...also, free Obama show not as highly attended as $50 Radiohead show..."
I suspect there were a substantial number of people who would have otherwise attended the Obama event who, after hearing the predictions of traffic doom and gloom, decided not to attend. I suspect if those people had paid $50 for a ticket to see Barry they would have kept their plans.
correct me if i'm wrong, but i think Obama is considering the dude pictured above as a potential running mate?
*fist bump*
@TimmyT: You know, I wonder if Metro's "accidental" opening of doors while cars are still in tunnels is part of this plan. Operators are getting used to knowing how long to open the doors so that people can jump on and off.
Also, Radiohead didn't play on short notice on a weekday at a time which required anyone with a job in attendance to take a half day to get there.
Apples and oranges.
Pffft! 97 isn't that bad, just make sure you're hydrated.
One of these days I'll actually remember to register for the Race for the Cure, if only so I can run in a Save the Ta-Tas shirt.
Scroll down to the sixth picture at this link to an old blog post about LNS: http://whyihatedc.blogspot.com/2006/06/this-is-mean-for-sake-of-meanness.html
Henry Hager is on the far right.
97 degrees might not be that bad for a Moose, but for pasty American Apparel ad girls, they run the risk of actually getting a tan. Do you know how hard it is to look like you've been chained to a basement water heater since your fifth birthday? That look is their livelihood, man.
I didn’t lie to attend the Obama rally, but I did extend my lunch hour by 15 minutes to listen to the candidate in the photo above. His stance on ethics reform lacked nuance and his plan for health care reform was predictably naive. But body odor is not nearly as bad as his disheveled appearance suggests. Paint that cardboard box sir and you might find yourself on the VP short list..
No Fed in the current administration is going to ask for a half day to go see Sen. Obama.
I wanted to go. :(
Moneky, I'm sure she could find a nice tracksuit that would cover her completely and allow her to retain her pasty appearance.
I have two outdoor concerts this weekend. 97 sounds pretty damn hot right about now. At least Wolftrap lets you bring in coolers...
ccunning, that's true. And I say it with egg on my face: i'm a mediocre radiohead fan, yet paid and got soaked. But i'm a big obama fan, but didn't go.
Hey. I'm the guy in the pic. Thanks for running it.
My amendment fires Bush, Cheney and 3/4 of Congress.
Check it out
www.myspace.com/presidentbyamendment
RH