New Whole Foods to Open Up Exactly Where it is Needed Least
The Weekly Feed: Experimentation Edition
Morning Roundup: Change Edition
Former Blade Staffers Launch 'DC Agenda'
D.C. Unemployment Rate Reaches 11.9 Percent
Good morning, D.C., and congratulations to all the previously married same sex couples living in the city, who as of 12:01 a.m. this morning are now enjoying the rights and privileges of marriage within the District, too. The Post's Nikita Stewart lists some of those rights in a q&a sidebar: "inheritance, benefits for spouses of employees at private companies and in the District's government and spousal immunity from testifying against each other." When you look at it like that, it's hard to imagine what people who are vehemently against extending those rather simple rights to gay couples are so upset about.
So what comes next in the fight for marriage equality in the District? As we mentioned yesterday, gay marriage opponents have been talking about launching a Prop 8-style voter initiative, but it's possible that might not come until At-large Council member David Catania introduces his same sex marriage bill later this year. In the meantime, we're also expecting to see a number of wedding travel packages offering trips to Connecticut or Massachusetts and back for District residents.
Red Line Riders Are Annoyed Since Crash: The Post talked with Red Line commuters about how bad Metro service has been since the fatal crash two weeks ago, and shock of all shocks, those folks were ready to complain. "... they sometimes watch three or more full trains pass before they can board one during peak travel periods." When will the Red Line, which is operating with fewer trains and dealing with the continued single-tracking at the crash site, be able to get back to normal? WMATA can't say until the investigation nears completion.
The Chesapeake Bay is Gross: That's pretty much the conclusion drawn in a new report from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which the AP via WTOP writes up. "Rising water temperatures and nutrient pollution are fueling algae blooms that allow bacteria to thrive in the bay, according to scientists quoted in the report," -- bacteria that is dangerous to humans.
Briefly Noted: Homicide suspect arrested after barricading himself in a Takoma Park apartment ... Intruders posing as police invade three homes in Prince George's County ... Law enforecement security drill in Silver Spring this morning ... Local office vacancies are way up, driving down rents ... VDOT to close 18 rest stops this month.
This Day in DCist: One year ago, we launched our DCist_Updates Twitter feed, which you should be following if you aren't already!
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Virginia officials have suggested privatizing the rest areas to save money but have been stymied by a federal ban.
I forget, why is there a Federal ban on privatizing highway rest stops? The National Park Service and the Smithsonian can have freaking ads on every square inch of the Mall during Heritage Month, but god forbid some buisness that wants to pay to slap ads on rest stops and keep sleep-deprived drivers from killing themselves.
Anyway, looking forward to all the sleep-induced truck crashes that are headed for Interstate 81.
Federal Law against privatization of Rest Stops? Aren't there Roy Rogers and Sbarro's in every rest stop from Baltimore to New York?
And they are keeping the 'welcome' center in Manassas open? By the time you have been driving on 66 for an hour (or more) to reach that rest stop, 'welcome' is the last thing on most peoples minds!
Red line trains are single tracking at the crash site?
They weren't last Wednesday when I took the train from Silver Spring to Fort Totten. In the front seat of the front car, I might add. Nice view.
My train did travel very slowly through the crash site. But both tracks were being used. In fact at least two trains passed me in the other direction between Takoma and Fort Totten.
Red Line Riders Annoyed Since Crash
Please file under "D" for "Duh"
The crash happened while I was in California for a couple of weeks, and on my first sojourn back into the Metro fray yesterday, I was less than pleased with my experience. Two stops, from Woodley Park to Farragut North. I waited as two completely packed trains passed by, then forced my way onto the third, and spent the next seven minutes pressed against a door forced to listen to some intern gush about the Aretha Franklin/Barry Manilow show on the Capitol steps on Saturday. Longest seven minutes of my life. I can only hope that my overwhelming BO made him nauseous.
Like the referendum that was rejected by the court, an initiative could not violate the Human Rights Act. It's extremely likely that the courts would find the proposed initiative illegal. The remaining path for the opponents of marriage equality would be to get Congress to intervene, but is a House led by Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco really going to go there? And would Collins and Snowe go along with invalidating the marriages of Maine residents who move to DC?
From the AP/WTOP article "The Chesapeake Bay Foundation should be applauded for bringing concerns about water quality to the public's attention"
Ummm. NO.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation should be ashamed of the scam it has been running... They have done little, if anything, to stop the bay from turning into a cesspool. Planting trees and saving a marsh here or there doesn't do much to solve the overall crisis.
If they wanted to get something done they would have formed a PAC and an agressive C4 operation to go after the polluters and the politicians who have been supporting the various groups responsible for the current state of the bay. The Shenandoah and Potomac valley chicken farmers, the Susquehanna pig farmers, the complete lack of erosion control on maryland farms, Pennsylvania miners, and the lack of sufficient water treatment facilities throughout the bay's watershed are the real problems here. All those groups play the political game and have been winning for years.
There are a slim few carrying the torch for the bay in the state's legislatures, and that's what needs to be changed far more than planting a few trees or focusing on wetlands here and there.
I don't mind delays on the Red Line. I do mind that I usually don't find out about the big delays until I'm already in Union Station, waiting for a train. I can easily walk to Gallery Place and take the Green Line directly home. I would have done that last night if I knew before I went to Union Station.
All well and good, but what about "Wrestling midgets killed by fake hookers"
The commercial service areas in NY, NJ, MD, DE and elsewhere are technically on toll roads, which is why they can get away with it and VA can't. If they put the toll booths back in on 95 around Richmond again that used to be there they could do it.
Letting you know about delays? That can't happen round here. I mean, you don't get to know about street closings off major thoroughfares while going 60 mph until the front of your car drives up the backend of a bus. Any other place would put solar-powered signs someplace before the exit saying it's closed but DC? Impossible.
Every year I'm here is another year I'm closing to an aneurysm, I swear to God.