Early Metro Opening Cost City $11.80 Per RiderAs we reported earlier this week, the District of Columbia arranged with Metro to open the rail system an hour earlier than normal this morning, at 4 a.m. instead of 5 a.m., in order to accommodate shoppers looking to be the first to arrive for early bird sales on "Black Friday." Metro spokesperson Lisa Farbstein emailed to let us know that 2,287 people rode Metro between 4 and 5 a.m. today, and that the cost to the city to pay Metro to open early was $27,000. That comes out to the District having paid $11.80 for each early bird rider. Given that today is also a tax-free holiday for shoppers in the District, that $27,000 is money the city won't make back in sales tax revenue, either.
Tax Free Shopping Week Starts FridayJust a reminder that the District of Columbia is having another sales tax holiday week starting at 12:01 a.m. this Friday, November 28, through midnight Sunday, December 7. Most clothing, shoes, and accessory items that are under $100 will be exempt from the District's 5.75 percent sales tax during this time. For a complete list of eligible items, click here.
Going to Miss the Inauguration? Try the RehearsalIf you won't be in D.C. for Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20, you have a chance to at least get a sense of what you'll be missing earlier that month. The Post reported today that the official inaugural rehearsal date has been set for Jan. 11. The inauguration dress rehearsal, which features stand-ins for most of the VIPs, is done every year early in the morning on a Sunday before the inauguration. This year's rehearsal runs from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. that morning, and will allow the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee to run through the program twice in a row. The rehearsal will be open to the public, so if you feel like getting up early that morning, head down to Pennsylvania Ave. to catch a preview of some of the bands that will be playing in the inaugural parade.
Manhole Explosion Cuts Power to DCist HQThere was a manhole explosion at 7th and P St NW this morning, which has caused a subsequent power outage in the surrounding area, from roughly 7th to 10th street along the Rhode Island Ave. corridor. This area includes DCist HQ, which, if you're a regular reader, you may quickly recognize as having a certain amount of poetic justice. DCist has made something of a cottage industry out of documenting the scourge of terrifying manhole mishaps. Not only did we manage to miss the chance to capture a photo of today's manhole explosion that happened right next door, but PEPCO currently has no estimated time for repairing power. The manholes have finally beaten us. These are dark days, my friends. UPDATE: This particular battle against the manholes appears to have been won by the humans. The power was back on in the affected area as of 2:15 p.m.
D.C. College Students May Not Gouge the Rest of AmericaNational Journal has been following the minutiae of the Obama transition on their impressively thorough Lost in Transition blog, and it is there that David Herbert reports that District college students are getting the shaft in terms of raking in the big inauguration-related bucks. Like all living, breathing D.C. residents, students at schools like GWU, American, Georgetown and Howard would love to receive a giant pile of Obamamoney by subletting out their dorm rooms around Jan. 20. Unfortunately, those same schools are cracking down on efforts to sublet by sending out mean, threatening, all-caps emails reminding students of the terms of their lease agreements. Poor D.C. college students. And more potential renters for the rest of us!
Wone Family Files Civil Suit; Ward Released The Post has the latest details on the Robert Wone murder case. The third roommate in the house where Wone was fatally stabbed two years ago, Dylan Ward, was finally extradited from Florida to the District yesterday, and has since been released pending trial on obstruction of justice charges. Like his co-defendents, Ward was forced to hand in his passport and wear an ankle monitoring bracelet. But the bigger news is that Wone's family has filed a wrongful death civil suit against all three men, based largely on the same obstruction charges they currently face. According the Post, the family's complaint alleges that the three men "conspired to thwart the investigation" into Wone's murder.
Police Activity on K StreetK Street NW is currently closed between 14th and 15th Streets in both directions due to a police investigation. Unconfirmed reports we've gotten so far suggest that there was a bank robbery at the PNC Bank at 14th and K. This would be the second daytime bank robbery in the middle of a busy workday in downtown D.C. in two days. Yesterday, the SunTrust on Dupont Circle was robbed at around 1 p.m. by a man claiming to be carrying a bomb in a duffel bag. This DCist editor was coincidentally making a withdrawal from the ATM outside the same SunTrust at about 1:10 p.m. yesterday, but was unaware anything had just happened at the bank other than noticing that a woman who tried to enter the branch found the door to be locked. The SunTrust robber got away, according to the Post. We'll update when we hear more about what happened today.
Water Main BreakapaloozaWASA is reporting three separate water main breaks this morning. Two of the breaks are in Glover Park, the first being an 8-inch water main on Observatory Place NW between Manor Place and Benton Street, the second being a 16-inch main just down the block from the other one, on the 3700 block of Manor Place NW. Approximately 65 homes were affected in this area while crews work to make repairs. The third break is at 16th and S Streets NW, causing northbound lanes on 16th Street from R to S to be closed while repairs are made. Southbound 16th Street lanes remain open.
It's a Girl! D.C. Welcomes Aerin FentyThe Reliable Source appears to have the scoop: Michelle Fenty, wife of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, has given birth to a healthy baby girl this morning. The gossip column is reporting that Aerin Alexandra Fenty was born at 6:08 a.m. at an undisclosed hospital in the city. Mother and baby are reportedly both doing just fine. According to BabyNameWizard.com, Aerin is an alternate spelling of the name Erin, which is derived from the Irish word for Ireland.
Wone Murder Roommates Plead Not GuiltyThe Post reported over the weekend that Joseph Price and Victor Zaborsky pleaded not guilty on Friday to obstruction of justice charges related to the murder investigation of Robert Wone. Both men were released pending trial after agreeing to turn in their passports, undergo random drug testing and wear ankle monitoring bracelets. The third roommate living in the Swann Street NW home where Wone was killed, Dylan Ward, was previously ordered held in federal custody in Florida without bond pending extradition to the District of Columbia. All three men were indicted on obstruction charges in the case after prosecutors submitted evidence that they appear to have cleaned up the crime scene before police arrived.
Nickles on EMT Reinstatement: Not So FastNews broke on Friday that Selena Walker, driver of the ambulance carrying late New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum in 2006, would be brought back into the fold at the D.C. Fire and EMS Department. But the Post reports today that AG Peter Nickles is considering appealing the D.C. Superior Court decision to reinstate Walker to her post. Nickles should be feeling pressure to maintain the city's end of its civil settlement with the Rosenbaum family, which agreed to drop a $20 million suit in exchange for a continued commitment to improvement of the emergency response system. Second chances are great; but the reinstatement of one of the people that mistook Rosenbaum for a drunk, purposefully meandered in route to a different hospital than he requested, and even ran a personal errand while he was in the ambulance is probably not the best way to keep up with said agreement. Nickles should make a decision early next week.
Metro Inauguration Information Now OnlineSomething that we didn't quite fit into this morning's Inauguration roundup: Metro's complete Inaugural plans are now online. Metro management is expecting upwards of 2 million riders on Metrorail and Metrobus. So, understandably, there's a ton of information about WMATA's extensive planning for the weekend: expanded and alternate hours of operation on buses and rails, parking information (it's all free, and some people aren't happy about it), and various closures, stations and otherwise -- for instance, all bathrooms in Metrorail stations will be closed on Inauguration Day for security reasons.
Sasha and Malia to Sidwell FriendsThe AP is reporting that Sasha and Malia Obama will attend Sidwell Friends School in Ward 3, near Tenleytown. Our clever commenters speculated that that would be their choice, thanks to its security-friendly setting. It was also the Clintons' pick for Chelsea. Some will be disappointed that the Obamas didn't pick a public school, but they've chosen the option that's "the best fit for what their daughters need right now." The City Paper and ABC News blog Political Punch are both reporting on the choice.
Rosenbaum EMT ReinstatedWUSA has the scoop that Selena Walker, the EMT who drove New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum to the hospital, is going to be retrained and subsequently reinstated to the D.C. Fire & EMS Department. Walker was fired after she and her partner mistook Rosenbaum's symptoms for drunkeness instead of head trauma, and then decided to take him to Howard University Hospital instead of the closer Sibley Hospital so that Walker could make a stop at her own home. An inspector general's report also concluded Walker got lost driving the ambulance to Howard. Walker won an appeal of her termination on the grounds that the department waited longer than 90 days to fire her after the incident. Rosenbaum eventually died of his head injuries.
Shaw Gas Outage UpdateLooks like a lot of the homes currently without gas in Shaw are in for a long night. Alert DC just sent out an update that Emergency Management officials have set up a "warming center" at Kennedy Recreation Center (1407 7th Street NW), and reminding residents that if they are using space heaters, they should leave at least three feet of space around the heater to reduce the risk of a fire. Fire officials are also asking that if you smell an odor of natural gas, please call 9-1-1.
Fight at Anacostia High Sends Five to HospitalVia the Washington Post, news of a really bad fight at Anacostia High School in Southeast that sent five students to the hospital. Three students suffered "superficial cuts" during a knife fight, another was injured, and a fifth had an asthma attack. To top it all off, someone started a small fire just as the fight was ending, and then another group students got into a second fight after the entire school was cleared and led out onto the football field. What a terrible day for students at Anacostia High.
PG County Underestimates the Creativity of Teens Who Want to Smoke PotThe Washington Post went to the trouble of putting up an online poll of its readers this morning over whether they agree with a recent Prince George's County decision to ban the sale of single cigars. The County, you see, has decided to outlaw single cigar sales because teens are buying them in order to use the cigar paper to roll big-ass blunts. Blunts, spliffs, fatties and other jumbo-sized marijuana joints may be big in pop culture, but the notion that making it slightly more difficult to roll them (you can still buy 5-packs of the same cigars) will reduce the ability of anyone to get high is beyond laughable. What will PG County ban next? Apples? Empty soda cans? Light bulbs?
SNOWMG!It's not sticking at all and is so light it's difficult to photograph, but the first flurries of the season began to fall in D.C. during the lunch hour today. By no means a snowpocalypse, but bona fide snow nonetheless. Where I am on U Street, the flurries lasted for about eight minutes before the clouds rolled past and the sun came back. Did you see flakes where you are? Rest assured, we've put a call in to Davy DCist to see if this merits an appearance from him.
Obama Girls Touring Private SchoolsIf you were sure that the safe bet is that Sasha and Malia Obama will attend a private school when they move to Washington, it's looking more and more like you're right. The Reliable Source says that Michelle Obama took her girls on a tour yesterday of Georgetown Day School, and that they will visit the Sidwell Friends campus today. No word yet on whether they have scheduled visits for any other schools, including any DCPS or public charter schools.
SmarTrip Could Be Sold at CVS StoresWTOP and Infosnack are both reporting that Metro's Board of Directors will consider a proposal this week that would allow CVS to sell SmarTrip cards. CVS would sell the cards for $10 (they'd be preloaded with $5 on them), and at no cost to Metro. In exchange, CVS and Metro would come to a cross-promotional arrangement. Infosnack calls the move a "win-win for Metro, CVS and riders." We're all for making SmarTrip easier to buy at more and more locations, but feel compelled to question whether making any purchase at a CVS can honestly be associated with concepts like "ease" or "convenience." Perhaps Metro's board has never been to a CVS?
Snowflakes Possible This Evening!?!We're by no means ready to trot out our favorite cold weather word, but at 3:15 p.m., the Capital Weather Gang was still predicting a possibility for a light dusting of snow this evening. The key passage is here: "no significant accumulation expected in the metro area." You hear that, drivers? Keep your wits about you if the drops of water expected to start falling from the sky soon start turning into white fluffy flakes later on. Just take a few deep breaths and proceed with your evening commute without turning into a complete moron. Everything's gonna be all right.
Smithsonian To Host Historic Public MeetingBloomberg reported yesterday that the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents will host a momentous meeting Monday at the National Museum of Natural History at 1:30 p.m. It will be the first open public meeting with the organization's Board of Regents -- which is helmed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts, and includes Senators, Representatives, and private citizens -- since President James K. Polk established the Institution as a public trust in 1846. The topic of the meeting? Transparency and planning for the future in light of the recent scandals involving improper spending by numerous Smithsonian leaders. If you can't make it to the meeting tomorrow, the Smithsonian will be offering a webcast at it's official website.
Shooting At Tysons GalleriaWTOP is reporting that there was a shooting inside the Tysons Galleria II parking garage this afternoon around 1 p.m. There's no word on any injuries or arrests due to the shooting, but it does appear as if the police did draw fire on someone in responding to the scene.
UPDATE: An armed man brandished a weapon outside of Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant. When he failed to comply with police instructions, an officer shot the man. He is in serious condition. NBC4 is also reporting that the individual, who had been recently fired by Maggiano's, returned to the restaurant today and was "acting strangely," prompting employees to call police.
Metro Staying Open Late Sunday for 'Skins GameThe news out of the Redskins locker room may have fans worried, but at WMATA is doing its best to alleviate at least one of their concerns. Metro has announced that it will keep trains running until 1 a.m. on Sunday night so that folks attending the 'Skins vs. Cowboys game (and those of you just out at bars and friends' houses, for that matter) can make it home via public transit. Keep in mind the the Blue line and stations that connect other lines to the Blue will be packed in the aftermath of the game.
Prop 8 Protest Planned in D.C., Around the CountryIn the wake of the passage of Prop 8 in California, which revoked marriage rights from gays and lesbians in California, a series of nationwide protests are planned for Saturday, and protest-loving Washington, D.C. will of course see its own version. The Washington Prop 8 protest plans to meet at the Reflecting Pool in front of the U.S. Capitol at 1:30 p.m. The route of the march will then head down the National Mall and up 14th, eventually ending up at Lafayette Park. Those interested in participating are being encouraged to RSVP via Facebook. So far, over 3,000 people have said they will attend.
Circulator Definitely Coming to Adams MorganSo sayeth The Examiner, which has Ward 1 Council member and Metro board member Jim Graham confirming that the buses have already been ordered and are scheduled to arrive in March. The new Circulator route is intended to replace the 98 bus, the 25 cent shortbus link that connects U Street to 18th Street. The $1 Circulator will go much farther than the 98, and will include parts of K Street, U Street, up through Adams Morgan and Woodley Park as well as Columbia Heights - we'll be excited to check out an exact route map when it's ready. There's a public hearing set for Wednesday, Nov. 19 about canceling the 98 bus, at 600 5th Street NW at 6:30 p.m.
Previewing the ObamamobileA friend sent over this link to a New York Times story from a couple of weeks ago about what the new presidential limousine might look like. It's almost all speculation because this sort of info is well-guarded by the Secret Service, but they did score some photos of what appears to be a prototype of a pretty intense looking, truck-like Cadillac limo. President Bush has been riding around in his own Cadillac limo since 2005, but his looks like a sissy compared to this tank. We'll just have to wait and see if this is the conveyance President-Elect Obama ends up riding around in once he's sworn in. Also of note from this story: apparently being a "spy photographer" is a real job. Certainly sounds a lot cooler than "paparazzi."
Judiciary Square Metro to Close Saturday for G20 SummitThere aren't a ton of reasons you'd be heading to Judiciary Square on the weekend, but be aware that the entire Metro station will be closed on Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., due to security measures for the G20 Summit. The National Building Museum, where the summit of panicked world finance ministers is being held, will also be closed all weekend. And note that if you work late on Friday night, the F Street entrance at Judiciary Square will close at 7 p.m., but you can still access the station that evening by using the 4th and D Street entrance.
Vehicle Fire at Bolivian EmbassyThe Post is reporting that two vehicles caught fire in the parking lot of the Bolivian Embassy this morning. The fire has since been put out, and the embassy building, located at 3014 Massachusetts Avenue, just south of the Naval Observatory, was not damaged. Traffic was apparently pretty screwed up on Mass. Ave. during this morning's commute while fire officials investigated. UPDATE: WJLA says that the fire was sparked by a driver trying to give another vehicle a jump start. Can you really set your car on fire by screwing up a jump start? That's terrifying!
New Trash Collection Days to Start Dec. 1An item we missed (hat tip WTOP) is that the District Department of Public Works sent around word late last week that trash and recycling collection days for many D.C. residents will change starting Dec. 1. Beginning this weekend, residents who will be affected by the changes will start seeing signs posted on their streets and receive doorknockers with the relevant details. A good clue as to whether your trash day might change: if you currently only get trash pickup once a week and also live within Wards 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8, your trash day is probably going to change. Keep an eye out for those signs and doorknockers.
Wizards Still Looking For First WinEven with all of their injury troubles, it's safe to say the Wizards didn't expect to start out 0-5 this season and be stuck with the dreaded "last winless team in the league" tag. But it's hard to say they don't deserve it. They currently rank last in the league in points allowed, opponents field goal percentage and three point shooting. Etan Thomas has already missed one game and Antonio Daniels is day-to-day with a knee injury. Settling for Utah castoff Dee Brown as the third string PG seems like a horrendous move in retrospect. Still, there have been some bright spots, like the play of youngsters Nick Young and JaVale McGee (Dwight Howard is a fan , apparently). The schedule this week offers little relief, with games against Utah and at Miami. Oh, and Gilbert got an Obama tattoo. On his left hand. Of course he did!
Voter Turnout Didn't Come Close to Breaking RecordThe Examiner reports that voter turnout in the metro area last week was not historically high. The DCBOEE was predicting about 63 percent voter turnout this year in the District once all absentee votes were counted. In 1984, when Walter Mondale was running for president, voter turnout in D.C. was up at 77 percent. Virginia and Maryland similarly fell short of setting records this year. That seems pretty weird, considering the long lines we saw at many precincts early in the morning. What could explain the disparity? Seems like a lot of this year's enthusiastic voters voted first thing in the morning, and that rain in the evening on Tuesday might have kept people away after work; lines at most polling places after 10:30 a.m. or so were virtually nonexistent.
Veterans Day Metro Schedule ChangesVeterans Day is Tuesday, which means federal workers have the day off and transit schedules will be different. WMATA says that Metro will be operating on a modified Saturday schedule tomorrow; that means the system will open at the regular 5 a.m. time, but peak travel times will operate on a non-peak basis. In other words, budget a little extra time on your way in to work tomorrow, since there will be fewer trains running than normal. Other changes for Tuesday include that off-peak fares will be in effect all day and parking at all Metro lots will be free. Metrobus and MetroAccess will operate on a normal, non-holiday schedule.
Bus Shooter Arrested; Allegedly Tied To GangNumerous news sources are reporting that Hector M. Hernandez, a 20-year old residing in Takoma Park, was arrested Friday for the fatal shooting of a 14-year old boy on a Ride On bus last Saturday. Hernandez is allegedly connected with the MS-13 gang which has a strong presence in the Washington, D.C. area; the Post notes that this is the suburbs' first arrest of an MS-13 affiliate in a homicide in more than a year and comes on the heels of a three-year program designed to curb gang violence in Montgomery County. According to witnesses, Tai Lam -- a freshman honor roll student at Montgomery Blair High School -- was struck when Hernandez and his friends exited the bus, held the back door open, and fired several shots into the interior. Two other teens were injured in the attack. Authorities will be holding a meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Blair High auditorium to brief the public.
Only Five Months Until March MadnessCollege hoops -- there's just something about it that's addicting. It could be the conference rivalries, or the fact that it scratches a consistent weekday sports itch that other sports just can't, or that there's approximately 4,583 teams to cover and find something interesting about. So while it's important to note that today's exhibition game between George Washington and West Georgia might not count or even be close, it's just another sign that college basketball is right around the corner. Most teams in the area, including Howard, Georgetown, George Mason, American, Maryland, and GW have their home openers in the next week or so. Remember: at this point, everyone's got a chance to be a Cinderella.
Metro Making Profits On SmarTrip Card Sales?Michael Perkins of Infosnack Headquarters emailed us last night to let us know that he discovered something interesting while listening to last week's Customer Service Operations and Safety Committee board meeting. It seems as if Metro's $5 price point for SmarTrip cards might be slightly profitable for the agency. Certainly, this isn't a total bombshell. But it could be a bit of a prickly matter since Metro decided to eliminate paper bus transfers come January, thereby leaving bus riders with no other option but to purchase a card. Of course, there aren't any hard figures yet on exactly what percentage of that $5 is profit for Metro - and, as Michael notes, we won't see any until the next board meeting on November 20, if we see any at all. Advocates for lower-income residents will likely be very interested to see what kind of numbers John Catoe and crew bring to the table.
Strauss and Brazil Both Plead Not GuiltyThe City Paper sent two reporters down to D.C. Superior Court this morning to hear the 'not guilty' pleas of both recently re-elected Shadow Senator Paul Strauss and former At-large Council member Harold Brazil. Strauss's not guilty plea on DUI/DWI charges merited an exclamation point on the City Desk blog, while Brazil's not guilty plea on assault charges stemming from an altercation at a Georgetown tattoo parlor last month did not. Neither men were willing to comment on their legal troubles.
Metro Work: A Weekend Off...But Not This WeekendMetro decided to give the region a weekend off from maintenance delays...but not until next weekend. On the weekend of November 14-16, there's no scheduled track work. Complete weekends without any track work are relatively rare for Metro, so get out there and ride the rails with impunity! There will, however, be delays this weekend on the Red, Blue, and Orange lines. You'll need to factor in an extra 25 minutes if you're riding between Eastern Market and Stadium-Armory or Friendship Heights and Medical Center.
Even With Prop 8 Win, D.C. Could See Marriage Equality Bill
Although it now appears California's Proposition 8 will pass by a slim margin - our sister site LAist reports a 4.2 percent difference in votes - opponents of the measure aren't throwing in the towel yet. A statement on the No On Prop 8 web site says, "we expect that there are more than 3 million and possibly as many as 4 million absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted." We reported in September that D.C. could see a marriage equality bill early next year; a follow up report indicated it may be as soon as early January. LGBT activists believed at the time that a defeat of Prop 8 would boost D.C.'s chances of passing a same-sex marriage bill. Despite Prop 8 passing, other factors that could give a D.C. bill a fighting chance fell into place last night: the election of Sen. Barack Obama as President, and the expansion of the Democrats' majority in Congress.
Maryland Approves Slot MachinesMd. Gov. Martin O'Malley was also a big winner last night, as Marylanders voted overwhelmingly to legalize slot machine gambling in the state. O'Malley will now move quickly to install up to 15,000 slot machines at five locations around the state: Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Cecil, Worcester and Allegany counties. The success of the ballot measure also means that we finally get to stop reading sanctimonious articles about how gambling is sooooo bad. Let us all play slots and never speak about them ever again!
Place Your Bets: How Long Will the DCBOEE Wait to Release Any Figures?We all knew the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics would be counting extra carefully tonight after the Sept. 9 primary debacle. Well now it's officially later in the evening than it was during the February Potomac Primary when the DCBOEE released its first round of numbers. As of 9:50 p.m., there are still 0 percent of D.C.'s precincts reporting. Maryland, on the other hand, has at least 16 percent of its precincts reporting. How late do you think it'll be before we get any numbers? We're going with 10:37 p.m.
UPDATE: 10:41 p.m.! More to come. 10:45 p.m.: there's only 20 out of 143 precincts reporting, but as of right now, Michael A. Brown is leading the competitive 2nd At-large D.C. Council spot. Brown has 19 percent of the vote to Patrick Mara's 4,915 and 4,132 write-in candidates (presumably largely Carol Schwartz votes).
Obama Wins D.C.Duh. MSNBC called it as soon as the polls closed at 8 p.m., with 0 percent of precincts reporting. Far more interesting: Obama has also won Pennsylvania. Remember all those articles about how McCain couldn't win without Pennsylvania?
Another Sentence in the Tax Office CaseFrom the Post, we learn that Richard Walters, younger brother of Office of Tax and Revenue embezzlement mastermind Harriette Walters, has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison for his role in the scheme. Richard Walters pleaded guilty in May to personally helping his sister steal $4.9 million of the over $50 million she stole altogether.
One DCist Editor Feels Left Out of the Voting Fun"Did you vote?" a co-worker asked me. "No," I sheepishly replied. "I'm not a U.S. citizen." With lines snaking around many a polling places and voters excitedly talking about the potential for history being made today, not being able to vote is something of a downer. Those of us not casting ballots today -- the non-enfranchised, if you will -- will spend the rest of the day looking for a stray "I Voted" sticker, both to make ourselves feel like we're part of the process and to help deflect the glares of real voters who may think we're just ducking our civic duties. But it's impossible not to share in the excitement surrounding the day. Hundreds of voters were lined up outside Bancroft Elementary School in Mt. Pleasant as I set off to work today, a sight repeated at two other polling places along Columbia Road. Maybe I'll go fill out the sample ballot my roommate received and put it in a shoebox. I'll feel a little more like a voter, and Bob Barr will at least get one vote. - Martin Austermuhle
Water Outage UpdateWASA representative Pamela Mooring wrote us to let us know more about the incident (or, as it turns out, incidents) we reported earlier: "This morning we had a 48” valve near Soldiers Home (NW) that needed to be adjusted. That caused low water pressure in a wide area of the District. We opened the valve, and water pressure was restored. The 6” water main work at 12th and O Streets, NW, is unrelated. There was a leak there reported Saturday, but the area was not taken out of service until crews could perform the work today. The estimate for completion of the work and restoration of water is around 5 pm this evening." Those of you still without water should see that resolved in the next couple hours.
Blogger Advocates Giving Pols Taste of Own MedicineMike Licht over at NotionsCapitol has hatched a deliciously evil idea -- if you're sick of candidate robo-calls (yes, Michael Brown, we're looking at you), just call the candidate back. Licht makes it easy for us by posting the phone number for Brown's campaign office and law firm, his email address and his fax number. Mike DeBonis over at CityDesk offers up an even tastier morsel -- Brown's cell phone number. We'll actually pay for a make, model and tag number of Brown's car, if only to give him back all the damn flyers he left on our windshield.
House Seat for District More Likely With Democratic WinIf we were all single-issue voters, a Democratic sweep of congressional races and the presidential contest would be exactly what we would want for the sake of District voting rights. In an article in the Washington Times yesterday, Sen. John McCain re-stated his opposition to granting the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives, arguing that the U.S. Constitution only grants seats to the states. On the other hand, the article points out, a Democratic president and a larger Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate may finally allow legislation to move forward granting the District a full voting seat in the House. Sen. Barack Obama, who has been endorsed by Mayor Adrian Fenty, has expressed his support for District voting rights.
Taking A Pull At Maryland's Slots ReferendumWhile most of the focus south of the District has been on whether or not Barack Obama can carry the state of Virginia, the electoral fervor north of D.C. has been about slot machines. With good reason: this morning's Post notes that while some polls referendum which would legalize slot machine gambling in Maryland passing easily, others have the referendum stuck squarely between the margin of error. Even though slots supporters have about seven times the amount of funds as anti-slotters, the race -- even at this advanced date -- is about as unpredictable as it gets. If the motion wins, supporters claim that tax revenues from slot machines would alleviate a big chunk of Maryland's $1.7 billion budget deficit. Those who oppose the measure - like Stop Slots Maryland - claim the usual anti-gambling talking points: that financial gains from slots would be smaller than thought and offset by the costs in fighting higher crime and addiction rates. Expect this race to go all night on Tuesday.
Metro Knows You've Earned That Extra Hour Of FunIn an attempt to proactively answer what we're sure will be one of the more common questions you'll hear this evening at bars and dwellings around the city: yes, Metrorail will stay open until 3 a.m. tonight, even though Daylight Saving will go into effect at 2 a.m. So when the clock turns back an hour at 2, well, there's no need to run out the door to try and catch the last train out. As always, be sure to check the signs at stations indicating the last trains out in either direction.
Expect Long Lines For Va. Early Voting TodayCommenter UrsusMajeure checks in with us this morning with an update on today's early voting lines in Arlington:
For anyone thinking of doing early voting in Arlington this morning, think again - I went right as the polling place at Courthouse opened this morning, and the line was absurdly long, with a wait estimated at 3-4 hours.
Perhaps this means the crowds will actually be light on election day proper?
Well, we're not so sure about "absurdly." The Post reports today that those three to four hour waits have been the norm, rather than the exception. It's especially important to note that if you were thinking about voting absentee in person in Virginia, today is your last chance - Maryland and D.C. voters can continue to vote early in person right up until Election Day. If you are planning on heading to your local early voting center today, better bring a good book.
The Manhattan Project
Controversy Over Rhee Now to Include Sex, Congress
Report: CCDC Split From UDC Is "Critical To Success"
Increased Urban Walkability For The Win
D.C. United Icon Ben Olsen To Retire
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Last night, Alexander Semin chipped in two goals and three assists to blow out the Carolina Hurricanes at Raleigh and help the Capitals take sole posession of first place in the Southeast. With 15 games played, Semin leads the NHL in points (27), goals (13), and game winning goals (3). Often misconstrued as a "shoot-first" player, Semin is fourth in the NHL with 14 assists. Just as often considered a defensive liability, Semin currently leads the NHL in 
Coming into this hockey season, Brent Johnson was even more of an afterthought than usual. After leaving Johnson in the press box to watch games and leaving him on the bench to watch practices at the end of last season in favor of Olaf Kolzig and Christobal Huet, the Caps replaced those two aging starters with former NHL MVP Jose Theodore. Johnson battled through training camp to regain his NHL backup job against a couple of highly regarded European teenagers, and figured to start 20 games in Theodore's shadow, while possibly taking up a few new hobbies and obsessively rereading Dostoyevsky's seminal Notes from the Underground. 
In the 1990s, Brent Johnson was a terrific starting goalie for the St. Louis Blues. He led a good team, stopped the shots he had to stop and won more than he lost. He set a (since broken) playoff shutout record. At that time, the Capitals had a great starting goalie of their own named Olaf Kolzig. Towering over other NHL goalies of the day at 6'3", Kolzig wore the nickname Zilla with pride, even getting it painted on the back of his helmet. Two years ago, Johnson came to Washington and became Kolzig's unquestioned backup. For two years he struggled unsuccessfully to shake that tag.
Sure, everyone had a 
It seems as if the producers of 
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