Metro is relaunching Next Bus on Wednesday, July 1. The service originally debuted about two years ago, but WMATA wasn't happy with its accuracy, which it said was only about 80 percent, so they shut down the pilot program in October 2007. After spending almost two years making upgrades, Next Bus is back, and we want to hear from bus riders as they try out the improved real-time Metrobus locating system.
We mentioned the rumor in today's Nats Roundup, but now it's official: the Nationals just put the finishing touches on a trade, sending once-promising outfielder Lastings Milledge and out-of-sorts reliever Joel Hanrahan to Pittsburgh in exchange for utility outfielder Nyjer Morgan and middle reliever Sean Burnett. Milledge, who had been toiling in Triple-A Syracuse for most of the year, will likely be remembered by Nationals fans as potential lost -- after all, there was a contingency who believed that Milledge was the Nationals' centerfielder of the future no fewer than three months ago. The team did get good value with the trade, though: both Morgan (.277, 27 RBI, 18 SB) and Burnett (3.06 ERA, 23 Ks in 32.1 IP) are serviceable players who are upgrades over what the team gave up. The move begs the question though -- if the much-discussed prank to vote a demoted Milledge into the All-Star Game as Washington's representative had actually worked and he was traded, what would have happened? Now the world will never know.
Head over to City Desk if you'd like to download a pdf copy of Judge Judith Retchin's Superior Court decision from earlier today, in which she ruled against the request of petitioners Bishop Harry Jackson et al. to put a halt to the D.C. Council's same sex marriage recognition law. Not only did Retchin rule that stopping the clock on the legislation, which is set to take effect next week, was not warranted, she went so far as to rule more broadly that the landmark 1995 Dean v. District decision does not apply to this case. Here's the key passage: "The Court in Dean did not consider whether the government could refuse to recognize the legal right of persons to remain married solely because of their sexual orientation. In fact, the Court in Dean could not have addressed this issue because when Dean was decided in 1995, no state had legalized same-sex marriage." We expect Jackson and his anti-gay marriage crusaders to head straight over to the D.C. Court of Appeals.
Comedian, radio talk show host, and now it seems after all this time, United States Senator. The Minnesota Supreme Court today declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of his U.S. Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman.
Earlier this morning WMATA put out an alert that customers should expect delays in both directions on the Green Line due to a report of an unauthorized person on the track bed at Southern Ave. Now the Examiner reports that the person was actually a man in a wheelchair who had fallen onto the tracks. It's not totally clear how the man fell, but he reportedly sustained head injuries and has since been transported to a local hospital. It's certainly been a rough week for Metro. Just yesterday, a man died after he jumped in front of a Red Line train at Forest Glen, and that was only two days after Metro reopened the Red Line for the first time last week's crash, which killed nine people.
Is someone stealing dogs in Logan Circle?
Harriette Walters, the ringleader behind a massive, two-decade-long, $50 million embezzlement scheme run from the inside of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, has been sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison today.
After winning four straight, including two out of three against the Yankees and the Blue Jays, the Nationals returned to Fenway South last week to face the Red Sox, who promptly extinguished any hope the dozens of Nationals fans may have had that the season would turn around. The team went 2-5 over the last week, and are in the middle of a series against the Marlins. The Nats are 0-7 against Florida this year, and 29-49 against the Marlins since coming to the District, so don't expect things to get better any time soon. Overall, the team is 22-52, but importantly are on pace for around 46 wins, which would avoid 120 losses or more.
That didn't take long. Bill Myers reports in the Examiner that Ivey Epps and her mother, Bernea Bell, filed a $100 million lawsuit against Metro on Monday. The two women are seeking damages based on "severe and painful injuries" resulting from last week's deadly Red Line crash, and claim Metro officials are at fault for not inspecting the system's brakes and not replacing the 1000 Series cars. Note the description included of their attorney: "The suit was brought by Florida attorney Willie Gary, whom the Wall Street Journal once dubbed "flamboyant" for his private jet, posh offices and luxury cars. He won a $240 million verdict in an infringement case against Walt Disney Corp. In litigation against communications company Motorola, Gary once asked for $93 million in fees -- about $11,000 an hour. "This is a very sad and unfortunate occurrence," Gary said in a news release." UPDATE: A reader points out in comments that this is not the first lawsuit to be filed.
Coup in Honduras? Check. Michael Jackson? Check. Health care reform? Check. The D.C. license plate? Wait; this again?
Even when the news is bad, it's at least reassuring to read that what you've anecdotally observed is in fact part of a larger trend. The Post today says that hospitals are reporting a sharp rise in summer flu cases across the region, something we've certainly noticed seems to be true based on the number of friends and colleagues who have come down with nasty bugs in the last month. The main culprit does appear to be the H1N1 virus, aka Swine Flu, which explains why there are so many new flu cases at a time of year when there are typically zero. The really special part? "The federal authorities said it's too early to tell whether those who contract H1N1 now will be immune in fall when the flu season kicks into high gear." So those of you who've been sick for the last two weeks may get to do this all over again in December. Think about investing in Campbell's chicken noodle soup.
Good morning, Washington. It's something of a themed Tuesday here at the Morning Roundup, as it turns out a couple of crooked criminals are getting their just desserts. Like everyone else, we spent yesterday afternoon pondering Bernie Madoff, mulling over 150 years in prison, and wondering whether anything about this guy's story will cause anything to change. Over at the Examiner, Leah Fabel checked in with some of his local victims, most of whom, understandably, just wanted to be left alone.
A man was struck and killed by a Red Line train at the Forest Glen station at just after 4:15 p.m. today. The man was struck by an eight-car train heading in the direction of Shady Grove. Preliminary reports indicate that the individual intentionally put himself on the track. Trains are currently single tracking between Forest Glen and Silver Spring. Given this incident's timing with the rush hour and the continued slowdown on the Red Line in the wake of last week's deadly crash, customers are being told to expect lengthy delays. That seems like an understatement.
"Over the past six months we have filtered out those businesses that want to be good neighbors and those that did not wish to operate legitimate businesses," Fenty said today.
U Street boutique moojoo ken is shutting its doors for good on July 12, and the store has been liquidating its stock since late May. DCist stopped by the other week and was able to score some designer duds for about 80 percent off the original retail price. The store is heavy on shoes and handbags that bear the logo of the in-house label, but they also have an array of scarves and jewelry and a small selection of women's clothing. Stop by before July 12 for clearance deals before the store disappears forever. 1512 U Street NW.
A White House spokesperson has issued a statement repudiating a report from Time magazine published online today that said President Obama had decided to make the Evergreen Chapel at Camp David his primary place of worship, in order to facilitate more privacy. "The President and First Family continue to look for a church home. They have enjoyed worshipping at Camp David and several other congregations over the months, and will choose a church at the time that is best for their family," is the word from Deputy White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki (via the Christian Science Monitor).
The Red Line may be running its entire route in both directions now, but the ongoing NTSB investigation continues to affect service near the crash site. Metro has announced that the Takoma Metro station will close at 10 p.m. tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday, and possibly more days later this week, to allow investigators access to the area. The station will reopen at 5 a.m. every morning, at its regular time. While the Takoma station is closed between 10 p.m. and midnight, the Red Line will run only from Glenmont to Silver Spring and then from Fort Totten to Shady Grove. Shuttle buses will take riders around the closed station.
The Obamas have finally ended the speculation about which D.C. church they would join - by picking none of them, Amy Sullivan reports in Time magazine. Instead, President Obama has reportedly decided to make the same choice as George W. Bush, and worship at Evergreen Chapel, the nondenominational church at Camp David.
Good morning, Washington. Metro put the Red Line back in full service this morning, with trains traveling between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations in both directions for the first time since last week's fatal crash. Things aren't totally back to normal, of course. Peak trains are only operating every 12 minutes, for one, leaving rush hour trains packed to the limit. All Red Line trains are also restricted to a maximum speed of 35 mph, and even slower through the crash site area.
Word has it that chef and District maestro José Andrés extended an invitation to film director James L. Brooks and Lakers fan in chief Jack Nicholson for an exclusive early dinner today at Minibar. The two are in town filming a romantic comedy in which Nicholson plays the blue-blood father of a character played by Paul Rudd. No clue whether Rudd, Owen Wilson, and Reese Witherspoon will be joining them, but that would be, what, every seat in the 'bar? Minibar is closed on Sundays, but Andrés is bringing in his full complement of chefs to treat Brooks and Nicholson. Picture Jack and José snacking on Pop Rocks or whatever. Picture the sound of that coming together.
We'd imagine it'd be a lot like what's happening this week. Residents of the Old Dominion will be subject to a bulk supply of new laws come this Wednesday -- some important, some, uh, not so much. (Don't get me wrong: I'm sure that Virginia residents are all very concerned about the new prohibition restricting "stores from selling novelty cigarette lighters to those under 18," but we're going to skip over that one for the time being.)
The Washington Post reports that Antonio Jones, a Largo-based consultant and Maryland alumnus, will fill the seat on the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission recently vacated by Juanita Miller, pending confirmation. That's about the long and short of PG County Executive Jack Johnson's appointment -- though both the Post and Gazette suggest that a bucket of lukewarm water would be a more productive commish than Miller. If you're just catching up, see the Gazette's long view on the issues facing new WSSC head Jerry Johnson and DCist's posts here.
Obviously, Tim Kaine wasn't wooed by the state GOP's plentiful YouTube skills -- representatives from the office of the Virginia Governor have denied the FOIA request made by the Republicans seeking details of his recent schedule, including travel he takes as head of the Democratic National Committee. According to Kaine's communications director, the "governor's working papers" are not included under the purview of the Freedom of Information Act. Stilted, the Republicans have changed course, now using the strategy of comparing Kaine to disgraced South Carolina governor Mark Sanford -- because obviously, traveling publicly as the head of a major party's committee is on par with fleeing the country for a week to meet your mistress.
What a week, eh, Washington? It was fitting that it ended with an nearly-Biblical brand of storm, washing away the last few days so we can start fresh again this morning.
It was on this day last year that the District's longstanding and long controversial ban on handguns was upended, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such blanket prohibitions were an unconstitutional infringement of the Second Amendment. More broadly, though, what had been the country's strictest regulations of a specific type of gun gave the majority of the court the chance to rule that the Second Amendment granted an individual, not collective right to gun ownership. And it was all because of a District resident whose name now graces the case file: Dick Heller.
Via Dr. Gridlock, we've learned that the Key Bridge's far right inbound lane will be closed beginning at 6:45 p.m. this evening for filming on the Paul Rudd/Reese Witherspoon movie that's been taking up prominent space in Adams Morgan and parts of downtown for much of this week. Those coming into the District are advised to avoid the bridge, if possible, and given that the 14th Street Bridge is under construction, entering the District from Virginia by car tonight should be interesting. The Key Bridge lane will reopen at 2 a.m.
If you've get questions you'd like Metro General Manager John Catoe to answer about Monday's fatal Red Line crash, head over to his live chat, which started at 2:30 p.m. and lasts for an hour. Submit questions here.
While Metrobus users have been eagerly awaiting the official July re-launch of NextBus, DDOT and Mayor Adrian Fenty announced today that Circulator riders now have a mobile application, dubbed "Where's My Bus?", that allows smartphone users to track Circulator buses in real time. All you have to do is go to http://circulator.dc.gov/ from any mobile device (the url works in any browser, really), select the Circulator route and bus stop, and it'll tell you where the closest bus is.
A lot of teams use the annual NBA Draft how it's supposed to be used: a way to spruce up rosters by selecting talented young players from various universities and overseas. As a result, teams usually end up with a younger lineup than they had before.
D.C. Wire is reporting that Yusuf Acar, the Office of the Chief Technology Officer employee who was arrested by the FBI in March for allegedly running an elaborate kickback and bribery scheme, is in talks with prosecutors about a potential plea deal. An Aug. 3 hearing is now set on the progress of the plea agreement for Acar. Another city employee, Farruk Awan, was also arrested in the case, along with businessman Sushil Bansal.
At the beginning of the month, WMATA scheduled some pretty heavy track maintenance along two points on the Red Line for this weekend. But as you might imagine, Monday's accident means all weekend track work on the Red Line has been cancelled. The work will be rescheduled sometime later, but in the meantime, Red Line trains continue to single track between Takoma and Fort Totten during rush hour today, with plans about Red Line access along that stretch still yet to be announced for the weekend.
If you get goosebumps watching Ovechkin vs. Crosby, LeBron vs. Kobe, or Tiger Woods vs. everyone else, give this matchup a try: Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury vs. Alana Beard of the Washington Mystics, both first round picks in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi’s Mercury - the highest scoring team in the WNBA - held on in the final seconds of the fourth quarter Thursday to win over the Mystics, 93-87.
It was two years ago that a fire gutted the inside of Eastern Market's South Hall, leaving its many vendors with nowhere to sell their wares and the District without one of its most loved weekend destinations. The city was quick to erect a temporary structure across the street for vendors, but today the long wait comes to an end as the new and improved South Hall will be re-opened to the public. (We got a sneak-peek at renovations earlier this month.) The Post reports that the ribbon-cutting will take place at 10:30 a.m., and we're sure half the District will head down to the market this weekend to enjoy what has been a long wait for a loved local institution.
There had been some speculation about whether Jeanice McMillan, the Metro operator who lost her life in Monday's Red Line crash, had been using her cell phone at the time of the collision, but Metro says she wasn't, WTOP reports. "We know where her cell phone was -- it was not on her. It was in a backpack," Metro General Manager John Catoe said. Investigators have also reportedly found evidence on the rails at the crash site that the brakes were activated several hundred feet before impact.
From Metro: "A second cracked rail was discovered at 1:50 p.m., outside the Medical Center Metrorail station on the Red Line in the direction of Glenmont. While Metro crews make repairs, Red Line trains will share one track between the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Friendship Heights Metrorail station. Riders may experience delays up to 30 minutes. Shuttle bus service will be established between the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Friendship Heights Metrorail stations." Given that the Red Line is already sharing the same track between Fort Totten and Takoma on the other arm of the line, looks like no joy this evening once again for Red Line commuters.
Metro's terrible week just got a little bit worse. Crews discovered a cracked rail at 1 p.m. near the West Hyattsville station, which is causing Green Line delays while trains share the same track between Fort Totten and Prince George’s Plaza. Metro says it hopes to complete repairs to the rail by this afternoon, but it's best to plan on there being delays through rush hour.
Several sections of ceiling tile on the 3rd floor of the Cannon House Office Building fell down this morning, injuring a U.S. Capitol Police officer, The Hill is reporting. The ceiling pieces, which The Hill describes as "a few" tiles but The Post says was a 15-foot section, fell at about 10 a.m., sending FEMS responders to the scene. The officer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The building is over 100 years old, and overdue for major renovations.
The news coming out of this morning's Metro Board meeting is that WMATA agreed to move all the older model, 1000-series rail cars to the middle of its trains. General Manager John Catoe announced the change, in addition to reiterating that all trains will continue operating manually until all of the system's track sensors are inspected. The board today also made a big show of declaring the total replacement of all the 1000-series rail cars as a "top priority." The passengers who died on Monday were riding in a 1000-series car that struck a newer model car from behind at a high rate of speed. The NTSB has already pointed the finger at Metro for the 1000-series car being responsible for making this crash more deadly than it might otherwise have been.
Good morning, Washington. The Red Line is inching toward being back to normal today, as trains are now able to single-track between Fort Totten and Takoma during rush hour. If you hope to try to take it all the way home this evening, know that rail access between the two stations won't be back until between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., and that trains will be taking turns sharing the Glenmont track, so it will be slow going. Shuttle buses will continue to be available today between the Shady Grove and Fort Totten stations.
Well this is the most disturbing thing I've run across today, and I watched that entire Mark Sanford press conference debacle. WTOP reports that the family of Ana Fernandez, one of the victims of Monday's fatal Metro crash, has been getting hate-filled phone calls from people questioning whether she and her family are legal immigrants. No one has ever questioned Fernandez's immigration status, and a family member has already told the media that all six of her now motherless children were born in the United States and full U.S. citizens, but still, the sort of people who watch Lou Dobbs are calling their home and harassing them, just because their last name is Hispanic. Here's hoping the people making those calls never have to deal with a terrible family tragedy. Jackals.
D.C. Public Schools will release its summer reading list for students Friday, and some local librarians have alleged that gay titles under early consideration were removed.
Lots of reports came in yesterday that one half of the heralded "green" arm of the city's Summer Youth Jobs Program, the Mayor's Conservation Corps, had hit the streets around town to pass out paper fliers that are designed to hang on people's doors, except that many of them just ended up as trash on the street. Head over to Scott's Take for the best coverage we've seen so far.
The Post's Reliable Source reported yesterday that WTOP Political Analyst and longtime voting rights agitator Mark Plotkin cornered Obama advisor David Axelrod at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner last Friday and pressed for the president to put the "Taxation Without Representation" tags on the presidential limousine. Axelrod didn't seem to think much of the personal appeal, telling Plotkin, "That's your thing." Plotkin also found RNC Chair Michael Steele and followed up on the former Maryland Lt. Governor's promise to put the protest plates on his car.
We'd heard the rumors and speculated ourselves, and today the folks behind the Virgin Mobile Festival announced that its shortened schedule and new venue this year will have one pretty great thing going for it: it's going to be totally free.
Good morning, Washington. As you might imagine, the investigation into Monday's deadly Metro crash continues to dominate the headlines. Of course, there's the human angle: today you can take your pick of horribly sad biographical sketches of the victims. But the more technical details surrounding how the accident happened are still far from certain. Fingers are still being pointed toward the older Series 1000 rail cars and Metro's failure to upgrade them to meet NTSB's recommendations. But there's now some indication that, in addition to structural deficiencies, part of the problem may have involved failed automation systems. WJLA, WTOP and the Post all have worthwhile pieces this morning. Among the most interesting new details: some passengers in the striking train are reporting that the train stopped and the conductor made an announcement about allowing the train ahead of them to clear, immediately before the acceleration that led to the accident; NTSB says that the emergency brake "mushroom" was activated prior to impact (though some survivors' accounts indicate that the train did not slow before impact); and the train was set to operate in automatic mode, which is normal for rush hour and which should have made a collision impossible (all Metro trains are currently operating under manual control as the investigation continues). Dulles Toll Road Charges Likely To Double: The Post provides the details on the likely shape of the inevitable: toll increases on the Dulles Toll Road. The culprit is the Silver Line Metro extension to Dulles, the funding plans for which call for half of the necessary money to be raise through tolls, making the rate hike not a question of if, but when. The proposal from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority that's currently under consideration would gradually raise the toll rates until 2012, at which point the main toll would be $1.50 and the ramp toll would be seventy-five cents. First Swine Flu Death In Maryland: The H1N1 virus is fading from headlines, but it's still a threat to vulnerable members of the population. WJLA brings word that the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has announced the first death in the state attributable to the virus. Details are scarce, but it sounds like the victim was elderly and suffered from other medical problems that may have made him or her susceptible to the flu. Relatedly, Montgomery County says it's expecting a reemergence of swine flu this fall. Briefly Noted: Frederick County incinerator project back on track... Many area charities running low on operating reserves... Disruptive passenger arrested at National... Kaine announces new air quality monitoring initiative targeting older coal plants... This Day In DCist: One year ago we were pleased to learn that the Obama campaign wasn't disrespecting D.C. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user * Toshio *
UPDATE: Dr. Gridlock has the names of two more victims: Major General David F. Wherley Jr., former commanding general, Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia National Guard, and his wife Ann Wherley, a mortgage banker, both 62.
The Going Out Gurus had the skinny yesterday on why popular downtown lunch spot The Breadline got temporarily shut down by the D.C. Dept. of Health at the end of last week:
"Operating without a valid license, operating with incorrect hot and cold holding temps for potentially hazardous foods that do not comply with the food code and could not be corrected at the time of the inspection. Failing to minimize the presence of vermin on the premises and operating a food establishment with circumstances that may endanger the public health."Not exactly minor violations, so it's no wonder they were shut down.
The Washington Times reports that D.C. Fire/EMS and WMATA aren't happy with each other in terms of how the two agencies communicated the details of yesterday's crash:
Fire officials stated bluntly Monday night that Metro's original description of the accident understated its magnitude, and it was only when the first rescuers arrived at the scene that the sort of help needed was finally summoned.Continue reading "FEMS, Metro Trade Barbs on Crash Communication"
Sources tell DCist that the death toll has risen back up to nine, after two more bodies were discovered in the wreckage this morning. The total number of bodies still trapped in trains before 10 a.m. was therefore five, but the Post is reporting that all of them have since been removed. Four other bodies were already in the morgue.
We didn't get this quote down during this morning's press conference, but City Desk provides:
NTSB’s Debbie Hersman this morning confirms that the the striking train was a 1000-series car and that the struck train was a mix of 3000- and 5000-series. She notes that the NTSB has "long been on record" about the crashworthiness of the 1000 series. "We recommended to WMATA to either retrofit those cars or phase them out of service," she says. "Those concerns were not addressed."Pretty damning. The NTSB has not determined nor even speculated at this point what caused Tuesday's crash, but as far as its degree of deadliness, they are rather clearly blaming Metro's inaction on its recommendations.
Many D.C. commuters subscribe to METRO eAlerts, emailed notifications of Metrorail disruptions that can help steer Metro riders around trouble areas. Over the last 16 hours, the eAlerts system has sent out numerous updates about the deadly crash at Fort Totten, but the automatically generated language used by the system has proved to be grossly inadequate in describing the situation. More than one update also indicated the incident had been "cleared," even though the Red Line is still shut down around the crash site. Here are the crash-related METRO eAlerts updates we've received since Tuesday evening, emphasis ours.
We linked to a DC Kaleidoscope account of last night's shooting in the Park View neighborhood in the Morning Roundup, but here's the MPD's statement on the incident, sent to neighborhood email lists last night by Third District Inspector Jacob Kishter.
A shooting occurred at Park Ave and Quebec. One adult female was struck in the leg and was transported to an area hospital. A second adult male was also struck in the upper torso and attempted to drive away in his vehicle causing him to crash near Quebec and Warder Streets. He was transported to an area hospital in serious condition. The matter is currently being investigated by the Third District Detectives.Also see Prince of Petworth. There are varying reports of between 15 and 60 shots having been fired.
The White House released this statement from President Obama late last night: "Michelle and I were saddened by the terrible accident in Northeast Washington D.C. today. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy. I want to thank the brave first responders who arrived immediately to save lives. My staff has been in touch with Mayor Fenty's office and will continue to monitor the situation."
Good morning, Washington. The city is reeling from yesterday's horrific Metro crash at Fort Totten. Nine people had been reported to have died in the collision, but Mayor Adrian Fenty only confirmed seven people dead this morning, and news outlets have since begun reporting the smaller number. Not much other new information was available from this morning's press conference. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier did say that the city has not yet begun to notify the next of kin of those who died, as they are still determining identities in some cases. The only victim who has been identified so far is Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, the Metrorail operator who died in the crash.
UPDATE: City officials are sticking to seven confirmed dead, despite earlier news reports that nine people died. The two additional reported deaths may or may not have been due to confusion about the two critical patients -- we'll continue to monitor reports.
Word coming in that a Red Line train derailed while approaching the Ft. Totten Metro station at just after 5 p.m. Metro doesn't have many details yet, but trains are turning back at Brookland and Takoma due the derailment. Fire crews have reportedly responded to the scene but we have no information yet on whether there are injuries. Stay tuned.
After dropping a game for the first time this season Friday against Atlanta, the Washington Mystics pulled out an 81-72 win Saturday over visiting conference rival Chicago Sky. The Mystics’ win improves their record to 4-1 and keeps them in first place in the Eastern Conference.
Two suburban Metrobus lines will begin charging express fares this Sunday, June 28. In Montgomery County, the J7/J9 I-270 Express line will see the fare increase, while in Prince George’s County, the W19 Indian Head Express line will also be affected. Starting June 28, the two express lines will cost $3 with a SmarTrip card or $3.10 with cash. In other Metro money news, WMATA is expected, at long last, to pass its $2.14 billion budget on Thursday.
Are you a Redskins suite holder? (Hah, OK, you're more than likely not, but bear with us here.) Then you might have been surprised when you got a letter in the mail from the team letting you know that tailgating will only be allowed in the last few rows of each parking lot at FedEx Field this upcoming season. Dan Steinberg reports that the team, in an effort to ostensibly suck as much fun out of the game-day experience as possible, would really prefer it if you could keep the tailgating riff-raff as far away from the stadium as possible, please. Why? Who knows, although we'd imagine that Snyder would like it if you purchased food and drink inside of the stadium instead of bringing your own. Tailgating is one of the few things that keep 'Skins games entertaining anymore, and is a vital reason why many people put up with the exorbitant parking charges at the Field -- there's also a strong sense of community in the lots: folks who know exactly where their friends are and can tell stories about tailgates of years gone by. Steinberg thinks that "we should withhold judgment until we hear exactly why this is happening," but it's hard to imagine that hardcore tailgaters will see it so diplomatically.
When DC Water and Sewer Authority General Manager Jerry Johnson left the agency in April, WASAWatch hailed the news as an end to a "culture of deception, secrecy, and disregard for public health." Perhaps true for the District proper -- but in the broader Washington metropolitan area, deception, secrecy, and disregard for public health are never far from hand. Johnson has been selected by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission to serve as its general manager, according to reports.
Good morning, Washington, and welcome to the first Monday of summer. The sweet season officially began yesterday, and as our reward for sticking out nearly an entire month of weird June gloom and rain, we're getting three full days of sunshine and highs in the 80s! Make your sittin' in the park eating your lunch plans for the week accordingly. Toward the end of the week we could see some more brutal humidity and afternoon thunderstorms, but we're trying not to think about that too much just yet. Make sure to enjoy the beginning of this week while you can.
Cute, right? Wrong. Efficient. This photo by LaTur captures a model transit system at work. Well done, WMATA.
If there's one complaint that I've heard more than any other about the Real World's imminent arrival in town this week, it's this: where are the alcoholic safe houses going to be for all of us that don't care about the true stories of seven strangers living together, preferring our own stories which don't involve having jobs handed to us and living in a Dupont Circle mansion?
For all the hubbub about Virginia being one of the keystones of the new Democratic revolution, it's still important to remember that the states still boasts a fairly wide conservative base. A fairly wide conservative base whose leadership has obviously mastered the art of using iMovie to splice together a montage of Tim Kaine speeches, postcards, "I've Been Everywhere," and huge text overlays. Take that, lefties!
Remember when that 75-foot-wide river that washed Bethesda away after that water main break? That wasn't Juanita Miller's fault. But almost everything else is.
Thinking about driving around the Mall tomorrow? Uh, I'd think real, real hard about that one: tomorrow is the D.C. stop on the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series tour. (Try saying that five times fast.) There's a boatload of closures around the race course in the downtown area, including many major entrances into and exits out of D.C., such as the Whitehurst Freeway, Clara Barton Parkway, Rock Creek Parkway, and Maine Avenue off the Southeast and Southwest Freeways.
Good morning, Washington. Obviously, it was going to be difficult to top headlines about the suspect in Thursday's Columbia Heights shooting working in Jim Graham's office -- but leave it to a different kind of story about guns to do just that. Yesterday, the District made emergency changes to allow nearly 1,000 additional models of handguns to be possessed by citizens of the District. Weapons that are legal in the states of California, Massachusetts, and Maryland are now allowed in the District. The new regulations are available for reading here.
Well, this situation just keeps getting worse and worse, now doesn't it? It was awful enough that Thursday's shooting at the Columbia Heights Metro station stemmed from an orientation for the District's Summer Jobs Program, but news broke earlier this evening that the main suspect in the crime is a nineteen-year-old who had been interning in, of all people, Councilman Jim Graham's office.
Michael Steele, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and current chairman of the Republican National Committee, today chided President Barack Obama for not putting "Taxation Without Representation" license plates on the presidential limousine. Steele made his remarks during WTOP's "Politics Program With Mark Plotkin."
DCist witnessed D.C. Police escorting the production trailers for the Untitled James L. Brooks Project out of Adams Morgan last night, and we've since heard stars Jack Nicholson, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd have moved on to other locations, including spots along the 14th Street NW corridor (trucks are lined up today from at least R Street up to T Street), while other scenes will be filmed inside the lobby and outside of the office building at 875 15th Street NW, aka The Bowen Building, for big chunks of the weekend -- a security notice sent to workers in the McPherson Square-adjacent building says they'll be there pretty much all day Saturday and Sunday, and then again overnight at the end of next week.
The District of Columbia's May unemployment rate was 10.7 percent, the D.C. Department of Employment Services announced today. That figure is up 0.8 percent from the April rate, and 4.1 percent higher than the same month in 2008. This is the first time D.C.'s unemployment rate has gone above the 10 percent mark since the recession began. It was holding at 9.9 percent or below for the last couple of months. Nationally, things also look bleak: the U.S. unemployment rate for May was 9.4 percent, up 0.5 percent from April, and 3.9 percent higher than in May 2008. The news comes paired with Labor Department data that shows that for the first time in months, the number of people collecting unemployment benefits from the government actually fell compared to the previous week. There is at least some indication that the drop in benefits rolls may be because more unemployed people are exhausting their benefits.
It was just yesterday that a brazen daytime shooting outside of the Columbia Heights Metro station (linked to the District's Summer Youth Jobs Program, no less) left two men injured, one on the run and area residents peeved with the persistent gun violence that has plagued the redeveloped area. I wandered over to the scene last night; all seemed normal spare the many TV trucks and reporters trying to get on-the-street reactions. But today is a new day, and we're in for some likely political grandstanding from the city's elected leaders. The shooting comes the very same week that the D.C. Council voted on a crime bill that had been the subject of heated debate for months. The version that passed, sponsored by Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), did not include a controversial provision that would have made it easier for police to target suspected gang-members and that was supported by Mayor Adrian Fenty. We're hoping it doesn't happen, but we wouldn't be surprised to hear someone try to use yesterday's shooting as some sort of justification for why the gang provision should have been included in the final legislation.
WJLA culls this remarkable detail from today's double shooting in Columbia Heights: the argument between two youths that precipitated the shooting began at an orientation for the mayor's Summer Youth Jobs Program. Ward 1's Jim Graham confirmed that police confiscated a revolver and a set of brass knuckles at the orientation, attended by some 2,500 summer jobbers, at the Washington Convention Center earlier today, and that this incident appears to have stemmed from that earlier scuffle.
Two people were shot at about 3:15 p.m. outside the Columbia Heights Metro station. At least one male is reported to have been shot three times and in critical condition, though FOX 5 is reporting that both victims were shot in the legs. The shooting is reported to have taken place near the corner of 14th & Irving Streets NW, though the incident may have begun slightly south of the Metro station, in the 3000 block of 14th Street NW. Many rounds appear to have been fired in the shooting, and details are still scant. Police have blocked off 14th Street and Irving Street in both directions, and the south entrance to the Metro station is currently closed. Avoid the area for the time being if at all possible.
Today the Post ran a story about how D.C. United has sent an online poll to their fans, asking them to rank, in order of preference, where they'd like to see a new stadium built. The three options are the Dulles Corridor, Lower Montgomery County, or the District of Columbia. If you didn't get the survey via email from the team, you can click here to share your thoughts. Along with asking how many games you think you'd be able to attend depending on where the stadium is built, the second question is perhaps most telling: "Assuming there is not a new stadium option for D.C. United within the District of Columbia, please rank each of the following two possible stadium locations based on your preference: Dulles Corridor/Dulles Airport or Lower Montgomery County." The survey will remain online through the end of the week.
Ward 6 D.C. Council member Tommy Wells is first out of the gate with a statement admonishing his colleagues for considering diverting funding away from longstanding projects in order to fund the construction of a new Convention Center Hotel. Word of such discussions, which would involve taking away dedicated subsidies from projects like the Southwest waterfront, the Capitol Riverfront, the Skyland Shopping Center and the O Street Market, first surfaced earlier this week.
"Yeah Energy and Commerce!”
Word spread through the local music community yesterday that Clark Sabine, singer for the local band Statehood, had finally succumbed to his long battle with cancer. Sabine, 33, died Tuesday night at a hospice facility in Arlington. His bandmates posted this message to their website overnight:
We are deeply saddened to tell you that Clark passed away on Tuesday evening at a hospice in Arlington, VA. He was first diagnosed with melanoma in February of 2008, and after a series of surgeries and treatments, we thought he was in the clear. In the fall the cancer returned and spread to other parts of his body. Experimental treatments were in the works, but we needed chemotherapy to shrink some of the tumors before beginning this treatment. In May, we found out that the chemo was not working and that the condition was terminal. Clark was 33 years old.Continue reading "Clark Sabine, of Local Band Statehood, Dies at 33"
Good morning, Washington. Looks like those Blue and Yellow Line problems from yesterday evening continued through to this morning, as a problem with a communication cable forced trains to share the same track between the Braddock Road and National Airport, creating 20 to 30 minute delays. Good luck out there.
The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board voted unanimously today to add the Purple Line to its long-range transportation plan, a key approval in the lengthy process to build the new line. Whether the proposed 16-mile line connecting Bethesda to New Carrollton will be light rail or bus rapid transit is still an open question, but a decision on that could happen as early as the end of the summer, assuming the next step, an environmental review process, doesn't drag on and on.
We heard from several readers that the film crew for the James L. Brooks-helmed Owen Wilson/Reese Witherspoon/Paul Rudd flick were camped along 7th Street NW in Penn Quarter today, and word from DDOT is that they'll be in Adams Morgan tomorrow. Several road closures will be in effect in the post-rush hour morning due to the filming. From the release!
Due to production activities tomorrow, Thursday, June 18, in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, Adams Mill Road, NW between Calvert Street and Columbia Road will be closed between 9:30am and 1:30pm. Also, there will be intermittent traffic control (temporary short closures) of Columbia Road at Adams Mill Road and 18th Street during filming.Continue reading "Streets to Close as Film Crew Heads to Adams Morgan Thursday"
The Washington Post's Paul Duggan has a story up detailing new improvements to the Metropolitan Police Department's Sex Offender Registry. The main addition is a new map that allows users find registered sex offenders within either a .25 or .50 mile radius of any address in the city. Previously, users could only search by PSA, or police service area. The map can be found at sexoffender.dc.gov.
An extra-marital affair involving a Washington politico isn't anything surprising these days. But when it involves the possible blackmail of a Promise Keeper senator who is no friend of the District, it's hard for us not to feel just the tiniest bit smug. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) admitted yesterday in a hastily arranged press conference that he had cheated on his wife with a campaign staffer, jumping to admit to the infidelity over fears that the staffer's husband -- who worked as an aide to Ensign -- was seeking to blackmail him. In the wake of the news Ensign today resigned his position as Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee.
The Washington Business Journal's Jonathan O'Connell follows up on the ongoing Washington Convention Center Hotel saga to report that city officials are discussing taking roughly $700 million in subsidies that have already been passed for other projects and diverting them to the hotel. The argument goes that a number of high profile development projects, including the Southwest waterfront, the Capitol Riverfront, the Skyland Shopping Center and the O Street Market, have long been stalled by the collapse of the lending market, so those allocated subsidies are sitting dormant in the meantime. But such a course of action would of course be very tricky for D.C. Council members who represent the neighborhoods that would then lose their public funding for those projects. The scheme could pose particular problems for Ward 2's Jack Evans, who would be forced to weigh the hotel, which is in his Ward, against longstanding promises to make the O Street Market project a priority. In May, Evans pushed through a $1 million grant to the developers of the O Street Market in Shaw.
We knew to expect it, and now D.C. Wire is reporting that Bishop Harry Jackson, Rev. Walter Fauntroy, and their collective of gay marriage opponents did indeed file papers at D.C. Superior Court this morning to appeal the recent BOEE ruling that a city-wide referendum on same sex marriage recognition would violate the Human Rights Act, and is therefore not allowed. 'In a statement, Fauntroy called the election board's decision, ''an insult to every voter in the District of Columbia and must be legally challenged as we are doing today.''' Unless the court intervenes, the marriage recognition law recently passed by the D.C. Council will become law in July.
John Hinckley, the man who shot President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in 1981, has been granted the right to obtain a D.C. driver's license in order to drive to visit his mother in Williamsburg. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman issued the ruling Tuesday that gives Hinckley more freedom and permission to spend more time away from St. Elizabeths Hospital, the Southeast D.C. mental hospital where he lives. Fingers crossed that Hinckley's upcoming visit to the D.C. DMV goes smoothly!
AP File Photo/Ira Schwartz
Yesterday evening, we received a tip from a DCPS high school teacher that nearly 20 teachers at their school received termination letters from their principal that afternoon, including the union building representative. This morning, Candi Peterson, a Washington Teachers' Union board member, has letters from two teachers on her blog, and while the exact number of teachers fired has not yet been announced, D.C. Wire reports that four types of school employees were terminated around the district:
Paraprofessionals who work with students, but did not attain the "highly qualified" standard required by federal law under the No Child Left Behind Act.Continue reading "End of the School Year Brings Teacher Firings"
Good morning, Washington. It's not a local story exactly, but since it surely affects a lot of people in this town we might as well mention this morning's big non-Iranian news: President Obama is expected to announce the extension of benefits to federal employees' same-sex partners. No word yet on whether those with partners of the opposite sex will be allowed to write off the diminished value of their marriages on this year's taxes. Va. Is Last To Ask For Roads Stimulus: Given all of the attention paid to traffic congestion in Northern Virginia, you'd think that the state might be a little speedier to apply for free government money for transportation projects. That's not the case, though; as the Post reports, Virginia was dead last in line for stimulus money. Apparently the state's insistence on collecting feedback from local governments and its threadbare, cash-strapped projects pipeline combined to delay the compilation of a list of things in need of funding. It doesn't seem as though this will cost the state any money, although the work — and its economy-stimulating effects — will be delayed. Fined For Flashing Lights: The Post brings a mostly-if-not-only-in-D.C. sort of story: Mark Zaid was fined $50 for flashing his headlights to thank a driver for doing the same in order to warn him of a speed trap. This bugged Zaid, so he challenged the fine. The ticketing offi
WTOP Report Provokes Anger Among Area Cyclists
Goodbye Fixie, Hello Tweed!
'Trun' on to the 15th Street Contraflow Bike Lane
Committee Approves Same-Sex Marriage Bill
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