Hilda Mason, 91, who served more than 20 years on the D.C. Council, died yesterday at Washington Hospital Center. The Post has an obituary up (which perhaps unsurprisingly but a little creepily appears to have been largely written some time ago, as it notes at the bottom that one of its authors passed away in 2006), which details Mason's status as the grand dame of local D.C. politics, having served on the Board of Education,......

If you see emergency response vehicles zipping around town laden with folks shouting into walkie-talkies about evacuations and floods, don't be alarmed. Today Washington area officials are running their first ever joint hurricane response exercise. Federal workers, along with their counterparts from D.C., Maryland and Virginia are gauging the region's ability to deal with a watery disaster. While most associate hurricane-strength storms with the Gulf Coast and tropical climes, many vividly remember the destruction wrought......

Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent begins a new weekly opinion column on neighborhood issues today. To many central city residents, the suburban enterprise can seem a quixotic one, and the suburbanite a perplexing character. Pressing ever outward, he seeks to leave behind the impedimenta of urban life, only to find that the more pristine his new surroundings, the faster and thicker does the baggage of congestion gather around him. Almost immediately he finds that his new......

We've had some good times with WMATA over the years, haven't we? There was the time some guy was eating a candy bar while entering a station and was arrested. Or the time WMATA officials handcuffed a talkative pregnant woman? And, of course, there was that lovely moment when a 12 year-old girl ate a french fry on a Metro platform and, as a result, was searched, handcuffed, put into a paddy wagon, and kept......

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority held their first-ever annual town hall meeting last night at their downtown D.C. headquarters. Although enduring periodic jeers and spontaneous audience feedback, the meeting was, overall, remarkably civil for an agency who has been in the news for a string of problems in recent months. They announced that answers to all questions submitted would be posted on their website within a week. The discussion, ably moderated by former......

If you've entered the Dupont Circle metrorail station from the 19th Street escalators, you may have seen this sign, which seems to be a joint Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority-Krispy Kreme public service announcement about taking Krispy Kreme underground. It says: "Resist temptation: We know it is hard to wait. But please, don't eat your donuts in Metro stations or trains. Thanks and have a nice day." DCist wonders whether this was done purely on......

Don't get us wrong. DCist likes the bus. We ride it everyday. And we appreciate all that Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority does to get us around town. But we have to wonder whether WMATA realizes that when it tries to do good, it can create more problems for commuters. A case in point: Yesterday, DCist was waiting for a 90/92 bus at the corner of Calvert Street and Connecticut Avenue in Woodley Park. We......

We finally found one. After nine months of searching, DCist spied someone wearing a WMATA metrorail shirt this weekend on a Connecticut Avenue sidewalk. (It was a Metro Center shirt, like the the one at left). Since we love to talk about transit issues, DCist has a few thoughts on D.C.’s attempts to enter the world of transit chic. London promotes “Mind the Gap.” Paris glorifies its Art Nouveau Metropolitan signage. And New York has......

WMATA is going to seek more money from local governments to cover a giant $41.7 million "spending gap" in order to avoid raising train and bus fares for a third year in a row. All the members of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's board have indicated that they do not want to increase the burden on the commuters, the AP reports via the Post. Covering the entire shortfall would mean a 10.4 percent increase......

The region is anticipating a massive amount of tropical moisture to be dumped in the next few days. Flooding is expected so if you are in an area that has bad drainage (e.g. your English basement apartment), keep an eye out for possible storm sewer backups, clogged outdoor drains, etc. The D.C. area is currently under flash flood watches and warnings. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority too is trying to ensure a smooth commute.......

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has rolled out a new phone service for Spanish-speaking commuters. Now when you call (202) 637-7000 for commuter information, you will be prompted on your language of choice. And it's all in the name of serving customers, WMATA says. Nearly 80 percent of callers who requested the Spanish-speaking option spoke with a Spanish-speaking Metro representative. The other 20 percent spoke with a Metro representative through the aid of......

Tired of delayed trains, dirty buses, overzealous transit police who'll handcuff you for eating a candy bar? Trying to file individual complaints with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority can have mixed results. But there may be some hope for D.C. commuters. We're getting a commuters union. Sort of. After much talk, and little action, the first sign of a riders' united front has emerged in the form of a Yahoo user group called the......

It hasn't been a good week for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. As if constant underfunding, flooding and considerable subway delays weren't enough, the transit agency's overseeers aren't reacting well to the national publicity it has received for the arrest of an EPA scientist for eating a candy bar while entering the Metro Center subway station downtown. The Post reports that some Metro board members want a review of its detention policies for......

A day after flood waters shut down a metrorail operations room, a week after it admitted it was running out of electronic farecards and a month it was attacked for reducing late-night subway service to two-car trains all while increasing fares, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority seems to continue to anger riders. It is now arresting violaters of its no food and drink regulations. The Post reports that Metro Transit Police detained an Environmental......