WMATA Chief to Ride Rails to Work: WMATA’s chief executive, Richard White, is now riding public transportation to work. The Post reports that White, who lives in Fairfax County, says that riding with commuters will give him the added perspective needed to understand the daily problems the system faces. From the Post:

He said it’s not so bad on early morning trains — he can usually snag a seat then — but in the evening, the crowding is pretty severe.

DCist would like recommend White start riding metrobus, especially some of our most love-to-hate lines, including the D2, 30-series and 90-series. We’d also like to note that Mayor Anthony Williams drives to work from his Foggy Bottom apartment while Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York is a regular rider of his city’s subway.

And in related news, the Red Line is fully operational. And the Post takes a look at the series of mishaps this year that have generated so-called Red Line blues.

Hinckley Asking for More Off-Campus Liberties: Lawyers for John Hinckley — who shot President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton in 1981 — will ask a federal judge today for greater freedoms to visit his elderly parents in Virginia, the AP, via WTOP, reports. Currently, Hinckley is confined to the campus of St. Elizabeths hospital in Southeast, but has been allowed short unsupervised visits off campus when his parents are in the area.

The visits have been tests to see whether the deranged would-be assassin can function normally and look for work and educational opportunities. Government lawyers oppose the visits.

D.C. Unprepared for Bioterror: While federal dollors have beefed up the area’s bioterror reponse capabilities, local health officials say that the region is still woefully unprepared to deal with a major biological attack, the Post reports.

Emergency rooms remain overloaded, public health offices are understaffed and Washington area doctors, health directors, lab technicians and hospital officials say despite all the activity, there is no coherent plan.

There are some bright spots though. The health labs for Virginia, Maryland and the District have all been updated significantly. The District’s Department of Health is even trying to secure federal approval to handle deadly agents like smallpox, plague and ricin.

Briefly Noted: Local deer are mating, watch out on the roads … Cops shoot driver involved in chase … Need a job? Maryland needs beekeepers …