Good morning, Washington. There may be some rain moving into the area, so don’t forget your umbrella. Temperatures will be in the 50s approaching 60 degrees.
Owners Delay Expos Vote: In a vote that was to officially seal the deal that would bring the Montreal Expos to Washington, baseball owners in Chicago have delayed their vote, the AP, via WJLA, reports. The Post reports that the deal is not in any danger of faltering considering the stadium financing dramas involving the District Council. It may just be Baltimore’s Peter Angelos whose “unhappiness with the Expos’ move into the Washington market remains a festering issue that baseball officials would like to resolve before asking for the formal endorsement of all 29 league owners.”
Day Laborer Arrests Creates Stir in P.W. Co.: With ethnic gang warfare on the rise in Northern Virginia, there are divisions over whether arresting day laborers for loitering is a prudent step or a harmful irritant in dealing with demographic tensions in Prince William County. The Post reports that the controversy over the arrests of day laborers earlier this week outside a 7-11 in Woodbridge, has caused local officials to plan a town hall meeting on the situation for tomorrow.
WMATA Going ‘Back to Basics’: To improve its customer service, the region’s transit system is launching a new comprehensive effort that will bring things “back to basics.”
WMATA’s chief executive, Dick White, tells the Post that the agency’s employees they must realize they’re “not about transportation or maintenance, we’re about customer service.” (We hope they don’t forget about the transportation or maintenance part of their jobs.)
Regardless, here are some of the message points WMATA is placing emphasis on in its new customer service kick. From the Post:
• Hold specific managers accountable for the performance of each rail line. Publish the managers’ names, photos and contact information in stations and on trains.
• Make rail system announcements more informative.
• Look more closely at how long the train doors should stay open at various stations.
• Arrange for an independent review of the system’s reliability, safety and workforce performance.
• Make sure that no rail car, bus, elevator or escalator is out of service for lack of parts.
• Improve the program for cleaning stations and cars.
• Improve training for employees who work in the operations control center — the people who make the trains go — so they are better able to respond to delays and emergencies.
• Help station managers improve their customer service.
Brooklanders Want Heightened Police Presence: After a shocking shooting death outside a wedding reception, residents in Brookland are asking that the Metropolitan Police pay more careful attention to the Northeast D.C. neighborhood, the Post reports.
Briefly Noted: Old Convention Center is set to be imploded on Dec. 18 … Abused Ukrainian wife wins suit against Bethesda-based international matchmaker that set her up with bad Loudoun County wife-beater … “[M]isconduct in recruitment, financial aid and academic eligibility of players“: 3 things that have caused UDC to cancel the men’s and women’s basketball season … Maryland student escapes expulsion in College Park rioting case …
