Good morning, Washington. As you can see from this photo outside this DCist’s apartment, it’s pretty foggy out. And please pardon Cornucopia (some call her Ariel) here, an overzealous neighbor may have gone a little overboard with the holiday decorations. It’s caused quite the stir on 39th Street NW. Anyhow, we hope your commutes weren’t too frustrating.
WMATA to Go After Local Jurisdictions for Money: In order to meet its $1 billion budget proposal, WMATA — the nation’s largest transit system without a dedicated funding source — plans to ask the local jurisidictions it serves for more cash. The aim is to improve service all the while not increasing the burden on its passengers.
From the Post:
It would be a 6.5 percent increase over the current budget, with most of that spending driven by wages, health insurance, pension payments, fuel for buses and electricity for trains.
Part of the budget includes additional track inspectors, something that has become of particular need since flaws in Red Line tracks have been popping up unexpectedly over the past year. And then there are the little things, from light bulb replacements to extra bus cleanings to bus stop improvements.
In related news, Gov. Mark Warner in Virginia has proposed $824 million for transportation projects, including public transit.
Missing Documents Found: WTOP reports that some of the missing documents from the National Archives have been located. From WTOP:
The college yearbook of former President Ronald Reagan, valued at $20,000, is just one of the treasures that now has been found by the Inspector General of the Archives. Letters from Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant also have been recovered.
Adverse Reaction to D.C. General’s Closing? Hospital officials across the District, facing five straight years of financial woe, think that the closing of D.C. General Hospital in 2001 may have placed too much burden on the city’s other medical facilities. The W.Times cites a new report that dives into the numbers. Since D.C. General closed, the 27,000 emergency room patients that would normally have used the facility in Southeast, have been forcibly absorbed by other hospitals.
Briefly Noted: A MS-13 gang member pleaded guilty in a brutal 2001 Fairfax County murder … Another arson? N.E. homes goes up in flames … Eldery woman, son, pulled from S.E. fire … Affordable housing in Alexandria could be built atop Civil War hospital …
