The District has seen good times in the last few years. Business is booming and neglected properties and neighborhoods are seeing new investment. Crime has plummeted over the past decade, and corruption in the government has faded even as the city’s coffers have filled with new tax revenues. The ebbing of many of the city’s old problems has combined with the election year to place a new and intense focus on fixing the city’s school system, according to an article in today’s Post. The story covers a lot of ground we’ve visited before, but does mention a potentially interesting conclusion: poor educational attainment among some District citizens leads to greater hiring of suburbanites which ultimately costs the District tax revenues.
Traffic Fines Catch Up to You, One Way or Another: The Washington Times has a story today on the automated traffic enforcement systems in the District and their potential impact on violators’ credit ratings. When a speed or red-light camera captures a motorist doing something wrong, the city consults a database of registered owners and sends the person listed there the citation. Foul-ups could occur for any numbers of reasons — a change of address or a miscommunication with a rental car company, say — but for the District unpaid is unpaid, and a neglected citation will negatively impact a driver’s credit rating. There’s plenty of room for District error, as well; in the article, MPD spokesman Kevin Morison notes, “If the District’s database was out of date, that could be a serious problem.” Well, no worries there, I’m sure.
Secret Service Agent Carjacked: NBC 4 is reporting that early this morning an off-duty Secret Service agent was robbed and deprived of his Hummer in suburban Maryland. Police tracked down the agent’s vehicle and gave chase into Northeast D.C. where the suspects wrecked the H2 and fled on foot. They’re still at large, but the agent’s weapon, which was in the vehicle when it was stolen, has been recovered.
Briefly Noted: Metro moves forward on credit card readers for parking decks…Tysons continues to hope for some sort of pedestrian friendliness…Fannie Mae settlement reached…Virginia Senate caves on transportation, for the moment at least…Mystics victorious…Suddenly snakebitten Dupont Circle Metro station temporarily closed due to power failure.
This Day in DCist: We reviewed Jessica Cutler’s novel, we observed the District fighting against Walter Reed’s closure, and we wondered about convoys of empty, police-escorted Greyhound buses.
Picture taken by erin m.
