The District has changed dramatically over the last few years, spurred in part by policies implemented by D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams. But what was once considered a trend that would help lift all boats is now seen as doing just the opposite, writes the Post. According to a poll they conducted, some 61 percent of voters see the city’s many development projects as “mainly bad” for the poor, a dramatic shift from a similar poll in 2000. Chief among concerns is the availability of affordable housing, much of which has been shifted out of the city as real estate prices have climbed.
Bill Sends Billion to Metro, Davis Gets ‘Porker’ Award: Just when you thought no one could argue with Metro (hah!), the non-profit group Citizens Against Government Waste has given Rep. Tom Davis from Virginia the title “Porker of the Month” for his bill that provides more than a billion dollars of federal funding to Metro. Davis is quoted in the WTOP article as saying “I’m proud of being able to secure the money for Metro and they can call me what they want.” CAGW’s Tom Finegan noted, “It should be paid by passenger fares, local governments, and by competitively awarded federal grants.”
Woman Shot and Killed Outside Home: There’s a crime emergency happening, didn’t you hear? Police are on high alert, you know? Regardless, a woman in Southeast was killed yesterday, her body left in a burning mini-van, according to the Post. Hers would be the 101st homicide this year, just short of the same time last year.
Watch Out For those Mosquitos on Eisenhower Avenue: The Examiner reports that West Nile Virus has been found in some mosquitos in Alexandria, specifically along the 4200 block of Eisenhower Avenue. The virus was reported last week in Arlington and Fairfax. Patricia Ferrao, Alexandria’s program supervisor for environmental health, noted that the virus has not been seen in humans in recent time.
More Rain Could Mean More Problems: Though DCist’s coverage of Deluge ’06 was flawless and to the minute, we’d love to avoid having to cover another weather event that evokes a need for Noah and his Ark anytime soon. WTOP relays the info that hydrologist Peter Ahnert of the National Weather Service said that with a busy hurricane season predicted, our area could see another one of those heinous slow-moving storms. Judging the District’s handling of the last soggy affair, we’re not looking forward to Deluge ’06, Part Deux. We know the other question on your mind: what’s a hydrologist? According to Wikipedia, someone who studies “the movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the Earth, and thus addresses both the hydrologic cycle and water resources”. Gotcha.
Briefly Noted: After the flooding, MoCo eligible for disaster aid … More defense jobs to pop up in Springfield … Phew, elevated less lead levels in blood in Maryland … VA executes, again … Man drowns in Gaithersburg lake
This Day in DCist: We pondered the best mayor in the world and gave the 411 on RSS feeds.
Picture snapped by adubyailkinson
