Hey Washington, are you suddenly feeling cheerier than usual this morning, without knowing for sure why? Well check it out: Congressional Democrats have gone ahead and returned to a rules change that allows nonstate representatives to vote on amendments. The nonstates included in the rule, which was also in place from 1993-1995, are American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Now it’s on to getting full voting rights! Go, Eleanor, go!
Stadium Cap? What Stadium Cap?: Several D.C. Council members are upset that the city’s Dept. of Transportation has managed to allocate $18.4 million for improvements to roads, curbs and signage around the new baseball stadium, independently of approved stadium funds that must fit within a $611 million spending cap. Council members such as Jim Graham and David Catania, say this amounts to stadium-specific funding that exceeds the spending limit. Others, like Mayor Fenty’s office and council member Jack Evans, are arguing that the city regularly spends money to improve roads, so the $18.4 million should not be counted as stadium spending.
Welcome to the Jungle: New Metro Chief John B. Catoe begins work officially this morning, so of course we’d like to offer him our best wishes as he enters the fray. From recent serious safety issues to a potential rate hike that still looms, no one could mistake this to be an easy time to take over Washington’s busy public transportation system. So good luck, Mr. Catoe. We promise to cut you some slack for, oh, the first 48 hours or so.
Briefly Noted: Wilson Bridge to close for 20 minutes at 11 a.m. today … Marion Barry recovered from illness, back at work … District adoption rate for foster children improves … D.C. Council hopes to implement criminal checks for building inspectors.
This Day in DCist: In 2006 we said goodbye to Toni the Elephant, and in 2005 we said hello to the Achenblog.
Photo by Eye Captain
