Post ’em if you got ’em, Washington. According to WJLA, today is the smack-dab middle of cherry blossom season. We hope you got your photos already. With rain in the morning, a cold snap beginning in the afternoon and winds that are likely to pull off blossoms, this year’s best days for walking around the Tidal Basin seem to already be over. Rats.
D.C. Council Provisionally Mandates HPV Vaccine: The debate over the Gardasil HPV vaccine has been contentious one: concerns about safety, paternalism, racism and industry lobbying have all been tossed around. But now the D.C. Council has moved toward a decision. As the Post recounts, the council voted 7 to 3 to approve a bill that would mandate the vaccine for girls entering the sixth grade in D.C. public schools. There’ll be a final vote on the bill in a few weeks, but that, too, is expected to pass.
Va. Transport Bill May Finally Pass: Calling it “the [state’s] largest boost in transportation funding in a generation,” the Post reports that the Virginia legislature is on the verge of approving the massive road funding package that’s been the subject of endless battles between state Democrats and Republicans. The latter stuck to their guns when it came to opposing state-wide tax increases, so the new roads will be paid for by newly-created tax districts in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. The bill is also intended to grant those areas more autonomy in managing their own traffic problems.
Briefly Noted: Tragic murder/suicide in Montgomery County… Rove faces protesters at AU… Census Bureau says area population has increased by half a million over last six years… Mei Xiang not the only zoo animal getting knocked up… Is it Work Zone Safety Week again already? Forget cats — Maryland’s got a crazy horse lady…
This Day In DCist: One year ago we checked in with the week-old City Paper blog and lamenting the departure of oldies from D.C.’s airwaves. Two years ago Metro was getting conflict training and a hometown hero won the WWE championship.
Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user payal.jhaveri
