One of those longstanding D.C. arguments may be finally coming to a resolution, and you can feel the excitement in the air this morning, Washington. No, it’s not the handgun ban, or taxicab meters, or anything to do with voting rights — but there sure are a lot of longstanding arguments in this town, now that we mention it. Rather, metro riders should keep their eyes peeled for two railcars that will soon be sporting a vinyl floor material instead of carpeting. Metro plans to install the flooring to test it first before considering putting it in every railcar. While it may give the D.C. Metro system an air of elegance, the current carpet is difficult and expensive to clean and maintain, and has been a source of debate among commuters for some time.
PCP Drug Ring Busted: D.C. and Maryland Police made 21 arrests this week in what they say was a major drug ring bust that shut down operations of one of the city’s significant sources of the drug PCP. The arrests were the result of a 2-year investigation that began with a traffic stop and eventually included the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and tactics that read like they’re right out of the pages of a script for The Wire.
Finance Chief Urges Borrowing Limits: D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi sent a letter to Mayor Adrian Fenty yesterday recommending establishing a limit on how much debt the city can take on, in an effort to ensure it maintains a good credit rating on Wall Street. Gandhi said he is worried at the city government’s high rate of borrowing. Such a limit could prevent the District from taking on any new publicly financed projects, such as a new central library.
Briefly Noted: Marion Barry in court today on charges that could lead to jail time … Overturned truck on U.S. 50 ruins commutes of many in Virginia … Judge denies Hinckley’s request.
This Day in DCist: Last year we looked at upcoming changes to the Georgetown waterfront, and the year before that we speculated what might be done with a patch of land in Foggy Bottom.
Photo by intemporelle
