Good morning, D.C. There’s no denying it’s hot enough to cause real discomfort, but is it too hot to reasonably believe that two young girls willingly got inside the closed trunk of their father’s car to play? That is one of the questions before a Massachusetts judge in the case of a D.C. man who pleaded not guilty yesterday to reckless endangerment and assault charges after police responded to a neighbor who spotted the two girls, 9 and 11, getting inside the trunk of his car in 90 degree heat. Both the father and children claim they got in the trunk because they enjoy playing with the glow-in-the-dark release latch inside. Even if that is the case, prosecutors will no doubt argue that Michael Fekete should have known better that to allow it, with the heat playing a big part in the potential danger.
Fenty Wants $117 Million for Affordable Housing: Mayor Fenty announced that he hopes to allocate $117 million every year in an effort to protect and create affordable housing in the District. The plan he presented at a Washington Interfaith Network event yesterday called for 30 percent of new housing units built on city-owned land to be set aside for low-income residents. Fenty also called for a partnership with the interfaith organization to build 5,000 affordable homes in transitional neighborhoods in D.C., such as Columbia Heights, Brightwood, Deanwood, and Bellevue.
MPD Will Soon Meet Additional 100 Hires Goal: Both Chief Cathy Lanier and D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson expressed confidence that the MPD will meet its goal of hiring 100 new officers this year, most likely by October, despite a serious attrition problem that usually leads to the loss of 20 officers per month. The D.C. Council included $7 million in the fiscal 2007 budget for 100 new officers.
Briefly Noted: Chairman of D.C. baseball PAC ordered to repay $70,000 he spent … Increased ethanol usage could damage Chesapeake Bay … Explosives linked to homemade fireworks seized after fire in Centreville … Education office staff could quadruple.
This Day in DCist: In 2006 we said goodbye to the old Wilson Bridge, and called Flananigans!!! on the Maryland transportation secretary.
Photo by voteprime
