Good morning, Washington. For those of you who were inconvenienced by yesterday afternoon’s Red line mishap, we’re sure you’ll be glad to hear that the suspect who Montgomery County police chased into the tunnel got away. The whole incident started just after 2 p.m. when officers, acting on a suspicious-person call, spotted Michael J. Brown, a man known by area police and who is wanted in Baltimore for several charges of theft. After a chase that led into the Bethesda station, Brown jumped onto the track bed and headed into the tunnel in the direction of the Medical Center station, causing the shutdown. Police could not find Brown after a search of both stations and the tunnel. Time and energy well spent, no?
The $100 Million Question: The District government expects to collect more than $100 million in additional tax revenue this year, thanks mostly to skyrocketing property tax bills, and thus now begins the debate over what to do with the money. Mayor Fenty would like to use the money to renovate D.C. Schools and buy out DCPS employees who Chancellor Rhee would like to fire. District CFO Natwar Gandhi warned that just because we’re seeing a surplus this year, doesn’t mean we’ll continue to see one in the future.
Could Metro Start Random Bag Searches?: WTOP spoke to Polly Hanson, Metro’s assistant general manager for Safety, Security and Emergency Management, who favors adding random bag searches to Metro’s security detail, much like the system already in place in New York. Of course, Metro’s Board would have to approve adding bag searches, something they’ve never been willing to do before, but could that change under John Catoe’s leadership?
Briefly Noted: Robber in Southwest used hammer to threaten victims … University of Maryland considers cuts, tuition hikes … Freed Iranian Scholar back in Washington … Charges filed against Columbia Heights landlord … Anti-discrimination group sues developers.
This Day in DCist: Last year we expressed sympathy for a Falls Church woman and the fate of her cat, and the year before that we told you where you could find inexpensive sushi.
Photo by Bullneck
