Good morning, Washington. Did you happen to take a taxi into work this morning? On our way home last night we spotted at least one D.C. taxicab that had a meter installed in it, and more than a few that did not. The D.C. Court of Appeals refused yesterday to delay the switch to meters, so as of midnight last night, time and distance meters are now the law of the land. The city won’t begin imposing $1,000 fines against drivers who don’t comply until June 1, however, so all cab drivers have to fear starting today are warning tickets and customers who might refuse to ride in a cab without a meter. Let us know what you see out there, as always, in the comments.
More on Excel Institute Shooting: D.C. police now believe that Wesley Johnson, the man who shot and wounded two people Tuesday at the Excel Institute, had intended to commit mass murder and possibly die at the hands of the police. Johnson has pleaded not guilty to assault with intent to kill while armed. Police found what appeared to be suicide notes in his apartment. The Examiner highlights a police report that suggests Johnson may have been able to shoot and kill many people had his gun not jammed on him.
Manual Metro Doors Lead to Errors: Ever since Metro switched to a new policy of having Metro operators open train doors manually 16 days ago, doors have been opened before trains have fully reached the platform at least five times. Metro General Manager John Catoe spoke very candidly to the Examiner about how this is an embarrassing training failure due to operators being sometimes unsure whether they have a six-car or eight-car train. He said the solution could be as simple as putting a sticker on the operator’s windshield that says “six” or “eight.” That so many such errors have happened over the the last 16 days since the new policy went into effect makes it difficult to believe it was the right choice from a safety standpoint. Before the change, doors had opened automatically on the wrong side of the train four times over a 100 day period.
Briefly Noted: Perennial candidate Michael Brown has filed papers to run for an At-large D.C. Council seat … Magic Johnson in town to help with local HIV/AIDS fight … Police investigate Loudoun murder … The Washington-Baltimore region still ranks among the top 10 metropolitan areas for smog and soot … Two D.C. public charter schools have been suspended.
Photo by SpecialEd98
