Good morning, Washington. Gas prices are soaring, as one Flickr contributor shows us at right, but for those of you who commute into the city, there’s at least some good news: the cost of parking and riding Metro looks like it won’t be going up after all. The Examiner reports that Metro’s fare increase has generated the transit agency enough money that there likely won’t be a need to raise parking fees an additional 25 cents in July. Some park and ride commuters pay as much as $4.75 a day for parking in Metro lots. That an additional parking fee hike won’t be needed is thanks to continued high levels of ridership since January.

Audit Shows Major Flaws in Computerized Tax System: The Examiner reports on a new audit that shows that D.C.’s $120 million computerized tax system fails half of the time and has cost millions of dollars in uncollected revenue. The report is critical of both Accenture LLP, the company the city hired to design the problematic computer system, and the finance office. CFO Natwar Gandhi was in charge of the tax office when Accenture was given the contract for the system.

Lanier Happy With ‘All Hands’ Results: Police Chief Cathy Lanier said police are “very happy” with the results of this weekend’s All Hands on Deck initiative, the first such weekend this year. About 160 additional officers were patrolling city streets over the weekend. At least three people were stabbed over the weekend, one fatally, though Lanier described the weekend as having been “relatively quiet.”

Briefly Noted: Reba Pittman Walker, head of the Washington Convention Center, has resigned … One man dead in double stabbing near Vermont and K Streets NW on Sunday morning … Fire broke out in Schenley Hall, a dormitory at George Washington University … Arrest made in April 20 murder in 5th District.

Photo by jim_darling