Welcome to Friday, D.C. Here at DCist headquarters, we’re excited for our weekend plans, but that excitement is tempered by the collective mourning we’re all doing for the hundreds of gallons of beer that spilled across the Outer Loop of the Beltway yesterday. A beer truck tragically flipped over right at the ramp to westbound I-66, sending all its cargo to an untimely grave. No one will ever taste any of that beer’s delicious, hoppy flavor. No grilled meat will ever be complemented by it. No social engagement will ever be lubricated by it. It’s a sad day for us all.
Barry Holds Up School Renovations: Ward 8 D.C. Council member Marion Barry is holding up nearly $200 million in contracts for school renovations and a major Southwest development, according to the Examiner. Barry says he placed the holds because he felt the Fenty administration did not properly vet them before submitting them right at the end of the Council session break. Mayor Fenty’s office says Barry is just retaliating for the summer jobs program fiasco.
Group Accuses WASA of Bad Lead Testing Practices: The Post reports on a group of six D.C. area environmental organizations who says the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority’s lead-testing procedure violates federal regulations and artificially lowers lead readings. Considering the history WASA has with lead, this doesn’t sound good. The organizations sent a letter of complaint to the Environmental Protection Agency about WASA’s instructions to pre-flush taps for 10 minutes before home testing for lead. WASA says that the pre-flush is designed to ensure standardization of the data they collect.
Briefly Noted: Green Party protests the Washington Post for lack of coverage … Hostage situation ends peacefully in Columbia Heights … Federal officials raid D.C. home belonging to former MPD Captain … Mansion of Marriott heir burns down in Montgomery County.
This Day in DCist: Last year a robbery captured on video and uploaded to YouTube helped nab the suspects, and the year before that Metro was passing out free bottled water.
Photo by lmoore1118
