Good morning, Washington. With so much focus in local news coverage on the inauguration, it’s easy to forget that George Bush is still the president until 11:59 a.m. on January 20, and that his administration is still able to make important decisions. In what will be the final major act by outgoing Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, the Dulles rail project has at last been given the federal approval it needed to proceed without restrictions. Congress still has 60 days to comment on the project, but after that, $900 million in federal grants will be awarded to extend the new Silver line. The earliest anyone will be able to ride Metro to Dulles would be 2015, and given the nature of such a massive undertaking, we have to expect there will be delays. Still, considering the project appeared to be nearly dead a year ago, the Bush administration approval is a huge win for all of the state and local agencies that worked tirelessly to keep the Silver line alive.

Inaugural Transportation Costs Add Up: The Examiner gets out its calculator and estimates that local and state governments will end up spending more than $20 million on transportation costs alone for the presidential inauguration. Keeping in mind that the District, Maryland and Virginia are each facing large budget shortfalls, Mayor Adrian Fenty and Govs. Tim Kaine and Martin O’Malley have asked Congress to step in and help them cover the costs.

Small Children Found Alone in Northeast Apartment: Sad story from NBC4: D.C. police found three young children—a 5-month-old boy, a 2-year-old girl, and a 3-year-old girl—home alone in a filthy apartment near Gallaudet. The children were discovered after a neighbor alerted an officer to the sounds of a baby that wouldn’t stop crying in an apartment where no one was answering the door. Child & Family Services have taken custody of the children, and the mother was arrested.

Briefly Noted: Twelve sent to hospitals after pileup on I-270 … Four teens charged in Wheaton mall shooting … DCPS reduces number of unqualified teachers … Authorities searching for missing twin teen girls from Loudoun County.

This Day in DCist: In 2008, Metro was giving out free bus rides after accidentally overcharging passengers, and in 2007, we were recovering from Mayor Fenty’s inaugural ball.

Photo by cstein96