Photo by akkleis

Good morning, D.C. Yesterday, Maryland joined a growing national movement to limit the use of the death penalty when Gov. Martin O’Malley signed legislation that would curtail the use of capital punishment in the state. While O’Malley originally sought to ban the use of the death penalty after a state study found that it was more expensive than any alternatives and was used disproportionately against African Americans, delegates in the state legislature were forced to make compromises by leaving the death penalty on the books but making it much harder to use. Under the new law, the death penalty will only be applied if prosecutors have DNA evidence, videotaped evidence or a voluntary videotaped confession. In other Md. legislative news, the Examiner reports that O’Malley also signed legislation that would include the homeless in the state’s hate crime law.

Metro Considers Retail Kiosks, Including Food: Call us skeptical, but every time Metro announces it’s considering something even mildly radical, it never comes to pass. The Post writes up the story that Metro is considering the idea of putting retail kiosks in stations as a revenue-raiser. Of course, they’ve been talking about this for a couple months already, so the only real piece of news here is that WMATA put out a press release reminding everyone that Metro’s board is scheduled to consider the matter later this month. Also, that General Manager John Catoe is convinced it’s not worth doing unless food and beverage sales are included. Opinions are split over whether food in stations would mean more of a mess on trains. Metro officials say that any food that might be sold wouldn’t be of the messy variety, and you still wouldn’t be able to eat it in trains or stations. According to one official, “The idea is not a sizzling kabob.”

Dulles Rail Gets Stimulated: In more transit news, the Examiner writes that the Metro extension out to Dulles (coming to a town near you in 2025!) has received $77 million in federal stimulus funds. The money will likely be used to lower financing costs to the tune of $15 million, and won’t be counted against the $900 million the feds will be kicking in for the transit project.

Briefly Noted: Because no Morning Roundup is complete without the mandatory swine flu story, here it is … More adults needed to curb violence in suburban schools …Court to rule on constitutionality of D.C. checkpoint program.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2008, we suffered a brief scare as ping-pong at Comet died and we reported on some prominent Washingtonians who ride their bikes everywhere. In 2007, UDC selected an anti-D.C. voting rights commencement speaker and a lawsuit that was soon to become the famous Heller gun case was slowly working its way to the Supreme Court.