Photo by nevermindtheend

Good morning, Washington. How many of you stayed in to watch the big HBO premiere of The Nine Lives of Marion Barry last night? Barry gave an interview to WUSA9’s Bruce Johnson in advance of the 9 p.m. airing, during which he “refused to accept responsibility for his arrest for smoking ‘crack’ at the Vista hotel in 1990,” instead continuing to blame federal prosecutors and the FBI for “entrapping” him. Nice to see the current Ward 8 D.C. Council member remains consistent on that score after almost 20 years of reflection. City Desk also found that Barry’s office wanted everyone to focus on the Mayor for Life’s legacy yesterday, instead of dealing with his most recent scandal.

Metro Employee Tests Positive for Drugs After 10-Car Train Investigation: Yet another blemish on Metro’s safety record today, courtesy the Examiner. On July 31, a Green Line train managed to pass through five stations on its way south from Greenbelt before a passenger alerted the operator that the train was in fact carrying two additional cars behind it, for a total of ten rail cars. The Metrorail system is designed to, at a maximum, operate eight-car trains. Metro launched an investigation into the incident, including routine drug and alcohol testing of the employees who are responsible for checking the number of cars on each train before they depart, and one of those employees tested positive for drugs, the Examiner reports. The employee has since entered a rehab facility is no longer on the payroll, according to Metro. Nice quote from Greater Greater Washington’s David Alpert at the end of the story.

Metro Orders Safety Training After Employee Death: We now know the identity of the Metro employee who died on Sunday after being struck by a piece of maintenance equipment. Michael Nash, 63, of Silver Spring, had worked for Metro as a track repairman since 1990. The tragedy has led Metro to order mandatory safety training for field workers and suspend some planned maintenance work, the Washington Post reports. Metro will also increase inspections at work sites across the system, and is investigating Sunday’s accident.

Briefly Noted: Critics say safety improvements still needed for Bay Bridge … Southeast D.C. woman fatally shoots husband at the tattoo parlor they owned together … Silver Spring man fatally stabs wife during argument … Two men arrested after shooting near Chuck E. Cheese … Some city statues getting a facelift.

This Day in DCist: In 2008, we got ready to enjoy the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, and in 2006, we interviewed D.C. crime author extraordinaire George Pelecanos.