Photo by caroline.angelo

Good morning, Washington. If you’re wondering why your Metro station platform might have been a little chattier than usual, it’s because a program to expand cell phone service to non-Verizon customers in 20 of the system’s busiest stations kicks off today. Sure, it’ll be nice to be able to check email or send text messages, but the increased chances of having people make calls could well fill the system’s cathedral-like stations with even more inane chatter than you might usually find. The expanded service won’t yet include the tunnels, so that early-morning sanctuary you find on Metro will remain, at least for a while longer.

K Street to Get Facelift: The D.C. Examiner reports today on a plan to upgrade the traffic-choked K Street corridor by adding a dedicated bus lane and removing the existing service lanes. Even though the plan has been in the works for eight years (heck, I remember reading about it on one of my first weeks as a District resident), it’s only now that money may become available for the project — city officials have applied for a stimulus grant to cover the $139 million the upgrades would cost. Delivery services and cyclists aren’t too happy with the existing proposal, which would see either a two- or three-lane busway up the middle of the street and do away with the current service lanes. A comment period on the proposal ends October 30; construction would begin in late 2010 and be completed by 2012.

McDonnell Leads Money Race: Both the Post and Examiner write that Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert McDonnell has $1.8 million more to spend in the closing month of the hotly-contested campaign than opponent Creigh Deeds. And though Deeds has been trailing in the polls, he may take solace in the fact that he was outspent in the Democratic primary, yet still managed to win, and that current Virginia Gov. TIm Kaine was also out-moneyed in his own campaign for the governorship.

Tolls on Local Roads to be Discussed: There’s tons of traffic, very little money to repair roads and Metro could always use a little more cash. What do you do? Put tolls on roads in the Washington region. WTOP reports that the region’s Transportation Planning Board is set to discuss putting tolls on existing roads, not just new lanes being built on local highways. The idea, which would mirror congestion pricing schemes implemented in London and Stockholm and almost put in place in New York City, will be part of an $80,000 study that could eventually lead to a pilot program. To give you an idea of how extensive the toll network could be, consider this — the pilot program could include tolls on Rock Creek Parkway.

Briefly Noted: Wanna challenge Adrian Fenty? There’s a million bucks in it for you … Non-black Homecoming Queen provokes controversy at historically black college … Is anyone else annoyed at how much coverage the Colorado balloon boy got? … D.C. Council to hold meeting on teacher firings.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2008, Michelle Rhee got a shout-out during a presidential debate and the GW Medical School was put on probation. In 2007, Mayor Adrian Fenty had to decide on whether to support meters over the zone system and The Red Derby, the best bar ever, opened in Columbia Heights.