Photo by elliotmitchell.

Good morning, Washington. The northwest portion of Metro’s Red Line is a real mess this morning, after a passenger made a bomb threat around 7:30 a.m. at the Rockville station. While the claim fortunately doesn’t appear to be credible (“At this point we have no evidence of an explosive device at Rockville,” Metro spokesperson Dan Stessel told the Post), an investigation into the claim by Metro Transit police and the National Transportation Safety Board has forced the closure of both Rockville and Shady Grove stations and the shutdown has closed down service between Shady Grove and Grosvenor. Currently, large crowds of commuters are filing out of the stations and waiting on improptu shuttle buses provided by Metro — if you still haven’t headed out the door this morning and were planning on using this section of the Red Line, we’d suggest looking into using the bus. Of course, some people are taking more drastic commuting measures due to the delays.

Metro Examining Alternate Payment Methods: In more positive transit news, WMATA is currently looking into cell phone, credit card and federal ID payment options. Kytja Weir has more: “The new approach is what officials call a “contactless” payment system that other transit agencies around the country are pursuing. London already is using it, said Metro Chief Financial Officer Carol Dillon Kissal. Riders would use their own devices to pay directly, rather than having Metro act as the middleman.” WMATA is considering seven proposals; this year, it cost the transit agency $48.3 million to process fares, and it’s hoped the new system will be able to save money.

Power Outages Strike Area: A strong band of thunderstorms which passed through the region last night caused several power outages around the region. Additionally, Pepco customers along the Harvard Street corridor in the District proper also had some rolling electricity issues last night; though those appear to have been resolved. On the bright side: you probably won’t need to run the A/C very much today — or tomorrow, for that matter.

Briefly Noted: Capitol Police cars to get new look…Fed regulators: “rogue” bus carriers “cut corners on safety”…D.C., Virginia, Maryland “struggling to comply” with federal sex offender registry mandate…Former MoCo cop to be sentenced on drug and fraud charges…Congrats to former Wizards DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood on winning a ring before LeBron.

This Day in DCist: Last year, we looked at some rather prophetic District of Columbia Democratic Party straw poll results, and a World Cup viewing party drew a melange of soccer-mad supporters to Dupont Circle.