It’s official — after a blowout vote, the “virtual pedestrian tunnel” between the Farragut North and Farragut West Metro stations will now be christened as “Farragut Crossing”.

WMATA announced this morning that they’ve whittled down the crowd-sourced effort to rename the “pedestrian tunnel” to five possible names: “Free Transfer,” “Surface Transfer,” “Farragut Connect,” “Farragut Exchange” and “Farragut Crossing”.

This afternoon, WMATA General Manager/CEO Richard Sarles addressed his agency’s Board of Directors and announced specifics on several long-awaited initiatives, touting the transit agency’s “change in culture.”

Are you tired of having to battle the crowds at Metro Center in order to transfer between the Red, Orange and Blue Lines? Soon enough, you’ll be able to hoof it, if you so choose: according to Kytja Weir, Metro is planning on installing a “virtual” pedestrian tunnel between Farraguts North and West this fall.

Did you enjoy that Labor Day Red Line shutdown? Well, that was so successful, WMATA is back at it again. Over the Columbus Day weekend — between 10 p.m. on Friday, October 8 until closing on Monday, October 11 — both the Farragut West and McPherson Square Metrorail stations will be closed and there will not be any Blue or Orange Line service at Metro Center. The closures will be in place so that WMATA can perform another massive, National Transportation Safety Board-recommended maintenance project: replacing four track switches which comprise the rail interlocking at McPherson Square. Several other smaller projects are also being planned so as to get the most out of the downtime.

An abstract tile mosaic by artist Sam Gilliam will be installed in the underpass of the Takoma Metro station. Metro has unveiled sketches of plans for new artwork to be installed at the Farragut West and Takoma stations. The Board of Directors approved the designs at their weekly meeting today. An abstract mosaic tile mural by renowned Washington Color School artist Sam Gilliam will be installed in the underpass of the Takoma station entrance….

Today tens of thousands of District children return to school, leaving behind the late-morning starts, extended curfews and breaks at the public swimming pool that summer afforded them. And though the year will proceed as it usually does, they will be part of a school system that has seen drastic changes over the last few months. Now under mayoral control and led by new chancellor Michelle Rhee, the District’s public schools have entered a new…

As of yesterday, Metro was placed among the many city agencies with pricey downtown digs currently being considered for more a affordable address. Mayor Fenty approached Metro yesterday with the idea of selling its eight-story headquarters at 600 5th St. in Northwest and relocating to a new, state-of-the-art facility at the Anacostia Metro station. Fenty and city officials say that such a move would provide an economic boon to both the downtown and Southeast areas,…

Emergency officials set up a triage area in Edward R. Murrow Park today after 20 to 30 people in an I Street office building were overcome by pepper spray. There was a bit of confusion at first as to the source, but it appears that a juvenile with the irritant is to blame. The building in question is 1919 I St. NW. The intersection of I and 19th streets, where the Farragut West metrorail station…