The folks over at Dulles Metro extension are breaking out the construction tools … and the credit cards. $900 million of the $2.83 billion price tag of the initial 11.6-mile leg is in that Transportation Department spending bill tied up in Congress and under threat of veto by President Bush. But with or without the money, officials plan to start work, reports The Examiner. Is it just us, or does this violate everything you ever…

Jonetta Rose Barras: In a powerfully introspective column, Rose Barras details a recent trip to her destroyed family home in New Orleans. In recounting her visit to the site, Rose Barras writes of the struggles endured by her mother and sister in trying to return and rebuild, drawing comparisons to the District’s own troubles. “Truth told, New Orleans looks and feels like Ward 8 circa 1985: few quality retail outlets, high crime, high unemployment, poor…

Last time we live blogged the House debate on District voting rights, things didn’t go too well. We’re hoping for a bit of an improvement today. From what we’ve heard on the Hill, debate kicks off at 10:30 a.m., and the legislation has been split up into two separate parts — one covering the actual voting seats both D.C. and Utah would receive and the other dealing with the minor increase in annual spending the…

We have already documented Congressional efforts to end the struggle to get our beloved Nationals on TV. To recapitulate: Comcast, the largest area cable provider, refuses to air Nationals games, which are produced by Orioles’ owner Peter Angelos’ network, MASN. Fans rallied and gained the support of several local congressmen. The cadre of local congressmen (Tom Davis, R-Va., Jim Moran, D-Va., and Albert Wynn, D-Md.) took up arms to end the dispute. Last week,…