… and I hope you did too. Enjoy this rare January gift while it lasts, kids, because it’s supposed to start raining tomorrow afternoon, and while Friday is still supposed to be warm, the forecast calls for rain.
So get out and enjoy the (relative) warmth and sunshine this afternoon before it all goes to crap again.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Jenn Larsen
This morning in the office I discovered that several co-workers have opted to switch to Metrobus rather than Metrorail due to the recent fare increase. Though it wasn’t remotely a scientific poll, not only was it directly discussed in coffee break conversations but also randomly overheard in the hallways. For the most part, these were my twentysomething colleagues for whom the increase really does add up.
What struck me most was the surprise in their voices about their new experiences, that riding the bus could actually be comfortable and convenient. Now, I’ve been riding the 66/68 for the past seven years, and I’ve seen the demographic change dramatically. The bus is far more diverse now in the past two years, in both age and race, than it was in the first five years I rode it. But for most of that time, I was consistently struck by how many people were surprised, even shocked, when I said I rode the bus. I really had no idea that many people consider it a bad thing to do – and that they considered it not just dangerous bad, but class bad.
So, what’s the word? Are you a bus-hater? Do you think it says something negative about your socio-economic status to ride? Or are you positive? Are you changing your transportation habits from rail to bus because of the increase? From car to bus because of the environment? I’m curious…
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
I was hoping we’d have had more intervening entries between yesterday’s roundup and today’s, but that’s just not how things worked out today. We’re going to be announcing an open call for writers in the next week or so, but if you want to get a head start on that, feel free to email me at tom at metroblogging dot com and we’ll get the ball rolling. But, in the meantime, here’s some news.
DC’s Schools rank 51st in Nation, VA, MD have strong showing
The Post has a piece up today on the rankings from Editorial Projects in Education (publisher of Education Week, one of the big rags in the Edu-industry) that place the District dead last among the states based on a formula that makes the BCS look like something you learned in Grade School. Yeah, DC got a D-. Virginia got a B- and Maryland brought home a B. Maryland was actually #3 in the poll, which is pretty impressive. Looks like DC’s got work to do.
Speaking of the Schoools…
The City Council has approved the plan that gives Chancellor Rhee the ability to fire non-union employees in the central office without cause. The plan reclassifies 70% of the Central Office employees into the kind that Rhee can send packing. Maybe this’ll help?
25 Years for Tonya Bell
Monday’s News update spoke of the victims testifying at Tonya Bell’s sentencing hearing. It worked. She’s spending 25 years behind bars. Bell “apologized” to the victims, but I think her apology can’t cover the damage she brought to so many lives.
Lyme Disease on the rise in MD
As I know someone who caught Lyme Disease in 2007, this one hits close to home. Lyme Disease cases doubled in Maryland last year to over 2,200. So, watch yourself when the weather warms up. If you’re spending time out and about in the world, watch it, and spend some time learning about what causes it.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
It’s a religiously fraught day in DC sports, with Coach Joe “Messiah” Gibbs resigning and the Pope planning a mass in the new Nationals Park. And what would a morning in the greater DC area be without a public official behaving poorly and construction on a major commuter route?
Gibbs Resigns From Redskins
Coach Joe Gibbs will announce his resignation this afternoon, according to the AP. He made a valiant effort, but some teams are beyond saving. I remember a coworker of mine being convinced that the Skins were going to win the Superbowl in Coach Gibbs’ first season back after years of abysmal performances. “Dude, his name is Joe, not Jesus.”
Pope Benedict to hold Mass at Nationals Park
Who knew Pope Benedict was a fan of the diamond? His Holiness will be saying Mass in center field on April 17th, his only public event when he visits Washington in the spring. Personally, I want to see if he can catch a pop-up fly.
Anne Arundel County Exec Rejects Children’s Artwork
County Executive John Leopold is reneging on a promise to display a mural created by a local artist and some schoolchildren because it’s “too busy to the eye.” I was not aware that we were engaging in artistic criticism of school art projects now… my mom always put my artwork up on the refrigerator, after all.
Lane Closures on 66
Expect to see delays during the late morning all week on I-66, as a couple of the westbound lanes will be closed to start drilling holes for a retailing wall near Exit 68.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
This afternoon, Capital Weather announced via Marc Fisher that they’ll be joining the gang in the Post’s blogging arena. Capital Weather will become the Capital Weather Gang and be featured in the Post’s ever-burgeoning stable of blogs as part of the WPNI section of the Paper.
Congratulations to Jason Samenow and his crafty gang of intrepid meteorologists!
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
Today is the 219th anniversary of the first presidential election, which elected George Washington on January 7th, 1789. The process was a bit different then, as states selected the Electoral College delegates who then selected the president. The entire campaign took approximately 6 or so months from start to finish. This would be preferable to the 20-24 month circle-jerk that we engage in now.
So hoist a cold one to our founding fathers tonight for getting their democracy on and starting the trend we’re now in the midst of. Here’s to Democratic Republics!
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
VA Gov. Tim Kaine is going to renew the push for smoking bans in bars and restaurants across the state. This is one issue where my personal preferences trump my otherwise quasi-libertarian-ness. I’m so very glad to see the governor working to take this toxin out of places we eat and hang out.
Granted, most of the places I go these days are already smoke-free (Thank you very much Murky Coffee and Boulevard Woodgrill), but it’d be nice to see this come into effect and make the bar at Four Courts a viable place to have a nice happy-hour beer instead of having to grab a table. What’s the quote from Serenity? When your quarry goes to ground, leave no ground to go to? Put out the smokes.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Carl Weaver
Need a mattress for your flophouse? Check this one out:
This thing has had some serious use. It is fourteen years old, stained from sweat from my years in the South, and has been moved more times and to more states than I want to remember. It looks like it belongs in a flophouse or shooting gallery.
The good news is that it is super comfortable, has been well loved and cared for, has never been spilled on and has never been made to lie directly on the floor until today, when I got a new bed and broke up my half-busted futon frame for firewood.
The best news: It’s free. I am in Arlington and will help you get it in your vehicle.
Help someone out and profit at the same time!
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
The weekend’s over already? Yeah, I guess it is. Fortunately for us, it’s no longer an ice-box out there. Expect highs in the 60s today and tomorrow, and the 50s the rest of the week. You could say, “Hey, Global Warming ain’t so bad!” but chances are that’s not what this is. Into the news we go.
Redskins Try Hard, Still Lose
If it’d just been the fourth quarter. Then they could’ve won. Well, actually, they still lost the fourth quarter 22-14. But still, they looked like a good squad until the Seahawks woke up and scored 22 unanswered points to finish off the Redskins’ season. It’s okay, Skins fans, next year will be your year.
Target is Coming! Target is Coming!
Well, we know that Target is coming, we’ve talked about this before. But they’re now recruiting people for 320 jobs at the store that will open in March. Cashiers, shelf-stockers and “overnight logistics”. While the location has been controversial, at least it’s not a Wal-mart, right?
Redrawing the Flood Zones
If you live in Southwest, or work near Federal Triangle, you might find yourself up to your knees in water at some point. According to FEMA, the Mall area and Federal Triangle, and much of Southwest are now Flood Zones. This means you may need to look into flood insurance if you don’t have it already, as there’s a mandate to require property owners have flood insurance in these zones. The scary part is why it’s being done: “FEMA is revising the maps in cities that cannot prove local levees will work in a flood. The maps are redrawn as if the levees didn’t exist.” Yeah. Those levees in DC? We can’t prove they work, so you’re boned in case of a flood!
Victims in Unifest Mayhem to Testify Tomorrow
Six months ago, Tonya Bell, high on crack, drove through Unifest on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Southeast DC. Tomorrow, her victims will testify before the court as part of her trial. The Post has a moving set of interviews and photographs of the victims of the tragedy.
Hannah Montana’s in town
All those teenage girls screaming? That’s Hannah Montana. Near as the music world can tell, she’s the next Britney Spears (only, without the troubling drug/alcohol/police problem.) She’s actually Billy Ray Cyrus’ daughter, which is something I both found hysterical and a little troubling. But yeah, stay away from the Verizon Center tonight, it’s going to be all manner of fubar with various suburban groups driving into the incredibly crowded area right when you’ll be trying to get home. Want Tickets? Get out your organ donation forms. Tickets for the show start at $208 on StubHub, and go as high as $795 apiece for floor seats. For a kids act. Perspective, people.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Don
I’m kinda surprised that Fishbowl DC hasn’t mentioned this yet, but if you opened the insert package to your WaPo this Saturday or Sunday you might have noticed that Parade magazine’s cover story was an interview with Benazir Bhutto… which made no mention of her death and in fact had a header that said “Is she America’s best hope?”
I think I can say with some confidence: No.
NPR did a story on the matter yesterday and an AP story says that Parade went to press on December 21, a week before her assassination, and shipped the magazine to distributing papers shortly thereafter. I was kind of surprised by this – since the print edition contains the Washington Post’s masthead on the top I’d assumed that papers that distribute it print their own versions for inclusion.
Which is why I’m surprised they didn’t pull it – I think it makes them look bad to include such amazingly stale news. It’s one thing for a standalone magazine to hit the stands looking like this, but this is included in a daily paper already trying to remain relevant and current against the tide of 24 hour tv cable news and their own internet site. I’m sure that the drumbeat of ad dollars were the driving force here – it sure wasn’t reputation or pride.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
That’s right, the grim day has finally come when Metro has raised its fares for all commuters. So, remember to fuel up your metro farecards in the morning with a bit extra to cover the new fares. You’re pretty much boned if you have to park, as parking’s going up too, meaning you could be paying Metro an extra $500 or so in 2008 if that’s how you come into town.
What’s interesting is that the fare increase will cost Metro another $363,000 just in new signage and reprogramming of the machines just to handle the fare increase, itself. The Democrats are using this an opportunity to bash Sen. Coburn (R-OK) for blocking a bill to provide $1.5B in matching fundings for the transit system. Sen. Coburn suggests that any increase in funding should be met with a decrease in funding. Anyone have a good source of $1.5B in the federal budget they might want to see cut?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
Apparently, no one ever told Luis Ayala not to go hunting with Dick Cheney. He was hit in the arm by a shotgun pullet and has a bruised nerve in his pitching arm, probably due to the fact that the pellet’s fragments rest in his arm and won’t be removed unless there’s an infection.
Still, dude, haven’t you learned that you should be really freaking careful with firearms if you’re a sports figure?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Jenn Larsen
Judging by the crowds at the Y this week, everyone is deep in the throes of initial commitment to their New Year’s Resolutions. Sweaty earnest faces scrunched in the mental litany “I will lose weight I will” … it’s all so depressing, especially as I know from prior observation that the crowds will die down by the end of the month as one by one they fall off the resolution wagon.
So what about those resolutions to treat yourself better, eh?
My nightly walk to and from the Y brings me past ACKC: The Cocoa Gallery, the 14th Street newly opened branch of Alexandria’s Kingsbury Chocolates. This little red shop and cafe is exactly the sort of place I’ve been craving for my neighborhood. Rows of pristine artisan crafted truffles, stacks of exotic chocolate bars, and a cocoa bar.
Really, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but what I do have is a rampant winter obsession with hot chocolate. So the sight of people bellying up to a cheerful bar, sipping the divine indulgence with a variety of additions like chipotle, lavendar, orange – instantly pushes me over the resolution edge.
It’s a love affair that will last longer than the elliptical. And honestly (rationalization alert!), if you limit yourself to occasional indulgences, it’s better for you, right?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
Apparently, there was some sort of electoral activity yesterday, but since it was in Iowa, I’m sure no one noticed. Right? Oh. It’s on the Front Page of every newspaper in the country? Really? Iowa? Okay, fine.
Carjacking closes Indian Head Highway during Morning Rush
Police are on the scene of a carjacking on Hwy 210 in Maryland and have closed down Northbound traffic, meaning it’s not possible at this time to get on the Wilson Bridge heading to Virginia. This is going to screw up everyone’s morning, so forgive your late coworker today, it’s not their fault.
Walter Dellinger to Represent DC in Gun Ban Case
Don’t worry, I didn’t know who he was either. Dellinger will replace Morrison on the legal team and present the brief on behalf of the city to the Supreme Court. Filing will be today, it’s expected. Dellinger was an advisor to President Clinton on constitutional issues (no word on if this includes definition assistance, as with the word “is.”) and was the Assistant Attorney General of Washington DC
$48,500 for a Portrait? Really? I’m in the wrong line of work…
This wouldn’t be a big deal if it was just a private citizen. But, it’s the head of the Museum of the American Indian and he used company funds to have it done. And his $250,000 travel budget is being looked at. Sen. Grassley (R-Nosypants, I mean, Iowa) is pretty ticked off about all that travel and has started an investigation by Congress. Get redirected here to read this important article about laws.
Virginia Governor Kaine to Address Consumer Fraud/Identity Theft
Governor Kaine is hoping to pass a set of legislation that would force companies to notify people whose identifying information has been mishandled and/or maliciously taken. WAMU has a great collection of sound bites concerning the Governor’s plan.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
When Eastern Market’s famous South Hall burned nearly to the ground last April, many lost some of their very favorite places to eat. But, with the Market’s temporary home at East Hall open and running, it’s nice to see a good and ranging review of what’s open at East Hall. I haven’t made it over there just yet, but the review is comprehensive and compelling in terms of supporting local businesses hurt by a catastrophe.
You should also check out the great Washingtonian photo exhibit of the new East Hall, and the new temporary facility that’s been constructed until the South Hall is renovated. It’s pretty awesome. And while popping out at lunchtime on a day as cold as this one might not seem like a great idea, the forecast put us in the 60s on Monday and Tuesday. Think about a field trip. Sounds like it’s worth it.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
I was killing time this morning between appointments, and I ended up in the Barnes & Noble in Clarendon perusing for the miserable collection of “books” that passed for their Science Fiction section. Good God if it wasn’t full of just the pulpiest of pulp books. Not a decent piece of recent fiction, half of Charlie Stross’ novels weren’t on the shelves, and definitely not his newest. The section for a few of my other favorite authors was sorely lacking, and missing most of the newer hardbacks.
What’s a Space Opera fan to do? I got a really great Anthology this Christmas, and I’d like to branch out to a few of the authors from the book. But of course, the entire store was picked over and the shelves barely full.
And full of crap, mostly.
Where can I find a decent sci-fi section in this town!?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
Just a quick link-dump this morning of the news that’s fit to print.
Water Main in Bethesda Breaks
East-West Highway in Bethesda is a mess this morning, due to a water main that broke this morning. I’d stay far, far away as all that water’s quickly going to be ice all over the road in these frigid temperatures. Cross that part of Bethesda just east of the East-West Highway/Wisconsin Ave intersection off your list til tonight at the earliest.
Two Suffer Hypothermia as Car Goes Into a Pond
A car went off the road in Fairfax County last night and into a pond right in the heart of Chantilly. Fortunately, a passerby came to his rescue, and pulled him from the pond and summoned help. Neither suffered serious injury, but both are being treated for hypothermia.
Metro Appoints New Chief Safety Officer
Congratulatons to Ronald Keele, who will be taking over the Chief Safety Officer position at WMATA. His first campaign will be one of pedestrian safety, including a focus on including local authorities, including planning authorities, I suspect. With 20 years in safety, 14 of those in transit safety, Keele’s bio is pretty strong.
New $650K Needle Exchange Program for DC
After a decade-long ban imposed by Congress, the DC Government will spend $650,000 on a needle exchange program, designed to fight the ever-rising HIV/AIDS rate in the District. The plan is split into two funding schemes, one for Prevention Works! and one for a funding option to various programs. This will prove controversial outside of DC, but here, it’s clear we need to start taking more aggressive action against the spread of HIV/AIDS.
DC’s Gun Ban Defender Fired
As the Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments concerning the District’s controversial and far-reaching gun ban, the District has fired the attorney preparing their arguments and brief. Alan Morrison was part of the group that was preparing the brief to be filed at the Supreme Court tomorrow. Morrison had argued 16 cases in front of the nation’s highest bench, and reasons for his firing aren’t exactly clear at this point. Why you’d want to get rid of a veteran attorney moments before filing…I’m not quite sure. Morrison is saying that he was sacked without reason: “but I assume it is because I was seen as a Linda [Singer] loyalist.”
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
Kelvin Poke, mentioned this morning as escaping from Laurel Hospital, managed to carjack two different people today, then get into a shootout with Prince George’s County Police before being taken back into custody. Poke, seen here in his mugshot, was incarcerated for multiple violent crimes, including kidnapping and carjacking, for a term of 40 years in jail.
It’s not clear if he was reapprended alive and wounded, as reported by WTOP and Washington Post, or if he was killed the in the shootout, per CNN. Either way, our hearts go out to the two people who got carjacked by an escaped prisoner who managed to fake his way into a hospital claiming “chest pains”. Both will pull through, but still, man, that’s a shitty way to start your year.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
In an age when art is any and everything from three panels of canvas painted white to a piece of wood nailed to the wall, it’s nice that we can revisit some of those artists who could, well, paint something. Edward Hopper has long been one of my favorite artists, his lines are simple and evocative, his portraits austere and realist and his work is just incredible. His paintings have hung in the National Gallery of Art in an eponymous exhibit since September, but there are just three weeks left before it moves on to Chicago.
Go and see it. The NGA is free and open to the public at large. They’re only open til 5pm, during the week, so I might recommend a lunchtime at the Gallery, wandering through to see Nighthawks and Automat or to catch the Steve Martin-narrated film. I know I’m trying to make it before they close. Anyone else want to come with me?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
The more time I spend telling jokes in and around DC, the more impressed I am with the quality of local talent we have hanging around here. The DC Improv is a great place to see national headliners, but there’s a great, bubbly mass o’ fun happening in smaller venues all around the area.
Local comedian (and a personal favorite of mine) Jake Young has started his own monthly show at McGinty’s Public House in Downtown Silver Spring, called The Awesome Room.
The first show will be January 31st at 9PM. You must go, if for no other reason than to see Seaton Smith. You will not be sorry.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
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