Breakfast links: Kicked out
NPS punts soccer team from the Ellipse
FC Barcelona is in town for this weekend’s match against Manchester United. The team wanted to kick around on the Ellipse in front of the White House, but the Park Service would not allow it. (Post)
Bikes make it across the bridge
Tommy Wells organized a group of cyclists to try to cross the Frederick Douglass (South Capitol Street) bridge, which lacks any sidewalk or other separate facility. It’s harrowing and several cars honk, but they make it. (WAMU)
Metro morsels
New cameras on buses have caught drivers using cell phones and other infractions; the union isn’t pleased. (Examiner) … Some lucky riders got to try new seat coverings for future railcars. (Post) … Stats show escalators less reliable than in the past, but actually, it’s just that they’re being inspected more often. (TBD)
Arlington faces heat for protecting its residents
The highways-at-any-cost Northern VA Transportation Alliance blames Arlington for scuttling the HOT lanes on I-95 & I-395. Arlington feared the widening would wreck residents’ quality of life. (TBD)
Black folks can gentrify, too?
Black professionals moving to houses in Anacostia are learning that the term “gentrifier” may be more about class than race. (Post)
Developers sad that sprawl may be harder
Prince George’s will stop letting developers pay into a fund when building in Brandywine, in the rural south of the county. Developers say this will hurt growth there, but is that really a bad thing? (Gazette)
Consequences of Congress
The debt ceiling debate already threatens credit ratings of area jurisdictions by potentially reducing local jobs and leases. (Post) … Will the House fail to renew the gas tax, which expires at the end of September? (Politico, Rob P)
Poplar Point won’t get DHS project
A proposed high-security federal development at Poplar Point is not going to happen since there’s no money available. That could mean a less forbidding project ultimately helps create a neighborhood here. (City Paper)
And…
Women in the House finally get their own restroom. (Post) … Some MARC commuters are partying hard on the ride home. (TBD) … You might recognize a few of Zipcar’s low-car diet participants. … Walk in Arlington? take this survey. … The Onion deftly mocks our country’s poor infrastructure spending.