Posts by Tom Neeley
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Breakfast links: More married couples in the region are living with roommates
A growing share of married couples are adding roommates. China's state-owned railcar company attended a Metro-sponsored site visit. Pedestrians were critically injured Monday night in DC and Prince George's. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Despite fewer crashes in the Washington region, more people are being killed by impaired drivers
Drugs or alcohol are the leading cause in one-third of traffic deaths in the Washington region, and those rates are going up. Virginia is expected to offer Amazon $750 million in subsidies. A Metro Silver Line contractor was fined $1 million for faulty concrete panels. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Will Mayor Bowser’s fare evasion decriminalization veto be overruled?
What will happen with Mayor Bowser's fare evasion decrim veto? Highway safety laws across the Washington region, ranked. The Virginia Senate approved grants for Amazon jobs but rejects a $15 minimium wage. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: 101 ways to make your city a little bit better
Here are 101 small things you can do to make your city a little bit better. Speeding is a factor in more than half of motor vehicle-related deaths in DC. The region's apartment rents grew to an eight-year high in 2018. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Metro is taking precautions against spying in its new rail cars
WMATA reissued its contract bid for new rail cars with cybersecurity safeguards over fears of surveillance in Chinese-made cars. Muriel Bowser pledges 36,000 new housing units for DC by 2025. The government shutdown has put millions of Americans at risk for eviction. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: As Amazon moves in, residents in this Arlington neighborhood worry about rent
This middle-class Arlington neighborhood may by the first to feel the impacts of Amazon's HQ2. Many DC Public Schools lack diversity by race and socioeconomic status, a new study finds. Organizations in the Washington region can apply to use an autonomous shuttle bus fleet for three months. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Metro wants to extend early closure and have riders use Uber and Lyft instead
Metro board members don't want to return to late hours until at least 2020, and say riders should use Uber and Lyft instead. The Yellow and Blue lines will be closed this summer south of National Airport. Hundreds of new housing could be built at the Westfield Montgomery Mall. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Tax breaks for commercial properties or help for people experiencing homelessness?
Should DC spend tax revenue on tax breaks for commercial properties, or help for people experiencing homelessness? Maryland officials are trying to figure out why they lost the Amazon bid. This New York City suburb is trying to revitalize without displacing existing residents. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Even some new Congressmembers struggle to afford housing in the region
The region is so expensive that even some new Congressmembers struggle to find housing. These are the six roads that change directions in DC each weekday. Angela Alsobrooks talks taxes, the Washington Football Team, and more in a new interview. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Washington’s rail system was beset by a trespasser, fire, and a deer
The region's rail system saw a lot of hazards on Monday. As hypothermia season begins, local shelters are preparing for more people in need. DC offered Amazon between $488 million and $1 billion in tax incentives for Amazon's HQ2. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Scooter companies are concerned about DC’s new regulations
Scooter companies say DC's new regulations will make it impossible to serve the city. Amazon is expected to officially announce its HQ2 decision on Tuesday. Drivers struck pedestrians in six separate incidents in Montgomery County on Monday. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Crystal City could get half of Amazon’s HQ2
Crystal City could get half of Amazon's HQ2, and Long Island City in Queens, New York could get the other half. Advocates want space for people biking and walking on the pedestrian bridge between Arlington and DC. Is the park Meridian Hill or Malcolm X? That depends. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Amazon HQ2 speculators are preparing for a housing spike in NoVa
Amazon HQ2 speculators are investing in real estate companies in Northern Virginia. DC has gone on an enforcement blitz as part of the city's Vision Zero reset. Metro would fund more service and other improvements, if local jurisdictions chip in another $20 million. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Lots of drivers don’t stop for school buses
Lots of drivers don't stop for school buses, a Maryland study showed. DC may ban right turns on red lights in parts of the city, which could improve safety for more vulnerable road users. A class action lawsuit accuses e-scooter companies of 'gross negligence.' Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Affordable housing could be an important campaign issue in 2020
Presidential hopefuls are eyeing affordable housing as a key issue in 2020. The future of deliveries isn't drones — it's the humble bike (well, an electric cargo version). Here's what younger riders REALLY want from Metro. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Why not give families cash for rent, and let them keep the change?
Researchers are applying a basic income approach to help financially-strapped families make rent. A carry-out window has proven to be surprisingly divisive in Old Town Alexandria. Calls for Metro to decriminalize fare evasion are growing louder, but WMATA says the crackdown is working. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: A map of neighborhoods that foster upward mobility
Researchers dug into what makes some neighborhoods better for upward mobility. Airbnb and other short-term rental companies are protesting strongly against DC's proposed regulations. Annapolis abandons a pop-up bicycle lane two weeks early due to pressure from business owners. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Could this multi-billion, 10-year plan fix the US housing crunch?
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has a 10-year, multi-billion dollar plan to fix the national housing shortage. Maryland gubernatorial candidates Hogan and Jealous faced off in their first and only debate. DC's auditor says the city needs to get better at enforcing housing code violations. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: City workers are hurt more by a lack of homes than by traffic
Attention city planners: a lack of housing hurts urban workers worse than traffic, a new study shows. Virginia spent $75 million on emergency evacuation and shelters to prepare for Hurricane Florence. Montgomery County is requiring developers to include more affordable homes in new developments. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Are NFL stadiums a ‘waste of land?’
Are NFL stadiums a waste of land? At least one DC Councilmember thinks so. Four more pedestrians were hit and killed by drivers in the region within 36 hours. Portable body scanners are being tested at train stations across the US, including at Union Station in DC. Keep reading…