Posts from August 2017
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Breakfast links: Bad math could be good news for Montgomery’s minimum wage
The math was off in an unfavorable study on raising Montgomery's minimum wage. Activists pressure Mayor Bowser to make the Hebrew Home mostly affordable housing. In Montgomery, a new law on public financing is already changing how candidates campaign. Keep reading…
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Ending this federal giveaway for rich homeowners could lower housing costs
The Republican-led Congress may be geared to take up tax reform after the summer recess, and it may affect policies related to housing for millions of Americans. Notably, the Trump administration has indicated that it supports eliminating the Mortgage Interest Deduction, which allows homeowners to pay lower taxes. Keep reading…
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Arlington and Alexandria want to rename Jefferson Davis Highway
For many residents across the region, streets named for Confederate figures harken to a time of hatred and violence. As we saw this past weekend, that time is not distant at all. That’s why Alexandria and Arlington are thinking about renaming Jefferson Davis Highway, named for the president of the Confederate States of America. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Goodbye, secret CaBi station - we never really got to use you
The Trump administration removed the 'secret' Capital Bikeshare station. Arlington wants residents' input on its new Bicycle Master Plan. Metro has added cell service between Metro Center and Stadium-Armory. Keep reading…
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Historic preservation isn’t always about saving buildings. Here’s one example.
Historic preservation is an important way to save buildings that make major aesthetic or historic contributions to our communities. But sometimes, it can be used as an excuse to stop future development from occurring. That’s what two groups are doing in Friendship Heights. Keep reading…
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DC nightlife is booming, but not necessarily for much longer
Nightlife in DC has grown dramatically in recent years, from just over 800 bars, restaurants, and nightclubs in 2008 to just under 1300 in 2016. While the conventional wisdom that most restaurants don’t survive their first year is far from true, nightlife in DC hasn’t been all boom—even in this period of rapid growth there were many short-lived bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. Keep reading…
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Transit projects have to make impossible guesses on ridership predictions
New York's elevated railroads brought transit to farmland and sparked development of a city. China still does this. But in the United States, today, transit projects are expected to bring massive ridership instantly or risk being shut down or criticized. Like the Purple Line. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: A downtown Bethesda road block gets rolled back
Montgomery is pulling down bollards that blocked a downtown Bethesda street because they forgot to get public input first. DC's last trolley trestle could one day be part of the city's trails, if it doesn't collapse first. Capital Bikeshare comes to your phone with a new app. Keep reading…
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Now, you can read comments chronologically
Sometimes, I've read the comments on a post, come back later, and want to see what's new. The threaded comments are very helpful in many ways, but they make it hard to find the new comments. Therefore, we've added a new feature so you can read comments chronologically. Keep reading…
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The Outer Beltway won’t help the people it’s supposed to
Calls for an Outer Beltway, or a new ring road far outside the Capital Beltway, have begun anew with the area's Transportation Planning Board agreeing to study the issue. It's still a bad idea, because a new road won't actually help any of the drivers supporters say it will. In fact, it could make things even worse. Keep reading…