Posts from October 2019
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At the DC Council’s Vision Zero hearing Thursday, residents plead for streets that don’t kill
On Thursday, the DC Council held a hearing about a slate of seven road safety bills that would, among other things, ban on right-on-red turns and lower speed limits to 20 mph throughout the city. Over more than eight hours, residents shared stories of loved ones injured and killed on DC roads, as well as their own crashes and close calls. Keep reading…
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Here’s where the feds once envisioned a mile-long cubicle farm
During this year’s World Series, millions of baseball fans will have their eyes turned to Nationals Park, with the new skyline of Half Street SE beyond the left field line. But if federal planners from the 1960s had their way, that view could have been of a tremendous Brutalist office compound instead of a ballfield, dining/entertainment venues, and thousands of high-rise homes. Keep reading…
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Montgomery may charge a “teardown” fee to fund schools and affordable housing. Here’s what you should know.
This past Tuesday, Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass introduced the Housing Impact Fairness Act which would apply impact fees to newly-rebuilt homes, sometimes called “teardowns.” The councilmember claims the bill could raise $100 million in new revenue for school construction and affordable housing. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: As the Nats advance in the World Series, what does that mean for DC?
The World Series brings scores of people into the District. But will it bring a profit as well? The NoMA encampment discussion continues. A survey shows most Marylanders support the Bay Bridge expansion. Keep reading…
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Here are the answers to whichWMATA week 151
On Tuesday, we featured the 151st challenge to see how well you know the Metro system. Here are the answers. How’d you do? Keep reading…
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The 74 bus line could extend service to Audi Field. But who will get lost along the way?
The 74 bus line, which runs between the Southwest Waterfront and the Convention Center, is already slow. It scored an F for headways and adherence to schedule from Metro Report Card, a report that unpacks how effective bus service is throughout the District. Now WMATA is proposing service changes that would extend the line to Audi Field through Buzzard Point. Keep reading…
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How DC’s first electric streetcar helped build Eckington
Streetcars ran in the District from 1862 to 1962, and DC got its first electric streetcar in 1888 when the Eckington & Soldiers Home Railway went into operation. A ban on overhead wires kept it from running downtown, and the company ultimately went out of business because it couldn’t find another option. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Congress questions Metro about Jack Evans and cybersecurity
During this week’s congressional oversight hearings, Metro officials were asked a myriad of questions. Metrobus drivers in NoVa go on strike. How the Maryland Renaissance Festival grew out of the “New Town” movement. Keep reading…
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Leave those fall leaves for a nicer lawn and a healthier ecosystem, scientists say
Leave those leaves on the ground. Yes, get them off the sidewalk and steps, where they are slippery when wet. Get them away from the door so you won’t track them into the house. Get them off the storm drains. Otherwise, let them be. Keep reading…
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There’s a pedestrian tunnel system under Capitol Hill. Do you know why it was built?
A sprawling pedestrian tunnel system under Capitol Hill allows staffers and members of congress to move underground between the office buildings, Library of Congress, and Capitol building. Today they are an integral part of security on the Hill, but when they were first built it was for a far less important reason. Keep reading…