Photo by Karen Jackson on Flickr.

Yes or no to urban chickens?

An Arlington task force will soon decide whether to allow egg-laying hens in residential areas. A group, the Arlington Egg Project, is pushing for the change; opponents formed a counter group, Backyards Not Barnyards. (ARLnow)  

Lay off DC, national writers

A number of writers in recent months have criticized DC for its economic boom, supposedly at taxpayer expense. But that’s quite unfair, and plus, DC is becoming less dependent on the federal government, not more. (City Paper)  

Induced demand for restaurants

The wait is 45-90 minutes at most restaurants on 14th Street on a Friday night. Why are the lines so long as restaurants keep opening? Actually, more restaurants can increase demand in an area rather than alleviate it. (City Paper)  

Open a business for $1

St. Elizabeths Gateway Pavilion, a new open air market near Congress Heights Metro, broke ground yesterday. Mayor Gray hopes that $1 pop-up rent will attract business. (City Paper, Examiner)  

New VRE station stalled

A developer has offered to build a VRE station at the new Potomac Shores development, between Quantico and Rippon, but lack of federal funding for a third rail

track has indefinitely held up progress. (Potomac Local)  

Rail ridership ups and downs

VRE and MARC commuter rail continued to break ridership records in April of this year, while Metro ridership experienced a steady decline. More people are bicycling as well. (Examiner)  

Cyclist diversity grows

Research shows that American bicyclists are no longer fitting the affluent white professional stereotype. Given the research, poor and racially diverse neighborhoods would benefit from bicycling infrastructure. (Atlantic Cities)  

And…

Heat restrictions slow MARC and VRE. (Post) … A member of Mayor Gray’s cabinet might testify against the Skyland project, one of Gray’s priorities. (WBJ) … How will NoMA use $50 million for a park? (City Paper)