Photo by Steampunk Family the von… on Flickr.

Sudden tragedy

AJ Cooper, a candidate for DC council, passed away Wednesday morning. AJ was 34, and he was running for Muriel Bowser’s vacant seat in Ward 4.  (Post)  

Pay your last respects

Memorial events for Marion Barry begin today. The Mayor-for-life will lie in state in the Wilson Building, where surrounding roads will close. (Post)  

Purple Line delayed for Hogan

The Maryland MTA pushed back its bid deadline for the Purple Line by two months to give Governor-elect Hogan time to evaluate the project. (Post)  

No marijuana testing

The DC Council passed legislation yesterday that prohibits employers from drug testing for marijuana before a conditional job offer has been made. (DCist)  

Bicycle space

Under new rules, all new or rehabilitated residential buildings with 8 or more units must provide one bicycle parking space per 3 units. (TheWashCycle)  

Creative school funding

Arlington County schools face a capacity crisis. The county charges to developers for new projects for transportation, affordable housing, and public art, but not education.  The long range planning committee is asking why Arlington doesn’t also demand money for schools as neighboring counties do. (ArlNow)  

Federal board pops up

Neighbors opposed to a pop-up near Rock Creek Park asked the federal Commission on Fine Arts to intervene. The board made design suggestions, but can’t stop the pop-up completely even if members wanted to. (WAMU)  

Maryland I-95 lanes to open

Maryland’s new “Express Toll” lanes on I-95 north of Baltimore open Saturday.  Unlike Virginia’s I-95 HOT lanes, carpoolers can’t drive for free, and tolling is based on peak periods, not dynamic pricing. (Post)  

Development details

A redeveloped Uline Arena will feature an REI store. (UrbanTurf) … The Union Market developer is buying many neighboring properties. (WBJ) … A deal is ready to develop Hill East. (WBJ)  

And…

Congressional Republicans hope to stop legal marijuana in DC. (WAMU) … A Bethesda apartment building will use DNA testing to track down non-scooping dog owners. (WBJ) … How did the new World Trade Center transit hub cost $4 billion? (NYT)