Photo by ehplen on Flickr

Purple Line negotiations

Prince George’s County will commit $20 million more toward the Purple Line so that the project can move forward, but only if the command center is built in the county and construction starts there. (Post)  

Making Metro safer

The Tri-State Oversight Committee, which oversees Metro’s safety, regularly sounds the alarm on Metro’s poor maintenance practices, but can’t enforce change. In June, the FTA recommended replacing it with a more independent committee that has more power. (Post)  

A bus stop after all

In March, MGM said it wouldn’t allow a Metro bus stop at its casino at National Harbor. Now MGM has changed its tune after complaints from neighborhood residents and labor unions about access. (Post)  

Metro as a marketing tool

The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District wants to change the Farragut West station name to include “White House” to bring more visitors to the Golden Triangle. But the Dupont ANC pushed back, hard. (Borderstan)  

De-escalating

A new escalator at the Bethesda Metro station has gone out of service three times since opening this month. Metro says that with such a long escalator, there are bound to be hiccups at first. (Post)  

DC power

DC government has switched to wind power for 35% of its electricity over the next 20 years. That will be enough energy to power the equivalent of 12,000 homes annually. (City Paper)  

School for grown-ups

Goodwill of Greater Washington wants to open a first: a charter school for adults in DC that would allow residents to earn a high school diploma instead of a GED.  (WBJ)  

BnB fee

A San Diego woman must pay thousands of dollars in fines after renting her apartment through AirBnB without a permit. DC has a similar law, which requires a permit to rent out a bedroom for less than 30 days. (UrbanTurf)  

Bike bits

DDOT will track 30 specially-branded Capital Bikeshare bikes for three weeks as part of its Vision Zero initiative. (DCist) … America’s first protected intersection for cyclists is up and running in Davis, CA. (People for Bikes) … WABA is using social media to profile the diversity of female cyclists in the DC area.