Breakfast links: Happy National Bike Month!
It’s National Bike Month! Here’s how you can make biking better in DC
In honor of National Bike month, consider showing support and lending your voice to regional bike initiatives, like the Long Bridge Project and the bicycle network that will connect NoMa to Mount Vernon Square. (Garrett Hennigan / WABA)
Metro’s union sounds the alarm on worries of potential privatization
ATU Local 689, which represents more than 9,000 Metro workers, is concerned about the prospect of privatization. Metro could never be a successful for-profit enterprise, but could it start concessioning, where the the day-to-day operations are handed over to a private company? (Martin Di Caro / WAMU)
United Medical Center is in hot water, and may need financial help
DC's United Medical Center recently discovered doctors were overbilling Medicare, and may now owe millions to the federal government, its nursing facility was recently fined for poor patient care, and the hospital faces a $9.5 million deficit at the end of 2017. Will it need more public money to keep its doors open? (Peter Jamison / Post)
Campaign finance reform is in the air
After the District's Office of Campaign Finance found that council member Brandon Todd couldn't account for $100,000 in campaign contributions months before his reelection, some council members want to change who oversees the office. (Aaron C. Davis / Post)
Activists take to the streets to support immigrants on May Day
Hundreds of activists and immigrants left work to march in DC on May Day (and International Workers' Day) to protest Trump administration policies and to support workers' rights. Many businesses closed in support, but others stayed open to serve customers, many of whom are immigrants who could not take time off work. (Maria Sacchetti / Post)
Alexandria City may raise taxes to pay for schools, sewers, and Metro
Property taxes in Alexandria City may go up by 5.7 cents, adding an average of $356 to tax bills every year. The revenue from higher taxes and an increase in other fees will help alleviate overcrowded schools, an old sewer system, and the city's contributions to Metro funding. The Alexandria City Council is set to vote on Thursday. (Patricia Sullivan / Post)
DC’s new inclusionary zoning rules arrive next month
All new inclusionary zoning rental units will have to be affordable to families earning 60% of the median family income beginning next month. For-sale units will still be subject to the 80% limit. Currently, the median family income for DC (according to HUD) is $110,300. (Nena Perry-Brown / UrbanTurf)
Anacostia may not get its Busboys and Poets until 2018
With construction running about three months behind, Busboys and Poets in Anacostia probably won't open until December of 2017, at the earliest. (Nena Perry-Brown / UrbanTurf)
Bridj out, but Gig is in
AAA has introduced its new car share service, Gig. Gig is more like ZipCar, and for now, is operating only in Oakland. AAA has planned for Gig cars to be parked near BART stations and the Oakland International Airport. This is on the heels of Bridj, the embattled on-demand bus service, shutting down. (Mobility Lab)