Breakfast links: Maryland doesn’t want to build bridges with Virginia
Maryland has no interest in a new bridge to Virginia
The Montgomery County Council and Governor Hogan oppose the plan to build a new bridge connecting Maryland and Virginia north of the Beltway. Maryland says it would cost the state too much, disrupt existing neighborhoods, and not relieve mostly Beltway-bound traffic. (Andrew Metcalf / Bethesda Beat)
DC bill would lighten punishment for Metro fare jumpers
DC Councilmember Trayon White introduced a bill to decriminalize Metro fare evasion, lowering the fine to $100 and removing the possibility of jail time for offenders. He argues that the law is too harsh on riders, but the WMATA Board is worried about lost revenue. (Faiz Siddiqui / Post)
Arlington County should be the City of Arlington according to one of its board members
Arlington is technically a county, but it is one of the smallest, most urban and most densely populated counties in the country. County Board member Jay Fisette thinks that the state legislature ought to reclassify the area as a city. (ARLNow)
Job growth continues for food service, but not retail
Jobs in food service and retail have been a big part of DC's economic recovery from the recession, outpacing all other private jobs growth in recent years. In 2016 DC's food service job market was still strong, but retail waned. (Stephen Swaim / District Measured)
Homelessness could become a protected class in DC
Homelessness could become a protected class under the DC Human Rights Act, if a the DC Council passes a bill introduced by David Grosso. The bill would enabled homeless individuals to bring legal complaints to the city's Office of Human Rights if they experience discrimination. (Andrew Giambrone / WCP)
Metro pulls a controversial ad, but raises questions about how they apply their policy
Metro yanked an ad for professional hatemonger Milo Yiannopoulous's self published book, but drew attention to the fact that Metro's advertisement policy is vaguely written and unevenly applied to controversial products. (Benjamin Freed / Washingtonian)
New animal welfare laws in DC, nicknamed “Momma’s Law” arrive
DC passed temporary legislation forbidding owners from leaving pets out in extreme weather conditions, allowing emergency services to remove animals from parked cars, and setting up a spay/neuter fund. The Council will vote in September to make the law permanent. (Ally Schweitzer / WAMU)
Ground stop leaves all three of the region’s airports in temporary disarray
Dulles, National, and BWI were in disarray Monday and part of Tuesday, with many flights cancelled or delayed due to an evacuation of the region's major air traffic control center in Leesburg. The center had to be evacuated because construction fumes were leaking into the building. (Julie Strupp / DCist)
Food sleuths pinpoint the exact DC sandwich shop “ruining society”
David Brooks of the New York Times tried to make a point about cultural divides with a mangled anecdote about an elitist Italian sandwich place. Local food experts think Radici on Capitol Hill is the site of his consternation. (Zach Rausnitz / CityPaper)
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