Breakfast links: DC could convert old office buildings into housing
Should downtown DC be converting offices into houses?
The DC Council is considering a bill that would offer tax breaks to convert of older office buildings into living quarters. Office vacancy rates in DC are at 11 percent and the demand for housing is high. (Eugene Meyer / NYT)
Petworth businesses support trading gas pumps for condos
Six Petworth business owners came out in support of turning a Shell station on Georgia Avenue NW into condos. DC has frozen the sale of service stations, but the businesses argue that the neighborhood needs more housing, not more gas. (Drew Schneider / Petworth News)
What can Metro do to improve disaster response after Monday’s derailment?
Metro removed the section of track that unexpectedly broke on Monday, but the derailment also raised concerns about Metro's ability to respond in a crisis given the poor communications in tunnels, the long emergency response times, and the struggle to manage riders. (Post)
The Justice Department weighs in on Metro advertising
The Justice Department argued that Metro was wrong to reject a religious ad from the Archdiocese of Washington in November. The federal government filed a brief in support of the archdiocese, which sued Metro over the ads. (Benjamin Freed / Washingtonian)
I-66 toll rates weren’t visible for part of Tuesday
An error in I-66's online toll viewer meant drivers couldn't see the toll rates on their phones or computers Tuesday morning. This was especially bad timing since the post-long weekend congestion bounced them all the way up to $39. (Dana Hedgpeth / Post)
Washington City Paper adds DC news veteran Tom Sherwood
The City Paper is rebounding from the dire financial straits it was in last year, and announced that Tom Sherwood, who has been a Washington reporter at the Post and NBC4 for nearly 45 years, will be a contributing writer. (Alexa Mills / WCP)
Baltimore raised fines for blocking buses, but dragged its feet on implementing them
A new Baltimore law raised fines for blocking bus lanes and bus stops from $75 to $250 in September, but the city took months to actually update its citations. During that time 2,500 tickets for obstructing buses were written at the old rate. (Luke Broadwater / Baltimore Sun)
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