Breakfast links: Where does the Washington region get its local news?
The Washington region still gets most of its local news from TV
A Pew Research Study found that in the Washington region, 36% of adults get local news from TV, while 27% get it online and 14% from print media. The local Fox news affiliate and the Post are the top two sources, and only 16% of adults report paying for news subscriptions. (Andrew Beaujon / Washingtonian)
A toddler was run over in a Rockville parking lot
The driver of a Ford Explorer struck and killed a three-year-old who was walking across a Rockville parking lot yesterday. (Jack Pointer / WTOP)
DC hopes to reinvent the Reeves Center and Poplar Point
DC's Deputy Mayor for Planning and Development announced a list of projects that will be studied or put up for redevelopment or renovation over the next year. The largest plot is Poplar Point, between Anacostia River and South Capitol Street, though the city has to wait to get full ownership from NPS before getting proposals. (Alex Koma / WBJ)
Governor Northam wants to ban driving with a cell phone in Virginia
Governor Ralph Northam proposed an amendment to a highway safety bill that would make it illegal to hold a phone while driving in Virginia. Maryland and DC have similar laws, but in Virginia it is only illegal to text and drive, even though a quarter of Virginia road deaths in 2017 involved distracted driving. (Jordan Pascale / WAMU)
Accessory apartment rules in Montgomery County are still up for debate
At a Council Planning Committee hearing, MoCo Housing Director Tim Goetzinger reported that many of the county's 472 existing accessory apartments don't comply with current zoning. Committee chair Hans Reimer proposed removing parking requirements within one mile of rail stations. (Dan Schere / Bethesda Beat)
United Medical Center needs $40 million from DC
DC has already spent $41 million since 2017 keeping UMC open, but the hospital has still struggled with near bankruptcy before being put under new management. UMC is the only hospital east of the Anacostia, though a new GW Hospital should open there by 2023. (Peter Jamison / Post)
An audit of Prince George’s County schools turned up contract mismanagement
The school audit found nearly $50 million dollars worth of contracts that were not properly approved by the school board or were missing crucial justification documents. Fourteen other problems identified in the school system's 2014 audit were not fixed in the intervening years. (Alejandro Alvarez and Rob Woodfork / WTOP)
The DC Council’s “constituent funds” often don’t go to constituents
Only a quarter of Councilmember's constituent funds go to address immediate constituent needs. The rest often go to fundraisers, catering, or candidate materials, a report by Public Citizen found. Constituent funds have been critiziced as “slush funds” and five councilmembers don't maintain them. (Fenit Nirappil / Post)
Hogan hopes the Supreme Court will crack down on Maryland gerrymandering
The Supreme Court is considering whether Maryland's 6th district was deliberately constructed to give state Democrats a political advantage. Governor Larry Hogan filed an “amicus” brief in the case and appeared outside the courthouse to denounce gerrymandering. (Jeff Barker / Baltimore Sun)
London will charge cars downtown for their emissions
London already has a congestion charge for cars that want to drive into the city center, but it will institute an “Ultra Low Emission Zone” where cars, trucks, and motorcycles that don't meet emissions standards will have to pay an additional fee (Tom Edwards / BBC)
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