Breakfast links: Climate change is forcing local roads to close more due to flooding
Md. 450 keeps flooding, and climate change will only make it worse
State officials are blaming the effects of climate change for now-frequent flooding of Maryland Route 450, which traverses a low-lying, marshy area between Crofton and Annapolis near the confluence of three South River tributaries. The state plans to spend $1 million to mitigate some of the effects. (Dave Dildine / WTOP)
DC may soon empower some residents to issue parking tickets
Introduced by Ward 6 Councilman Charles Allen, a proposed Citizen Safety Enforcement Pilot Program may allow up to 10 residents per ward to be trained to use an app to photograph parking violations and issue tickets, such as when vehicles block a bike lane, crosswalk, or fire hydrant. (Keara Dowd / WTOP)
Arlington’s transportation commission chair gives a wide ranging interview
In a podcast episode, Chris Slatt, Chair of the Arlington County Transportation Commission (and GGWash contributor) answers questions about why the Columbia Pike-Crystal City streetcar never took off, what Amazon means for local public transportation, and what it would really take to build safe bike routes across the county. (ARLnow)
An Ellicott City flood mitigation plan could cost up to $140.5 million
Following the back-to-back 1,000-year floods in 2016 and 2018 that devastated Ellicott City, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball presented his flood mitigation plan for the historic city, which would cost an estimated $113.5 million to $140.5 million. (Rachel Chason / Post)
Prince George’s may restore missed teacher raises but cut programs
Monica Goldson, the interim schools chief in Prince George’s County, will try to end a dispute over compensation with a plan to give school employees $46.5 million in missed raises due to the 2008 recession. The pay increases would occur over three years, but may require cuts elsewhere. (Rachel Chason / Post)
The MoCo Council votes to fully fund its public school budget
The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to fund $2.68 billion for the school system, $16 million more than requested by the Board of Education. Most of this additional funding is expected to come from the state, which may provide $24.4 million statewide to county schools. (Caitlynn Peetz / Bethesda Beat)
Bowser and the DC Council clash over the fate of a vacant middle school
Mayor Muriel Bowser's proposed fiscal 2020 budget includes more than $100 million to move Benjamin Banneker High School from Columbia Heights to an empty middle school building in Shaw, while DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson wants to renovate Banneker's existing building and reopen the middle school in Shaw. (Perry Stein / Post)
Three measures of gentrification show the same seven DC census tracts
According to three separate studies that used different definitions to measure gentrification among DC census tracts from 2000 and 2010, seven tracts across the District were all consistently identified as “gentrified.” (Nina Perry-Brown / Urban Turf)
Hyperlocal DC paper The Current is ceasing publication amid bankruptcy
The publisher of The Current, which for 52 years provided hyperlocal editions for affluent northwest DC neighborhoods including Georgetown, Dupont, and Foggy Bottom, announced it would cease operations. The papers were known for their coverage of local ANC meetings, zoning battles, business closures and openings, and real estate deals other outlets ignored. (Natalie Delgadillo / DCist)
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