Breakfast links: Maryland is withholding Metro funds, citing lack of transparency
Hogan’s administration withholds $55.6 million from Metro
In a letter, Maryland officials withheld delivery of $55.6 million in approved funding to Metro, citing disagreement with how Metro’s costs to local governments are calculated going forward and its lack of cooperation in state audits. Virginia officials were surprised by the letter and saw no reason money would be withheld. (Max Smith / WTOP)
20 people are struck by drivers of public buses locally each year
Citing a “string of recent crashes,” a local investigative report found about 20 people per year are hit by drivers operating public buses in the Washington region, a number that is unchanged over the last 15 years. (Scott MacFarlane, Katie Leslie, and Jeff Piper / NBC4)
Some Alexandria businesses see revenues decline during the Metro shutdown
About 40% of Alexandria businesses who responded to a mid-June survey about the Metro’s summer shutdown of the Blue and Yellow lines south of Reagan National Airport reported lower revenue than compared to a year ago. Those close to the King Street Metro station noted the steepest declines. (Max Smith / WTOP)
DC breaks ground on a Ward 1 shelter today
Construction of a Columbia Heights sheltor for families experiencing homelessness is expected to begin today. The shelter will include 35 apartment-style units to replace those lost from the closure of the DC General shelter and an additional 15 units of permanent supportive housing for senior residents. (Andrew Giambrone / Curbed)
577 apartments are coming to North Captol and NY Avenue
DC awarded development rights for a city-owned parcel of land on North Capitol Street to a team of developers that proposed a 13-story, mixed-use building of 577 rental apartments, with most units reserved for households earning varying percentages of the average median income. (Nina Perry-Brown / Urban Turf)
Is the Line hotel “sleazier than Trump’s?”
A reporter looks into developer oversight and the relationship between the private sector and public interest following questions about the Line hotel owner’s labor practices and whether it hired enough DC workers to qualify for a 46 million, 20-year tax abatement. (Tarpley Hitt / The Daily Beast)
Trump wants to address “filth” in US cities
Responding to a question about “filth” in American cities, Donald Trump blamed sanctuary cities and individuals living with mental health issues, stating he may intercede as he claimed to have already done in DC: “We had certain areas of Washington, DC, where that was starting to happen, and I ended it very quickly. I said, ‘You can’t do that.’” (Eli Rosenberg / Post)
A judge sets a repair deadline for a MoCo apartment complex
A Montgomery County judge gave the owners of the 829-unit Enclave apartments until September 30 to complete “significant” repairs to the complex, including repairing elevators, walls, floors, ceilings, as well as cracked and “structurally failing sections” of the parking garage. An additional 150 repeat citations are to be reviewed in court later this year. (Caitlynn Peetz / Bethesda Beat)
Washington Convention Center food workers voted to strike
About 98% of the 295 food workers unionized with UNITE HERE Local 23 at the Washington Convention Center voted to authorize a strike, claiming that Aramark isn’t offering them the same hours as the previous contractor and is using subcontractors instead. (Rachel Kurzius / DCist)
A man ran the entire 90-mile Capitol Beltway loop on Saturday
It took local ultramarathon runner Michael Wardian only 17 hours, 54 minutes and 59 seconds to run 89.9 miles following a route that a friend came up with linking local roads and trails along the Capitol Beltway loop (it’s illegal to run on the actual beltway). (Jacob Fenston / WAMU)
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