Photo by brianwallace on Flickr.

Eat here, get gas

A gourmet deli has opened near U Street… in a gas station. The unusual location provides rents affordable to a fledgling small business. (Post)  

Gas dependence varies nationally

Virginians annually spend 4.45% ($1,994) of their incomes on gas compared to 3.97% ($1,947) for Marylanders. In contrast, Mississippians spend 7.23%, or $2,255 annually. (NRDC)  

Station manager to the rescue

Metro honors station manager Timothy Lee, who has twice saved passengers from suicide attempts. (Post)  

Pay by mail fine for a coma

A Baltimore driver pleaded guilty to negligent driving after a crash that left a bicyclist in a likely-permanent coma. The driver had to pay a mere $220 and was able to pay by mail. (Baltimore Sun, Stephen Miller)  

Senate pushes for complete streets

Half the states have adopted complete streets legislation and the Senate is catching on. The Senate bill requires states to consider cyclists, pedestrians, and transit for all federally-funded road projects. (Streetsblog)  

WMATA improving web outreach

The agency will hire someone for “social media monitoring…, detractor response, comment moderation, [and] Facebook facilitation,” among other things. Read our recommendations for WMATA’s next tweep. (TBD)  

No ultimatum to Walmart

Mayor Gray’s reported ultimatum to Walmart about opening a store in Skyland was made in “jest”, says DMPED Victor Hoskins. Councilmember Yvette Alexander says the Mayor was just pushing for a citywide Community Benefits Agreement. (City Paper)  

Only laws the police know about matter

Responding to a car-bike collision, an MPD officer said he doesn’t know about the 3-foot law, and therefore “it doesn’t matter” whether the drive was violating that law or not. (TheWashCycle)  

Rehab the rehabbers

A list of 5 ways to be a good gentrifier sparked a retort that it’s really just a list of ways to be a good neighbor no matter where you live. (DCentric)  

And…

Someone is stealing copper from wiring along local roads. (WTOP) … A local music duo released a free location-aware soundtrack to the Mall; here’a video sample (ReadysetDC) … The wit behind the Metro-themed drinks brings you pick-up lines for urban planners. (Irish Breakfast)