Breakfast links: Taxis and corruption

Council passes taxi bill, spares Uber

The DC Council passed the taxicab modernization bill yesterday, but removed the amendment which would have required Uber to charge minimum fees five times those of regular taxis. (DCist)

Harris pleads guilty

Jeanne Clarke Harris pleaded guilty to corruption charges. She funneled more than $650 million

$653,000 to Vincent Gray’s 2010 mayoral campaign from Medicaid contractor Jeffrey Thompson. (City Paper)

Bring more power lines underground?

The DC Council is considering several bills to move more power lines underground throughout the city. The more sweeping proposal would split the $5 billion cost between the District and Pepco. (Examiner)

Amtrak eyes larger Union Station

The long-term plan for faster Acela service includes building a high speed train station underneath Union Station. Improvements could lead to a 94 minute ride from DC to New York. (WBJ)

Designing smaller apartments

New York City is hosting a competition to build a residential building with apartments below 300 square feet,  relaxing the current 450 sq. ft. minimum as rents remain prohibitively high for many young people. (NYT)

Map DC’s abandoned bicycles

You can help WAMU and DDOT map abandoned bicycles. According to DC law, bikes left unmoved for 30 days are considered abandoned, and can be removed after ten days’ notice. (WAMU)

Takoma Park mulls municipal power company

A Takoma Park, MD city council candidate is calling for a public power company to run the city’s power. This would likely require a long legal battle with Pepco. (Gazette)

And…

Bikers in Portland spend more money at bars, restaurants, and convenience stores than those who arrive via other modes. (BikePortland)… Tuesday night’s heavy rain caused more power outages across the region. (WTOP)… A Greenbelt co-op would allow residents to ban smoking by mutual agreement. (Gazette)