Breakfast links: Give permission

New WH CoS not “allowed” to bike?

President Obama says his new chief of staff, Denis McDonough, would probably not be allowed to keep biking to work. (USA Today) … The League of American Bicyclists lists the reasons to keep letting Denis bike.

Legalize cohabitation in VA

The Virginia Senate might repeal the state’s ban on cohabitation by unmarried couples. The law hasn’t been enforced, of course, but was used to threaten a Norfolk daycare provider in 1990. (Post)

VA reps don’t want tolls

10 Virginia delegates from both parties wrote a letter opposing plans to add tolls on I-95, starting at the North Carolina border. John Cox (R-Ashland) says the gas tax is a better way to raise money. (Potomac Local)

Passengers stuck on train

44 passengers got stuck on a disabled Metro train for 2 hours when it broke down between Cheverly and New Carrollton, apparently due to cracks in the rail that come from the cold. (Post)

Add a signal at 16th and Colesville

The dangerous and messy traffic circle at 16th and Colesville ought to have a traffic signal for Colesville Road drivers, and DC and Maryland support it, but coordination problems have stalled it. (Post)

Hannity discovers old overgeneralizations

In a special, Sean Hannity attacks DC with most of the same tired half-truths as in that recent NYT magazine article, like confusing the District with the region or conflating defense workers and other government workers. Hannity even suggests DC should have more social services. (DCist)

Chicago will do BRT

Chicago plans to convert car lanes to BRT on a major avenue. Can Montgomery County, or DC, muster the fortitude to do the same? (wbez, Ben Ross)  (Tip: Ben Ross)

And…

The Cafritz project in Riverdale Park is officially on hold. (Diamondback) … Might CFO Gandhi not be around much longer? (Examiner) … 17th St NE will get 26 solar-powered townhouses. (UrbanTurf) … DC has a lot of green roofs. (WAMU)