Breakfast links: Gray weather

Gray goes for 7

Sources say former Mayor Vincent Gray will run for his old Ward 7 seat on the DC Council instead of an at-large seat. A recent poll showed him beating Ward 7 incumbent Yvette Alexander by 12 percentage points. (NBC4)

Snow woes, still

Maryland General Assembly members ask Maryland’s transportation secretary why it’s taking so long to clear Montgomery County roads after the snowstorm. (Post) … Mail service in Arlington is still a jumbled mess a week and a half later. (ArlNow)

Affordable housing for Westbard

Montgomery County Councilmember Elrich says the affordable housing plans for Westbard are just an excuse for overdevelopment of the area, and don’t make sense because the area isn’t near transit. (Bethesda Magazine)

SmarTrip here to stay

Plans for a modern fare payment system for Metro are now delayed following a lackluster pilot of new fare gates last year. The new payment system would allow riders to use smartphones or chip-enabled credit cards to pay for Metro or bus fare. (WAMU)

Less summer, more school

11 DCPS schools will add 20 days to the school year starting this fall to minimize students’ loss of academic gains over the summer.  (DCist)

Holy ground for sale

There’s a lot of new housing coming to the big, grassy lawns of the “Little Rome” neighborhood near Brookland. Some residents worry it will change the neighborhood’s character. (Washingtonian)

A public place for pot?

A task force will study if DC should allow marijuana use in private clubs. The DC Council extended its ban on the clubs through the end of the year for now. (WAMU)

Thinking outside the white lines

Removing white lines, disrupting straightways, and using visual tricks to make roads seem narrower all work to slow down traffic and make roads safer. (The Guardian)