Breakfast links: Metro’s safety dance

A tally of Metro mistakes

The Metro operator who almost ran over federal inspectors on the tracks near National Airport misheard radio information about the location of the workers. Almost everyone involved failed to follow protocol. (WTOP)

Service over safety

A Metro workers’ union says WMATA prioritizes service over safety, pressuring workers to return tracks to service before work is complete, and relying on outside consultants rather than longtime employees. (Post)

The cost of paid family leave

New DC Chamber of Commerce head Vincent Orange is pushing back hard on the DC Council’s plan to tax payrolls to finance paid family leave. He says the current plan will hurt small businesses and create more government bureaucracy. (CityPaper)

The pane of history

More than 70 people attend the National Cathedral’s first public meeting to decide what to do about the stained glass windows that have Confederate figures, including Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. (DCist)

SunTrust jumps another hurdle

DC’s Historic Preservation Review Board has approved the SunTrust plaza redevelopment. One member called the building plan “so compatible, it almost disappears.” (UrbanTurf)

Back home, for now

A judge ruled that residents of a Prince George’s condo building can return home after the county condemned the building, which still has no gas or water service, earlier this week. The utilities were turned off because the condo’s management failed to pay $1.2 million in bills. (NBC Washington)

Uber for emergencies?

DC’s Fire Chief wants to change 911 protocol to prioritize some cases over others, and to encourage callers to use transportation other than ambulances to get to the hospital. (NBC Washington)

Hospital horrors

St. Elizabeths Hospital recorded 632 assaults, 384 injuries, and 524 “incidents of physical and mechanical restraint” in 3 months, says a disability rights group. In August, it went without running water for a week. (CityPaper)

Pipe in on pipe prices

A water utility in Maryland is asking citizens for feedback on its potential new price structures after a judge ruled in September that volume-based pricing unfairly targeted large families. (Post)

And…

More than 40 children and several adults were injured when a school bus and Metrobus collided in Northeast. (WTOP) … New water pipes in Montgomery and Prince George’s should last a century. (Post) … Prepping for (or avoiding) the Marine Corp Marathon this weekend? Here’s some advice, including apps and shuttle information. (WTOP)