Breakfast links: Metro’s Blue Line closes this weekend for repairs
Arlington Cemetery Station by jpellgen licensed under Creative Commons.
Blue Line closures begin this weekend
Metro’s entire Blue Line will close for platform repairs starting on Saturday and won’t reopen again until May 23. The Yellow line will run to Franconia-Springfield, and shuttle buses will operate at the Blue Line stations that do not share tracks with another line. (Matt Blitz / ARLnow)
Prince George’s planners voice concerns about Oxon Cove buildings
Prince George’s County’s planning board and others oppose a proposal to build 1,400 multifamily units plus senior living, a hotel, and a police station just north of National Harbor, saying the site density is too high for an area with no transit access. (Alex Koma / Business Journal)
DC parking ticket revenue plummeted in 2020
DC gave out fewer parking tickets and moving violations in 2020 due to changed commutes and enforcement during the pandemic, cuttinig the revenue from those infractions almost in half, from $138 million in 2019 to $70 million last year. (Martin Austermuhle / DCist. Tip: Chester B.)
Montgomery County will reopen indoor dining this weekend
The Montgomery County Council voted to let restaurants reopen indoor dining rooms at 25% capacity, with a 90 minute limit on each meal. Montgomery was the last county in the region with an indoor dining ban in place. (Jack Moore / WTOP)
A DC teacher’s death raises school coronavirus concerns
Helen White, a teacher at Ballou STAY High School in DC, died of COVID-19, and the teachers union is asking whether current safety protocols are enough. (Sam Collins / Washington Informer, Debbie Truong / DCist)
Arlington schools announce a schedule to return to classrooms
By March 2 young elementary school students and those in special education programs are set to return to classrooms in Arlington Public Schools, and by March 16 all students who signed up for in person learning will be back two days a week. (Jo DeVoe / ARLnow)
DC teachers union votes against a strike
The Washington Teachers Union voted against a strike or work stoppage after a dispute with DC over safety protocols in reopening public schools. The result of the vote prompted DC to withdraw a request for a restraining order on the union. (Perry Stein / Post)
Montgomery County will bring some students back on March 1
On March 1 a small number of students in career and special education programs will return to in person learning in Montgomery County, with more elementary students returning March 15. High schools students won’t return to classrooms until late April. (Caitlynn Peetz / Bethesda Beat)
Virginia debates restoring voting rights after a felony conviction
The Virginia legislature is considering proposals to restore the voting rights of people convicted of felonies, but they are struggling to agree on a process for reenfranchisement. (Daniella Cheslow / DCist)
Researchers find high levels of air pollutants in US subway tunnels
Underground stations in major cities including DC contain unsafe levels of air pollutants from small particles given off by train brakes and the friction of the car against the rails, according to researchers at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine. (The Guardian)
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