Lacy (winner, Most Affectionate)
@ Dupont Circle
Q:If your dog was a celebrity, who would it be?
A:"Charlize Theron. She's glamorous."
SO, YOU FELL ASLEEP while riding Metro to the Pentagon City mall and woke up at the end of the yellow line. Construction cranes, heaps of dirt, the Beltway just visible in the distance — where the heck are you?
Welcome to Huntington.
Don't hop back on Metro just yet, either. Despite the Alexandria neighborhood's unappealing first impressions, there are hidden treasures to be found.
Consider this itinerary your Plan B.
Continue Reading "Below the Beltway: Hunkering in Huntington" »
THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS has told Fairfax County that if it wants to improve flood control along Cameron Run near Huntington, it had better look for another source of funding.
Although a final report on options for the area hit hard by flash flooding in June 2006 is set to be delivered to the county by the end of the year, The Post's Bill Turque reports that a preliminary analysis of last year's flooding indicates that any proposed flood-control upgrades aren't eligible for federal funds:
The measures don't qualify under the Corps' traditional cost-benefit formula, in which the projected economic benefits to private interests must be larger than the cost to taxpayers. The formula takes into account potential damage to structures and contents and the costs of emergency services used to respond to a flood.More than half of Huntington's 311 homes were hit by the flooding, generating $10 million in losses. A flood wall could cost as much as $35 million.
» "Corps Won't Fund Huntington Project" [WaPo]
» EARLIER: "One Year Ago: Deluge Swamps D.C." [Free Ride/Express]
Photo by Gerald Martineau/The Washington Post
IF YOU NORMALLY use the Eisenhower Avenue or Huntington stations on the Yellow Line during the weekend, take note. This weekend, there will be no Metrorail service between those two stations and the King Street station. Instead, Yellow Line trains from the District will run to the Blue Line's Franconia-Springfield terminus via King Street. Shuttle bus service will operate between Huntington and King Street, with a stop at Eisenhower Avenue.
The work will start Friday at 9 p.m. and wrap up at closing on Monday, which is Veterans Day.
Map image courtesy WMATA
CONSTITUTION AVENUE near the National Mall wasn't always a ground-level thoroughfare — during the city's early decades it was the Tiber Creek canal, a smelly, fetid stretch of water. A year ago today, Constitution Avenue returned to its watery past when a tropical deluge, captured above by Express' Ian Herbert, flooded government buildings in Federal Triangle and swamped cars that were unfortunately parked on what drivers thought was high and dry land.
That storm caused havoc across the area and made getting from point A to point B difficult. The Post's Timothy Dwyer takes a look at how a neighborhood near the Huntington station is coping a year after the waters of Cameron Run invades their homes.
» "Aftermath of a Deluge" [WaPo]
» FROM LAST YEAR:
» "The Morning News: A Swamped City" [Free Ride/Express]
» "The Morning News: Dreading Water" [Free Ride/Express]
» "The Overflowing Potomac" [Free Ride/Express]
» "Local Blog Log: Cleaning Up" [Free Ride/Express]
» "Notes From Around Town: Clogged Arteries" [Free Ride/Express]
TRAVELING ON the Red, Blue, Yellow or Green lines this weekend? Be prepared for delays due to scheduled track maintenance and rail car testing.
Riders traveling on the Blue and Yellow lines to and from Reagan National Airport and Alexandria will experience major delays of up to 30 minutes between the Pentagon City and Braddock Road stations because of track maintenance. Trains between those stations will share a track from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Alternating Blue Line trains traveling to Franconia-Springfield station will terminate at Pentagon City and return to Largo Town Center, and alternating Yellow Line trains traveling to Huntington will terminate at Pentagon City and return to Fort Totten. Those traveling south of Pentagon City should plan accordingly, and build extra time into their schedules.
Those heading through Bethesda on the Red Line can expect 15 minute delays between the Friendship Heights and Medical Center stations due to track maintenance. Trains between those stations will share a track starting around 10 p.m. today through 10 a.m. Saturday, and again from 10 p.m. Saturday until 10 a.m. Sunday.
Riders on the Blue Line between the District and Prince George's County may face 15 minute delays between the Stadium Armory and Addison Road-Seat Pleasant stations for track maintenance. Trains between those stations will share the same track starting today at 10 p.m. until 10 a.m. Saturday, and from 10 p.m. Saturday until 10 a.m. Sunday.
Those traveling on the Green Line in Southeast D.C. between Navy Yard and Southern Avenue stations should add 20 minutes to trips for scheduled track maintenance. Trains between those stations will share one track from 7 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.
Also on the Green Line in Prince George's County, riders should expect 10-15 minute delays between the Greenbelt and College Park stations for regular rail car testing. Trains will share a track during testing, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Significant Weekend Delays for Blue, Yellow Lines
Map It:
Braddock Road Eisenhower Avenue Franconia-Springfield
Huntington
King Street
National Airport Van Dorn Street
IF YOU PLAN to travel to/from/through Alexandria this weekend, be aware that trackwork on the Blue/Yellow line tracks near Braddock Road will likely cause significant delays starting Friday night in the 10 o'clock hour.
Blue and Yellow Line trains going between the District and Virginia will terminate at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station. South of the airport, the Blue and Yellow lines will be operating in two separate segments:
» Every 30 minutes, a Blue Line train will operate between the airport and Franconia-Springfield via King Street.
» A Yellow Line shuttle train will operate between King Street and Huntington.
The work is scheduled to wrap up before opening on Monday.
» "Weekend Braddock Road Work to Cause Blue and Yellow Line Delays" [WMATA]
Photo by Carol Guzy/The Washington Post
FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS are casting a critical eye on Metro's operating procedures after an accident yesterday that killed one Metro worker and critically injured another brought the number of fatal incidents on the transit agency's tracks over the past 13 months to three. That's a record that Mark Rosenker, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, called "unacceptable."
Two track workers were hit by an empty Yellow Line train yesterday near the Eisenhower Avenue station in Alexandria as they were looking for cracks on the rails, part of routine maintenance procedures, The Post's Lena H. Sun and Jamie Stockwell report. Officials say they want to know how the accident happened and whether Metro's safety procedures, revamped following other fatal accidents, are effective.
In July, Metro's board approved the creation of a Metro Memorial Scholarship Fund for the children of employees who die on the job and a physical memorial that would honor the employees themselves. Sadly, it looks like the transit agency will add 52-year-old Leslie A. Cherry Jr., a 29-year Metro veteran, to the list of those who will be memorialized.
» "Train Hits 2 Metro Workers, Killing 1" [WaPo]
» "Metro to Create Memorial and Scholarships in the Name of Fallen Employees" [WMATA]
What else is making news on this Friday, Dec. 1, 2006? Let's get to it.
» D.C. VOTE BILL STUCK: The chances of moving D.C. voting rights legislation through both houses of Congress by the end of the current lame duck session worsened yesterday. According to The Post's Mary Beth Sheridan and Yolanda Woodlee, leadership in the House and Senate indicated that the bill that would expand the House by two seats, giving the District's delegate a full vote and Utah an extra congressional district, is likely going nowhere for now. Anything is possible, but all bets are on the bill returning when the Democratic-controlled 110th Congress comes into power in January. [WaPo]
Photo by Michael Grass/Express
» FREE CONDOMS: It's World AIDS Day today and in the District — which has one of the worst HIV infection rates in the nation — free condoms are being distributed in targeted neighborhoods by a grassroots coalition of activists, some who have not been satisfied by the District's own distribution effort. As The Post's Susan Levine writes today, a study by the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice notes that greater access to condoms is an "immediate priority." [WaPo]
» MORE LOCAL NEWS, as always, is available from washingtonpost.com and Washington Post Radio.
GOOD MORNING, WASHINGTON. For those who are watching the District's mayoral race, there's big news from a new Washington Post poll: 
Ward 4 Council member Adrian Fenty, at right, has opened up a "clear lead" in the race, The Post's Robert Barnes and Lori Montgomery wrote on Sunday. With seven weeks left before the Democratic primary, Fenty leads his closest competitor, D.C. Council Chairman Linda Cropp, 39 percent to 31 percent. The Post's poll, conducted July 13-18, reveals some very interesting details about not only the mayoral and D.C. Council chairman races, but also about how residents view the state of the city, its leaders and the problems the next mayor will face. Read more about them here.
Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post
» "Fenty Emerges From D.C. Pack" [WaPo]
While the District's political landscape is always a topic of interest, what else is happening on this Monday, July 24, 2006? Let's get to it.
» BE ON THE LOOKOUT: WTOP asks: "Do You Know Who the 'Wig Lady' Is?" We don't, but police say we all should be on the lookout for her, especially if she walks into a bank. A short, well-dressed, middle-aged woman is believed to have stolen $200,000 from the bank accounts of at least 20 women, in part by using different wigs to impersonate account holders when talking to bank tellers. If you go to WTOP's gallery of surveillance camera photos, you can get a good look at her many disguises. [AP via WTOP]
» PARK POLICE SQUEEZE: The U.S. Park Police, the agency that is charged with patrolling the National Mall and the area's federal parkland, is understaffed by 20 percent, officers tell Jerry Seper of The Washington Times, part of a larger budget crunch that has forced the police agency to cut programs, including new cadet training. [WT]
» CAMERON RUN PROBE: Fairfax County commissioned two major studies in 1977 and 1982 that recommended that the Huntington neighborhood — which was inundated by floodwaters during late June's massive deluge — be protected by a floodwall or earthen berm. But as The Post's Bill Turque reports, such a dike was never constructed and an investigation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers into why the flash flooding was particularly severe continues.
» MORE LOCAL NEWS, as always, is available from washingtonpost.com and Washington Post Radio.
Photo by Michael Grass/Express
THE THOROUGHFARES OF WASHINGTON were filled with the sounds of honking car horns Sunday afternoon, as if the streets of the American capital were for a time transformed into those of a cacophonous Rome. But the noise wasn't over traffic; instead, it marked a triumph. As we already mentioned this morning, Italy beat France in World Cup action, claiming its fourth global championship — and you didn't have to be abroad to witness the celebrations. After the afternoon match, roving bands of automobile- and scooter-based soccer fans fanned out across the city yelling "Viva Italia" at random strangers, including this blogger. As we walked home through Georgetown after the game, some people joined in the celebrations from the sidewalk; others simply gazed out in bewilderment. Our stuffy city often doesn't see random rabid outbursts of communal celebration, so yesterday's World Cup post-party was a good reminder that upbeat civic emotion can indeed take root here. It's just too bad that it appears so rarely.
However, a few minutes' walk away in Georgetown's quieter environs, residents were still grapping with tragedy: Television crews were on the scene of the fatal stabbing of a 27-year-old aspiring British politician, brutally killed in the ordinarily quiet 3100 block of Q Street NW early Sunday morning.
According to The Post's Lori Montgomery and Kevin Sullivan, Alan Sennitt of London, a Jewish activist and volunteer for the presidential campaign of former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, was killed after his throat was slashed during a robbery as he walked a female companion home. Four people have been charged in connection with the murder, including a 15-year-old boy. One of those arrested also faces charges for attempted sexual assault on the woman, a former babysitter for D.C. developer Herb Miller, who lives on the block.
That news came a day after another startling crime: the killing of civic activist Chris Crowder, 44, who was was found shot to death next to his wheelchair early Saturday morning in a park at 6th and N streets NW — a block from the Washington Convention Center. Crowder, a onetime mayoral hopeful, was paralyzed after being shot in 1990 on a playground, The Post's Robert E. Pierre reports.
» "Man Dies In Attack on Couple in Georgetown" [WaPo]
» "D.C. Activist, Mayoral Hopeful Slain" [WaPo]
What else is happening locally on this Monday, July 10, 2006? Let's get to it.
» FEDERAL FINE: Arlington and Fairfax counties face a steep reduction in government aid for their human services programs because of a recent federal probe into alleged misuse of foster care funding, The Post's Annie Gowen reports. Arlington could lose $15 million that it had intended to use for the mentally challenged and disabled seniors. [WaPo]
» CIRCULATOR A 'SUCCESS': Although the D.C. Circulator is the butt of many jokes because of its massive fleet of oftentimes empty buses, the District is celebrating the service's success a year after launch. According to the AP's Derrill Holly, District officials say they are happy with the shuttle bus service; its three routes in the downtown area now boast more than 1,000 riders day. [AP via WT]
» FLOODING ACCUSATIONS: Residents in the Huntington-area neighborhood flooded by Cameron Run in the D.C. area's recent torrential rains are asking Gov. Tim Kaine to initiate an independent probe to look at whether construction associated with the nearby Woodrow Wilson Bridge had any effect on the catastrophic flash flooding, which caused $12 million in damage, WTOP's Hank Silverberg and Colleen Kelleher report. State transportation officials deny the claim. [WTOP]
» MORE LOCAL NEWS, as always, is available at washingtonpost.com and on Washington Post Radio.
WE WERE FOOLISH to try to drive into the District during the extended evening rush hour on Tuesday, but there we were, in our borrowed car, stuck on K Street NW (seen here in its Washington Circle underpass). It took us about an hour to go from the intersection of Canal and Foxhall roads to the intersection of 19th and K streets NW, approximately 25 blocks. With flooding-related closures shutting portions of Constitution Avenue NW and Rock Creek Parkway, drivers were thrown off their normal routines, causing major traffic pains. It just reinforces the sentiment that if the nation's capital would have to be evacuated in a hurry, we're all sitting ducks. In downtown, those north of Pennsylvania Avenue are supposed to evacuate to toward Maryland, while those south are supposed to go toward the Potomac bridges to Virginia. Somehow we don't see stubborn Virginia drivers north of the District's egress line and Maryland drivers south of it following orders.
Photo by Michael Grass/Express
» HUNTINGTON: This week's worst flooding was near the Huntington Metrorail station, where Cameron Run overflowed its banks, covering some residential streets in 10 feet of water. Many homes are beyond repair and the county is in the process of condemning them. [WaPo]
» GEORGIA AVENUE: Ward 4 Council member and mayoral hopeful Adrian Fenty's campaign field director owes the District nearly $17,000, WTOP reports. Sinclair Skinner, one of Fenty's former fraternity brothers, defaulted on a lease for retail space in a District-owned building on 4th Street NW. Skinner, who has been divisive character in the redevelopment of Georgia Avenue, says he'll pay the debt. [WTOP]
» MOUNT VERNON SQUARE: On top of signing new rent-control legislation, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams also approved a measure to build a new headquarters hotel adjacent to the Washington Convention Center. The $550 million, 1,434-room facility on 9th Street NW will be leased to Marriott International. [WaPo]
Addison Road