Posts by David Edmondson

The Presidential City: Presidents like Madison, Grant and Johnson have had dramatic effects, both positive and negative, on DC's life, cityscape and voting rights. (DCist)

Share a taxi from baseball: Taxis can soon pick up multiple passengers at once after baseball games, under new rules from the Taxicab Commission. Nats Park will also get a taxi stand and line similar to Union Station's. (Washington Times)

Name the Silver Line stations: WMATA and Fairfax County have created a survey to get input on Silver Line station names. The county-recommended names came under substantial criticism for being extremely boring and repetitive.

Violent crime on the rise: Violent crime, especially robberies, is up significantly across DC. Murders, however, continued to decline. (Washington Times)

More restaurants in Wards 7 & 8: A few sit-down restaurants have opened east of the river, and residents are eager for more. One potential restauranteur, though, decided not to open in Anacostia because there wasn't enough pedestrian traffic. (Post)

Now free to open wide: Half of low-income adults with dental coverage haven't been to a dentist in more than a year. A new free clinic opens in DC to help low-income residents fill that gap. (DCentric)

LivingSocial takes a lashing: Local businesses accuse LivingSocial of deploying "Walmart principles against the creative community" by opening a store 918 F Street NW. But are they just sore about competition? (DCist)

Keeping seniors in cities: Although the trend has been for seniors to move to the sunbelt after retirement, cities could do more to entice them to stay, including adding street furniture and legalizing jitneys. (Salon via Planetizen)

On the Mall...:: Developer John Akridge has given the Trust for the National Mall $1 million. (DCist) ... Tourmobile's replacement will soon operate around the Mall for only $5 per boarding, or $8.75 for a trip to Arlington Cemetery. (WTOP)

Gay rights take step forward: The Maryland House passed a same-sex marriage bill. But no marriages will take place until a referendum, assuming opponents successfully petition for one. (Post)

Women's rights take step backward: Virginia will require an intrusive and medically unnecessary procedure to try to deter women who want or need legal abortions. (Slate)

Put gentrifiers, not football players, at Res. 13: Besides the policy advantages of mixed-use over a Redskins practice facility at Reservation 13, it's better on gentrification, by creating places to live that don't involve displacing anyone. (City Paper)

Simmer down now, DC Council: The DC Council will consider requiring civility from its members. Chairman Brown introduced the bill after a heated exchange between David Catania and Marion Barry upset voters. (Post)

Council beefs up transportation expertise: Will Handsfield, who worked on the Capital Bikeshare launch with DDOT and comments regularly on Greater Greater Washington, will be working for Mary Cheh as a transportation policy advisor. (Twitter)

Charter schools on the trigger: DC charter schools were quick to expel or suspend students, dumping around four percent of their enrollment through expulsion. Critics contend the expulsions dump poorly-performing students onto public schools. (Post)

NO TAGS? $20,000 in tickets: One driver got the DC vanity plate "NO TAGS," but that's led the DMV to mail him $20,000 in tickets, since when they write a ticket for a car without plates, they fill in the field with "NO TAGS." (NBC via Consumerist)

The Tide rolls in: Norfolk's The Tide light rail has crushed ridership projections, exceeding expectations after only six months of service, by changing how people live and work in the city. (The Virginian-Pilot)

And...: Despite setbacks, the Senate transportation bill is far from dead. (The Hill) … To accommodate massive population growth, Arlington will add 7,000 seats to its schools. (Post)… A new distillery has obtained federal approval to operate in the District. (DCist)

Las Vegas casino for National Harbor?: Rushern Baker wants a "Las Vegas-style" casino at National Harbor, though the County Council is conflicted. Legislation to permit a casino in western Prince George's is in the state legislature. (Post)

Bike and funeral parking lane: A church on 15th Street encouraged visitors to park in the cycle track for a recent funeral, giving cyclists no safe way to ride south. (TBD) ... M.V.Jantzen caught a Taxi Commission enforcement officer parking in the lane, too. (WashCycle)

Why such acrimony over campuses?: DC universities and surrounding neighborhoods always seem to be fighting. Is this the inevitable consequence of a campus with wealthy neighbors, or is there something about DC? (City Paper)

Overestimated enrollment yields windfall: DCPS overestimated its student population by 2,056 for this school year, meaning the district received $18.4 million to cover the costs of students who never enrolled. (Post)

Wheaton vs. Bethesda south entrance: Wheaton redevelopment is in direct competition for funding with the Bethesda station south entrance. Both projects are priorities in the county's Capital Improvement Plan. (Patch)

TOD? Really?: That M Square "TOD" project in College Park? It might be near transit, but it's not so transit-oriented, basically towers surrounded by parking. (RTCP)

Haitian New Urbanism: Planners want to use Port-au-Prince as a proving ground for New Urbanism in a developing country, rebuilding a thriving downtown and writing the city's first zoning code. (Atlantic Cities)

Yet another streetcar study: Oakland, California, wants a streetcar and will produce its third study in 10 years on the idea. The city hopes a streetcar will prove to be an economic engine first and transportation system second. (East Bay Express)

And...: The German Marshall Fund is looking for a Deputy Director of Urban and Regional Policy. ... Metro's real estate head steps down. (Post) ... Mayor Gray's team hopes to tweet a little more. (City Paper) ... A flash mob supports the Purple Line. (CBS)

Obama stiffs WMATA: President Obama's budget cuts $15 million in WMATA repair money. DC, Maryland and Virginia match this funding, so this could mean $30 million less in repairs to track signals or escalators. (Post)

Republicans for transit: Six Republican Congress­men from New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio support restoring transit funding in the transportation bill. Several also plan to vote against the bill in its current form. (Streetsblog)

Bethesda second entrance lives: A Montgomery County Council committee voted to restore funding for the Bethesda Metro second entrance, delaying it just one year instead of indefinitely as in County Executive Leggett's budget. Roger Berliner and Hans Riemer voted for the change, while Nancy Floreen abstained. (Post, Examiner)

From vacant lot to trendy market: A shipping container market and event space is slated for the vacant lots north of Nationals Park. The market, replacing The Bullpen and Das Bullpen, will be modeled after Brooklyn's Dekalb Market. (JDLand)

PG bag fee loses vote: A bill to let Prince George's levy a 5¢ bag fee is likely dead after 2 county delegates voted against it. One, Carolyn Howard, touts a League of Conservation Voters 100% rating on her home page; not for long? (Post)

Don't live free: New Hampshire's state House voted down a resolution supporting DC statehood on a largely party-line vote. DC officials had hoped the call to freedom would resonate in the state. Florida is also considering the resolution. (DCist)

Hard to drive 55?: 2 Montgomery state senators want to raise the speed limit on the ICC. One, Nancy King, says she's having a hard time driving only 55. (Post)

More camera controversies: One Ward 7 Council candidate attacked speed cameras on Pennsylvania Avenue, but many residents say they make the neighborhood safer. Various other restauranteurs and radio producers are wringing hands over speed cameras, but MPD stands by their value. (Fox5, HCCA, DCist)

Tensions mount over budget: Chairman Brown has accused DC's CFO Natwar Gandhi of concealing last year's $42 million budget surplus from the council "in cahoots" with Mayor Gray. Gandhi had shifted the surplus to another account, although insists it was a drafting error. (Post)

The signs of disengagement: Teachers are struggling to keep District kids in school, where only a bit more than half graduate. Identifying the warning signs early and heading off problems can make a big difference later on. (WAMU)

Up in arms over car barn: Activists in Kingman Park are protesting the streetcar car barn, currently slated to be built in the neighborhood. Residents say it will bring noise and disrupt the residential character of the area. (Post)

A walk down K Street: The center of downtown DC has strong ties to the recent past and grand plans for the future, but the oft-maligned K Street, NW, is far more than ugly glass boxes and curb cuts. (Post)

Glenmont Sector Plan unveiled: Montgomery County has released at last started the planning effort for its Glenmont Sector Plan. Officials envision a high-density, transit-oriented hub, but the land is split between many owners, making change difficult. (DCMud)

BRAC for the civies: A bill to create a civilian BRAC process is moving forward in the House. A commission identify which civilian properties can be sold or consolidated. (WBJ)

Big Chair relaunches, reopens: Historic Anacostia has its coffee shop back: Big Chair Café has reopened under new management, which wants to make it the neighborhood's gathering place. (WAMU)

An encouraging but timid plan for the Mall: NPS's conceptual plan for the Mall mostly has some elements which just tweaks around the edges and neglects its place as a park for residents, or so says the director G. Martin Moeller, Jr., senior vice president and curator of the National Building Museum, in his capacity as a private citizen. (City Paper)

Silver Line back on schedule: The Silver Line's first phase will open only 11 days late rather than the 6 months late originally projected. Contractors accelerated work on some parts of line, making up for lost time. (Examiner)

Red Line will be bad for 3 years: Repairs on the Red Line will continue for at least 3 years. Single-tracking and escalator repair will continue to 2015, at which time on-time performance should rise from 88.9% to 92-93%. (Examiner)

Metrobus driver mitigated crash: The fatal December Rockville Pike Metrobus crash could have been much worse if not for the quick reactions of Metro driver Lennitta Bryant who turned at the last moment to deflect some of the impact of an on coming pickup truck. Bryant is still recovering from the crash at home. (NBC4)

Revise, resubmit, repeat: The Adams Morgan hotel project has resubmitted their design with changes requested by the historic preservation board, including a two-foot height reduction, a red-brick exterior, and setbacks along Chaplain. (WBJ)

Brown puts tax cuts first: DC's FY 2011 surplus now stands at $240 million. Kwame Brown wants to spend it on tax cuts, but Mayor Gray wants no such thing. (Examiner)

A stop sign for a suburban Walmart: Big box retailers moving into White Flint and other areas inspired three bills in the Montgomery County Council to require a more urban form, like some of DC's Walmarts. (WAMU)

PG's sprawling problem: Overly permissive approval of sprawl development projects and a lack of quality jobs and housing near Metro has Prince George's struggling to meet its own goals for revitalizing its inner-Beltway communities. (Examiner)

Will Metro get fixed?: Will Metro ever stop having all the disruptions like cracked rails? Probably not, but the frequency of problems will gradually decline over time (assuming current repairs are made properly). (Post)

A mea culpa for the meltdown: WMATA has no excuses, only apologies and acknowledgment that Thursday's metro meltdown should never have happened. The reported cause was the failure of an uninterruptable power supply, shutting down all communications systems other than radio. (TBD)

Streetcars gone 50 years: 50 years ago today, the DC streetcar took its last trip. The next trip could be summer 2013, if the new streetcar stays on schedule. At least one man who saw the last trip as a kid plans to attend and bring his small child. (Post)

Condemn me: At least some owners of properties to be condemned by the Purple Line want their homes taken, as they'd rather move elsewhere than live with a wider street. Others are in a "bunker mentality," implying PR landmines lie ahead. (City Paper)

DC statehood gets mixed reception: Mayor Gray and several DC Councilmembers argued DC statehood in front of a New Hampshire House committee, only to see the supporting resolution voted down. The bill will still be reported to the floor. (DCist)