Breakfast links: Prince George's reflects on past and future

by Eric Fidler • November 14, 2011 8:29 am

Photo by rusticus80 on Flickr.

Odds set against gambling ban: The Prince George's County Council will vote on a measure to shut out slot machines. Many officials support slots for the tax revenue. (Post)

Design matters for successful TOD: Security paranoia and on-site amenities at federal offices have stymied development at Prince George's County Metro stations. (Examiner)

Maryland town sees a demographic shift: Black Civil War veterans established North Brentwood as a safe haven. The town's demography is quickly turning Latino as older residents die and their heirs live elsewhere. (Post)

Alley dispute hinges on a 1789 deed: Alexandria is leasing an Old Town alley to an adjacent restaurant for outdoor seating. Another property owner, citing a 222-year-old deed, says the alley isn't the city's to lease away. (Gazette Packet)

Some Metro workers need a break: Many WMATA employees want to earn overtime and management wants to upgrade Metro in a hurry. A report finds that these factors are leading to fatigued employees. (Post)

Drug allegations crush Anacostians: The opening of Uniontown Bar and Grill symbolized Anacostia's revitalization. Now the owner stands accused of ~~dealing drugs~~ drug-related charges in Maryland. Neighbors fear the incident threatens the neighborhood's recent progress. (Post)

Streetscapes: worth it?: Streetscape projects create attractive streets but hurt businesses' bottom lines during construction. Are these worth it? Does DC need to spend more money to compensate businesses? (InTowner)

And...: Petworth was named after a tiny hamlet and estate in England. (DCist) ... Fairfax County may let schools install security cameras to record misbehavior. (Examiner) ... Is the price collapse of cocaine responsible for the nation's declining crime? (Atlantic)

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Eric Fidler has lived in DC and suburban Maryland his entire life. He likes long walks along the Potomac and considers the L'Enfant Plan an elegant work of art. He also blogs at Left for LeDroit, LeDroit Park's (only) blog of record.

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Maybe this is just arguing semantics, but there's a difference between dealing drugs and trafficking drugs, yes?

by Alex B. on Nov 14, 2011 8:47 am • link • report

@alexB; yep. $1.5M in cash and 140 pounds of coke -- that is some major traffic.

The atlantic article on drugs was fascinating. I don't want to sound like Lance, but it has been so long since I've bought them I don't have any sense of the price. But the best argument for home grown weed I've seen in a while.

by charlie on Nov 14, 2011 8:59 am • link • report

Maryland town sees a demographic shift

What we're seeing is the legacy of the Fair Housing Act of 1970. And it's a good thing. We can honor the history of North Brentwood and other historical ethnic enclaves by celebrating these demographic shifts, not fearing them.

by oboe on Nov 14, 2011 9:20 am • link • report

That land fight in Old Town has a lot more at stake than use of that alley. It's esentially a tipping point for the City vs Boat Club fight--and the Boat Club is the only thing left blocking the City's Waterfront Development Plan.

A lot of people are against that plan as-is, claiming lack of citizen input and citing the existance of plans for hotels (which is just about the LAST thing Old Town needs, except maybe a Thai restaurant or Irish pub).

Personally, I'm torn. I've never really been a fan of the Boat Club, as I'm pretty offput by all kinds of elitist, exclusive country club type things. I also think that their parking lot is an eyesore and a park would be far preferable. I also love the new restaurant Virtue and have been sorry to see that building go unused since Olsson's bookstore closed years ago. Glad they're doing something with it. I'm generally against eminent domain, and like most of the City's waterfront plans, but not all. So it's complex.

by Catherine on Nov 14, 2011 9:58 am • link • report

Every time the homicide rate goes up or down, we all cast about for causes. The usual suspects, the economy, policing, and number of prisoners, do not work out. The changes are usually national, while policing and prison policies differ over the country. Crime rates were low in the Depression, are low now, in our deep recession and were high during the prosperous 80's.

The historian David Hackett Fischer, in his book "The Great Wave" using over 700 years of British records shows that the homicide rate and inflation are closely correlated. High inflation, high crime, low inflation low crime. It certainly holds for the examples above. Fisher himself concedes that correlation is not causation, but it rules out the usual explanations

by interguru on Nov 14, 2011 10:13 am • link • report

Did I miss the post or news link here about the news that broke on Friday about the agreement reached by Secretary Lahood with all the parties on financing Phase II of the Silver Line? Figured they were going to work it out, but still major transit news for the DC area.

With all the hand wringing over escalating costs and people calling the entire Silver Line a $7 or $8 billion dollar project, Phase II after some trims is now a $2.8 to $2.9 billion dollar project. Not cheap for sure, but a 5 and a half billion or so project if they can prevent major cost overruns.

by AlanF on Nov 14, 2011 11:43 am • link • report