Breakfast links: Unspoken rules
Ward 8 winner?
Election officials finished counting all the provisional and absentee ballots for the Ward 8 election. LaRuby May, Mayor Bowser’s ally, has won the Ward 8 council seat by a 1% margin. Her competitor Trayon White will likely call for a recount. (Post)
Bending the rules
DC is suing a homeowner in Dupont Circle for using his residence as a hotel without the proper permits. While a series of noise complaints lead to the suit, it could set a precedent for residents who use Airbnb and similar sites. (Washingtonian)
Living wage in practice
Montgomery County has a “living wage” law for county workers, but the county does a poor job with enforcement. Janitors say a county parking garage cut their wages through improper deductions. (Post)
Working on the railroad
Starting in July, VRE fares will increase 4% to keep up with rising costs. Meanwhile, riders on the Fredericksburg Line should expect delays throughout May as CSX adds new tracks. (Post)
Realized Rosslyn
Arlington has big plans to make Rosslyn a better place to live and work. The plans include 4000 new housing units, a new pedestrian bridge to Roosevelt Island, and more cycle tracks by 2040. (ArlNow)
Franklin School redux
Developers are, again, bidding to restore the Franklin School. Only one firm has returned from the last round, and ideas range from a technology center to a hotel and commercial office space. (WBJ)
Transporting mobility
Areas with longer average commutes have higher rates of poverty and less upward mobility. Commuting time has a stronger relationship to mobility than crime, school success, or single parent households. (NYT, charlie, Zeus) (Tip: Zeus)
Narrowing needs
Building narrower streets could free up land for new housing. Narrowing a single block would yield up to 45,000 square feet, which could make a big impact in cities where housing is expensive but parking is cheap. (Vox)
And…
Tuesday Night Rides will start again in June. County officials say the delay is only because the permit for the ride was filed too late for May. (ArlNow) … Parents and kids at a local park share their opinions on free-range parenting on the annual day celebrating the cause. (Post) … After all the ad campaigns, it appears that MTA and the police don’t know how to handle sexual harassment or assault when it happens. (Gawker)