Breakfast links: Metro screaming, Metro silence
You make me wanna shout
Metro conductors will soon have bullhorns in their cabs, which they’ll use to talk to riders if the public announcement system isn’t working. On Sept. 13, a train sat in a tunnel for nearly 40 minutes and passengers received nearly no word about what was happening. (Post).
Speak up, Metro
A Red Line train sat in the tunnel for nearly 40 minutes last Tuesday. The conductor thinking they were supposed to wait there, riders having no idea what was happening, and the third rail remaining electrified were all the result of communication breakdowns. (WAMU)
Make way for museum
Starting Friday, roads around downtown DC will close to prepare for the National Museum of African-American History’s grand opening. Officials are encouraging visitors to use public transportation. (WTOP)
Contractor controversy
DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson says the Department of General Services should no longer choose developers for government projects. Critics of the agency have said it bases too many decisions on politics. (WAMU)
Toning down the Confederacy
Alexandria is renaming Jefferson Davis Highway and may remove a statue of a Confederate soldier in Old Town, both because the city council no longer wants public works to serve as Confederate memorials.(WAMU)
Cute little problems
DC has a number of small properties with huge buildings on both sides, where owners refused to sell so developers just built around them. Owners holding out is somewhat of a romantic notion, but it can hold a city back. (Post)
New home for bookworms
The newly-rebuilt Woodridge Library off Rhode Island Avenue has lots of natural light, study spaces, curved bookcases, stadium seating for kids, and two outdoor terraces. The library will open next week. (DCist)
Walking in the rain
NoMa’s M Street underpass will soon double as an art installation called “Rain”. Pedestrians will only be able to use a sidewalk on one side of the street while workers install hundreds of LED tubes. (Borderstan)
Point taken (literally)
Joan of Arc lost her sword… again. National Park Service workers noticed the Meridian Hill Park statue was missing its sword on Wednesday. It was last taken in 1978, and wasn’t replaced until 2011. (Post)
No permits for pop-up stands
In DC, lemonade stands, Girl Scout cookie sales, and other very small pop-up businesses are actually supposed to get a business permit. The law may be out the door, though. (CityPaper)