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Councilmember McDuffie: Kenyan McDuffie "trounced" other candidates to win the Ward 5 special election with 45% of the vote, at least twice the votes of anyone else. The ward has now replaced its prison-bound former councilmember with a former Justice Department attorney. (Post)

Metro opens doors?: Doors opened on two 1000 series cars on a Red Line train while it was moving between Van Ness and Tenleytown. Metro officials say it is too early to tell if all of the 290 1000 series cars will have to be taken out of service. (Examiner)

Res. 13 starts slowly: DC will rebid the 2 plots on Reservation 13 closest to the Metro. Officials hope this will kick-start the rest, but residents had hoped to continue with the 2 developers who'd already submitted bids the last time. A Redskins training facility is not part of the plan, at least for now. (City Paper)

Budget harmony: The DC Council unanimously passed the budget with money added for affordable housing and human services. (Post) ... Without a tax exemption for out-of-state bonds, more DC residents are buying DC's own bonds. (Post)

Roads getting safer: DC is on pace to have a record low number of traffic fatalities (just 6 so far this year), suggesting safety initiatives, bike infrastructure, and traffic enforcement cameras may be working. (TBD)

Tweaks to Ike Memorial: Frank Gehry has modified a statue of Eisenhower to show him as a cadet in the planned memorial, but won't remove huge huge steel tapestries which have drawn the most criticism from architects and the Eisenhower family. (Examiner)

Speed camera torched: Someone set a speed camera on fire in Catonsville. It had just been installed near a school where neighbors complained of speeding drivers. Some commenters applauded the action. (Patch, Ben Ross)

Norton not allowed to represent: Congress won't let Eleanor Holmes Norton speak at a hearing on a bill about abortions in DC. DC Vote wants residents to bring pothole complaints and other requests to Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), the bill's sponsor. (DCist)

New Urbanists are the adults in the room: New Urbanists have won in the battle against sprawl and might be the only ones with a clear notion of how poor infrastructure choices damaged America as well as how to fix it. (Business Insider, charlie)

And...: 2 Metro staircases will use durable granite. (Examiner) ... The Potomac is one of America's most endangered rivers. (Post) ... Park Police continue to harass pedicabbers. (TBD) ... More car sharing would significantly reduce emissions. (Streetsblog)

Live in 5? Vote! (McDuffie!): Ward 5 goes to the polls today to choose a replacement for Harry Thomas, Jr. We have endorsed Kenyan McDuffie. Turnout will likely be light, so votes are critical to shape the future of the ward.

Budget boosts housing, delays NoMa park: Kwame Brown's proposed budget changes restore affordable housing funding, taking money from NoMa parks. It also allows later bar and restaurant hours but only around certain holidays, and avoids higher alcohol taxes. (Post, Washington Times)

Taxis get better: The taxi stand at Union Station now has a police officer keeping order, ensuring that the past chaos of involuntary group rides, refusals by drivers to take people to certain destinations, and the like are a thing of the past. (Post)

Bike & Ride opens today: WMATA's first new secure biking facility, called a Bike & Ride, opens today at College Park station. Metro wants to triple its bicycle access by 2020, and Bike & Rides are planned to be a big part of that increase. (TBD)

What to do with Franklin: Franklin Square could transform from a haven for the homeless to a centerpiece of a new living downtown. But it'll take a long time... and what about the homeless? (Harry Jaffe)

Pepco trims trees: Pepco is cutting back trees in Maryland that have caused so much damage to its infrastructure during storms. Residents disagree: is this long overdue, or is it an unnecessary loss of nature? (Post)

Fly to PDX, SJU, AUS, SFO: DOT has awarded 4 new nonstops from DCA to destinations beyond the 1,250 mile perimeter: Portland, San Juan, Austin, and San Francisco. The recent FAA reauthorization created the 4 new exemptions. (The Hill)

Nothing new under the sun: Opposition to the Golden Gate Bridge was just as fierce as opposition to major projects today. The arguments are uncannily familiar: no unbiased numbers, proponents are moving too fast, and more. (SFGate)

Santa Monica fights meter feeding: Santa Monica is installing sensors that will prevent drivers from feeding meters beyond the time limit. But perhaps they would be better served by changing to performance parking? (Huffington Post, Neil)

Los Angeles grows up: Atlantic Boulevard is emblematic of both old car-centric LA and the emerging transit city championed by the local council of governments and Mayor Villaraigosa. New development engages the street next to old strip malls, and highways mix oddly with the new light rail. This city is changing. (LA Times)

Long escalators aren't worse: Metro's longest escalators have about the same downtime as the rest of the system. WMATA is also looking at adding concrete stairs, even though they are not as durable as existing granite ones. (Examiner)

Where 5ers stand: Ward 5 votes tomorrow. The candidates reveal positions on some issues around transportation, public safety, and development. (Post)

Now Capitol Bikeshare, too: The Architect of the Capitol will allow a CaBi station on property it controls at Capitol South, after prodding from Congressmen Connolly and Moran. They're also eyeing 2 others, at the edge of the Capitol complex, but should stations also go right at Capitol office buildings or the visitors' center? (Roll Call)

Disabled parking abuse rampant: In an effort to find free and convenient parking, people are abusing disabled parking tags and there is even a black market for them. This leaves fewer parking spots for those who need them. (Examiner)

What if... no height limit and crazy architects?: Some architects play with ideas for what could be if DC had no height limit. As with most such architectural flights of fancy, the ideas are pretty wild, like a tower whose size varies with the debt ceiling. (Post)

Beauregard a go: The Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the Beauregard area plan, which allows for more density than would normally be allowed in exchange for affordable housing and other amenities including parks and a fire station. (Post)

More room to eat your jumbo slice: Construction is ending for Adams Morgan sidewalks that are now wider and feature new bike racks. Some local businesses worry traffic won't bounce back to what it was before construction. (DCist)

Siding sidelines project: The Arlington Planning Board voted down a project which uses cheap siding instead of a better material and limits car movements. The project meets zoning, so it's unclear if the board can stop it. (Arlington Mercury)

Plan transportation for Fairfax: Fairfax County is looking for a transportation planner. Requirements include 2 years' experience, good verbal and writing skills, ability to ride a bicycle, and capacity to lift 25 pounds. (Why on that last one?)

And...: Governor O'Malley agrees to make the Corridor Cities Transitway a BRT system and apply for federal funds. (Post) ... Bus riders only suffered minor injuries in a route 92 crash. (DCist) ... Google's self-driving car appears in Georgetown. (Patch, Corey Holman) ... Google Maps now shows the interior of subway stations in Boston. (BostInno)

Wheaton Costco may not get gas: Marc Elrich wants to prohibit gas stations close to parks and schools. His bill largely targets the Wheaton Costco, where residents say an environmental analysis is overlooks many impacts. (Gazette)

H Street gets gas: H Street residents haven't been able to stop a gas station at 14th and Maryland NE. They say it doesn't fit with the neighborhood's direction and the Public Space Committee rejected plans in the past, but now the station's owners have a design that passes regulatory muster. (City Paper)

Bus grows at rail's expense: With Metrorail becoming less attractive and more expensive, bus ridership seems to be growing. Real-time arrival boards, expected for 2013, would only accelerate the trend. (TBD)

Silver Line not a priority outside NoVa: Only 32% of Virginians believe the Silver Line is important to the state but 67% of Northern Virginians do, according to a survey. Also, most of Virginia does not favor tax hikes for infrastructure. (Post)

Myth zone: Another email from zoning rewrite opponents spreads more alarm on neighborhood listservs, but inflates the danger of accessory units and the likelihood anyone would build extremely low ceilings. (City Paper)

DC homelessness rises?: While the region's homeless population decreased overall, DC has more homeless residents, says a COG study. But some regional officials think the numbers aren't correct. (Examiner)

Head of the class: A group of MBA students came up with several recommendations to improve Metrobus, including a device similar to an E-ZPass that would allow passengers to board at the back without swiping their SmarTrip card. (Examiner)

2% is not enough: A recent poll showed 80% of Americans want to increase federal funding for bike and pedestrian infrastructure. But most only favored an increase after being told that only 2% of transportation dollars go to such projects. (TBD)

Blue Line blues: At 88.2%, Blue Line trains had the worst on-time performance in the system. Ironically, Orange Line trains had the best performance, with 92.6% of trains on time. (Examiner)

Big ads on Metro: Looking to increase revenue, WMATA and CBS Outdoor have placed new, 5 foot display ads in the interiors of 225 Metro cars. Metro is the first system in America to have the floor-to-ceiling ads. (Robert Dyer)

Reverse bike theft: A bike owner tracked down his stolen bike on Craigslist, but despite contacting them, MPD could not spare anyone to help, so he stole it back from the thief by himself. (DCist)

Bikeshare comes to New York: New York's upcoming bikeshare system Citi Bike, while similar to CaBi, will be more expensive and will have a required lag period between returning a bike and checking a new one out. (NYT)

Metro gets doored: The biggest source of Metro delays is problems with train doors. Though mechanical wear-and-tear thanks to stuck backpacks and caught arms are a problem, problems with internal door circuitry are just as bad. (TBD)

Spurned pot applicants sue: Three rejected applicants to grow medical marijuana in DC have sued, saying their applications were improperly scored and should be reconsidered. (Washington Times)

Memorial to Red Line victims: A memorial to victims of the 2009 Red Line crash is coming. WMATA is soliciting proposals for the memorial's design, which will be built near the site of the crash. (DCist)

Germantown steps a little forward: A new central park for Germantown Town Center has a good internal design, but the surrounding cityscape is so bland that it likely won't live up to its full potential. (BeyondDC)

Beauregard to change: Planned development in the Beauregard area of Alexandria will increase density and give the city many amenities, but some neighbors fear they won't be able to live there after the changes and are tring to stop it. (Post)

Less housing, less affordable: Affordable housing in DC is rapidly vanishing, says a new report from DCFPI. DC needs to adequately fund programs, but should affordable housing advocates also talk about the supply side—too many limits on building housing? (City Paper)

Whole change: A Whole Foods opening up in a neighborhood often means gentrification is not far behind. One reason is that later hours of a Whole Foods keeps activity in a neighborhood longer, attracting other retails to the area. (Salon)

LaHood to the rescue: The McDonnell administration's opposition to union labor, costs, and an audit of MWAA have all threatened the Silver Line phase 2. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood has kept the project moving, but he's retiring soon. (Post)

Imhoff/Brizill house burns down: A fire destroyed the 1870 Columbia Heights house of longtime DC activists Gary Imhoff and Dorothy Brizill. DC had taken enforcement action in 2002 and 2007 because the house was in run-down condition, though the fire does not appear related. (Post, DCist, City Paper)

Cabbies behaving badly: Passengers getting late-night cabs at Union Station complain that drivers choose destinations and share passengers despite laws and injunctions against the practice. In response, DC may improve enforcement, eventually. (Post)

Whose gax tax is it?: Gas taxes in Northern Virginia are not going to the jurisdictions they ought because the companies paying the tax don't know where the gas was sold. Governments have until January to find the lost money. (Examiner)

Preserve ze space: Z Burger wants to enclose a portion of Columbia Heights' plaza for seating, and the neighbors don't like it one bit. The plaza, they argue, is public space and should remain open to everyone. (City Paper)

The trial is over: Harry Thomas, Jr. will serve 38 months in prison for embezzling of government funds and not reporting that as income to the IRS. (DCist)

...but the scandal wears on: There is $230,000 missing from CYITC's drug prevention fund, the same fund Councilmember Thomas used to embezzle, but CYITC can't account for it. (City Paper)

The listless university: UDC struggles with low enrollment, high costs, minimal DC Council support, and a president with a big vision but without the political savvy to win any battles. (City Paper)

Parking may perform: Performance parking throughout all of DC got the nod from a council committee yesterday. DDOT then has to implement it, and its new parking chief seems promisingly smart-growth minded. (Examiner, TBD)