DCist is reporting that the Real World DC cast may be arriving right friggin now. Has anybody been this excited by the arrival of more d-bags into D.C.? DCist writes:

“A tipster just texted that the D.C. Real World cast appears to be arriving as we speak — she reports seeing a blonde girl with a suitcase walking through Dupont Circle, looking clueless and being trailed by a camera crew.”

Of course, we’ve been doing our own serious blogging on the subject over at Housing Complex. The Anti-Real World DC blog has pictures (see above) capturing the apparent awkward move in.

“Hi. I’m Ethan. I will be playing the drunken frat boy in cargo shorts.”

“Hi. I’m Zoe. I will be playing the drunken ditz who hooks up with you in the second episode.”

There’s more after the jump!

Read More “Real World D.C. Cast Arriving Now! Really?” »

Johnnie Cochran’s awesome law outfit The Cochran Firm have announced that they’re going to be playing a huge part in the post metro-crash litigation. The OJ, and noted civil rights lawyer may have passed away in 2005, but as we all know from the awesome local TV ads—his firm lives on.

Now, the Cochran firm is taking a piece of the metro crash business. Interview with Cochran attorney after the jump.

Read More “Cochran Firm Files Lawsuit On Behalf Of Metro Crash Victim’s Family” »

In case you missed it: here’s all you need to know about yesterday morning’s federal court hearing on CFSA: In CFSA Case, Nickles Plays Defense; Judge Hogan Critical Of CFSA Director Selection Process.

Dee Does the District decides to not open up about getting terminated by DCPS. But this doesn’t stop her from opening up about getting terminated by DCPS:

“I’ve decided to forego a big post in regards to my termination due to pending legal action and for my own personal privacy. Although I am deeply disappointed and incensed by the sweeping terminations, I feel relieved in a sense to be out of this broken system. I already have a number of upcoming interviews lined up at charters and in Northern Virginia and I’m looking forward to moving on to a school to values me and treats me like a human being.”

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: Goodbye Used Car Lots” »

This morning, D.C.’s Child and Family Services Agency was once again the subject of a U.S. District Court hearing. The issue before Judge Thomas F. Hogan: Whether to hold the city in contempt for violating his court order and failing to meet stipulated benchmarks.

The plaintiff’s, Children’s Rights, a New York-based advocacy law firm which specializes in exposing troubled child welfare agencies and turning them around, was in its element. The District’s lawyers were no match for Children’s Rights founder and executive director Marcia Lowry. While both sides disputed whether or not the agency met those benchmarks—with the city attorney lamely complaining that some of the benchmarks were too difficult to meet—Hogan seemed most annoyed with point No. 4 of his stipulated order. It stated that the city must consult with the assigned court monitor as well as Lowry’s group during the selection of a new CFSA director.

Lowry had contended that Children’s Rights was not consulted. Hogan stated from the bench that the city had “blatantly” failed to comply with this aspect of his court order.

This evening, Loose Lips (aka Mike DeBonis) reached AG Peter Nickles and asked him to comment on Hogan’s statements. Let’s just say Nickles argument was less than legalistic. His response was all about feelings.

Read More “In CFSA Case, Nickles Plays Defense” »

According to WMATA, emergency personnel are responding to the Forest Glen Metro station on the Red Line. The reason: A pedestrian has reportedly been struck by “an eight-car train headed in the direction of Shady Grove…The incident took place at 4:10 p.m.”

WMATA goes on to state: “Trains are single-tracking, or taking turns sharing one track between the Forest Glen and Silver Spring Metrorail stations. Red Line Riders can expect significant delays along the line, especially in the area of the incident. Delays are expected to be 30 minutes or more.”

4:52 Update: WMATA says via Twitter that the person struck has died. They were apparently on the tracks intentionally.

4:58 p.m. Update: Angela Gates, a Metro spokesperson tells City Desk of the incident: “[The pedestrian] died at the scene. I believe we have video in our control center. We are able to see what happens. Transit police are asking anyone who did witness it to call them at 202-962-1792. We still have emergency personnel out there. They still have to do an investigation, talk to witnesses that are still there.”

Metro is single tracking around at and around that stop throughout rush hour. Expect 30 minute delays or more.

5:08 p.m. Update: Dust causes havoc on Metro! Just got this alert:

“FEMS is reports a small fire located at 4500 Central Avenue N.E. at the Benning Rd Metro Station. FEMS reports it is smoke coming from a pole that holds up the signs that gives information to Metro riders. Update Transit police confirmed it was only dust on the pole and no service has been disrupted.”

This morning in U.S. District Court, Judge Thomas F. Hogan took up the on-going legal battle over the District’s Child and Family Services Agency. At issue was whether or not the agency could be held in contempt. Hogan devoted much of his consternation on the how the District went about picking Dr. Roque Gerald (pictured) to head up CFSA.

At the time of Dr. Gerald’s selection, City Desk questioned whether the District violated Hogan’s order. We wrote:

Read More “Judge Hogan Critical Of CFSA Director Selection Process” »

Two years after the fact, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells has gone on the record suspecting that the Eastern Market fire was arson. Wells tells the Voice of the Hill:

“‘I have a tremendous amount of suspicion that it was arson,’ Wells told the Voice immediately after the market reopened Friday.”

Eastern Market re-opened today with the expected fanfare. Which is great. But it doesn’t erase the screw-ups surrounding that massive blaze. In December 2007, we wrote a piece addressing the concerns of numerous fire fighters that the Eastern Market case was arson. Two arson investigators got bounced off their beat for making their concerns known.

Read More “Not Breaking: Councilmember Wells Suspects Eastern Market Fire Was Arson” »

A short time ago, Washington City Paper called the L.A. Coroner’s Office for confirmation on the rumors concerning the King of Pop’s alleged death. 

When Washington City Paper asked for confirmation, we were put on hold. 

We are still on hold. 

While we wait, we revel in the memory of having watched (already) Al Sharpton’s press conference, Michael Eric Dyson’s faux scholarly take (seriously, this guy is a vampire), and MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann interview an Access Hollywood “reporter.”

Shit, we’re no longer on hold.

Read More “WCP Confirms Michael Jackson’s Death” »

You can listen to the radio transmissions from the metro crash here. [You can also go directly to the radio calls here].The first 911 dispatcher call out is for a pretty significant all hands on deck for a derailment. There doesn’t appear to be any confusion about the severity of the crash. And then there’s this apparently from a firefighter later on the tape asking for help:

“I don’t know if power has been cut off…I have a serious head injury.”

There are no time stamps so it’s hard to tell how long it took for the firefighters to report that the crash involved two trains, that it was above ground, that it was very serious. There are several calls before the mass casualty units are requested.

(Via the amazing STATter 911)

Video of the response after the jump.

Read More “Listen: Fire Dept. Radio Transmissions From Metro Crash” »

The family of Ana Fernandez, a victim of the metro crash, tell WTOP they’ve gotten a bunch of hate calls from anti-immigrant crazies. The station reports:

“They have been getting hate-filled telephone messages about whether or not Fernandez, a mother of six, was a legal immigrant.

Her family gathered outside her Hyattsville apartment Wednesday. A crying woman who identified herself as Ana’s sister said the accusations aren’t true.

‘Right now, the whole family is in pain. She was here legally, and all her children are legal. They were born here.’

She says she’s grateful for the genuine expressions of sympathy, but has a message for the people who have been making the harassing calls.

‘We all work, OK? And we’re going to get through this.’”

WTOP reporter Kate Ryan writes in to Loose Lips with more details of the hate calls:

“Ana Fernandez’ family tells me specifically that the calls accuse them of ‘using the crash’ to gain legal status for Ana. Again, the woman identifying herself as Ana’s sister (and Ana’s daughter Evelyn) tell me that not only was Ana legal, but that all six kids were born here.”

Read More “Metro Crash Victim’s Family Is Receiving Hate Messages” »

The one thing you don’t mess around with in a tragedy is the body count. But yesterday morning during a press conference on the metro crash, Mayor Adrian Fenty did just that. Even though Metro and the Fire Department had confirmed that nine passengers had died in the Red Line accident, Fenty overruled those officials and confused everyone. Fenty decided presumably on his own that in fact only seven were confirmed dead.

Shortly after the press conference, the body count rose back to nine.

City Desk tried to figure out the discrepency yesterday. Was it a matter of government sources getting ahead of themselves? Was it simply a matter of confusion at the crash scene? Today, the Washington Post published a story which reveals the source of the mix up: Fenty.

Read More “So Who Screwed Up The Metro Crash Body Count? Fenty” »

Councilmember Jim Graham, who is chairman of the Metro Board, just called in to report a few things to City Desk regarding yesterday’s Metro crash. Graham mentioned that the board’s $250,000 relief fund for the Metro crash victims’ families. He emphasized that this is not hush money.

“We wanted to have this immediately,” Graham explains. “We know there are probably going to be significant legal actions.”

Graham says that one of the inspirations for the relief fund came from the circumstances involving one of the victims—Ana Fernandez, who left behind six children. The Examiner notes that she lived in Hyattsville and had resided in the area for the past 10 years. She worked evenings as a part-time housekeeper. Graham says: “We don’t know how many more are like that. Those needs came to my attention today….And now there’s emergency relief.”

Graham says that reps from El Salvador’s embassy have reached out to the Fernandez family as has Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.

Read More “Graham On Metro Crash: ‘There Are Probably Going To Be Significant Legal Actions’” »

The Washington Times picked up what may become an emerging angle from the Metro Crash—the tensions between WMATA and the D.C. Fire Department. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin basically called out WMATA for initially downplaying the extent of the crash. The Times writes:

“Fire officials stated bluntly Monday night that Metro’s original description of the accident understated its magnitude, and it was only when the first rescuers arrived at the scene that the sort of help needed was finally summoned.

‘A little after five o’clock we responded to what was believed to be a small incident,’ D.C. Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin said. ‘The first arriving company recognized the fact that apparently two trains had collided.’ Fire officials eventually sounded three alarms, summoning hundreds of rescuers and implementing their mass- casualty operations.”

It’s unclear whether rescue work was delayed as a result or whether WMATA or 911 dispatchers made errors in communicating the severity of the crash. “[The Office of Unified Communications] is not under our purview,” explains Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Crosswhite. “We’re not responsible for OUC….I would be curious to hear what the first 911 call was reporting.”

Fire Department Spokesperson Alan Etter refused to say when the department sounded three alarms and summoned all those rescue workers. “It was an evolving event—resources were called as they were needed,” he stated in an e-mail to City Desk. “In other words, nobody jumped up and said—this is a third alarm incident—at the height of involvement we had an equivalent of three alarms on scene—more than 200 personnel–with mutual aid, etc.”

The department’s own notification records point to such a response. It’s unclear whether or not that response was timely.

Read More “One Emerging Angle: Was The Fire Department Properly Notified Of Metro Crash?” »

WMATA on Twitter from nine minutes ago:

“Red Line: Trains are turning back at Rhode Island Avenue & Silver Spring due to a situation outside of Fort Totten station. Shuttle bus ser”

Read More “WMATA Twitter Dubs Metro Crash ‘A Situation’” »

The Washington Post is reporting that the metro car involved in the Red Line crash yesterday was due for brake maintenance. The Post writes:

“The Metro train car that slammed into another on the Red Line yesterday evening was two months past due for scheduled maintenance on its brakes, and the car was an older model that federal officials had recommended be replaced because of concerns about its safety in a crash, officials said today….

According to a Metro source knowledgeable about railcar maintenance, the first car of the striking train was two months behind on a scheduled maintenance for changing out brakes and brake components.”

Read More “Metro Crash Train Was Due For Brake Fix; Names Of Some Dead Released” »