Lydia DePillis takes note of the schmancy-looking surprise Walmarts opening up in the District:
From a local perspective, one of my biggest qualms about Walmart is what the mega-retailer could do neighborhoods: Can a big-box store integrate well with its surroundings, creating walkable places where other kinds of small businesses can thrive? The District's experience with [...]
On June 22, 2009, the deadliest crash in Metrorail's history occurred when two Red Line trains collided near the Fort Totten station, killing nine people and injuring dozens more.
The accident, and a subsequent National Transportation Safety Board investigation, offered a harsh assessment of Metro’s lax safety maintenance. That Monday just before 5 p.m., at the [...]
Fort Totten Metro, NE. © 2010 Matt Dunn
Remember that grim fiscal 2011 budget? When the new fiscal year starts in October, the Department of Public Works will cut back on its disposal service for hazardous materials, electronics recycling and document shredding—which has been a convenient and environmentally friendly way to get rid of household materials that shouldn't be thrown in with the [...]
Councilmember Jim Graham doesn't think the Metro boardmembers should be held responsible for the Metro crash last June; the councilmember was chairman at the time of the crash. The NTSB had hammered the board; City Desk cited numerous warning signs and previous NTSB recommendations that the board ignored prior to the crash. The Examiner captures [...]
WTTG-TV brings us shocking–shocking!–video this morning of rowdy Metro riders engaged in fisticuffs and other horseplay. It's "an ongoing problem," according to the local Fox News affiliate. (Albeit a big boon to YouTube.)
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 [...]
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 [...]
Throughout yesterday, more details about the Metro crash were released, including the names of the nine individuals who died in Monday afternoon's accident. City Desk also reported that the train that hit the stopped train outside Fort Totten was 2 months overdue for its brake maintenance service. The train that initiated the crash was also [...]
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty: Expresses deepest condolences, as is standard practice to start these briefings.
Confirms nine fatalities, the final count. "As a government and as a city" there are only four people whose identities have been confirmed.
Three of the four are residents of the District of Columbia. One lived in Hyattsville. Fenty contacted three of [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
So how did the Red Line metro crash death toll jump to nine last night then fall back to seven this morning and then back up to nine? Last night, City Desk reported that three news outlets—WUSA9, WTOP, and WJLA—had confirmed that nine had died in the crash. WTOP cited the D.C. Fire Department as [...]
The death toll in the metro crash went back up to nine this morning. The number rose a few hours after Fenty insisted the number was seven at the morning press conference. The Washington Post reports:
"The number of people killed in last night's deadly Red Line crash has risen to nine, Metro's general manager said [...]
Check out these must see photos of yesterday's Metro crash aftermath. Read our interview we posted last night with a Deputy Fire Chief who was on the scene and ended up driving an ambulance. LL wonders: Are DC Metro cars safe? Need help with your commute? WMATA notes that red line service will be severely [...]
