For walkers, this week was bad luck
While crossing the street, two were struck
Sure, fate is capricious
But why not delicious?
Heck yes, I'd get hit by this truck

It sure seems that Metro's bemoaning
The change that had riders all groaning
With kiosks outmoded
Make fares auto-loaded
Not yet, though, 'cause Catoe's postponing

I'm sad to see Cephas depart
For with him, that man takes my heart
He's clearly an ass
But lovably crass
In my book, bad taste is an art

When casting your vote in the booth
Just think of Graham's bowtie (so couth!)
Whatever you ponder
Don't let your mind wander
To thoughts of cabs, bribes, or that youth

As poet, I feel obligated
To highlight things classic (or dated?)
And yet, here's my screed:
Screw biking in tweed
That whole thing seemed way overrated...

The general manager of the D.C. Metro, John Catoe, says riders on the Red Line should expect delays for at least a year because of the ongoing investigation into last month's deadly crash and repairs connected to it, the Washington Times reports.

"If this is an issue dealing with the safety of the system, I'm not going to restrict the repairs to nighttime. I'm going to get it as soon as I can get it done. And we will look at ways to do that, but that will impact the service on the Red Line," he said.

"Now that we're getting into heavy revamp of the system, it will be impacting services for the next several years," Mr. Catoe said. To lessen disruptions to the system, Metro will rethink how it schedules maintenance. Suggestions include doing large repairs on holidays or specific days of the week like Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In a wide-ranging interview with the paper, Catoe also suggested that problems with a 30-year-old computer system that is being investigated as the possible cause of the crash could impact other transit systems across the country.

"With this, depending again what they ultimately find, could be much larger. It's an issue, depending upon what they find, not just for [the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]. We're not the only one with this type of system. Most rail operations around the country have a similar system to this," said Mr. Catoe, who insisted he was speculating and distanced himself from the NTSB investigation.

"If they find, let's say, that there's a defect in the part, then you have to look at all the parts around the country because there's only two manufacturers of those parts," he said.

Good morning, City Desk readers!  Remember those lovely events and people we tried to forget about in the past few years, among them press secretaries, judicial nominations, and transit accidents?  They're all back to rear their ugly heads this morning, so let's commence with the news rundown.

• Yesterday afternoon, City Desk posted the latest WaPo article about the Metro crash, which basically announced that circuits on four of the five lines have failed to detect the presence of trains.  The 6 pm newscasts featured commentary from a variety of concerned commuters and so to quell their concerns, Metro GM John Catoe and Councilman Jim Graham held a press conference announcing that the Post got the story wrong.  The system is safe, says Catoe, and the article is a gross misstatement of facts.  Watch WUSA's interview with Catoe - he could be a dreidel with the way he's spinning this new information.

Swine flu, social networks, and the Secret Service after the jump.  Plus, a new alternative to saving the Nats! Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Just When We Forgot Edition" »

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor would like you to know that she was misunderstood when she said that a wise Latina woman would come to a better decision than a white man.  Yes, she's been repeating this line since the soundbite came out almost six weeks ago, but it seems to be the main focus of her confirmation hearings.  "Objectivity" was the word of the day, as Sotomayor faced tough questioning from the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Shock of all shocks, the voice of reason came from South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who announced that unless something went terribly wrong, the judge would most likely be confirmed by the Democratic majority.

But enough about rule-makers.  All the rule-breakers, in DC and beyond, are after the jump. Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Law and Order Edition" »

Fire Chief Dennis Rubin with Adrian Fenty at a press conference yesterday

Fenty is expected to make remarks on the red line crash this morning at 8:00 a.m. We'll be live-blogging the press conference here.

8:01 a.m. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Fire Chief Dennis Rubin, Councilmember Jim Graham step up.

8:02 a.m. Fenty says he wants the country to know that his first efforts are with the families and friends of the victims. 76 people were taken off of the train to the hospital. Yesterday, six were confirmed dead. This morning, the number of confirmed dead is seven. Not nine as previously reported.

Read More "Fenty Press Conference #3: Liveblog" »