So on Wednesday morning, the lovely people at WMATA issued a press release stating that the Takoma station will continue to close at 10 p.m. every night until July 19th.  They amended the statement with another one this morning, stating that tonight, the station will stay open until 3 a.m., the normal closing time on weekends, making travel slightly easier for a day.  It's understandable that the NTSB needs as much time as possible to investigate the June 22 crash.  What makes less sense is the announcement for an overhaul of the Red Line that was planned prior to the crash.  Because what is being fixed, according to The Washington Post, does not seem immediately necessary, especially if it's going to cause even more delays on system's busiest line. Read More "Seeing Red on the Red Line…Still" »

D.C. Wire's Marion Barry coverage leads the Post's site this a.m., wherein Councilmember David Catania "steps to the plate" (Barry loves that phrase) on the issue of granting and then yanking public contracts from his former ladyfriend. "These are public funds," he says. "There needs to be an accounting." Barry's spokesperson promises the good councilmember will actually answer some questions on that front today. Other Council react: Chairman Vincent Gray avoided the matter, issuing some boilerplate about how he's worked to increase the Council's ethics. Barry's across-the-river compadre's remarks were reserved for the kicker. Yvette Alexander: "The nine lives of Marion Barry, except I think he has maybe 11 lives." And, thanks, WaPo for giving City Paper credit on the voicemail tapes! The TV did the same last night, although funnily News Channel 8 cut off the last part of our cover image.

Speaking of: Get yours today! As the Sexist points out, they won't last long. Even Gawker thinks this week's cover is a thing of beauty, and they almost never say anything nice.

Read More "Our Morning Roundup: “These Are Public Funds” Edition" »

Michael Jackson's memorial service monopolized every media outlet yesterday and seems to be the only national news event worth covering this morning.  It was poignant, it was tasteful, but what does it have to do with Washington?  Everything, according to Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), who spoke at the service yesterday and announced House Resolution 600. Oh yes, here comes the Michael Jackson tribute resolution, and it is lengthy.  They praise him for his humanitarian efforts and then proceed to list every kind thing he did.  For example, "in 1994, Michael donated $500,000 to Elizabeth Taylor's AIDS Foundation."  Good to know.

Apparently, watching the funeral online was an important part of yesterday's Congressional schedule.  Politico posts this message from the head of the House's tech operations.

"The Michael Jackson event is causing even more inbound Internet BW usage.
We are monitoring both Internet connections and they are maxed out at 155 Mbps inbound."

More District news, plus Obamas in Russia after the jump. Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Busted Edition" »

Wake up, Metro. It's morning time! Also: Two of your employees are telling WJLA-TV that they not only knew about the circuit problem that likely caused the June 22 crash five days before it happened, but that they reported the problem to their supervisors. This seemingly contradicts GM John Catoe's statement yesterday, in which he assured the public the circuit's intermittent inability to detect trains on tracks was "not an issue that would have been easily detectable to controllers in our operations control center." Metro had no comment on the unnamed technicians' allegations, citing the ongoing investigation.

In case you missed it: City Desk reported last night that one of the crash victims' families lawyered up with local institution the Cochran Firm, which won the business over another firm based, partially, on its willingness to file suit before the investigation's over. Attorney David Haynes called today to correct my mistake. The family of Veronica DuBose actually has two law firms lined up, one from Florida already familiar to the family, as well as the Cochran Firm, which was brought in as lead counsel by the Florida lawyers. Haynes also notes that his firm is representing five people injured in the crash.

City Paper's fresh online and in the stands. Of note: Carman on Breadline's closing and reopening, Graham on The Year of Magical Thinking, Olszewski on the new Transformers, Leitko on Meow vs. Meow, and West on the theory of everything.

Elsewhere in D.C. Blogolands:

Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Did Metro Know It Had a Circuit Problem Before the Crash? Edition" »

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" »

Management of the Washington Post is impressed with how the paper handled the Metro crash and the death of King of Pop Michael Jackson. Memo, after the jump, says it's now time for the sports section to shine.

Read More "Washington Post Happy with Coverage" »

Hurt in Monday's Metro crash and looking for legal representation? The folks behind dcmetrocrash.com would be happy to help you out.

The site actually includes a bunch of pretty good information about the crash---information that might be taken as somewhat incriminating, anyway. That the train operator 'had been on the job for four months'; that the National Transportation Safety Board 'warned twice that trains like the ones involved in Monday's wreck may be dangerous to passengers'; and that 'D.C.'s mayor said the blame for the crash should fall "squarely" on local officials.'

LL called the number on the site. He didn't reach a lawyer, but rather Jared Reagan, proprietor of an outfit called Lawyer Marketing Solution.

Read More "Lawyers Use Web Site, Google Ads to Find Metro Crash Victims" »

Hey, Metro rider!

By now, in the wake of Monday's collision, you've heard plenty about the different types of Metro cars---specifically how the oldest '1000-series' cars were judged by the NTSB years ago to offer substandard levels of protection in a crash.

So maybe you're thinking that you should avoid these cars. But how?

Very simple: At the front and back of each car, underneath the operator's window, there is a plate with a four-digit figure. That would be your car number. If the digit starts with a '1,' that's a 1000-series car.

Read More "1000-Series Metro Cars: How to Avoid Them, If You So Choose" »

Sit in the front or the back of the train. The weenies are in the middle of the car, Twittering.

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 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" »

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 altered.

Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Metro Crash Aftermath" »

At the early date, not quite four hours after this evening's deadly Red Line collision, there is little information to be had at this point about the type and age of the cars involved in the crash. [UPDATE, 9:05 P.M.: Metro General Manager John Catoe said in a press conference that the last car on the stopped train was a relatively new 5000-series CAF-built car; the lead car on the moving train was a 1000-series Rohr-built car---the oldest type in the system.] However, it is worth reviewing some historical criticism of the structural integrity of certain Metro cars levied in the past by the National Transportation Safety Board.

In January 1996, two trains collided at the Shady Grove station at between 22 and 29 mph; in that crash, the moving train "telescoped" 21 feet over the stationary train, "severely compromising the occupant volume of the striking car." Almost nine years later, in November 2004, a Red Line train, its operator asleep at the wheel, slid backward and struck a train stopped at the Woodley Park station---again, the moving train telescoped some 20 feet over the stopped one. According to the subsequent NTSB report [PDF], "Almost half of the passenger occupant volume of the striking car...was also severely compromised."

Today's crash, based on the extreme "telescoping" seen in photographs, seems to have taken place at higher speeds. But the survivability of the crash might have something to do with the type and age of the cars involved.

In response to NTSB questions about the 1996 incident, Metro conducted a review of its cars' structural strength. This is how the NTSB, in the wake of the 2004 crash, described the response:

Read More "Old Questions About Crashworthiness of Metro Cars" »

Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser is now being interviewed on WRC-TV about the deadly train crash on the Red Line. "We have seen the police department and the fire department respond in a very coordinated way," says the councilmember, who represents the area in which the collision occurred.