From this week's cover story, see more.

Union Station.  © 2011 Matt Dunn

• After it surfaced that Metro employees at Huntington station were abusing parking, Metro CEO Richard Sarles reminded all WMATA employees he'll dispatch Metro Transit Police to enforce parking regulations.
• Are Metrorail riders meaner than Metrobus ones?
• Some parking advocates would prefer a $1 surcharge on station parking, instead of service cuts.
• Navigating Metro in a wheelchair proves very unpleasant for one rider. Unfortunately, her experience isn't uncommon.
• A man in Virginia has pleaded guilty to planning a Metro bomb attack with government agents pretending to be members of Al-Qaeda.
• Local leaders in Virginia are considering pulling funding for the Silver Line project.
• Now that cherry blossom fever has subsided, Metro's going back to intensive track work.
• Upgrading Ward 5's transit isn't going to happen right away.

In Metro Good News, a plan to put a 5-cent surcharge on Metro riders at Union Station has been scrapped (for the moment), and Arlington riders may soon be able to load bus passes onto their SmarTrips.

And if Metro Bad News is too depressing, perhaps you'd prefer it reenacted by marshmallow peeps.

The most recent complaint about this issue comes, via Hollaback DC, from a woman who was catching the Red Line from Union Station. As usual, the concrete benches in the station were full (R.I.P. chivalry), and she searched for a spare piece of bench to sit on while she stuck out the 20-minute wait.

She was just sitting down next to a younger woman when she noticed a man she assumed to be homeless “oggleing” the both of them. She’d spotted him by the gates, and by the looks of things, she’d piqued his interest, and he’d decided to follow her down to the platform. Both women noticed the man’s hands repeatedly heading toward his, um, manly bits, and tried to ignore it, hoping against hope that he would stop.

No such luck. The man followed our storyteller onto her train and then, it happened:

“As he set down he stuck his hand in his pants and pulled himself out and I though eww he going to try to flash me; but no he had other intentions and he started to masturbate.”

Naturally, she immediately moved to the other side of the train, then fled to the next car when the train pulled into a station. The guy didn’t seem to care that he’d been spotted. When she switched trains at Chinatown, he stood up to watch her leave, his hands still lodged in his pants.

This isn’t the first time a Hollaback DC poster has complained about suffering this form of harassment on the Metro. Over the summer, another woman recounted an awful experience she suffered last February, when one of her fellow passengers apparently got all hot and bothered by the sight of her bundled up in her winter clothes.

Neither woman knew what to do—but who would, with something right out of Law and Order: SVU happening to you while you’re minding your own business?

Metro actually does have guidelines for this sort of thing, as City Desk reported last summer. Officials say customers caught in the sights of pervy riders, or other sketchy individuals, should either press the little red button on the train to report the incident to the operator, or to call the 24-hour Metro Transit Police hotline at (202) 962-2121.

Be safe out there.

Photo by hyku via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

The Ice of the Inner Loop: Take one part rush hour, one part severe cold snap, one part aging infrastructure, mix gently, and what do you get? Chaos. A water main burst near Central Avenue early this morning, leaving several lanes of the Beltway under water—which, in the delightful Arctic cold that descended on the region this weekend, quickly turned icy. By mid-afternoon, the highway had only partially reopened, and 400,000 people in Prince George's County were under orders to boil tap water before drinking it. 55 more days until spring! -3

Hawking Books: The Library of Congress has more than 33 million books in its collection. But apparently, not a single one of them deals with ornithology. Officials at the library have been unable to convince a hawk to leave its new perch there since last week, resorting instead to putting up nets to keep the bird from swooping down and attacking researchers as they work in the Main Reading Room. (If new Republican members of Congress have their way, of course, the library will probably just declare the bird a national security threat and shoot it.) +1

Heighters Gonna Height: The view of Union Station from the north of the iconic train station is a tough one to capture—in no small part because looking at it from the north involves standing on train tracks. That hasn't stopped preservationists from arguing against a new mixed-use development that would sit above the rails, on the grounds that it violates the spirit (if maybe not the letter) of the Height Act, the 100-year-old law that's mostly now used as a weapon against interesting blueprints. The obvious punch line for this item would be, "Don't ever change, D.C.," but thanks to laws like the Height Act, it already can't. -2

At Eastern Motors, Your Government Job's Your Credit: Getting around D.C. isn't always easy: There's traffic, parking's expensive, gas costs a lot, the Metro rarely works right. Fortunately, next time you're dealing with inconvenient transportation logistics, you can take solace in the knowledge that a share of your tax dollars are paying for nearly $2,000-a-month SUV leases for both Mayor Vince Gray and D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown. After all, the city's budget deficit is only $600 million; why shouldn't our top two elected officials ride in style? -4

Friday's Needle rating: 50 Today's score: -8 Today's Needle rating: 42

For me, train No. 136 to New York was scheduled to depart from Union Station at 5:05 p.m., but while I was at the shoeshine stand getting my boots polished up, I received an automated telephone call from Amtrak telling me that my train was being affected by an “operations” delay. While the call was nice, it wasn’t particularly helpful—the train information display screen already alerted me to the delay.

Here’s where train personnel at Union Station made some missteps, frustrating me and my fellow Amtrak riders.

At 5:05 p.m., when the train was supposed to depart, an Amtrak-looking guy came up to an assemblage of waiting passengers outside Gate F—me included—and told us that our train was pulling in from the yard, but had not been assigned a gate yet. That was true—the train information display did not show a gate for No. 136.

A few moments later, a gate and a track appeared! B10. Suddenly, there was a rush of people to Gate B, one of a cluster of gates that normally serves MARC’s Penn, Camden, and Brunswick line passengers.

Over the public address system, there was an announcement that No. 136 would be leaving from Gate B. Since the doors were wide open, there was mass of people who poured outside near the platforms. It was chaotic. There were no train personnel on hand to tell passengers for No. 136 that the train hadn’t even pulled up to Track 10.

Although information display signs at Track 10 said that’s where No. 136 would board, Amtrak police officers told the assembled mass of people, who were mixing with MARC passengers heading to their trains, to go back inside—where there were still more people trying to push their way outside.

When a clearly irked MARC staffer told everyone to go back inside, one person told him “the only reason why we came out here was because the announcer lady told us to board at Gate B.” MARC man’s response: “She must have tripped.”

As extreme crowding conditions made the already agitated passengers even more agitated, the “announcer lady” kept on announcing every 20 minutes that No. 136 was delayed 20 minutes.

When a MARC staffer told Amtrak passengers that the MARC waiting-area vestibule between the platform and gate area was for "commuter rail customers only," an angry woman said: "We are commuter rail customers, we're commuting home to New York on Amtrak!"

About 10 minutes to 6 o’clock, the real boarding announcement was made. Again, there was a rush at the gate. As tickets were checked at Gate B, others dashed through Gate C and bypassed having their tickets checked.

At 6:35 p.m., the train pulled away from the station, but the interior lights in my train car are flickering. Wish me luck and have a good weekend!

Adios, Plácido: Local opera company seeks new artistic director and general director. Tenor singing voice, fluency in Spanish a plus; must not enjoy long walks on the beach, at least not if the beach is in Los Angeles. For that's where Plácido Domingo has fled Washington National Opera for, after 14 years in D.C., the last several split with the Los Angeles Opera. Domingo extended his contract in L.A. for another two years, and told WNO he wasn't coming back. Just like a diva. -2

Automobile Arson Association: A month after cars are torched under strange circumstances along 16th Street, authorities finally admit what everyone else had already realized—something weird is going on. Police and fire officials are investigating who has set fire to at least five cars near Columbia Heights and Mt. Pleasant in the last few weeks, mostly late at night. Tip for anyone planning to buy a new car soon: Decline the undercoating, but do take the dealer up if they offer fireproofing. -2

Trains Run On Time: The Red Line's Union Station tops the list of busiest Metro stations, with more than 32,000 on an average weekday. Friendship Heights, with fewer than 10,000 riders, comes in last. Apparently Ted's Montana Grill is a bigger draw than Neiman Marcus. Also, apparently people who live in Chevy Chase aren't real big on public transit. Raise your hand if this surprises you. -1

More Weather Nonsense: Why not add a tropical storm to the list of absurd extreme weather phenomena we've suffered through this year? Tropical Depression 16, soon to be named Tropical Storm Nicole, is expected to pass through the D.C. region on Thursday, bringing along heavy rains, strong winds, and a renewed sense that someone out there—either God, or at the Weather Channel—really doesn't like the District much. On the plus side, Metro announced that SmarTrip cards will be accepted to board arks. -3

Yesterday's Needle rating: 54 Today's score: -8 Today's Needle rating: 46

While blogger Mike Rogers first published the Union Station allegations back in 2006, it wasn't until 2007—following Craig's infamous arrest in a men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport—that the Idaho Statesman newspaper published its own investigation into the allegations involving Craig's personal life. The Statesman reported a 40-year-old "professional man with close ties to Republican officials" had oral sex with the senator at Union Station.

Craig denied the allegations: "I am not gay and I have never been in a restroom in Union Station having sex with anybody. There's a very clear bottom line here. I don't do that kind of thing. I am not gay, and I never have been," the senator told the Statesman.

As Washington City Paper's Jason Cherkis investigated, hanging out in the Union Station men's room is no fun, considering the sanitary conditions, Big Brother security and general discomfort of waiting around for a rendezvous:

The reportorial overkill has amped up the romance factor at Union Station. Imagine the thrill of it—getting off in a nearly 100-year-old historic building with its 96-foot-high barrel-vaulted, coffered ceilings adorned with 70 pounds of 22-karat gold leaf. There’s fast food too, so you get a blowjob and Sbarro. Sexy.

Wrong. There are other places to take up Craig’s legacy. Safer places. Cleaner places. Places with just as much historic significance. We’re talking park land. Go wide-stance it in the great outdoors.

In any regard, the conditions in the men's room in question should stand to improve when the renovations are completed. Still, it's no place to get a blowjob. There are better places. Try the Internet? An app like Grindr? Or City Paper's classified ads?

While Union Station goers won't be able to visit the infamous Craig restroom until the spruce-up is done, don't worry. The senator, according to allegations, also visited another restroom in Union Station, which we assume would be the one on the food court level. Go visit an obscure place in D.C. history! Just don't linger. That's plain creepy.

Power to the People: Frustrated by the frequent power outages that have plagued Howard Kurtz's home (and possibly yours, too)? Pepco has finally found a solution—spend $256 million trimming tree limbs. And voilà: a reliable supply of electricity. After, uh, a five-year wait to implement the plan. Potentially faster solution—go solar. -2

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: Labor Department stats show D.C. posted the second-largest gain in employment in the nation last month. A total of 17,800 new jobs were added to D.C. payrolls in July; it was the biggest one-month gain in the District since the department started tracking the statistic in 1990. The biggest gainer? Michigan. Fenty administration rumored to be testing new slogan: "D.C.'s Economy—Almost as Dynamic As Michigan's!" +7

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Elevators at Metro's Union Station stop will be out of service for three months as part of a $177 million Red Line rehab project. Unlike the system's many escalator outages, this one was announced in advance. Like the system's many escalator outages, it's still likely to prove inconvenient and irritating. -3

Socialist Schism in Mayor's Race: Trouble could be brewing among D.C. leftists if Vincent Gray wins the Sept. 14 primary—the rival D.C. Democratic Socialists of America and Socialist Workers Party have split over endorsements for the District's chief executive office. The DSA backed Gray; the SWP put up its own candidate, former Floridian Omari Musa. Presumably, if Adrian Fenty wins the nomination, both sides will unite behind a plan to exhume Leon Trotsky and run him. -2

Lost Highway Found: One of the most least pressing issues of our time is on the way to resolution, as District officials have started removing misplaced Route 29 highway markers from the Dupont Circle area. Soon the scourge of lost, interstate highway-phobic drivers wandering around New Hampshire Avenue on their way from Baltimore to Florida will be a thing of the past. +1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 41 Today's score: +1 Bonus points for Friday: +2 Today's Needle rating: 44

LizGlover
She stepped away from the ledge thanks be! My heart goes out to her.
6 minutes ago via txt

Earlier, there was more chaos in the area when a tour bus caught on fire at North Capitol Street and H Street to a malfunctioning air conditioner. Piringer says the bus was full of tourists, but they escaped unharmed. He also says the charred bus has been towed away.

At least that's the attitude of Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). Even better? He ditched the cab driver after he called police! There's nothing better than a congressman running from the law. So how did this mayhem go down?

Cab driver Abraham Habteab tells Fox 5 he picked up Nadler at Union Station. Habteab didn't know it was Nadler until his buddies informed him later. Nadler asked for a lift to a Southwest D.C. hotel.

Nadler then asked Habteab to dump his luggage in the hotel and then take him back to Capitol Hill. Nadler insisted the meter stay on, which is illegal according to the D.C. Taxicab Commission. Cab riders must pay the entire fare at each destination, including waiting time. Nadler's request for another ride would require a new trip on the meter.

When Habteab refused to keep the meter running, Nadler refused to pay the $8 owed. Habteab called police. "He said I'm not going to wait for the police and he caught another cab and left," Habteab told Fox 5.

What did Nadler's office have to say? They called it a "misunderstanding." We just call it "being an asshole."

UPDATE: Nadler's office sent along a statement from the congressman. He insists he told Habteab that the Rayburn building was his final destination with a stop at his hotel. Here's his side of the story:

“Regarding a misunderstanding yesterday, I must correct the record. Arriving at Washington’s Union Station yesterday, I entered a taxi and asked the driver to take me to the Rayburn office building with one stop at my hotel to very briefly drop off my luggage, which is my routine each time I arrive in Washington. When we arrived at the first stop, I advised the driver, Mr. Habteab, that I would be out of the cab for 30 seconds or so, and requested that he leave the meter running in accordance with DC taxi regulations. Mr. Habteab then ignored DC taxi regulations and refused to take me to my final destination without restarting the meter. This is against the law, and Taxi Commission Chairman Leon Swain has clarified that point to me personally in a letter, which I shared with Mr. Habteab, but which he refused to read. Today, I spoke personally with Chairman Swain, who has confirmed that I was correct in relying on his interpretation of the law as stated in the letter. Therefore, as Mr. Habteab would not obey the law and take me to my final destination, I was obligated to find another driver who would. Of course taxi drivers have rights, but so do passengers. I am working with the Taxicab Commission and Mr. Habteab to ensure that he receives the correct payment, despite his misinterpretation of the law.”

Nadler even provided the letter he received from the Taxi Commission(PDF) to further prove his actions were justified.

Our updated assessment: Nadler is still an asshole for storming off without paying. Period. Stiff him on the tip if you insist, but give the guy the fare you owe him and be on your way.

Check out the Fox 5 video to fully grasp the scandal at hand:

DC Fire & EMS reports via Twitter of at least one injured party. Meanwhile, We Love DC 's Dave Stroup tweets live from the scene. "[R]eports are two gangs fighting on train, shooting erupted," Stroup noted at 1:35 p.m. before later correcting himself: "incident was not a shooting, a large group of people fighting." He goes on: "fight lasted from fort totten to union station, while train was moving. fighting overtop of seated passengers"

WUSA-TV reports the station has now re-opened and cites a Metro spokesperson saying the fight involved up to 15 teenagers.

UPDATE, 2:51 p.m.: WJLA is now reporting that a 16-year-old was "severely beaten and his shoes were stolen, the boy's mother, Angel Surratt, told ABC 7's Brad Bell." His injuries are described as "life-threatening." WUSA also has the mother saying her son was "attacked for his shoes."

Caps fans upset about the team's early exit from this year's playoffs can at least take solace in the dejected look on Crosby's ugly mug as he sadly sauntered off the ice in front of some 17,000 disappointed hometown fans. 

The bad news for Caps fans this morning? That Metro ride to Verizon Center next fall is about to get a lot more expensive.

WaPo reports that fares could go up as much as 50 cents for peak rail trips:

The main components of the fare increase include a 15 percent rise in most rail fares, producing $64 million in revenue, and a 20 percent increase in bus boarding charges, generating $24 million. In addition, fares for Metro's paratransit service for disabled and elderly riders will grow to twice the comparable bus fare, raising $1.1 million.

Metro is also weighing a new "peak of the peak" rail fare of 10 to 20 cents that will be levied during the rush-hour periods of 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 4:30 to 6 p.m. A 20-cent increase would raise an additional $7.7 million.

The board is also considering a peak-of-the-peak surcharge of as much as 50 cents for rail riders who travel in the Washington area's "congested core" — defined as the 21 most crowded stations, including Metro Center and Union Station. That could bring in $5 million to $10 million, depending on whether it is based on which stations riders exit from or which stations they pass through.

Years ago, Egger had approached city officials about moving away from sheltering homeless individuals in warehouses. He had a plan: Sell CCNV and put the profits in a trust that would go towards opening up a multipurpose homeless center. In 2000, I lived at CCNV and found it to be a hellhole.

Egger's center would provide shelter on some floors and retail on the first floor that would be staffed by residents. There would also be job training as well as a home renovation program. Residents would renovate abandon properties and then those properties would be used for low-income housing.

Let's just say city hall pretty much ignored Egger's big idea. When City Desk talked to him today, he was still saddened that the District's approach to homelessness hadn't changed all that much since his idea got rejected.

"I still am vexed by how behind the times D.C. is when it comes to its homeless programs and how unwilling they are to go forward," Egger says. "It’s still big buildings full of people."

Meanwhile, Egger's kitchen is still a force. During the snowstorm, Egger says his nonprofit produced 70,000 meals.

*photo courtesy of DC Central Kitchen.