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Last week I wrote that about the suppression of an EPA report identifying the locations of “high hazard” coal sludge sites. I questioned whether the federal government was giving another government entity favored treatment, in this case the TVA -- which was the source of the original massive spill. It appears this may have been so the case of the fatal subway crash in Washington DC. In a report in the Washington Post today, a NTSB Board member says Metro failed to heed the advice of federal regulators to either strengthen the cars or take them out of service. They...

As I reported earlier, back in March I noted that DC Metro train money was frozen by some banks caught up in the AIG crisis. This frozen money likely caused slowdowns in some maintenance...

CNN producer Vito Maggiolo saying "one train on top of each other."

WASHINGTON - Metro confirms two trains have collided on the Red Line between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations. It happened close to the Fort Totten station, a Metro spokesperson said. D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter said one train was on top of the other train. The number of injuries and the extent of the injuries could not be immediately confirmed. Mass casualty units were called to the scene.

This part happens all the time: A construction crew putting up an office building in the heart of Tysons Corner a few years ago hit a fiber optic cable no one knew was there. This part doesn't: Within moments, three black sport-utility vehicles drove up, a half-dozen men in suits jumped out and one said, "You just hit our line." Whose line, you may ask? The guys in suits didn't say, recalled Aaron Georgelas, whose company, the Georgelas Group, was developing the Greensboro Corporate Center on Spring Hill Road. But Georgelas assumed that he was dealing with the federal government...

WASHINGTON - D.C. police say McGruff the crime dog, who urges children to "take a bite out of crime," became a victim Saturday when a bus driver punched him in the face as he handed fliers to children. The popular crime-fighting dog has been around since 1980 as a cartoon character and as a furry mascot known by children and parents alike. Police say the Metro bus driver, 38-year-old Shawn Brim, climbed off the bus at the corner of 14th Street and Spring Street, adjusted both sideview mirrors and then swung at Officer Tyrone Hardy, who was dressed as McGruff....

McGruff never saw this one coming. McGruff the Crime Dog, the stern but beloved police mascot who teaches kids how to stop crime before it happens, became a victim himself this weekend when a Metro bus driver punched him in the face as a stunned group of children watched, authorities said. McGruff, a.k.a. D.C. police officer Tyrone Hardy, was passing out flyers to children at the corner of 14th Street and Spring Road in Northwest Washington around 2:30 p.m. Saturday when a Metro bus pulled up to the curb. The bus driver, 38-year-old Shawn Brim, climbed out of the bus,...

<p>Metro officials say someone fell onto the subway tracks at a downtown station and was struck by a train, prompting officials to close two stations and turn around some trains.</p> <p>Metro spokesman Doug Karas said Tuesday the Gallery Place station on the Red Line was closed after the accident and trains were turning around at Judiciary Square and Farragut North.</p>

Metro will have two hours to do maintenance on Inauguration Day before it offers unprecedented service to accommodate record crowds on Jan. 20. Yet the problems the system has faced in the past week with normal crowds on its regular service may not bode well. Even Metro officials acknowledge that Inauguration Day will tax the aging system. “Something will happen on the 20th,” Metro General Manager John Catoe told the Metro Riders Advisory Committee last week. “We cannot operate that many trains and not have something happen.” ---snip--- Just last week Catoe had warned board members that it couldn’t push...

Near-impossible car access to the District on Inauguration Day could limit crowd size and leave many stranded on the region’s roadways, but within the city packed conditions likely will remain. ---snip--- “I don’t know where you’ll put a million people,” said McPhail, who has analyzed dozens of D.C. crowds.

Metro is scaling back its plans to offer parking to more than a thousand buses for the inauguration, citing an apparent lack of interest. Although as many as 10,000 buses are predicted to bring more than 500,000 people to the region for the historic Jan. 20 swearing in of Barack Obama as president, Metro officials said Tuesday they had received just 35 requests from charter buses. Now the transit system will open nearly all of its 60,000 parking spots to cars instead. “We’re just a small part of the parking to be available for charter buses,” said Metro spokeswoman Angela...

Metro is scaling back its plans to offer parking to more than a thousand buses for the inauguration, citing an apparent lack of interest. Although as many as 10,000 buses are predicted to bring more than 500,000 people to the region for the historic Jan. 20 swearing in of Barack Obama as president, Metro officials said Tuesday they had received just 35 requests from charter buses. Now the transit system will open nearly all of its 60,000 parking spots to cars instead.

WASHINGTON -- Plan on taking Metrorail to the inaugural ceremonies on Jan. 20? Be ready to hit the stairs. The transit agency says it expects to shut down and lock numerous escalators at high volume stations on the day of the inauguration. ..................... Metrorail is preparing to carry upwards of 1 million riders on inauguration day, a mark that will easily shatter the all time record high of 854,638 riders set this past summer.

Following a secular humanist ad campaign in Washington D.C. which questioned religious belief, an initiative called “I Believe Too” has been launched to “counteract” the secular campaign with “a positive, upbeat ad that identifies God as mankind’s “true and loving creator...”

WASHINGTON - D.C. Police have made an arrest in a double murder that occurred over the weekend in the Friendship Heights area of the District. 28-year-old Peiro Emanuel Fuentes Hernandez of Capitol Heights, Md. was arrested in connection with the beating deaths of Michael Spevak,68, and his wife, Virginia, 67. The two were found dead in their home late Saturday night. "It appears at this time the motive is strictly robbery," said D.C. Police chief Cathy Lanier. "At this time it appears, and we're pretty comfortable in saying that, this was not a random crime," Lanier added, "but we're not...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars. Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday. In lifting lyrics from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas.

Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday. In lifting lyrics from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas. "We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you," said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group...

Metro to Randomly Search Riders' Bags By Lena H. Sun Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, October 28, 2008; Page A01 Metro officials yesterday announced plans to immediately begin random searches of backpacks, purses and other bags in a move they say will protect riders and also guard their privacy and minimize delays. The program is modeled after one begun three years ago in New York that has withstood legal challenges. However, experts said it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of such searches, beyond assuring the public that police are being vigilant. New York officials declined to say what they...

The U.S. Senate voted moments ago to authorize long-sought federal funding for Washington's cash-strapped and aging Metro system, clearing a major hurdle toward providing $1.5 billion over 10 years to help maintain the nation's second-largest transit agency. The Senate passage is the furthest the measure has advanced since Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) began the effort two years ago to secure a reliable source of financial support for Metro. The bill, part of a major rail safety reform package, was passed by the House last week and now goes to the president for signing. Supporters say a veto is unlikely, partly...

A group of family members, survivors and first responders shared their thoughts about 9/11 while visiting the nearly completed Pentagon Memorial here on Aug. 28. Pentagon Memorial Fund manager Jim Laychak visits the Pentagon Memorial, Aug. 28, 2008. Laychak lost his younger brother, David, an Army civilian employee, during the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. The $22 million memorial, Laychak said, is a culmination of years of effort and hard work. “It is a great feeling of pride and accomplishment. Everybody has worked together on this over the past five and a half years,” he said. Tom Heidenberger, 62, lost...