Free Republic

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2009 – A former commander of the District of Columbia National Guard and his wife were among the nine people killed in the June 22 collision of two Metro subway trains here, officials announced yesterday. Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr. and his wife, Ann, were among nine people killed in a train collision on Washington D.C.'s Metro subway system June 22, 2009. The general commanded the District of Columbia National Guard for five years. Photo courtesy of the District of Columbia National Guard   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Retired Air Force...

A key circuit on the train track near Monday's derailment in Washington, D.C., was apparently not operating as it should have been, raising the possibility that the Metro train that crashed into another one may not have known to slow down, accident investigators said today. Investigators tested six circuits between the two stations where the crash occurred. Five of those performed as expected, according to National Transportation Safety Board investigator Deborah Hersman. Such circuits let trains know how fast to go and provide them with information about whether there's another train up ahead. But one circuit showed what Hersman described...

Retired National Guard general among train victims Interactives/Galleries Washington Commuter Train Crash WASHINGTON (AP) -- The victims of the Metro train collision in Washington included the recently retired commanding general of the D.C. National Guard and his wife; two working moms; a retired teacher who was working as a substitute, and a woman who worked with nurses around the world. Here is what family members, co-workers and others had to say about them:

WASHINGTON – Investigators looking into the deadly crash of two Metro transit trains focused Tuesday on why a computerized system failed to halt an oncoming train, and why the train failed to stop even though the emergency brake was pressed. At the time of the crash, the train was also operating in automatic mode, meaning it was controlled primarily by computer. In that mode, the operator's main job is to open and close the doors and respond in case of an emergency. Debbie Hersman, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said it was unclear if the emergency brake...

WASHINGTON - At least two people have died and several people are trapped and injured after a Metro Red Line train derailed and collided with another Metro train, officials say. The six-car train derailed and then collided with another train between the Takoma Park and Fort Totten stations around 5 p.m. Monday. The trains are "lodged on top of one another," D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter says.

WASHINGTON - Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr., retired commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, and his wife, Ann, were among those killed in the collision of two Metro trains. *snip* especially during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. That time saw the changing of the D.C. National Guard from weekend warriors to Army troops performing the duties of enlisted soldiers in battle. Wherley worked on deployment and returning ceremonies for Guard troops, funding for tuition for Guard members, and after school activities conducted by the D.C. National Guard. *snip*

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...”