Power Outages Continue for Third Day; LaHood Calls for More Talks on Dulles Metro: Morning Links

Power Outages Continue: Sounds like it's been an absolutely miserable week for residents along North Capitol Street in the District, who woke this morning to find their power still out for the third day in a row amid sweltering temperatures. To add insult to injury, Pepco did briefly restore power to the area at about 9 PM last night, but then it went out again. The Washington Post reports that Pepco is now estimating a restoration time of about noon. At least it's going to be cooler today, with highs expected in the low 80s. 

Oh Also, Escalator Outages! Because nothing's more fun in record heat than trudging up those long Metro station escalators, WMATA delivers: One-fifth of the rail system's escalators were out of order on Wednesday, according to the Examiner. The weather was partly to blame (heat causing metal to expand, etc.), but as reporter Kytja Weir aptly points out, having a lot of escalators be out of order at the same time isn't exactly a rare occurrence for the transit agency.

Dulles Metro Talks Continue, But No Agreement Yet: US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has asked airport officials and local leaders to spend the next month trying to reach a compromise in the ongoing Dulles Metrorail station squabble, the Washington Times reports. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority wants to spend a lot more build an underground station that can be placed closer to the airport, while Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is siding with Loudoun and Fairfax officials who say the counties can’t afford the extra cost and are now threatening to withhold their contribution to the project.

University of Maryland Drops Purple Line Opposition: At least one major stumbling block has come down for advocates of the Purple Line: The University of Maryland has officially backed down from its years-long stance of being against running light rail trains through the College Park campus, the Post reports. 

Feel Free to Add "#SMH" to This Headline: The Gazette brings word that a Washington state-based T-shirt company has gotten involved in a copyright war with … Oxon Hill High School? Apparently an anti-bullying campaign sponsored by the Oxon Hill student government has irritated the One Less Nemesis T-shirt company thanks to its use of a similar slogan, "One Less Bully, One More Friend." The school has sold enough of its own T-shirts to donate roughly $500 to Special Olympics Maryland, money One Less Nemesis thinks Oxon Hill should never have been allowed to raise.

Why the Middle of H Street NE Still Doesn't Have Much: DCmud takes a good look at why the ends of H Street NE have successfully filled out with new commercial development over the last few years, while the middle has remained oddly stagnant. "… for now it looks as though a functioning trolley line will connect the two ends of H Street before there is much reason to hop off in the middle."

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