Giffords Returns to Vote in House; Man Struck by Red Line Train: Morning Links

Must-reads from around Washington

Written by Kay Steiger | Published on August 2, 2011

Good morning, Washington. Tonight is National Night Out, when police districts around the country hope you'll take some time to get to know your neighbors. If you want to find out what's going on in your neighborhood, check out our roundup of NNO events.

Giffords Returns to Vote on Debt Ceiling Bill: Democratic Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords returned to the House floor yesterday to vote on the controversial bill to raise the US debt ceiling. This is Giffords's first vote since she were near-fatally shot in January during a constituent meeting in Tucson, where 13 others were injured and six others were killed. She voted in favor of the bill.

Man Struck by Red Line Train: A man, who Kytja Weir at the Washington Examiner reports is a resident of Northwest DC in his forties, was struck by a Red Line train at the Friendship Heights station at 4 PM yesterday. DC Fire and EMS efforts to pull him from the tracks severely delayed service for other commuters on the way home. As of 7 PM yesterday, the man was listed as alive but in critical condition.

DC Residents Annoyed with Recycling Fines: DC residents say they've been slapped with unusually strict fines for failing to properly sort recycling, Freeman Klopott at the Examiner reports. "We were issued a $200 citation for not recycling a single can," Klopott quotes Logan Circle businessowner Gina Schaefer. "People always dump trash in our [bin]; we can't control it." The Examiner confirms Logan Hardware was documented for a single recyclable can in a trash bin and that the store was fined $150. DC's Department of Public Works did not respond to requests for comment.

In-State Tuition Immigration Bill Challenged in Court: An immigrant advocacy group, Casa de Maryland, filed a lawsuit yesterday asking a court to throw out a referendum banning undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition. A new Maryland law allowing undocumented students to enroll at public universities for the same price as in-state students caused great controversy, and opponents gathered signatures to overturn the law on the 2012 ballot. Now, immigrant rights groups are hoping to have the measure thrown out in court and keep the law in place, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Briefly Noted: Donald Trump's firm is one of the bidders to redevelop the Old Post Office Pavilion. . . . The American Basketball Association announced Northern Virginia is getting a new professional basketball team called the NoVa Wonders. . . . July set heat records.

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