Consumer Advocacy Group Protests Pepco Rate Increase; DC Ranks Tenth in Finding "Romantic" Men: Morning Links

Good morning, Washingtonians. Capital Weather Gang says the weather should be nice today, so it might be worth checking out the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, which opens today, after all.

New York Avenue Sees Hotel Revival: This weekend the Washington Post ran a profile of DC’s New York Avenue, Northeast, and its current resurgence in new and refurbished hotel properties. The hotels in the corridor were once setting to serious drug deals, but now developers are building or revamping economy-level hotels. 

Consumer Advocacy Group Protests Peco Rate Increase: DC’s Public Service Commission wants to dismiss Pepco’s proposed rate increase. Pepco wanted to raise rates by 5.3 percent—for most customers that means an increase of about $5 per month. The consumer-advocate agency says that the utility company should be held accountable for its poor quality of service, Brian Hughes at the Washington Examiner writes.

Councilman Jack Evans Paid for Sports Tickets with Constituent Fund: An investigation by the Washington Post shows that DC Councilman Jack Evans paid $135,897 for professional sports tickets in the last ten years using money designated for constituent services. The funds are designed to help needy residents with issues such a rent, utilities, and funeral expenses—and though spending the money on tickets for the Capitals, the Nationals, and other professional sports games was legal—the move raised some eyebrows.

DC Ranks Tenth in Cities for Romantic Men: Via DCist, the dating Web site Chemistry.com ranked Washington tenth on its list of cities in which to find a romantic man. The site’s “most romantic men—the Negotiators” are most dense in the cities ranked on this list. San Francisco ranks number one, followed by Portland and Austin. 

Activists Arrested in Front of White House: NBC4 reports that the US Park Police arrested 65 activists protesting an oil pipeline in front of the White House on Saturday. Members of Tar Sands Action were also arrested yesterday, and the group says it intends to continue the protests for two more weeks.

Virginia Water Getting Tested for Deadly Amoeba: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is gathering samples of Virginia waterways after three people have died this summer from amoebic meningoencephalitis. The disease is caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, which can be inhaled through the nose and destroy the brain tissue, NBC4 reports. 

Briefly Noted: A toddler was shot Saturday night by a stray bullet in Glenarden. The 23-month-old boy is in stable condition. . . . The Newseum will have free admission on September 10 and 11 to highlight it’s 9/11 exhibit and commemorate the tenth anniversary of news event. . . . The Cuban embassy is planning to open “Hemmingway’s Bar,” a Cuban-themed establishment, on Columbia Road and 16th Street, Northwest.

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Kay Steiger