No Pains No Gaines » 2008 » November
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November 26, 2008
Metro Opens Doors Early This Friday
  Category: Traffic/Transportation   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 3:16 pm  

This will be the first year in more than a decade that I had the day after Thanksgiving off so I’m new to this early bird gets the best deals concept. But for those who are veterans, Metro opens doors early on “Black Friday” to accomodate those who just can’t wait to get their shopping started.

Will shoppers take Metro at 4 a.m. to make it to post-Thanksgiving sales?

District Council Member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), who is also a member of the Metro board, thinks they will, and the District will pay the extra $27,000 to open the entire Metro system an hour earlier than usual.

This Friday is generally the busiest shopping day of the year, with price specials designed to make it an event. Best Buy in Columbia Heights, in Graham’s ward, will open at 5 a.m. Friday, instead of the normal 9 a.m. The Target next store will open at 6 a.m. instead of 8 a.m.

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November 25, 2008
Michael Brown Finally Gets Elected, Officially
  Category: Our Elected Officials   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 8:18 pm  

Looks like Michael Brown finally made it to the council. The DC Board of Elections and Ethics certified the Nov. 4 general election, making Michael Brown officially an at-large councilmember.

The three board members voted unanimously for certification over the objections of the District’s Republican Party, which has argued that Brown’s candidacy violates a D.C. law prohibiting four at-large members from all belonging to the majority party.
November 23, 2008
Should Michael Brown Represent the City?
  Category: Our Elected Officials   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 1:17 pm  

Michael BrownOk, ok, we all know that newly elected member of DC Council Michael Brown is really a Democrat. He was born a Democrat. He voted in the primaries as a Deomcrat this year. His entire life has been sitting on the side of the Democrats.

Of course this makes no difference other than whether or not he can serve as an at-large member on the Council since there are already two others not elected to a specific ward. DC’s law says there can’t be more than three non-Ward members of the same party. Council chairperson Vincent Gray and at large members Phil Mendelson and Kwame Brown hog up those seats, leaving DC residents to choose among non-Democrat candidates.

So, Michael Brown went Independent making him eligible and he won. And now the GOP has an issue with it.

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November 13, 2008
Streetcars Return to DC, East of the River
  Category: Traffic/Transportation   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 12:06 am  

On the Greater Greater Washington website [which I found through DCist’s website], the plans to bring back streetcars in DC will being its comeback in Anacostia.

Imagine that. Streetcars coming back to DC, but not down congested and more well-known areas such as Georgetown [If there’s even room to build it there], Georgia Ave or the resurrected H Street corridors. Instead, streetcars are coming back to DC and running right next to Barry Farms, through downtown Anacostia to MLK and Good Hope Road.

Something tells me Mayor for Life Marion Barry pulled some strings to make that happen. And personally, it’s about time something like this happened east of the river. Considering the Fenty Camp is losing the new soccer stadium to PG County after once being considered for Ward 8, the streetcars may be an addition to SE that can help spur some new development.

November 12, 2008
Obama Girls Attending DC Public Schools?
  Category: Education/Recreation   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 11:28 pm  

Do you find it more exciting or more scary to hear that Barack and Michelle Obama’s two daughters could potentially attend a DC public school?

It definitely would send a signal to the country, but what the signal is can be viewed in many different ways. It could be a vote of confidence of the work of DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Or maybe that the Obama’s feel public schools can be trusted to give the same education as their current $50k tuition private schools. Or maybe that they don’t follow current events in DCPS.

Though I do find it intriguing that it could be a possibility, I must say I don’t really think that’s going to happen. They were spotted checking out two of DC’s provate schools, including Georgetown Day School, founded in 1945 as the first integrated school in the District of Columbia.