Deadline change may allow Virginia to reconsider Tysons Metro tunnel
Virginia state officials could reconsider a proposal to place a portion of a new Metrorail line underground now that the Federal Transit Administration is giving the state more than a year to submit its plans, according to The Washington Post.
FTA officials announced Tuesday they would give Virginia until May 2008 to submit the completed plans for the new Metrorail line, which is supposed to run from the system's Stadium-Armory station in D.C. through Tysons Corner and Dulles International Airport. Some officials speculated that the extended time frame could prompt the state to reconsider its decision not to place a four-mile portion of the line scheduled to run through Tysons Corner underground, according to The Post.
A major reason state officials originally decided against the proposal was that redesigning the line to include a tunnel would delay the project from six to 18 months. Officials said if Gov. Tim Kaine, D-Va., decided to include the tunnel, the state could complete the redesign and meet the new deadline, according to the Post.
"This is a local decision. We're neutral," James S. Simpson, FTA administrator, said. "If the governor wishes to reexamine it, he's free to do that."
Prosecutors seek to revoke former District mayor's probation
Federal prosecutors want to revoke the probation sentence of former District Mayor and current D.C. City Council member Marion Barry over charges he has continued to not file tax returns, according to The Washington Post.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys James W. Cooper and Thomas E. Zeno want to revoke Barry's probation because he did not file a tax return in 2005 and has not adequately repaid old tax debts as promised, according to The Post.
Barry paid $1,000 off of his tax debt in July 2006, and his accountant had expressed a willingness to continue paying off the debt on a regular basis, according to The Post.
"The Court's patience should be at an end," Cooper and Zeno wrote in their motion to Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson.
Frederick D. Cooke Jr., Barry's attorney, said he expects the hearing to occur next month, according to The Post.
Barry was originally sentenced to probation in March 2006 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. The charges stemmed from Barry's failure to file tax returns between 1999 and 2004. If his probation is revoked, Barry could face serving the 12- to 18-month prison sentence mandated for the charges he pled guilty to, according to The Post.
-J.P.
