NTSB finishes hearing on Metro saftey

After a three-day hearing this week on Metro’s fatal Red Line crash in June, Metro’s Board of Directors acted on a recommendation from the National Transportaion Safety Board. On Thursday, Metro announced in a press release that it will install rollback protection software on almost 200 more rail cars to prevent trains from rolling backward while being operated manually. The recommendation by NTSB actually stems from a 2004 accident, and multiple series of rail cars already have the software installed. By this June, a final report from NTSB on the 2009 accident is expected along with other recommendations for Metro.

Obama signs executive order for historically black colleges

On Friday, President Barack Obama signed an executive order that strengthens the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, The Washington Post reported. In 2011’s budget is a proposed $98 million more for the institutions.

D.C. may host Italian bike race

DCist reports on the District’s chances of hosting the beginning stage of Giro D’Italia, a bike race typically held in Italy, in 2012. Chances are actually looking pretty good. Mayor Fenty attended an event at the Italian embassy Thursday with supporters of the race coming to the city, but the final decision on where the event will begin still rests with the race organizers.