Skyscraper at Trade Center Rises From the Inside Out

If you think Santiago Calatrava’s transportation hub and shopping mall looks like a bird (or a stegosaurus), you might find 3 World Trade Center next door reminding you of an upside-down Popsicle, with the stick at the top.

Its surprising profile — which is only temporary — results from a construction technique rarely used in New York office towers. The concrete core of the 69-story skyscraper is rising ahead of the steel columns and beams around its perimeter, sometimes 20 or more floors ahead.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/nyregion/skyscraper-at-trade-center-rises-from-the-inside-out.html?&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsection%2Fnyregion%3Faction%3Dclick%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26region%3DTopBar%26module%3DHPMiniNav%26contentCollection%3DN.Y.%26WT.nav%3Dpage&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=N.Y.%20%2F%20Region&pgtype=imageslideshow&module=RelatedArticleList&region=CaptionArea&version=SlideCard-1

Article courtesy of The New York Times by Bryan Thomas

Train service suspended — again — at Metro’s Bethesda stop on Red Line

Another power outage is causing trains to “temporarily bypass” the Bethesda stop on the Red Line. It is the second time this morning that there’s been a power problem there. Bus service is being provided.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/05/25/trains-not-stopping-at-metros-bethesda-stop-on-red-line/
Article courtesy of The Washington Post by Dana Hedgpeth

Maryland to ask companies for $100 million tech solution to ease I-270 gridlock

Highway agencies trying to ease traffic jams usually come up with their method of choice — widen a road, expand an intersection, re-time traffic signals — and then ask companies for their best price. But Maryland’s highway agency is about to try a new approach, one that state officials believe is a first in the country.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/05/25/maryland-to-ask-companies-for-100-million-tech-solution-to-ease-i-270-gridlock/
Article courtesy of The Washington Post by Katherine Shaver

Portland schools tried to change how they teach climate change — and ignited a firestorm

This winter, a small group of advocates, teachers, parents and students began meeting each week at a church in Portland, Ore., to figure out how their schools could do a better job of preparing the next generation to fight climate change.
Together, they wrote a resolution that, with some changes, was unanimously adopted by the Portland Public School Board on May 17. The district, the board resolved, “will abandon the use of any adopted text material that is found to express doubt about the severity of the climate crisis or its root in human activities.”  http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-na-portland-schools-climate-change-20160524-snap-story.html
Article courtesy of Los Angeles  Times by Joy Resmovits

Rhode Island wants the X Games back

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island wants to bring the X Games back to the state where the extreme sports competition started.
Tourism officials confirmed Friday they’ve submitted a bid to Connecticut-based sports network ESPN to host the summer games in 2017 and 2018. A decision is expected in July.  http://www.boston.com/news/sports-news/2016/05/20/rhode-island-pitches-x-games-return-roots
Article courtesy of boston.com from AP by Dylan van Dyke Brown

Why making some (or many) Boston streets car-free might not be so crazy

Some streets in Boston could become occasional car-free zones in the near future, according to a tweet sent from the City of Boston’s official handle. On Wednesday, during a live Twitter chat with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a question from @ConciergeBoston asked about the possibility of closing certain Boston streets during summer months. http://www.boston.com/cars/news-and-reviews/2016/05/19/why-making-some-many-boston-streets-car-free-might-not-crazy/SnGg7mqqUgG2vyAf7nh0YP/story.html
Article courtesy of boston.com by Sanjay Salomon

You can finally ride the Expo Line from L.A. to Santa Monica. Here's why the trip takes 50 minutes.

When the long-awaited Expo Line extension opens Friday at noon, passengers will ride from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica in 50 minutes.
That's an improvement over the ugly rush-hour commutes many days on the 10 Freeway. But it's roughly as long as the trip took on the old Pacific Electric Red Cars, which operated a similar route six decades ago.   http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-expo-line-speed-snap-story.html
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Laura J. Nelson