DISTRICT BRIEFING

Thursday, January 11, 2007

IN CONGRESS

Norton Tries Again for a D.C. Quarter

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) introduced a bill yesterday that would let the District join a program that allows states to put a design of their choice on the U.S. quarter.

The bill also extends the program to several non-state U.S. jurisdictions, such as Puerto Rico, that were also excluded from the 1998 bill that created the state coins program.

Norton has introduced the bill four times in the House. It passed each time but was blocked in the Senate. Norton said she was more optimistic this time because the Senate is controlled by Democrats.

In addition, one of the bill's Senate sponsors is Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which will consider the bill.

-- Mary Beth Sheridan

HOME INVASIONS

Police Think 4 Cases Might Be Connected

D.C. police are investigating four armed home-invasion robberies in Northwest Washington that they say might be related.

The first occurred about 8 p.m. Dec. 27 in the 1800 block of Fourth Street NW, when a lone gunman entered a house, pushed the homeowners into an upstairs closet and stole such items as handbags, jewelry and a camera, police said.

The second took place about 9 p.m. Dec. 29, police said, when two gunmen walked into a house in the 1500 block of Vermont Avenue NW through an unlocked front door. They tied up the occupant and stole money, credit cards, cameras and the keys to a yellow Hummer. The vehicle was found several blocks away, police said.

The third robbery took place at 7 p.m. Saturday in the 1300 block of Q Street NW, with armed gunmen taking a wallet, cash and credit cards, police said. The most recent occurred at 9 p.m. Tuesday in the 1300 block of Riggs Road NW, when a gunman walked through an unlocked door and stole a laptop computer, cash and other items, police said.

No one was injured in the incidents.

-- Allison Klein

METRORAIL

Smoke Closes Columbia Heights Station

The Columbia Heights Metro station was closed for about 45 minutes yesterday because of smoke in an electrical room, Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said.

D.C. Fire Battalion Chief Wayne Benson said the cause appeared to be water dripping on a transformer. No one was injured.

People were evacuated from the station, and Metro operated shuttle buses between the Georgia Avenue, Columbia Heights and U Street stations, Asato said. The station was closed from 11:50 a.m. to about 12:35 p.m.

-- Eric M. Weiss

ADAMS MORGAN

Police Identify Woman Who Was Found Dead

D.C. police have identified a woman discovered dead this week in her Adams Morgan apartment as Gabriela Jose Lopez.

Lopez, 29, of the 1900 block of Columbia Road NW had been stabbed several times, police said. Officers found her about 6 p.m. Tuesday after a co-worker of the woman flagged down a patrol officer and asked the officer to escort her into the apartment at Gelmarc Towers. The co-worker was concerned because Lopez had not shown up for work that day.

They found the body in the seventh-floor apartment where Lopez lived alone. Police said there were no signs of forced entry.

-- Allison Klein