D.C. news in brief

Washington Highlands library groundbreaking

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) and community members have broken ground on the Washington Highlands Neighborhood Library, 115 Atlantic St. SW.

The new facility, scheduled to open next summer, will accommodate up to 80,000 books, CDs, DVDs and other materials. Residents will have access to meeting space, conference rooms and 32 computers with free wireless Internet.

Interim library services are at 4037 South Capitol St. SW.

Agency announces living wage rate of $12.50 an hour

The District Department of Employment Services recently announced that the living wage rate for 2010 is $12.50 per hour.

Authorized by the Living Wage Act of 2006, the rate sets the pay rate that employers who receive economic development assistance or funding from the District must offer to workers. Recipients of government contracts of $100,000 or more must pay employees no less than the living wage. Employees of subcontractors with contracts of $15,000 or more must also adhere to the rate, which is reviewed annually.

DDOT maps out proposed bike sharing locations

The District Department of Transportation has released a map of proposed locations for bike sharing stations.

There are 100 bike stations throughout the city's eight wards. Population and employment density, proximity to transit, bike-to-work rate and crowd sourcing were factors used to determine the locations.

The map is available at http://ddot.dc.gov under the bicycles and pedestrian programs.

The District and Arlington County will launch a regional bike sharing program in the fall that will offer 1,100 bikes at 114 stations. The new locations are scheduled to be installed from August to November, with 30 stations opening in September.

-- Compiled by Tamika L. Gittens