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DC Council chairman: DC will back new Metro funding

WASHINGTON — Despite concerns over Metro’s funding formula, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson promised Thursday to back new dedicated funding for the transit agency. On Thursday, Mendelson tweeted that there will not be a fight between Maryland, D.C. and Virginia over an additional $500 million per year in Metro capital funding. The current formula required D.C. to pay significantly more than Maryland or Virginia because of a number of factors including Metro stations, ridership and miles of track. D.C. would pay $178 million more per year under the current formula.

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The federal government contributes other funds but not under a formula. “I would prefer to have D.C. and the federal government step up and we all share equally in the load,” Hogan said. Hogan’s own funding proposal for the state doesn’t follow the Metro funding formula. Maryland’s House of Delegates passed a plan that would provide $150 million more per year in new funding. Virginia’s General Assembly approved $154 million per year in new funding for Metro also contingent on the other jurisdictions paying their share.

Measles outbreak in Maryland calls attention to the need to get vaccinated, local doctor says

Maryland is declaring a measles outbreak in three counties as cases continue to rise across the state, highlighting the importance of getting immunized. Alexandra Yont, an infectious disease physician at Children’s National Hospital, said one important reason to get immunized is that measles is one of the most contagious viruses out there. “For every person that is infected with measles, for those without protection, so unimmunized individuals, on the order of between 10 and 13, could get or would get that illness from the one person,” Yont said, adding that it's an "effective transmitter disease." Maryland’s Department of Health sent out a notice Monday, which states, “The Maryland Department of Health is declaring an outbreak of measles in St. Mary’s, Carroll and Cecil counties and the identification and investigation of 14 new confirmed cases in unvaccinated Maryland residents. No public exposures have been identified in these cases.”
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