New Metro Line A Big Hit

In Washington, D.C., some businesses are already seeing a boost, but others say they're in it for the long haul, not an instant fix. With Phase 1 of Metro's Silver Line finally opening in Northern Virginia, many commuters are happy to ease their drive time to work. Moreover, developers are breaking ground on new buildings and area malls and businesses are looking to claim their piece of the public transportation boom.

Commuter numbers for the five new stations suggest good things. On September 24, WMATA announced that after less than two months, 30,000 combined trips are being taken to or from Silver Line stations on weekdays. According to Metro, “the new line is already performing at 60 percent of its projected ridership for the end of the first full year of service.”

Even before the Silver Line opened, new apartment buildings on the line have been filling up. The Ascent, a new high-rise luxury apartment close to the Spring Hill metro station, began accepting residents in April and is leasing at a pace that will have the 404-unit building filled in two years. The developer is so confident in Tysons' potential as a budding metropolis that it has broken ground on a second building, even closer to the Metro.

Greystar managing director Brandon Henry told the Washington Post he never thought the building would open before the Silver Line. He also didn’t anticipate such a rapid change in the area. These are just two of the dozen projects and 10,000 residential units targeted for the empty lots surrounding the new metro stations. Because of these, Tysons is expected to grow its population from 21,000 to over 100,000 by the year 2050.

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The Middle Class Fight

Rumors are that Rolling Stone interviewed members of our community in Lima, Ohio. Lima Mayor David Berger, and Jim Jordan were among those being interviewed. They tell their stories alongside local and state economic policies and election cycles. 

Lil Boosie Changes His Rap Name

Boosie Badazz was always a nickname that the rapper trotted out; his 2006 solo album, which included the banger “Zoom,” was titled Bad Azz, its followup three years later was called Superbad: The Return Of Boosie Bad Azz and his record label imprint is known as Bad Azz Entertainment. But the official name change puts him in the categories of the Jeezy’s and the Bow Wow’s of the rap world who had previously given up the no-longer-age-appropriate “Young” and “Lil” qualifiers in their rap names.

Lil Boosie is out of prison after more than five years behind bars, and now he’s got a new rap name to go along with all that newfound freedom. On two of his most recent appearances—”Beez Like” off Jeezy’s Seen It All and “Jet Fuel” from T.I.’s “Paperwork”—the Baton Rouge MC has been credited in the liner notes as Boosie Badazz rather than his original name Lil Boosie. Today a rep for the rapper confirmed that the liner notes weren’t an accident, and that they reflected an official name change for him.

Since Boosie was released from prison this past March he’s dropped a slew of featured verses, but his long-awaited comeback album, Touch Down 2 Cause Hell, has been pushed back repeatedly since its initial July release date. Currently, there’s no projected date for the LP to hit the streets, but his standout feature on Tip’s Paperwork will hit shelves when the album officially drops tomorrow.

Young C - Im Thuggin Ft 02

Young C makes it be known that although he is living in Seattle, Washington, he is still connected with Gansta Marcus. In 2010 he released various features on the 419 To The 662 Album. "Im Thuggin" was recorded in a trailor park in Mississippi went Gansta Marcus first arrived. 02 featured on the track after being released from prison shortly after. Support this track on AmazonMP3.

Turning Plastic Bottles Into Clothes

I really like this invention. Man named Pete created this at home. One of the six finalists in the Electrolux Design Lab competition, which lets you recycle plastic bottles into clothing right in the comfort of your own home. Just choose the clothing type you want, put in your old plastic, and voila!