METRO TESTING NEW 7000-SERIES RAILCARS ON RED LINE (PHOTOS)

WMATA is finally on something of a timetable to restore automatic train control to its subway system, and the Red Line will be the first route to have it, the Washington Post reported on Sunday. In October, some Red Line trains will begin operating automatically, and all trains will do so by next March, according to the Post report. That long-overdue positive sign wasn't the only big Red Line news this past weekend. Metro tested new 7000-series railcars on the Red Line Saturday and Sunday, between the Twinbrook and Shady Grove Metro stations.

I caught one in action at the Rockville station on Sunday. The train was not accepting passengers during the test run. The 7000-series are manufactured by Kawasaki.

We simply must improve the service and reliability of Metro, if we are to even begin to manage future growth in places like downtown Bethesda, White Flint, Silver Spring and Rockville. Scarce transportation dollars need to go to the projects where they impact the most people, such as 8-car trains for Metro, more capacity on the Red Line (especially north of Grosvenor), and a new Potomac River crossing to relieve congestion on the Beltway and I-270.

TAKOMA PARK HOUSE HOSTS EVENT FOR THOSE SEEKING FREEDOM FOR CUBAN SPIES

A home in Takoma Park held a house meeting for 35 people advocating for the release of the so-called Cuban Five by the U.S. Government. The house meeting, reported by The Militant via Google News, was one of several events surrounding a September 13, 2014 gathering in the District by advocates for the Cuban agents. The five men were arrested in Miami in 1998, and convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign government, and other illegal activities in the United States.

The DC-area 3-day event included an art exhibit of works by one of the convicted agents created in prison, lobbying, and picketing, according to The Militant.

There's a minor Montgomery County connection to the Cuban Five case. It had been rumored that the Obama administration considered exchanging the convicted spies for Potomac resident Alan Gross, who has been imprisoned in Cuba for several years. Gross was a USAID subcontractor working to provide communication equipment to Jewish residents of Cuba when he was arrested in 2009.

ASSAULT W/DEADLY WEAPON IN WHITE OAK, STOLEN CAR IN DT SILVER SPRING - SILVER SPRING/WHEATON CRIME UPDATE

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across eastern Montgomery County on September 17, according to crime data:

Theft from vehicle. Bel Pre Court at Bel Pre Road.

Theft from vehicle. 12600 block Dalewood Drive (Connecticut Avenue Estates).

Burglary. 12300 block Selfridge Road.

Assault. 10800 block Georgia Avenue (Wheaton).

Assault. 11300 block Columbia Pike (White Oak).

Assault with deadly weapon. 11500 block Lockwood Drive (White Oak).

Theft from vehicle. 11200 block Lockwood Drive.

Theft from vehicle. 11100 block Oak Leaf Drive (White Oak).

Theft from vehicle. 1500 block Heather Hollow Circle (White Oak).

Assault. 9300 block Warren Street.

Burglary. 9300 block 2nd Avenue.

Assault. 1300 block Fenwick Lane.

Stolen car. 800 block Ellsworth Drive.

ASSAULTS IN GLENMONT, WHITE OAK; CAR STOLEN ON BLAINE DR. + MORE - SILVER SPRING CRIME UPDATE

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across eastern Montgomery County on September 16, according to crime data:

Theft from vehicle. 14200 block Grand Pre Road (Aspen Hill).

Theft from vehicle. 14000 block Georgia Avenue (Aspen Hill).

Theft from vehicle. 2900 block Hewitt Avenue (Aspen Hill).

Assault. 12400 block Flack Street (Glenmont).

Assault. Lockwood Drive at New Hampshire Avenue (White Oak).

Burglary. 1100 block W. Falkland Lane.

Stolen car. 2300 block Blaine Drive.

SILVER SPRING TEACHER WINS $1 MILLION ON WHEEL OF FORTUNE

Math teacher Sarah Manchester, who calls Silver Spring home and teaches at Takoma Park Middle School, spun her way to over $1 million in winnings by landing on the $1 million prize wedge of the venerable contest's wheel.

Her win came on the game show's Teachers Week, and aired last evening here on ABC 7. She told Wheel of Fortune that she plans to spend some of her winnings on social and environmental causes.

Photo via Califon Productions

ASSAULTS IN BEL PRE, WHEATON, DT SILVER SPRING + MORE - SILVER SPRING/WHEATON CRIME UPDATE

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across eastern Montgomery County on September 14, according to crime data:

Assault. 2300 block Sun Valley Circle (Bel Pre area).

Theft. 3100 block Hewitt Avenue (Aspen Hill).

Theft. 1500 block Casino Drive.

Assault. Andrew Street at Veirs Mill Road.

Burglary. 2200 block Shorefield Road (Glenmont/Wheaton).

Theft from vehicle. 2300 block Blueridge Avenue.

Robbery. 2900 block University Boulevard West (Wheaton).

Assault. 800 block Ellsworth Drive.

ROBBERY IN ASPEN HILL/BEL PRE, 10 ASSAULTS IN EAST COUNTY IN 1 DAY - SILVER SPRING/WHEATON CRIME UPDATE

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across eastern Montgomery County on September 13, according to crime data:

Robbery. 3600 block Pear Tree Court (Aspen Hill/Bel Pre).

Assault. 14100 block Georgia Avenue (Aspen Hill).

Assault. Unit block of Wagon Trail Court (Layhill).

Burglary. 2300 block Glenmont Circle.

Assault. 12300 block Kemp Mill Road.

Assault. 2500 block University Boulevard W. (Wheaton).

Assault. 11100 block Georgia Avenue (Wheaton).

Assault. 11200 block Oak Leaf Drive (White Oak).

Assault. 13600 block Sir Thomas Way (Fairland).

Assault. 1900 block Rosemary Hills Drive.

Assault. 9800 block Cahart Place.

Assault. 1300 block Stateside Drive.