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Andrea Noble

anoble@washingtontimes.com

Andrea Noble was a crime and public safety reporter for The Washington Times.

Articles by Andrea Noble

Smoke fills a Washington Metro system subway car near the L'Enfant Plaza station in Washington on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Litwin)

Metro train operators describe chaos of fatal smoke incident

The operator of a train stopped inside a smoke-filled Metro tunnel made repeated requests to reverse to get away from the fumes while the operator of a second train that blocked his path said she lost radio contact with central control, according to accounts they gave investigators.

June 23, 2015
Current staffing for the Metropolitan Police Department is around 3,800 officers, but officials have said at least 4,000 are needed to safely patrol the District. (Associated Press/File)

Police body cameras deployed for D.C. test of effectiveness

The Metropolitan Police Department will evaluate the effectiveness of its body-worn camera program by working with a team of researchers to compare the interactions of officers who have the technology against those who do not.

June 22, 2015
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Acting Administrator Therese McMilliam discusses the findings of the agency's Safety Management Inspection of the Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (METRO) rail and bus systems, Wednesday, June 17, 2015, during a news conference at the Transportation Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Metro safety and training lacking, federal probe finds

A federal review of Metro found serious safety lapses within the transit agency, including its inability to meet its own safety standards, as well as an understaffed central control center where employees tasked with overseeing system operations were undertrained and distracted.

June 17, 2015
Inmates Donnell Howard (foreground) and John Lawrence (background) wait handcuffed outside their cells while corrections officers search for contraband and weapons during a suprise search at the Washington DC Central Detention facility in Washington DC on Thursday, May 30, 2002. The unannounced searches take place at least once a year and are planned so as to not allow inmates time to dispose of the weapons. Inmates are required to have paperwork for items such as authorized medication. ( Gerald Herbert / The Washington Times )

Judge tosses gun-carry lawsuit of former D.C. correctional officers

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by four former D.C. correctional officers who sought permits to carry guns under the same federal law that grants retired and off-duty police the right to carry anywhere in the country without requiring them to obtain state licenses.

June 14, 2015
D.C. Circulator riders are allowed to re-board the bus for free, within two hours from the start of their first trip. (Courtesy of the D.C. Circulator site: Photo by Sam Kittner)

D.C. Circulator bus route to ease National Mall trek for tourists

No longer will weary tourists who underestimate the length of the National Mall be left to tiredly trek back and forth between monuments. Starting Sunday, there will be a more humane option. That is when a D.C. Circulator route encompassing the Mall goes live.

June 11, 2015
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but four states and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug for recreational purposes. Nearly half the states, the District and Guam have medicinal pot programs. (Associated Press)

House bill aims to keep D.C. sales of marijuana illegal

A House spending bill introduced Wednesday would block the District of Columbia from using any money "to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties" for possession of marijuana -- a move that would keep the drug quasi-legal in the city.

June 10, 2015