Bikeshare On The Mall: “It’s official: our first two stations are now in place on the National Mall,” tweets Capital Bikeshare, with a picture of the docking station attached. Looks like they placed it far enough away from the Monument to not be in danger of sinking! +1

Metro Vs. The Weather: While WMATA scheduled Metro track work so as not to interfere with cherry blossom season (and the hordes of accompanying tourists), it is stuck with delays now that the season has been moved up. “There are already some pops of pink around the Tidal Basin, but the National Park Service says the true blooming period will start this weekend on March 18. Peak bloom is expected between March 20 and 23. Travelers taking Metro to get down to the Tidal Basin should expect delays. Metro won’t put its track work on hold until the following weekend, March 24.” The good new? Metro’s inability to pivot will mean four weeks with no track work and fewer cherry blossom voyeurs, which may make the commute a bit easier for locals. +2

RIP: Georgetown University’s first black undergraduate, Samuel Halsey, died last month at the age of 87, the Hoya reports: “In 1947, University President Fr. Lawrence Gorman, S.J., asked administrators to include at least one black student in the next freshman class. That did not happen, but as the culture of the university began to shift over the next three years, black students were admitted to graduate programs, the medical school and the law school. Finally, in 1950, the university accepted Halsey to the School of Foreign Service, making him the first black undergraduate in Georgetown history.” In 2009, 6.3 percent of Georgetown’s undergrads were black, while 13 percent of the country is. -2

Marathon Saturday: You may want to avoid leaving your house tomorrow morning, at least on anything other than a bicycle. The Rock ‘N Roll USA marathon starts at 8 a.m. and will continue until 3 p.m., interrupting bus routes and causing rolling road closures throughout Northwest. Map here. Also invading the area: Marathoners’ smugness.  -1

Yesterday’s Needle rating: 65 Today’s score: +0 Friday Bonus: +2 Today’s Needle rating: 67