October 5, 2006
Morning Roundup: When Animals Attack Edition
So suddenly it's chilly? Yesterday we were all sweaty messes, but today, with highs predicted to stay in the 60s, we're wearing sweaters. All this temperature-related confusion has led us to look longingly at the Southwest Airlines web site, since the airline finally began service from Dulles this morning. Cheap flights to Vegas are looking pretty sweet. And while we're of course very sad to be reminded of the demise of our hometown airline, we take some comfort knowing that the airline that replaced it actually trains its flight attendants be snarky. Who needs an assigned seat when you've got that much sass on your hands?
'Intersex' Fish Problem Given 'an Eight' by EPA: While being grilled by a panel of Maryland and Virginia legislators in those hearings on the Hill we told you about yesterday, a water quality official from the EPA, Benjamin H. Grumbles (we swear, we didn't make that up), tried to explain that the task of identifying hormone-disrupting chemicals in the Potomac has been much more difficult than the agency imagined. However Grumbles promised that the EPA would do everything it could to accelerate its work, and, apparently, went so far as to give the fish problem "an eight." Presumably this eight lies on your typical scale of one to ten, one being "someone might have peed in the river" and ten being "water-loving alien creatures have made the Potomac their homebase to mete out the destruction of the human race."
Rats! They're Everywhere: NBC4 busts out with a hard-hitting story about the rat epidemic currently plaguing the Glover Park neighborhood of NW Washington. City agencies are threatening to hand out tickets to residents who fail to properly close the lids of their trashcans and trim back brush in order to get a handle on the situation. Amazingly, NBC4 was able to refrain from making jokes about the problem being related to the rear entrance of the Vice Presidential mansion, which is in the heart of the most affected block on Wisconsin Ave. NW.
Briefly Noted: Local synagogue gets $5 million donation ... District's food stamp program shows improvement ... Webb is in the money, thanks to Allen ... Culpeper County schools closed due to bomb threat ... Van Ness Auto Shop closed for violations.
This Day in DCist: In 2005 we interviewed Three Stars alumna Laura Tsaggaris and in 2004 we visited the Old Post Office Pavillion.
Photo by andertho.
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No mention of that Post article on cops gaming the system? That article made me furious. With the DC government, it's like with every single rock you overturn, you're going to find scores of people milking on the public's teet with supervisors complicit or indifferent.
All of which stresses me greatly, thus I want to not work and receive my income tax-free.
Reid, Isn't 9 AM a little early to be complaining about what hasn't been mentioned from today's Post?
Yes, it's a bit early to complain. But we've started, so why stop now?
The female police officer that claimed 'stress injury' after people complained that she was dressing like a slut takes the cake on this one. Her arrogance is astonishing. And she apparently blames the police department for finally seeing through her shenanigans.
Astonishing. But what is more astonishing is that I fear this is commonplace.
I dearly wish the WP would continue looking into MPD. This story is really just the tip of the iceberg.
It's common knowledge that more than a few DC cops simply sign up for their late night shift then go sleep in alleys for hours. Wny can they get away with this? Astonishingly, MPD often doesn't require cops to keep an actual log of their activities.
Recently I witness the ultimate. It was late at night. There were 13 cop cars on the corner of 4th and C NE (across from Stanton Park). An officer told me they were doing a sobriety and seatbelt safety check. This went on for over an hour. Not ONE car was pulled over. They clearly had no intention of actually doing sobriety checks - they never even bothered to pretend to look at the intersection in question.
Yet 13 cop cars and probably 20 cops sat chit-chatting and gossiping amongst themselves.
I have to wonder if any crimes were committed while these 13 cop cars were on gossip break. I'm betting yes. And could any crimes have been prevented had the same 13 cop cars not been doing nothing? Probably.
The other little nugget from WP today.... the commission studying church parking released their findings. Turned out they recommended that churchgoers that park illegally be ticketed. Plus they recommended 'common sense' approaches, like churches using shuttle buses, allowing parking in medians and such.
So should we now expect double parkers to be ticketed? We should, but they cynic in me says we won't.
hillman (or anyone really), can you link to these post articles? i'd appreciate it.
The little blurb about church parking was apparently only in the print version, or at least I can't find it online. The cop story is http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100401971.html