News: July 2009 Archives

You have to sit through an intro from NBC4's Pat Collins to get to it, but this recently released video of D.C. police interviewing Banita Jacks shortly after her arrest truly is chilling, though not for the reasons we expected. Jacks definitely appears to be weak and tired (she had by all accounts been starving herself, too) but what we found most startling was how lucid she actually seems. Given the nature of the crime, we were expecting the rantings of a woman who had little to no grasp on reality, but Jacks actually speaks to detectives in even tempered, complete thoughts, noting that she knows what the discovery of the bodies of her four daughters must look like to police, and explaining that she didn't seek out help when her daughters started dying because she "knew that this was going to happen ... a bunch of trouble for me."

Good morning, Washington, and a happy Friday to you. Before you start focusing on the weekend, we'd like you to take a moment and think long and hard about how you're responsible for one of today's most troubling headlines: at least 13 area post offices are slated to close (plus over 600 nationwide) under a cost cutting plan under consideration by the USPS. And yeah, we're pointing the finger at you, dear reader, and at ourselves and pretty much everyone else. None of us sends enough mail anymore, it turns out, so the post office is going bye-bye. I don't know about you, but about the only thing I send through the physical mail anymore are Netflix DVDs, so I'm clearly part of the problem. The Government Accountability Office recently added the Postal Service to its list of high-risk government agencies, and there had even been talk recently about getting rid of mail delivery on Saturdays. It seems pretty unlikely that America is suddenly going to suffer from snail mail nostalgia and start writing letters and mailing all their bills again (unless of course the computers rise up with the rest of the machines against us), so maybe it's really just high time that the Post Office trimmed down?

Brewers 7, Nationals 3: It's kind of amazing that with all the negativity the Nationals have experienced this year, the team's manager had only been ejected once in 2009. (Once the losses start piling up, screaming at umps probably seems like a waste of energy.)

It's certainly been a weird day. Between the Metro station elevator rescue, water main breaks and questionable police behavior, why should we be surprised that someone drove a truck right into a building?

From the files of our worst nightmares: ten people, six adults and four children, got trapped inside the elevator at the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro station this afternoon, according to D.C. Fire/EMS. The call came in around 2:45 p.m., and units from the high angle rescue team are now on the scene and working to get them out - the elevator is reportedly stuck halfway down the elevator shaft. We'd like to buy all of these folks an ice cream cone once they get out of there.

Oh right, we meant to link to The Hill newspaper's 50 Most Beautiful 2009 feature, aka the annual "Hill Hotties" list, which hit the stands earlier this week. As is tradition, we turn to DCist alum Jason Linkins, aka DCeiver and now of the Huffington Post, for the crucial analysis:

What makes The Hill's annual listicle is, frankly, The Hill itself. With their oddball fixations, strange beauty metaphors, and bizarre photography decisions, the keepers of this list have always been one of the main attractions. Sadly, this year's list is not nearly as bizarre as last year's was. I like to think that maybe The Hill is working hard to deprive me of material. Sounds arrogant? Maybe. But the alternative -- that our government is getting less beautiful -- is just too difficult to contemplate.

Police and fire officials blocked off both Florida Ave NW and Belmont Street NW between 13th and 14th Streets to clean up flooding caused by multiple water main breaks near the area.

Just when you thought the District's willingness to give out tickets couldn't get any more zealous, the District Department of Transportation has just completed training their first batch of Traffic Control Officers who are now authorized to issue traffic citations, according to a news release.

Credit goes to the increasingly excellent local blog Unsuck DC Metro for the news that a Metrobus operator will soon be fired for talking on a cell phone while driving a bus.

Greetings, fellow Metro riders, and welcome to yet another edition of Should You Even Bother Riding the Metro this Weekend? Based on the weekend track maintenance schedule WMATA has just released, our answer is likely "hell no." Track work is going to affect each and every Metro line this weekend.

Good morning, Washington. The big news overnight was the massive house fire on the 3000 block of Chain Bridge Road that first broke out before 9 p.m. Wednesday night. The large house belonged to wealthy local arts patron and former president of the D.C. Board of Education Peggy Cooper Cafritz; luckily neither Cooper Cafritz nor anyone else was home at the time of the blaze (some dogs were rescued). But it just wouldn't be a major fire in the District if there weren't some bureaucratic incompetence to blame for why it got out of control. By all accounts the fire began as a small one limited to one corner of the house, and if firefighters hadn't had to spend nearly two hours looking a reliable stream of properly pressurized water, they might have been able to save most of the structure. Instead, we've got another Georgetown Neighborhood Library on our hands, despite WASA's assurances that it had gotten the problem of so many out of order fire hydrants and low water pressure under control last year. Roads around the scene of the fire remain closed this morning, including Chain Bridge Road between Loughboro Road and McArthur (not the bridge itself), and Loughboro Road between University Terrace and Foxhall Road.

Brewers 7, Nationals 5: While the Nationals might not have much to play for standings-wise, at least there's always the intriguing potential for any one game to come down to that most dramatic of individual showdowns.

Check out this paragraph buried at the bottom of a press release from WMATA today about how the transit agency is conducting a comprehensive review of its disciplinary procedures for employees.

In the most recent incident, a Metrobus operator refused to allow a customer to exit the bus after a verbal dispute. He was arrested by Metro Transit Police on Saturday, July 25, and charged with kidnapping. The bus operator is on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation. Metro officials will determine an appropriate level of discipline once the investigation is complete.

Well this is absolutely horrible. A 76-year old Southeast D.C. man died earlier this week after being attacked and beaten by two young men, WJLA is reporting.

Clarence Dews was walking along Martin Luther King Avenue when two guys ran him down with a bicycle before slamming him over the head with a club. He died a few days later from blunt force trauma.

Continue reading "Elderly Man Dies After Random Attack"

Good stuff from WaPo's Tim Craig on the ongoing bickering between At-large D.C. Council member David Catania and Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry. The two men have never been the best of friends, but they've been particularly at odds since the recent revelations that Barry may have improperly directed earmarks to several non-profits that appear to have been created by and under the control of the Ward 8 council member's office. Barry has attempted to blame the news stories about the earmark controversy on leaks coming from Catania, and the discord has been bubbling up continually during this week's revised budget negotiations.

Breaking news from the Washington Post:

A D.C. Superior Court judge on Wednesday found Banita Jacks guilty of killing her four daughters in a case that shook the region for its cruelty.

Continue reading "Banita Jacks Found Guilty of Murdering Her Daughters"

D.C. Police are asking for the community's help searching for 13-year-old Nancy Arriaza, of Indian Head, Md. Nancy was last seen a week ago at her home in Maryland, but D.C. police are involved in the search because she frequently visits people in the 700 block of Longfellow Street NW and the 700 of block Kennedy Street NW in the District.

Good morning, Washington. This morning's news contains a lot of stories about Alexandria Police Chief David P. Baker's post-DUI arrest, but we talked about that yesterday. And there are the allegations from the mayor of Sosua that he never got back the cash he paid for the infamous fire truck and ambulance that the District failed to deliver, but we already mentioned that, too. So instead here's a link to a review of the new Brooke Hogan CD over at The Examiner. I know we haven't posted about that. Jacks' Lawyers Introduced Last-Minute Evidence: The judge presiding over the Banita Jacks murder trial could issue a verdict as early as today, but the case's legal landscape appears to have just gotten more complicated. The Post reports that on Monday Jacks's attorneys presented a previously-unavailable report from a doctor who examined Jacks shortly after her arrest. The report apparently brings into question whether Jacks was mentally competent when she refused an insanity defense. Judge Frederick Weisberg reportedly responded to the report by saying that it will not influence his verdict. The Post article speculates that Jacks's lawyers are using the report to lay the groundwork for an appeal. Accident Snarls Beltway: Yikes. The Post is reporting that the Inner Loop of the Beltway is shut down and two lanes of the Outer Loop are closed as authorities deal with an overturned cement truck that spilled its fuel and caught fire. Kate Gosselin Moving to Maryland OMG!: Radar Online is reporting that reality TV star, cumulative octo-mom and recent divorcee Kate Gosselin has purchased a condo in Rockville a short distance from her bodyguard/boyfriend's office. To answer the question that this naturally prompts: no, we're not really sure why this is noteworthy, either. But every grocery store checkout aisle in the country contains overwhelming evidence that it is. Who are you to resist? Briefly Noted: D.C. pols balk at raising taxes, seemingly due to potential effect on perceptions of the city... Virginia approves crab license buyback program... Tensions run high over potential shutdown of Bethesda produce stand... D.C. teen still being held in Chinese hospital over Swine Flu worries... Maryland cracks down on pawn shops selling stolen goods... Franciscan monks complete trek from Roanoke to D.C... Police shooting leaves man dead in Germantown... This Day In DCist: One year ago we traced the origins of a confusingly-named Chinatown dish. Two years ago our friends from These United States shared their tour diary with us.

• Nationals 8, Brewers 3: Is Nyjer Morgan going to be the acquisition that takes the interim tag off Mike Rizzo's general manager title? It certainly appears that way. The spunky center fielder -- who has been a driving force behind quite a bit of the team's recent success -- led off yesterday's game with a home run and drove in three runs to lead the Nats to their fourth straight win. Adam Dunn and Cristian Guzman also took Milwaukee pitching deep -- Dunn's even went out of the building -- as the Nationals continued to pile up big innings against opposition hurlers. With the win, manager Jim Riggleman upped his record at the helm to 6-7. (Hey, that's almost .500!) Collin Balester (1-1) provided a quality start, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings. Carlos Villanueva (2-8) took the loss for the Brew Crew. Tomorrow night, Washington counters fellow eight-loss Brewer Manny Parra with the unpredictable Garrett Mock -- a fifth straight win would be their longest positive streak of the season.
• United 1, CD L.A. Firpo 1: The Black-and-Red settled for a draw against Club Deportivo Luís Ángel Firpo in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League prelimary round matchup. Firpo, based in Usulután, El Salvador, will be pleased to head back home with an away goal tucked in their back pocket -- United will now have to earn a score draw or win in the return leg next week to avoid being dumped before the group stage of the tournament. The visitors were the aggressors from the outset, attacking a patchwork D.C. lineup with solid possession play. Eventually, a silly attempt to dribble out of trouble from center back Greg Janicki gave Firpo's Mario Benitez a one-on-one with keeper Milos Kocic. The Columbian delivered off the post and it was 1-0. Jaime Moreno tallied the equalizer from the penalty spot, but United couldn't muster another, leaving them with plenty of work to do next Tuesday in hostile territory at the Estadio Monumental Cuscatlan -- the largest stadium in Central America.
• Fever 85, Mystics 81: The Mystics held a 28-18 lead after the first quarter, but couldn't maintain on the road against league-best Indiana. They'll certainly look back on the disparity in free throws: Indiana made 28 of 36 at the line, while Washington only went 9-16. 20 Mystics turnovers didn't help much, either. Then again, maybe it was just Katie Douglas' night -- the versatile player lit the Mystics up for 34 points. Alana Beard had 19 for Washington in the losing effort.

Alexandria Police Chief David P. Baker resigned this afternoon, everyone in town is reporting. Baker's decision comes amid growing criticism due to his arrest over the weekend on DUI charges, after causing a car accident in Arlington that injured at least one person. In a letter to his entire department, Baker, 58, called the resignation a "retirement."

After decades of promises but little action, Shiloh Baptist Church in Shaw has decided to sell two of its controversial vacant buildings and use the proceeds to fund a major redevelopment of its remaining properties.

In an apparent effort to compete with the District's growing number of thematic charter schools, this morning DCPS announced the reorganization of 13 campuses into "theme-based catalyst schools," meaning that they will have an overall curricular emphasis in one of three areas: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), Arts Integration, or World Cultures. At a morning press conference, Mayor Adrian Fenty described the purpose of the project as "to provide compelling options for students and families at their neighborhood schools, so that in every Ward quality and choice becomes a reality."

D.C. Fire and EMS responded to a call about a possible explosion at Union Station at about 11:45 a.m. FEMS units are on scene investigating, but have yet to determine whether an explosion took place.

Shaq couldn't get in to see the Commander-In-Chief on Monday, but FIFA boss Sepp Blatter sure did. And from the sound of it, Washington's most famous resident turned on the charm, dribbling a ball which Blatter brought with him and kinda-sorta accepting an invitation to attend the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.

The larger Examiner enterprise may be pushing its online platform hot and heavy, but the local D.C. Examiner newspaper's ability to integrate its stories on the web still leaves a whole lot to be desired. Take this story from this morning, with the headline: "Metro builds Web site about faulty track circuits." You might expect to click through to the story and find contained therein the url, and maybe even (don't get too radical now) a hyperlink to the web site that is the entire subject of this story. But no. Nowhere within the version of this story posted online do you find a single hint as to where you might find the actual web site it's talking about. The editorial decision making process here is just bizarre.

Good morning, Washington. We swear, every time we think we've heard the last of Roy Pearson, the infamous $54 million missing pants judge, he just pops right back up in the news. What's the guy up to now? After losing his job, his lawsuit and several appeals, Pearson has now also lost his wrongful termination case. Hooray! Could this latest story actually, finally, be the end of this ridiculous story? Not so fast. The story quotes D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles saying he was expecting Pearson to appeal the decision. Of course he will. Sigh.

Nationals 14, Brewers 6: Yeah, good win for the Nats last night, their third in a row. Looking at the box score, lots of positive signs up and down the lineup -- six players scoring at least two runs, so you've got great balance. Ryan Zimmerman homered. Adam Dunn had a couple ribbies and a real nice sliding catch in left field. Tough one for Josh Bard, the only Nationals starting fielder to not score a run, but you know, that happens. Starter Tyler Clippard Craig Stammen was a little bit off his game, but when your offense scores six and seven runs in consecutive innings, that's less of a problem.

A fire broke out in a second floor classroom at Anacostia Senior High School, located at 1601 16th Street SE, this morning.

A suspicious package investigation at Connecticut Ave. and DeSales Street NW has shut down several blocks of Connecticut Ave. Emergency units are on the scene and have shut down Connecticut from L to M Streets. We also hear traffic is backed up on L Street while drivers attempt to get around the closure.

              

It's sadly not often that a Washington team wins a championship, so you might as well get down. A large collection of tennis aficionados did just that on Sunday night, after witnessing the Kastles overcome a late charge by the Springfield Lasers to win the WTT title and the King Trophy, 23-20. Since the WTT experience at its core is a jovial one, attendees were already in a good mood despite the sweltering heat and humidity. The victory for the home team had fans chanting in unison and leaping up and down.

The baby animal cup continues to runneth over at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va., as they announced today the July 16 birth of a female tufted deer fawn - the fourth species to give birth at the Zoo within the last week. Zookeepers have already started referring to this summer's explosion of births as a "baby boom" of endangered species.

The Mystics capped a six-game home stand with an 87-73 win over cellar-dwellers Sacramento on Sunday, led by Crystal Langhorne's 19 points and hot three-point shooting by Marissa Coleman and Monique Currie. The Monarchs dropped to 4-15, the worst record in the league, while the Mystics improved to 9-7.

Good morning, Washington. Most of the larger metro area's local news obsessives spent the weekend gearing up for the Virginia gubernatorial race by watching the first debate on Saturday and then afterward attempting to frame this particular campaign's main issues. Is it really all about guns in Virginia, or is it just about the economy, like it is everywhere else?

Kastles Win WTT Championship: We'll have photos and a report from last night's title-clinching victory by the Washington Kastles over the Springfield Lasers tomorrow.

I was all prepared to write about the unabated decline of retail in the heart of Cleveland Park (even the 7-11 is closing, people!), but a much more interesting topic about the area was thrust into the public eye yesterday: implications of latent racism on the neighborhood's listserv, which will, no matter what, always take precedent over the unfortunate disappearance of Go-Go Taquitos.

>> Nationals 13, Padres 1: Well, the Nationals started about as well as they could have: a triple from Nyjer Morgan and a home run by Ryan Zimmerman staking them to an early two-run lead.

              

It's a question that's often refreshed every year: what's the next positive step for American soccer?

Good morning, D.C. It was a violent night in the metro area last night. Police are currently investigating two shootings in the District -- the first involving an unidentified man who was shot outside the Anacostia Metro station and later, a fatal incident on the 1800 block of M Street NE. No arrests have been made in either case. But gunfire was hardly the end the disturbing news this morning: there's also this frightening story about a woman in Fairfax County who was tied up in the bathroom of her home and stabbed numerous times. If that's not depressing enough for you, more details are coming to the surface about Friday morning's helicopter crash on Interstate 70 which killed four people on their way back from a charity event.

Padres 6, Nationals 2: The preview from wire service Stats LLC tells you all you need to know about this series:

A long-anticipated evaluation of the D.C. Public Schools from the U.S. Government Accountability Office was released yesterday. The top line finding? "Important steps taken to continue reform efforts, but enhanced planning could improve implementation and sustainability." No shockers there. The report praised initiatives that have been implemented by schools chancellor Michelle Rhee since 2007, such as increased accountability for central office employees, but also argued that the District should do more strategic planning to better execute their ideas, and make greater effort to engage "stake holders" like parents and teachers.

            

Chicago brought two All-Stars and the best three-point shooting percentage in the WNBA to the Verizon Center court last night, but left with an eleven-point loss, 75-64.

Morning, Washington. After quite a few weeks without rain, we sure had a doozy of a storm yesterday. The heavy thunderstorm knocked out some traffic signals downtown, which remain out for the time being. Flooding, house fires and lightning strikes completed the destruction, including the golfer we mentioned yesterday who's injuries are consistent with a "near-strike." Though even with all that, our D.C. summer has still been "abnormally dry," so we're forced to say, keep it coming!

Cardinals 4, Nationals 1 (F/6): For whatever reason, the powers that be really didn't want this game -- a replay of a postponed game from early May -- to go the full nine. After heavy rains fell on D.C. for most of yesterday afternoon, getting this one in was going to be a challenge -- in the end, the game fell into three rain-delineated volumes. In the first act, Collin Balester got his first start of the year in place of the injured Jordan Zimmermann. Balester allowed a Rick Ankiel home run in the second which put the Cards ahead, but also showed some promising signs, including a wicked 12-6 curve which certainly fooled more than one St. Louis batter.

One man is dead and another injured in a double shooting that happened in Southeast D.C. at around 2 a.m. this morning, WUSA9 reports. The shooting took place in the 1200 block of Eaton Road SE, only a few blocks from the Anacostia Metro station, near the Barry Farm neighborhood. The deceased man, still unidentified, was already dead when officers arrived on scene, and the second man was taken to a hospital in stable condition. No motive or suspect so far.

U.S. Park Police are investigating a sexual assault that took place Wednesday morning along a running path in Rock Creek Park, FOX 5 reports.

We were all set to write off the Associated Press's latest attempt (via WTOP) to recycle the "National Mall is a National Disgrace" story template, which has been a favorite of the local media for years now (for examples, see last year's versions here and 2007's here). We all already know that the National Mall is looking pretty banged up, with cracked walkways, dead, trampled grass, dying trees and mud making what should be the country's pride and joy look shabby and depressing. We also already know that when President Obama tried to steer $200 million out of his stimulus package to renovate the National Mall, it was killed by the House. But the AP's Brian Westley and Brett Zongker have done a nice job of reporting out the story behind the story: that members of Congress routinely earmark money for national parks in their home states, while torpedoing such efforts for the Mall, which, by virtue of being located in the District, doesn't have any powerful members of Congress to fight for it. Here's the meat:

All told, Congress sent home more than $181 million in earmarks through the park service budget last year _ an election year _ according to data compiled by the group Taxpayers for Common Sense and analyzed by the AP. Nearly half that money was driven by lawmakers who were on the House and Senate appropriations committees.

Continue reading "AP Revisits 'National Mall is a Disgrace' Story"

Good morning, Washington. We hope you brought your umbrella with you to work, as the scattered showers we're experiencing already are likely to pop back up later in the day as well. In between, it'll be slightly cooler than yesterday, but oh so humid, so be prepared to deal with one form of moisture or another all day today.

• Nationals 3, Mets 1: It's refreshing to have to decide which positive news from yesterday's Nationals game to lead with in this space. Does one go with Josh Willingham's four-for-four performance, including a two-run homer which put the Nats ahead for good? Or perhaps we start with Craig Stammen's excellent performance on the hill, allowing but one run and four hits in seven-plus innings? Maybe we go with how David Gregory was distracted from the Presidential presser by the game? Hmm, okay, we'll stick with the first two. Stammen (3-5) and Willingham both snapped out of slumps -- the Nats had lost in four the Stammen's last five starts, and Willingham was 0-14 at the dish since the All-Star Break -- to key the Nationals to a surprising series win over the boys from Queens. Much-maligned closer Mike MacDougal even retired the side on three grounders in the ninth to earn his first save since July 5. Mike Pelfrey (7-6) took the loss, although he didn't pitch poorly -- but something tells me that the New York headlines will be less about Pelfrey's hard luck, and more about the Mets' vice president of player development recently challenging players on the team's Double-A affiliate to a fistfight...while shirtless. (Look, they may have won two in a row, but our team is still 28-66 -- sometimes, it's just necessary to engage in some schadenfreude.)
• Kastles 21, Lasers 14: Well, would you look at that: the Kastles became the first team, on the 2009 season's last day, to defeat the mighty and formerly-unonce beaten Springfield Lasers. As a result, the team will get to play in the Eastern Conference championship match against the New York Sportimes on Friday. (Let's hope that the boys can keep the etiquette in check this time.) The match, like most WTT matches tend to do, hinged on a few break points that went Washington's way -- the Kastles converted five of their seven break chances, while Springfield only got three of eleven.

Renovations at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library branch are now underway, as We Love D.C. noted yesterday, so we checked in with folks at the D.C. Public Library to see how things are coming along.

The Indiana Fever showed why they're atop the WNBA's Eastern Conference last night at the Verizon Center, beating the Mystics 82-70 in a game that had more full court presses than Brangelina have children.

Vandals attacked a window display that featured pro-LGBT T-shirts at the Silver Spring American Apparel store on Monday morning, The Sexist reports, shattering a window in the process. The Georgetown location of American Apparel also received a telephone threat later that day about their similar window display.

Good morning, Washington. Notice an unusual amount of activity in the skies this morning? Don't worry; it's just a NORAD training exercise. The maneuvers are slated to last for only one day, and officials assure us that they are long-planned, and not the abrupt byproduct of a classified machine intelligence being awoken by a precocious teenage hacker's relatively innocent attempt to impress a girl (even though having the word "Falcon" in the operation title seems extremely suspicious). More on Metro Track Circuit Problems: At the end of the day yesterday we linked to a just-published Post article indicating that the Metro system is experiencing failures of its train-detection circuits across the system, rather than just along the section of track near the Fort Totten station. It's not yet clear how serious a problem this really is, but other voices are weighing in on the safety of the automated system. The Examiner quotes retired train operator Larry Mitchell saying, "The system can let you down." As you might expect, Metro General Manager John Catoe disagrees — or at least disagrees with the Post's decision to report on the new circuit failures. As Fox 5 reports, Catoe called a press conference very shortly after the Post story went online, at which he asserted that the system is safe and that to say otherwise is "a gross misstatement of the facts." Earmark Adds to Barry's Woes: The Post's D.C. Wire blog reports that Council member Muriel Bowser has asked chairman Vincent Gray to expand the ongoing probe of Marion Barry to include a $300,000 earmark for the National Association of Former Foster Care Children of America. The NAFFCCA sounds like an organization in chaos, but the broad outline of the situation seems to include unpaid staff and the use of a middleman to avoid problems related to the organization's ineligibility for the grant. D.C. Wire is also reporting that Barry's legal counsel resigned yesterday, although the Council member's spokesperson said that the departure has been in the works for a long time. Briefly Noted: 89 year-old man scares off gang of burglars... Facing criticism for his work for the DNC while on the job, Kaine releases travel schedule... No bids for the Watergate Hotel except from its primary creditor... Va. Gov. candidate McDonnell proposes privatizing state's ABC stores... Loudoun looks to be getting a minor league baseball stadium...

• Nationals 4, Mets 0: It was Adam Dunn t-shirt night at the ballpark, and the brawny slugger tried his best to come up big: two hits, scoring and driving in a run. But surely, Dunn has to be happy sharing the spotlight with a pitching performance like the one John Lannan delivered against the Mets last night. In his first career complete game shutout, Lannan (7-7) quickly worked up and down the lineup, allowing seven hits in a 4-0 victory -- Jim Riggleman's first as manager (although, it should be noted that one should win most of the games in which your starter goes nine scoreless, regardless of managerial acumen.) Nyjer Morgan also chipped in a great leaping catch with two runners on in the third. Oliver Perez (2-3) took the loss for the reeling Mets, whose manager and GM both got the dreaded "vote of confidence" before last night's game. After being shutout for the fifth time in 13 games (against this team, no less), perhaps the front office might want to vote again.
• United 2, Rhinos 1: D.C. United kept rolling through the U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 semifinal win over USL-1 Rochester at the SoccerPlex -- the Black-and-Red will defend their Open Cup title in the final on September 2 at RFK against either Seattle or Houston. The match was a fairly dull affair until the second half, when goals and severe injuries created some intrigue. A penalty kick from Jaime Moreno put D.C. in front after the break -- but the Rhinos, who won the Cup in 1999, equalized through Taiwo Atieno and things got a little murkier for D.C. But Boyzzz Khumalo delivered United to the final with a industrious tally, slamming in a rebound in the 82nd minute -- sadly, the man of many Zs broke his wrist minutes later. Speaking of injuries, the game was marred after a challenge -- dubbed "absolutely disgraceful" by Rochester coach Darren Tilley -- left Rhinos defender Darren Kenton with a gruesomely dangling ankle. (For those who follow English football: Kenton's injury was Eduardo-esque. For others: Google those images at your own risk.)
• Kastles 23, Buzz 12: Washington kept its chances at a playoff spot alive, thanks to a romp over the New York Buzz at Kastles Stadium. With a win in their final match, the Kastles will earn a spot in the four-team playoff -- of course, they'll have to beat undefeated Springfield to do it, but anything's possible.

• The Washington Post's latest story on how track circuit sensors may be failing across the entire Metrorail system has us all plenty freaked out. Read the whole thing, and we'll be sure to have more on this tomorrow.
• Over at Tapped, Alexandra Gutierrez makes the case for why the District -- not the larger DC metro area -- needs stimulus funds just as much, if not more so, than any other city in the country.
• And don't miss the Post's exclusive interview with Henry Louis Gates Jr., the Harvard professor who is alleging racial profiling after being arrested while trying to force open the locked front door to his own home.

D.C. police are investigating a shooting that happened Sunday night at 140 U Street NE, in the Eckington neighborhood. Fifth District commander Lamar D. Greene sent the following description to the 5D police email list:

A subject walked up to the location and began shooting at subjects on the porch. One male was shot in the arm. We are interviewing all subjects who were present at the time of the offense. Currently we have no motive established in this matter but believe this may be related to an on going feud between two groups in that area. We will continue to deploy extra officers, light towers and plain clothes officers to the area in an effort to keep arrest up and violent activity under control. If you have any information relative to this incident please call us immediately 202-727-9099.

One of the longest comment threads in DCist's history can at last come to a happy conclusion. Molly, the 7 year-old Vizsla who was allegedly taken by a stranger while she was tied up outside the P Street Whole Foods, is back home with her family. Tyler Newby, Molly's owner, last night sent out an email to fellow dog owners in the Logan Circle neighborhood announcing his dog's safe return. Molly seems to be in good health, he said, although understandably tired. Details on the police-involved recovery of Molly from the woman who allegedly took her are scant, Newby said, though an officer did tell him that it was evident the woman had mental health issues. "... we want to offer our most heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us and provided tips and leads. Without those leads, it's unlikely the police would have had enough information to justify spending time investigating," Newby wrote.

Good morning, Washington. You still have a little time left (the deal ends at 10:30 a.m.) for what has to have been one of the most well publicized corporate giveaways we've run across in some time: the Starbucks free pastry offer. Click here and print out the coupon offer in order to get your free pastry at any participating SBux. All you have to do is buy any beverage. We're guessing a lot of the popular locations are probably out of pastries at this point, so let us know if you find a hidden stash.

Mets 6, Nationals 2: Contributing seven solid innings, veteran hurler Livan Hernandez (6-5) pushed his impressive career record against Washington to eight wins in nine decisions with the Mets' 6-2 victory at Nationals Park last night.

A hockey-starved crowd filled the Kettler bleachers Saturday for the final scrimmage in the Washington Capitals' 2009 development camp for prospects. The Blue and White teams went at it for a full three periods Saturday with the White team winning, as they've done in every game this week. Of course, which teams won and lost was of less concern than the young players' individual performances -- DCist was there to dig out the good stuff.

Good morning, Washington. "I can't believe this is the middle of July," was a popular refrain we heard this weekend. The sentiment wasn't even really referring to how quickly this year seems to be slipping by (even though that's certainly also true), but rather how generally mild the summer heat has been to date. This weekend's balmy conditions were enough to make cynics like us predict a hellish September as the most likely form of justice from Mother Nature. It does look like we'll be treated to some nasty humidity this week, though high temperatures will at least remain at reasonable levels.

Cubs 11, Nationals 3: The Nats lost another one on Sunday, after an Alberto Gonzalez error at short (which looked like one I committed in a beer league softball game last week) opened the floodgates to a seven-run fourth inning. But the Nats getting swept by the Cubs is hardly news.

Did the feds break up a high-stakes metro-area gambling ring that had the protection of DC and PG County police?

Despite the weather, it's been quite the unpleasant weekend for local organizations in the wake of Mayor Fenty's newest 2010 budget revision, released late on Friday. Fenty cut approximately $12 million in earmarks for community nonprofits in this version, leaving the budget with a total of $8.3 million in grants for nonprofits -- a significant decrease from the $47 million that was handed out last year.

            

You know that show about the fishermen who leave home for months at a time to come back with big catches, significantly more grizzled faces, and, at times, missing certain people that they left with? Right -- we all know that one. One of the best parts about that program: even though some of the things they go through on the high seas would make the most hardened of individuals tremble, when they get back on land, all the fishermen down a few beers, talk about what a wild, strange trip its been, and hop right back on the ship that could be their collective coffin.

• Cubs 6, Nationals 5: Well, the Nats scored four runs in the first two innings, smacking six hits off Cubs starter Randy Wells (5-4), whose ERA rose from 2.72 to 3.00 -- so that was good. It's just too bad ex-Nat Alfonso Soriano had to go and ruin all the fun. Soriano's three-run bomb in the sixth knocked Jordan Zimmermann (3-5) out of the game and the Nats out of the lead. A Mike Fontenot dinger doubled the Cubbies advantage in the eighth. But the Nationals certainly had a chance to make a move, loading the bases twice in the bottom of the eighth against Aaron Heilman; but Cubs closer Kevin Gregg coaxed Ryan Zimmerman into a sac fly, and got Josh Willingham to groundout to maintain the lead to extinguish the threat. Gregg then retired the side in the ninth to earn his 18th save.
• Freedom 1, St. Louis Athletica 0: The Freedom, playing at RFK for the second time this year, picked up a much needed win against St. Louis on the back of a 74th minute Homare Sawa goal. Your soccer oddity of the afternoon: after starting keeper Kati Jo Spisak went down with an injured quad in the second half, goalkeeper coach Nicci Wright had to strap on the gloves -- and make a couple of saves to preserve the victory. Wright, who signed a short-term contract just for this weekend, was filling in for normal backup goalie Erin McLeod who was on international duty with Canada.
• Mystics 68, Liberty 67: The Mystics survived a fourth quarter surge from their Big Apple visitors -- who outscored Washington 25-10 in the final period -- and held on for a one-point win. Reversing some previously bad fortune at the free throw line, Lindsay Harding (who had a spectacular night with 23 points, seven boards, and five assists) hit two free throws with eight seconds left to seal the win. Shameka Christon paced New York with 21 points.

Professional statisticians crunch the numbers to discover what anyone watching the game tonight already knows: the Nationals have absolutely no chance of making it into the playoffs. Chris Needham gets the No-Prize for the NBC Washington story on the basement-dwelling Nats, who join the Baltimore Orioles, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and three other teems who've fallen all the way to the no-way, no-how bin.

Check this out: Loudoun County realtor Diane Atari, who's suspected of defrauding banks for $50 million in a realty scheme, called in to ABC 7 yesterday from whereabouts unknown -- possibly whereabouts in the Middle East -- to say that she's innocent. As she told ABC 7, she believes she's been pegged by merciless investigators. Her son has links to an international motorcycle theft ring, okay. Yes, her husband's cousin is Osama El-Atari, who fled Virginia on Thursday on the eve of a bankruptcy hearing forced on him by his creditors to whereabouts unknown, too, seemingly with a fleet of luxury vehicles in tow, which is impressive. That's the same Osama El-Atari who was illegally deputized by the U.S. Department of Defense Logistics Agency, which supplies billions of dollars in supplies to U.S. troops, in exchange for his help in "red teaming exercises," which is "a form of testing to asses vulnerabilities and limitations of systems and structures."

Good morning, D.C. Obviously, the headlines this morning all revolve around the death of the legendary Walter Cronkite, who passed away at the age of 92 yesterday. As the local CBS affiliate, WUSA9 has the most comprehensive web view of the iconic newsman, with a video tribute and a career timeline. FishbowlDC offers up reactions and thoughts from various D.C. journalists -- but one thing is clear: regardless of the issues and opinions that divide us, Cronkite was that rare breed of public figure who could unite this country in times of sadness, jubilation, and the day-to-day. And that's the way it is.

• Cubs 3, Nationals 1: Those of you who considered the Nationals' offense to be the one redeeming quality of the season to date: you may want to think about that assessment some more. The Nationals scored but once -- unearned, on a bases loaded walk in the first inning, no less -- against Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs last night, bringing their total run output for the last 27 innings to a whopping three. (Obviously, they spent all their good hitting karma on that recent 13-run game.)
  
  The really frustrating thing? The Northsiders weren't exactly ripping into Nationals pitching. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez took one deep in the third for the visitors, but the Cubs didn't score for the rest of the game. In fact, a starter going six innings and only allowing three runs on three hits would normally be in decent position for at least a no decision on this team -- but just like Jordan Zimmermann and John Lannan in the Nats' last two games, Washington hurler Craig Stammen (2-5) was doomed by the team's shocking inability to hit, well, anything. Even the bullpen pulled it's weight -- Tyler Clippard, Mike MacDougal, and Joe Beimel combined for three scoreless innings. Zambrano (6-4) and four Chicago relievers were just too much, though: the five Chicago pitchers combined to allow but four baserunners after the second inning. Of Washington's six hits, half belonged to Nyjer Morgan, one of the few players who seems to have come out of the break with a decent stroke. Chalk this one up to yet another case of the Nationals' consistent inability to play a complete game with solid efforts in the field, on the mound, and at the plate.

              

The Washington Kastles tennis match last night against the New York Sportimes was surprisingly not sold out, but did come with everything you would expect from a match featuring John McEnroe.

A few weeks ago, we wrote that even with last's years Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the District's gun laws, not much had really changed. Today the Washington Times reports as much, finding that since the ruling only 515 guns have been legally registered in the city and police have yet to respond to a single case where a gun was used for self-defense in the home. Of course, it's difficult to say whether the low rates of gun ownership are product of few people feeling they need them or the current regulations that require residents to jump through a number of hoops to register their guns.

Cubs 6, Nationals 2: Let's see now. Silly errors leading to unearned runs? Check. The pen -- namely, Julian Tavarez -- giving up runs in the late innings before recording an out? Oh, you betcha. Four total hits -- even though batting is supposed to be the one strength of this team? Sure. A player representing the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning getting picked off first? Yes. Finally: did Jim Riggleman's first game as Nationals interim manager sure look a lot like the first eighty-seven games of the season? Absolutely.

Sure, it'd be mighty unfair to judge the new guy after but one game at the helm. But the a couple of days off didn't seem to do much for the Nationals, whose effort at home was nothing new on Thursday night. Sure, Cubs hurler Rich Harden (6-6) did the Nats lineup no favors, absolutely dealing on his way through six relatively quick innings of work -- but four hits is a fairly dismal return, even by Nationals standards. Washington starter John Lannan (6-7) didn't pitch poorly, per se -- but with so little run support, a solo home run off the bat of Derrek Lee in the sixth and a throwing error in the third was more than enough to burden him with the loss. Despite getting picked off in the eighth, Nyjer Morgan's antics in the sixth were refreshing for those who love small-ball -- the speedy center fielder bunted his way on, stole second base, took third on a throwing error by Cubs catcher Koyie Hill, and scored on a Nick Johnson groundout. (Whitey would be proud.) Ryan Zimmerman also hit his 15th homer in the loss.

Via City Desk, today Marion Barry took to CNN to defend himself against recent allegations involving former girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt and the brewing investigation into allegations that he funneled earmarks to organizations under his control. In a spirited seven-minute exchange with CNN anchor Carol Costello (only a short part is included in the video above, we'll update if we can get the entire interview later), Barry does what he has always done best -- blame other people for his own troubles. Whether the July 4 stalking arrest or the 1991 crack-cocaine bust, Barry never owns up to having done much wrong. Even in the one instance where Barry takes responsibility for his actions -- not paying his taxes -- he still manages to diminish his own culpability by claiming that lots of other Americans also don't pay their taxes. Bu then there's the interview closer, where Barry coats himself in political equivalent of Teflon: "...[F]or anything else that has happened to me, it was the result of other people, enemies, conservative Republicans or anyone else doing this to me."

On Tuesday, the Post's D.C. Wire blog reported that Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham's proposal to name the recently renovated park at 14th and Girard Streets NW "Barack Hussein Obama Park," wasn't allowed under D.C. law, which prohibits the city from naming things after people who are still alive. Not so, according to Graham. He wrote in an email to constituents today:

While the Washington Post accurately quoted law, it did not accurately state the legal situation. For years, the Council has been naming "public spaces" after living persons. The Council in the last year "renamed" roadways to honor Kathy Hughes and Chuck Brown. One of my first acts as a Councilmember in 1999 was to successfully sponsor a bill naming the alley next to Ben's Chili Bowl "Ben Ali Way" to honor the restaurant's founders. All these folks are happily still with us! There are other examples.

Continue reading "Graham Disputes Legal Barriers to 'Obama Park' Name"

Good morning, Washington. More is known today about yesterday's Capitol Police-involved shooting near the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol. Details from the Post: the man who was shot and killed by police had been pulled over for a routine traffic stop, according to Capitol Police, when he fled the scene at a high speed in his white Mercedes, eventually striking a parked car and then crashing into a police cruiser. Two police officers were injured during the chase. Police say the man then produced a weapon, ignored commands to drop it and began firing, at which point officers returned fire, shooting and killing the man.

• Silver Stars 79, Mystics 78: Well, so much for that undefeated homestand. The Mystics lost another heartbreaker last night, even though they outscored the Stars in both the third and fourth quarters. The Mystics downfall? The dynamic duo of Becky Hammon and Sophia Young, who scored 41 of San Antonio's 79 points. (More than half the team's total points? Not too shabby.) The Mystics had a chance to win on the game's final possession, but Lindsay Harding's inbounds pass was stolen. Harding scored 18 points and Alana Beard had 17 to lead the Mystics, who are now 2-5 in their last seven after starting the season with a 4-1 record. But they've still got an fuzzy panda mascot (see right), so that's got to count for something.
• Freedom 4, Sky Blue FC 4: In the highest scoring game in the league's admittedly short history, the Freedom battled back from deficits of 3-1 and 4-3 to earn a point on the road in New Jersey. Chalk it up to one of those crazy soccer matches which defy all reason, especially for SBFC: in 14 games this year, the Garden Staters were both scoring and allowing less than one goal per game. Natasha Kai and Kacey White both had braces (that's two-goal games for the soccer-impaired) for Sky Blue, including a cool 86th minute tally off the boot of Kai which seemed to settle matters. But cue the insanity -- Freedom defender Cat Whitehill, of all people, put in the winner in stoppage time: a true poacher's goal -- after a save by Jenni Branam parried the ball off the crossbar, the ball simply fell into Whitehill's path and she would have had to try not to score. Lisa De Vanna also scored twice for the Freedom.

This new video from the National Zoo is edited without any real narrative in mind, but it sure does feature a lot of cute baby animals! Take a look for your first glimpse of the Zoo's new baby red panda, along with video images of the newest clouded leopard cub and the Przewalski’s horse foal.

      

Family, friends and colleagues of D.C. Council staffer Desi Deschaine, who died Sunday night in an apparent drowning in Baltimore Harbor, gathered in Logan Circle last night to remember a young man who was dedicated to community service.