We know "sympathy" and "tow truck" are rarely used in the same sentence, but bear with us. The AP is reporting that two two truck employees in Frederickburg are being charged with felonies for towing a car with a two-year-old girl in it. But how did a toddler end up alone in a towed vehicle? Apparently her mother double-parked the car, left her daughter in it with the doors unlocked, and ran in to talk to some friends; the tow truck employees say they didn't see the child. Shouldn't the mother be the one facing charges? more ›

It seems amazing to me that the District government doesn't impose an additional fee when it tows cars illegally parked in rush hour lanes. Whenever possible the city just moves cars to another nearby street, gives the driver a $100 ticket, and that's it, no additional towing fee. Considering the inconvenience drivers who leave their cars in rush hour lanes cause to everyone, the practice seems a little too fair. Well now the D.C. Council looks poised to do something about it. The Examiner reports that they have tentatively approved an additional $100 "vehicle relocation fee" that drivers would be charged on top of the parking ticket fine. The fee is designed to allow DPW to hire more independent tow trucks to help move more vehicles out of the way. Seems like a pretty reasonable solution. more ›