Upper Northwest Residents May Be Sickened by WWI-era Chemicals: A survey by the Northwest Current of 345 households in the Spring Valley area found 131 current or former cases of “chronic” diseases. Some residents think the illnesses are caused by chemicals contaminating the soil in the area from the World War I American University Experiment Station, where hundreds of scientists developed chemical weapons in a 600-acre area, including chlorine, chloride, cyanide, Lewisite, mustard gas and ricin. A W. Times article quotes one former resident who has developed diabetes, hypothyroidism, and kidney, colon and heart disease. He told the paper: “You don’t have substantial portions of your internal organs fail within a period of five years if you haven’t been exposed to something.” The Northwest Current article quotes three medical experts who warn the study is inconclusive, and suggest further study.

>> DCist on Spring Valley’s chemical testing and newly discovered perchlorate at a nearby reservoir.

Visiting Students Injured in Bus Crash: Ten students were sent to area hospitals yesterday after their tour bus plowed into a stone bridge on the George Washington Parkway to Mount Vernon. The bus was holding 25 students from a private Massachusetts boy’s school.

One Dies in Reston Fire: A fire in Reston which broke out a little after 7 p.m. yesterday killed one person and sent four others to the hospital. During the blaze residents caught a child and woman who jumped from a third story window with a blanket, and fireman were able to save a hairless cat named “Catapus.”

Briefly Noted: Baltimore judge commits suicide … Virginia considers renewing red-light cameras … D.C. Art News has lots of ArtoMatic coverage … The Post creates a special ArtOMatic page to deal with the response to their harsh review … One Blogger reports ArtOmatic “packed” on Friday …