Lawyer Abducted in Alexandria, Escapes Shallow Grave: This is just too weird. A lawyer, a stun gun, a shallow grave, a dispute over a will, a 75 year-old man standing near the shallow grave when the cops arrive. It sounds like it could make for a good side plot in “The Sopranos.” No, this is not Jersey. It’s Alexandria. Just read the Post’s account of this odd drama to keep all the details straight. (Fortunately, the lawyer escaped and is recovering.)

More on the Hunters Brooke Arson: Investigators believe that more homes were originally targeted in the arson that destroyed a number of homes in the Hunters Brooke subdivision in Charles County. And as investigators refuse to speculate on motive, one commonly talked about theory — that the Earth Liberation Front was retaliating for developers building next to a rare magnolia bog — may now be off the table. The often boastful ELF tells the Post in an e-mail that they can “neither confirm nor deny” that they played a role in the Hunters Brooke destruction. Racially motivated arson is another theory, as many of the Hunters Brooke owners are African Americans. The W.Times covers all of the arson rumors, including one that puts the blame on revenge-seeking construction workers.

Area Homes Are Expensive: While that headline isn’t a shocker, a new report from Fannie Mae and the Urban Institute is giving some greater context to the severity of the affordable housing crisis in the area, the Post reports. Housing prices are outpacing wages, which means that the area isn’t creating enough units and that is hurting low- and middle-income wage earners.

The report says that the uneven home affordability is forcing people to live farther from their jobs, leading to congestion on the roadways and a degraded quality of life. This all comes as the Washington region enjoys a robust economy and the lowest unemployment of any large American metropolitan area.

There are some other interesting tidbits in the report. Our traffic isn’t as bad as Los Angeles or San Francisco and our air pollution isn’t as bad as Houston.

Wager Leads to USDA Stabbing: The Post reports that the stabbing at the Department of Agriculture headquarters may have started over a $10 wager on a football game.

Briefly Noted: D.C. is going back to the meeting table with baseball officials to try to hammer about a better deal for the city … Air America to make D.C. debut …