Welcome back, Washington. We hope you had a Turkey Day filled with food, family, and football triumphs. Now it’s back to work, maggot! Hey, at least it’ll be warm: today is likely to be rainy, but will have temperatures in the sixties. That’s not bad for being on the cold side of Thanksgiving.
Annapolis Fire Destroys Building, Costs Millions: The weekend’s big news was the blaze that tore through Annapolis’s historic district. No one was injured, but the front of a jewelry store had to be demolished due to structural instability resulting from the fire. The Candy Factory and Main Street Ice Cream were also seriously damaged by the five-alarm fire. A fourth business, A.L. Goodies General Store, suffered smoke damage but remains open, according to the Post.
Post Exposes Wasteful City Spending: Sunday’s Washington Post included a must-read article on the D.C. government’s use of loopholes to avoid the bidding process on city contracts. Nearly a fifth of last year’s expenditures went to unauthorized and no-bid contracts. As a result, $50 million went to waste. City CFO Natwar Gandhi says that the District’s financial system is so broken that he has no choice but to cut checks for unauthorized expenditures. Mayor Williams — the man commonly credited with returning the city to fiscal health and discipline — declined to comment for the story.
Black Widow Strikes Again: Alexandria’s own Sonya Thomas — aka “The Black Widow” — has another competitive eating title to place under her surprisingly small belt. On Wednesday Thomas consumed 4 pounds, 3.1 ounces of turkey in a New York competition. That’s nearly five percent of her body weight. She walked away with first prize and $2500 for the feat.
Only 27 Shopping Days Left: The District’s ten-day sales tax holiday began last Friday and lasts until December 4 (that’d be, uhh … Sunday!). Don’t forget to take advantage of the tax-free period. Also worth noting: today is “Cyber Monday.” We suspect that this stupidly-named occasion is the invention of some uninspired ad agencies rather than an authentic retail phenomenon that suddenly sprung, fully-formed, from the great god of consumerism’s forehead. But who cares where it came from — we need marginally cheaper consumer electronics, and we need them now! We didn’t dare brave the malls on Friday; constantly refreshing our favorite bargain sites sounds like a better alternative.
Briefly Noted: Amber Alert issued… Couple charged with Montgomery County bank robbery… Woman’s death on elevator leads to calls for improved regulation… Teen dies after Oak Hill brawl… Fire in SE appears to be homicide cover-up… Six youths arrested at Fort Totten Metro station… Baseball hearing set for today… WUSA: this is just sad…
Image posted to DCist Photos by dcJohn
