Happy Hot as Hell Tuesday, everyone. Yes, it’s going to 100 degrees today, with a heat index up around 110. The best advice is to stay inside whenever possible during what we like to call our Heat Emergency, but if you have to be outdoors, the National Weather Service advises drinking plenty of water, planning activities outside for the morning or evening and wearing loose, light-colored clothing and a hat. It’s unfortunate that the current temperatures coincide with tonight’s 23rd annual National Night Out, an evening normally set aside for communities across the country to come together to take a stand against crime — a sentiment that feels especially appropriate in our fair city this summer. You can find a list of National Night Out activities sponsored by MPD in your neighborhood here.

Metro Rail Car Set to Debut: As part of a series of tests of new and reconfigured rail cars for metro between now and the end of the year, rail car # 3262 will be in service for the first time on the Orange Line today, reports the Post. The older-model rail car features more standing room, thanks to fewer seats and vertical bars, much like the ones we discussed back in June. After spending two weeks on the Orange Line, 3262 will then appear on the Green Line and the Red Line for two week stints each. Keep an eye out for the new car and let us know what your experience is like. Does the new setup actually get people to move to the center of the car?

First Curfew Violators Rounded Up: Police spent time driving a total of 12 teenaged curfew violators to a curfew processing center in Southeast last night, after the new 10 p.m. rule went into effect on Monday. According to the Post, one of those 12 was arrested on suspicion of stealing a bag of potato chips. The rest were picked up by parents or guardians without incident. Call us crazy, but a dozen kids doesn’t seem like a lot to us. At the same time however, we’re not sure what it means. Maybe the new regulation was actually well publicized and most kids chose to obey the law. Or maybe Monday night isn’t a popular night to be out. Or maybe most kids just weren’t caught. We’ll certainly be interested in following the numbers throughout the month of August to see if we can get a better sense of how and whether the new curfew is working.

Tickets No Longer Needed to See Butterstick: But that doesn’t mean we love him any less! According to the National Zoo, our adorable panda cub, while still their main attraction, is no longer commanding the sort of rowdy crowds that demanded the ticketing system that had been in place since the little guy made his public debut last December. Our experience has been that in practical terms, tickets haven’t been needed to see the Stick for some time. But now that the Zoo has officially suspended ticketing, we have to wonder whether he might be feeling a little like a child star whose show has just been cancelled. So everyone, go visit Butterstick, and do it now before he ends up in a high speed chase on the Beltway, whacked out on pills and screaming that his agent “screwed him over.”

Briefly Noted: Army’s move to Ft. Belvoir predicted to cause major gridlock in Fairfax County … NAACP may move from Baltimore to PG County … Loudon Country Sheriff’s office investigates possible hate crimes … District suspends EMT refresher courses.

This Day in DCist: In 2005 we celebrated sticking it to Delaware by offering our own week of tax-free shopping, and in 2004 we reported that the terror alert level for the IMF and World Bank had gone up to Yellow.

Photo of the Washington National Cathedral snapped by Flickr user epmd.

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