Hey D.C., watch where you step. It’s still icy out there, but today’s temps should reach the 40’s, melting the remaining ice for at least a while. Some kids are still in luck with a few school delays this morning, mostly in the Virginia suburbs. Here’s hoping the warmer conditions mean drivers can stop acting like it’s locusts, not snow, crunching under the tires.
Chief Inspector Also Convict: Clearly D.C. doesn’t have any problem with public servants having a bit of a criminal past, but new information about the man in charge of building safety is raising questions. The Examiner reports that Juan Scott, chief of the illegal construction enforcement unit, served four years in prison after being found with $100,000 worth of cocaine and an arsenal of automatic weapons. Cops also found a live hand grenade on the scene. In his duties as inspector Scott carries a badge and has the power to have people arrested. District officials say they don’t do criminal background checks on building inspectors. Scott’s past surfaced after an FBI extortion investigation against him began.
Lose The “Sub”, Cut Straight To Urban: Fairfax County officials have signed off on a plan to build over 1,000 apartments and eight office towers around the Tysons Corner Mall. The expansion is meant to give the area a more “urban” feel with the construction of its own “downtown” plaza. Developers say the already traffic-clogged area won’t become a full-fledged traffic disaster, pinning their hopes on workers and residents using the Metro. The Tysons Corner Metro extension is planned to open in 2012.
Manhole Explosion Just In Time For Rush Hour: Pepco is now saying salt on the roadway sparked an underground electrical fire at Connecticut Avenue and I Street. The fire caused smoke to pour from several manholes around Farragut Square Monday evening. Firefighters responded to the report of a manhole explosion just before 5 p.m. No one was hurt, but an office building was evacuated and the resulting emergency response snarled traffic in the area for hours.
Briefly Noted: State of the Union road closures detailed… 96-year-old man left in freezing bus overnight…
This Day in DCist: Last year we debated the merits of chatty cabbies. In 2005 we took a look at the role of machetes (yeah, machetes) in D.C. gang violence.
Photo by Flickr user billadler.
