Federal officials announced today that many smartphone users in Washington will receive alerts regarding “national or regional emergencies” — similar to those familiar Emergency Broadcast System television announcements — on their cell phones beginning by the end of the year. According to the New York Times, the service, which will also be installed in New York, will be available to those who have a special chip inside their phones and will pass along messages like “alerts issued by the president, information about public safety threats and Amber Alerts for missing children.”

Photo by philliefan99 I think some of us owe Scampers the cat or Barksdale the dog an apology — the usual suspects when it comes to pungent odors. Since Wednesday, residents predominantly of Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick counties, and West Virginia have been calling in reports of a foul odor, reminiscent of rotting eggs. The smell has been noticed as far as Arlington according to some reports. Although officials from both states have…

Good morning, Washington. For those of you who were inconvenienced by yesterday afternoon’s Red line mishap, we’re sure you’ll be glad to hear that the suspect who Montgomery County police chased into the tunnel got away. The whole incident started just after 2 p.m. when officers, acting on a suspicious-person call, spotted Michael J. Brown, a man known by area police and who is wanted in Baltimore for several charges of theft. After a chase…

The Examiner reports on a $36,000 bill received by the organizers of the 2007 Capital Pride Festival from the D.C. police and the Emergency Management Agency, who say they need the money to pay for overtime and other costs for security incurred during the June festival. But the festival’s organizers and some members of the D.C. Council are questioning the charges, since the agencies waived these same fees last year and other annual parades, like…

It’s never a good sign when it’s already this steamy this early in the morning, and indeed, the heat index looks like it will near 100 degrees today (actual temps closer to 94). The D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management has some helpful tips to beating the oppressive heat, but this list has a shameful lack of ice cream sandwiches involved. DCist heartily recommends the Ice Cream Sandwich Method of keeping cool today, which involves…

Watch where you step this morning, Washington! The Examiner brings us word that the D.C. Emergency Management Agency lists manhole cover explosions, like the one that brough traffic to a standstill around the National Mall last Wednesday, as one of the District’s 18 major hazards, alongside urban crime, hurricanes, terrorism and floods. See, D.C. has the second–largest underground power system in the country, which means underground fires which can cause those manholes to explode are…

This stinks. Literally. D.C.’s Emergency Management email alerts report that a truck lost “its entire load of trash” on outbound Interstate 395 just before the 6th Street SW exit. They say “expect delays” and we assume some bad smells as well. Looks like a bad time for those drivers heading east from the city on 395, unless they can get this picked up. If you’re in the area, let us know what they spilled. Hopefully…

It’s still pretty slushy out there, so we thought we’d give you all a friendly reminder to please shovel the sidewalk in front of your house. Not only does taking care of your sidewalk demonstrate that you’re a good neighbor, it’s also the cold, hard law. From the DC Emergency Management Agency: Clear snow and ice from sidewalks and steps next to your home and/or business. DC law requires residents to remove snow from sidewalks…

Millions of dollars of security improvements just don’t seem to be enough — Metro is asking that riders be their “eyes and ears” in protecting the transit system against terrorist attack, writes the Examiner. To that end, Metro’s System Safety and Risk Protection Department and Transit Police have announced a series of Emergency Management Outreach events, the first taking place tomorrow from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. at Union Station. We feel we’ve done our part…

With the double benefit of a long weekend and sunny skies, area residents return to work with spirits and energy restored. But that feeling may be fleeting — transportation experts warn that the first Tuesday after Labor Day is often referred to as “Terrible Traffic Tuesday,” or T3 for short. Sandwiched somewhere between Manic Monday and T.G.I.F., T3 is the day that workers hit the roads, students at local universities return to campus, and school…