Local (to the DMV) News and Events

[Dan T.]

1 hour ago, Barry.Randolphe said:

Driving out around Reston the other day....my car took a major beating driving next to a forest. Those cicadas are so damn fat and explode all over the windshield

 

 

Wait until you get peed on from above...

 

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by Dan T.

[Barry.Randolphe]

 that has happened one too many times walking under a tree

[ClaytoAli]

 

[China]

Amazon warehouse fire in Maryland ignited by solar panels: investigators

 

Investigators have determined that a two-alarm fire at an Amazon warehouse in Maryland was ignited by solar panels on the roof. 

 

The fire broke out Wednesday in the Perryville warehouse and quickly spread across the roof. Firefighters worked to extinguish fires on "multiple solar panels, HVAC units & roofing materials." 

 

The estimated losses totaled around $500,000 and took around an hour and a half to fight due to the fire breaking out in an "unprecedented" area of the building.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Dashcam captures video of vehicle speeding wrong-way on Interstate 66 in Virginia

 

A frightening scene was captured on video Thursday morning when a driver's dashcam caught a vehicle speeding in the wrong direction at oncoming traffic on Interstate 66 in Virginia.

 

The video was taken by motorist Cliff Crittenden who was driving on I-66 near Route 29 in the Arlington area at about 10:50 a.m.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

‘I May Be Incarcerated, But My Voice Still Matters.’: Resident At D.C. Jail Wins Local Election

 

There’s a new elected official in D.C. — and he lives inside the D.C. Jail.

 

Joel Caston won an unprecedented election on Tuesday for a seat on a Ward 7 Advisory Neighborhood Commission, besting four other candidates who are also incarcerated in the jail. Caston received 48 votes, or 33% of the 142 votes that were cast — all but one of them by residents of the jail.

 

DC Ward Map

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Infrastructure...

 

Collapsed pedestrian bridge given ‘poor condition’ rating at most recent inspection, officials say

 

Six people are left injured after a collision caused a pedestrian bridge to collapse in Northeast, D.C. on Wednesday, causing backups on I-295 (also know as DC-295 for that stretch of the interstate), D.C. Fire and EMS said.

 

There were no life-threatening injuries to report and there were no reports of anybody trapped in the debris left along the interstate. The aftermath of the bridge collapse has traffic backed up for miles as drivers are seeking alternative routes to avoid the area.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Large Alligator Caught, Killed At Beach In The Chesapeake Ranch Estates

 

n recent years, many have commented on the different wildlife being discovered in the Chesapeake Bay.

 

Dolphins, sharks, or maybe even a large turtle occasionally. But what William Adams and Jake Adams recently discovered on a beach in the Chesapeake Ranch Estates would catch almost any Maryland resident by surprise.

 

A large alligator which has been supposedly living on a beach between Seahorse Beach and Driftwood Beach, within the community.

 

The father and son duo brought down the reptile on a Father's Day trip out on the water. The alligator has not been officially sized yet, however the pictures can help speak to that.

 

 

The gender of the animal has yet to be determined, and this has been the only one of the species to have been located in the water at this time. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

 

[China]

DC Fire and EMS searching for arsonist in Shaw neighborhood

 

A woman is suspected in a series of arson fires in DC’s Shaw Neighborhood. Fire officials desperately want to find her before she strikes again.

 

 The woman is seen wearing a mask and a backpack. Authorities believe she is in her mid-thirties. Fox 5’s Sierra Fox spoke with Mitch Kannry, DC Fire & EMS Deputy Chief & Fire Marshal who said she has already set three fires in the Shaw Neighborhood.

 

"There is a lot of history in serial arsonists. We’ve had some, unfortunately in the District in the past. Those have traditionally been males, but unfortunately crimes like this they don’t specify gender. Anybody is capable of committing these crimes and they’re serious regardless of who commits them," said Kannry.

 

DC’s Fire and EMS department wants to stop her as soon as possible because from their experience – fire setters often feel more empowered each time they get away with a fire and escalate to starting an even worse one.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Cooked Crack]

 

[TheDoyler23]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-unemployment-order-20210705-zoii7sqc2ng5rpdn7vl4s3kwyy-story.html

 

Maryland’s top court upholds emergency order keeping enhanced unemployment programs in place for now

Maryland’s highest court on Monday rebuffed Gov. Larry Hogan’s attempts to halt an emergency order that keeps the state enrolled in enhanced federal unemployment programs.

Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera of the Maryland Court of Appeals issued an order Monday dismissing the Hogan administration’s latest attempt to block the order. It was the third such ruling from different levels of the state court system in as many days against the governor’s team. (More in link)

 

 

 

 

[TheDoyler23]

https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2021/07/traffic-is-back-md-roads-reach-pre-pandemic-volume/

 

Traffic is back: Md. roads reach pre-pandemic volume

According to data from Maryland transportation officials, traffic on roads and highways in the state is beginning to reach and surpass pre-pandemic levels — and the governor is pointing to this as a reason to enact his Traffic Relief Plan.

 

“Holiday travel during the Fourth of July Weekend exceeding 2019 levels is an important milestone signaling our state’s strong recovery from the pandemic,” said Gov. Larry Hogan. “Traffic volumes are exceeding pre-pandemic levels across the state, including at the American Legion Bridge, making the need for our Traffic Relief Plan more urgent than ever.”

 

Hogan’s plan to add toll-funded express lanes to Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway recently had a setback when a regional transportation panel voted to remove it from a federally mandated environmental study.

(more in link)

____________________________________________________________________

 

Interesting timing, as Larry Hogan's dream Toll Lanes project comes to a vote on Wednesday... 

 

[hail2skins]

Meanwhile, I think Metrorail and VRE ridership are still like 85 percent below pre-pandemic levels. How do they survive?

[PleaseBlitz]

1 hour ago, hail2skins said:

Meanwhile, I think Metrorail and VRE ridership are still like 85 percent below pre-pandemic levels. How do they survive?

Metro will survive how it always has, by neglecting maintenance and staffing shortages. Lol. 

[purbeast]

Neighbor was telling me literally yesterday that the Rockville station is shutting down until like October or November or something.  I'm guessing to cut costs.

[TheDoyler23]

32 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Neighbor was telling me literally yesterday that the Rockville station is shutting down until like October or November or something.  I'm guessing to cut costs.

They’re replacing the canopy at Rockville and repairing the one at shady grove along with a bunch of concrete work and other repairs. I think it’s Sept to early Dec. 

[China]

DC’s Mormon temple will open to public for first time in nearly 50 years

 

If you are an avid listener of WTOP’s traffic coverage on the 8’s, you will often hear reference to “The Temple.” Starting next year, you will be able to visit inside.

 

For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is inviting the public to enter the Washington D.C. Temple — which is located in Kensington, Maryland.

 

Tours will start April 28 and run until June 4. The temple will be rededicated later that month following a years-long renovation project, and will once again close to non-Mormons.

 

The temple, with its tall spires and mid-century modern design, was completed in 1974. And that was the last time that the public was allowed to go through one of the many large double doors.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

 

[China]

Local TikTok Star Arrested Amid Spat with Restaurants

 

An Arlington woman has been arrested for allegedly ignoring a court order not to talk about a local restaurant employee on her popular social media accounts.

 

Crystal Briscoe, known to her nearly 25,000 TikTok followers as Coco, was arrested Monday morning at her apartment along Columbia Pike for violating a Emergency Protective Order (EPO) issued just five hours before. She is scheduled to be arraigned in Arlington General District Court tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.

 

 

The charge against her is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable in Virginia by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

 

The arrest follows several days of posts from Briscoe on TikTok and Instagram in which she alleged an elaborate plot to harass her online via social media comments and fake online dating profiles created by employees at two Columbia Pike restaurants: Rebellion on the Pike and The Celtic House Irish Pub & Restaurant.

 

Briscoe called one particular employee a “stalker” and alleged that the employee was able to obtain the protective order because she is dating an Arlington County police officer.

 

A 39-year-old Virginia native who moved to Arlington during the pandemic after a time in Southern California, where she worked as a Zumba instructor and a comedy writer, Briscoe gained a following on TikTok for her candid commentary on the D.C. dating scene. She said in a video over the weekend that the harassment started following a bad date at one of the restaurants, after which the employees — who she dubs “the Pikeys” — started to bully her, take videos of her, and “plant” a person to date her.

 

In another TikTok post she threatened to call the FBI about the alleged harassment and suggested, without evidence, that the restaurants were complicit in their employees’ behavior.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Kennedy Center, Ford's Theatre to Require COVID Vaccine or Test

 

The Kennedy Center and Ford's Theatre plan to require patrons and performers to show proof that they are vaccinated against COVID-19 or recently got a negative test before they attend indoor performances and events.

 

Starting Sept. 1, the Kennedy Center says both venues will start asking to see a vaccination record and an ID for admittance. They join a growing list of D.C.-area venues mandating COVID-19 prevention measures, including The Anthem, Merriweather Post Pavilion and Echostage.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[PleaseBlitz]

On 8/11/2021 at 11:22 AM, China said:

Local TikTok Star Arrested Amid Spat with Restaurants

 

This has continued to escalate.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/coco-briscoe-arlington-tiktok-bartenders/2021/08/14/602f747e-f93c-11eb-943a-c5cf30d50e6a_story.html

 

Quote

The next morning, this time at 5 a.m., police officers appeared at Briscoe’s door with a new restraining order. She told them to wait outside, then brushed her teeth and posted another video naming the female bartender and the bar where she worked.

 

“In retrospect, not the right decision,” she said in an interview. But in the moment, she said, she couldn’t believe she could be put in jail for something so “ridiculous.”

 

Less than an hour later, she was. The police were “really unkind,” she said in the interview; “it was a horrible experience.”

 

A spokeswoman for the Arlington police said there was no record that Briscoe had made a complaint.

 

During her three hours in jail, Briscoe appeared by video before a magistrate who told her she could go to prison if she kept violating the order.

 

“I said, ‘Really? For making a TikTok?’ ”

 

It takes some real chutzpah for the cops to show up at your door with a restraining order to not post any more videos about a specific person, and to tell the cops to wait outside while you post a new video specifically naming the person.  

[China]

Prince William County residents concerned about police, free speech after hot mic video released

 

Prince William County residents are concerned that police are being used to intimidate and chill free speech. 

 

It all started when Prince William County Supervisor Andrea Bailey was caught on a hot mic discussing a resident who had just presented to the County Board of Supervisors. Another Prince William County resident responded by sending an e-mail to the entire board expressing his frustration and anger with the board's activities and the moment caught on tape.

 

That got him a visit from Prince William County First Sergeant Bradford Cavender.

 

"Nothing you said was in any way shape or form illegal or anywhere near it and if you want to keep doing your First Amendment activity go ahead do it," said Cavender. "I think that's great. People should do whatever they feel the need to do to impact local government or any government for that matter. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that if you say something that might be considered edgy, or getting near the line, they're gonna automatically forward it over to us. And since my shop is the one that catches that stuff, I just wanted to see if you had any questions about what that line was."

 

Cavender can be heard telling the man that he did nothing wrong and did not break any laws. Now, residents say that police response chills their free speech, including Elena Schlossberg. "Actually, I will say it is chilling for me too. I reread everything I send now. If I say your decision is gonna blow up in your face, oh my god does someone think I'm actually intending that I'm going to send a bomb? So it does have an effect," said Schlossberg.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Seeing stripes: Dazzle of zebras spotted in Prince George’s Co.

 

A news helicopter flying over Prince George’s County saw an unusual sight in a Maryland field Tuesday afternoon: six zebras.

 

The dazzle (that’s what a group of zebras is sometimes called) was grazing in a field in Upper Marlboro, and according to Prince George’s County police, they’ve had reports of zebras being striped spotted before. The last reported incident was on Aug. 31, for a zebra running across the road in front of a vehicle along Croom Road.

 

“This is not to say this incident hasn’t reoccurred more recently but that no 911 calls have been received since then,” police said.

 

Indeed on Thursday, a family saw three zebras in their Upper Marlboro backyard. The Curling family called 311 and reported what they saw. Mother Alexis Reed Curling told NBC Washington that she had to tell the call taker that she had not been drinking nor had she taken any drugs, but there are zebras in the backyard.

 

NBC Washington reported that animal control officers have a set up a feeding station in a field to try to corral the animals, which are legally owned and escaped from a farm.

 

https://www.nbcwashington.com/5b1aad3b-2340-45ae-a27d-736c5762015d

 

 

[Ball Security]

19 minutes ago, China said:

Seeing stripes: Dazzle of zebras spotted in Prince George’s Co.

 

A news helicopter flying over Prince George’s County saw an unusual sight in a Maryland field Tuesday afternoon: six zebras.

 

The dazzle (that’s what a group of zebras is sometimes called) was grazing in a field in Upper Marlboro, and according to Prince George’s County police, they’ve had reports of zebras being striped spotted before. The last reported incident was on Aug. 31, for a zebra running across the road in front of a vehicle along Croom Road.

 

“This is not to say this incident hasn’t reoccurred more recently but that no 911 calls have been received since then,” police said.

 

Indeed on Thursday, a family saw three zebras in their Upper Marlboro backyard. The Curling family called 311 and reported what they saw. Mother Alexis Reed Curling told NBC Washington that she had to tell the call taker that she had not been drinking nor had she taken any drugs, but there are zebras in the backyard.

 

NBC Washington reported that animal control officers have a set up a feeding station in a field to try to corral the animals, which are legally owned and escaped from a farm.

 

https://www.nbcwashington.com/5b1aad3b-2340-45ae-a27d-736c5762015d

 

 

Long story short, I had someone come to my house awhile back through Facebook Marketplace.  We got to chatting and come to find out he’s in the exotic animals market.  Talked about how his friend just bought a zebra.

[China]

On 9/8/2021 at 4:51 PM, China said:

Seeing stripes: Dazzle of zebras spotted in Prince George’s Co.

 

A news helicopter flying over Prince George’s County saw an unusual sight in a Maryland field Tuesday afternoon: six zebras.

 

The dazzle (that’s what a group of zebras is sometimes called) was grazing in a field in Upper Marlboro, and according to Prince George’s County police, they’ve had reports of zebras being striped spotted before. The last reported incident was on Aug. 31, for a zebra running across the road in front of a vehicle along Croom Road.

 

“This is not to say this incident hasn’t reoccurred more recently but that no 911 calls have been received since then,” police said.

 

Indeed on Thursday, a family saw three zebras in their Upper Marlboro backyard. The Curling family called 311 and reported what they saw. Mother Alexis Reed Curling told NBC Washington that she had to tell the call taker that she had not been drinking nor had she taken any drugs, but there are zebras in the backyard.

 

NBC Washington reported that animal control officers have a set up a feeding station in a field to try to corral the animals, which are legally owned and escaped from a farm.

 

https://www.nbcwashington.com/5b1aad3b-2340-45ae-a27d-736c5762015d

 

 

 

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Denies Setting Zebras Free In D.C. Suburbs

 

“My alibi is solid," said the Democratic lawmaker. “I hope the owners find the zebras and that all involved live long, full lives."
 

[skinsmarydu]

Not my Zebras, either.