Local (to the DMV) News and Events

[China]

House GOP Targets D.C. Home Rule Amid Statehood Push

 

The 2022 midterm elections present a serious threat to the freedom and autonomy of Washington, D.C., as House Republicans want to limit the city’s governance if they win in November.

 

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. James Comer (R.Ky.), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, which has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia, earlier this month both suggested a renewed focus on limiting the city’s ability to govern itself if they win power.

 

Going even further, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), a member of the Oversight Committee, told The Daily Caller that he is working on legislation to entirely strip Washington of its autonomy by repealing the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act. The Home Rule Act allowed an elected mayor and city council to set policy for the District’s residents for the first time in the city’s history.

“It’s absurd,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said about the proposal to strip the District of home rule. But, she added, it’s also “the kind of threat that I simply have to take seriously.”

 

The District of Columbia, home to 700,000 Americans, is not a state and, despite the Home Rule Act, is still subject to interference by Congress. As the city became home to a large Black population following the Civil War, Southern segregationists in Congress sought to limit the city’s autonomy while imposing Jim Crow rules on its population. That desire to squash the city’s independent governance remains in the contemporary Republican Party.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Controversial Sign Displayed in High School Library in Virginia

 

Parents say a sign at a Northern Virginia high school library mocks their concerns about what their children are reading.

 

A sign reading “Stuff some adults don’t want you to read” was displayed in the library at Langley High School with several books some parents have deemed as inappropriate for children placed behind it.

 

"I thought that this was such a childish sign for the high school to put out there, kind of thumbing their nose at parents," parent Carrie Lukas said.

 

Lukas said there was only one book in the display she views as problematic. It’s the sign that bothers her and other parents.

 

“It’s not about the books; it’s about them trying to kind of entice kids to something as if it’s forbidden fruit,” she said. “It’s using the language of pushers. It’s just incredibly inappropriate."

In a letter to parents, principal Kimberly Greer apologized, writing, "The sign was incongruent with the beliefs of our school and our school division. Poor judgement was used in its display, and for this I take full responsibility."

 

“That’s a great step in the right direction, but it’s a step,” Lukas said. “It’s a small step when we still have all these other concerns, and it’s nice when they say they want to foster an environment and hear from us, but that feels a little bit like empty words."

 

Like the debates over COVID-19 restrictions and school curriculum, the debate over books has become political.

 

Jeremy Mayer, an associate professor in the Schar School of Public Policy and Government at George Mason University, said it’s a sign of our polarized times.

“Whoever put that sign up wanted to trigger conservatives," he said.

 

Politics have entered the workplace and church, so it’s no wonder that it’s found its way into schools, especially in Virginia, Mayer said.

 

"The governor of Virginia won his race in part because of a brilliant ad that claimed a child was damaged by a book,” he said.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Dan T.]

Fun piece on the origin of Five Guys.  Talks about the very first one at Glebe Road and Columbia Pike in Arlington next to Brennan's Bakery.  And they bought their buns from Brennan's.

 

Original Five Guys was located | ARLnow

 

 

Before Five Guys was a big burger chain, it was a small fry tucked away in a shopping center on Columbia Pike.

 

Today, Five Guys Burgers & Fries has more than 1,500 locations worldwide and grosses nearly a billion dollars in revenue. But 35 years ago, it was nothing more than a tiny beloved burger joint at the corner of S. Glebe Road and Columbia Pike in Westmont Shopping Center, a strip mall that’s now rubble and in the midst of redevelopment.

 

“It was the only place that would lease us space. Seriously, we were brand new, without any restaurant experience, selling burgers and fries,” Five Guys founder Jerry Murrell tells ARLnow via email. 

 

 

Rest of article:  Original Five Guys was located | ARLnow

 

 

 

[China]

Virginia substitute teacher suspended over comments backing Russia's invasion of Ukraine

 

A Virginia substitute teacher has been suspended after expressing approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine and urging students to read Russian propaganda outlets.

 

Arlington Public Schools suspended John Stanton, 65, who made the comments during a middle school Spanish class Friday, The Washington Post reported.

 

Stanton said he offered an opposing viewpoint and told students to read as many news sources as possible, including Sputnik News, which the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency have declared a “state-run propaganda machine.”

 

“The statement I think that got me was I said, ‘I personally support the logic of Putin,’ and what I meant by that is, he made a rational decision from his perception,” Stanton said.

 

In an email to the school board, parents said Stanton’s comments, expressing support for Russia and asking if anyone “hated Russia,” amounted to “advocacy of political positions, and Russian propaganda.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Amtrak service between New York and DC altered after 20 coal cars derail in Md

 

Amtrak is operating on an altered schedule between New York and D.C. for Saturday and Sunday after 20 coal cars from Norfolk Southern’s freight derailed in Harford County, Maryland.

 

The Norfolk Southern train derailment was north of Baltimore near Aberdeen sometime before 5:30 a.m. and stopped service for a few hours. While Norfolk Southern is a separate entity, it shares tracks with Amtrak, according to a spokesperson from Norfolk Southern.

 

Amtrak and federal authorities are on the site working with Norfolk Southern to repair the tracks to restore service, according to Norfolk Southern. The material on the trains isn’t dangerous and no one was hurt.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Silver Spring explosion: Some inspections not done at several Friendly Garden buildings since 2018

 

FOX 5 has been digging for answers after several residents at the site of Thursday’s Silver Spring apartment explosion expressed concerns and frustration over the care of the buildings. Residents told FOX 5 complaints to the Friendly Garden Apartments’ management company and 311 often went nowhere.

 

In a Friday morning news conference, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich told reporters the apartments had a fire inspection done a little over a month ago and that a triennial inspection had in fact been completed in September 2021.

 

The triennial inspection is part of a newer county law passed after the fatal 2016 Flower Branch apartments explosion killed seven people. According to background on Bill 19-15, "the Director of DHCA must inspect each apartment complex and personal living quarters within each three-year period and may inspect it more often."

 

Former County Council president Tom Hucker told FOX 5 on Thursday the complex had not been inspected since 2018. "For any property to go four years like this property did is a complete violation of law," Hucker told FOX 5, claiming inspections were halted during the pandemic.

 

At a Friday morning news conference, County Executive March Elrich told reporters, "So these buildings were inspected by both for building code and fire safety. So I thought people might want to know that because it was asserted yesterday that, that was not the case. Clearly that’s the case."

 

However, on the fire safety inspection, county permitting records show the Fire Code Compliance (FCC) permit for 2405 Lyttonsville Road, the building that exploded on Thursday, expired in 2019.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article and video

[China]

Revenue Projections For D.C.’s Sports-Betting App Have Been Slashed

 

When the D.C. Council signed off on legalizing sports betting in 2018, one of the main drivers was the potential for tax revenue for city coffers. But new data is showing that while revenue is starting to come in, it’s only a fraction of what was initially estimated.

 

In documents submitted to the council as part of the annual performance oversight process, the D.C. Lottery — which operates GambetDC, the only sports-betting app that works citywide — said it’s expecting to bring in just shy of $1.5 million in revenue for the city in 2022, one-tenth of the $20 million city officials once estimated.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Ball Security]

52 minutes ago, China said:

Revenue Projections For D.C.’s Sports-Betting App Have Been Slashed

 

When the D.C. Council signed off on legalizing sports betting in 2018, one of the main drivers was the potential for tax revenue for city coffers. But new data is showing that while revenue is starting to come in, it’s only a fraction of what was initially estimated.

 

In documents submitted to the council as part of the annual performance oversight process, the D.C. Lottery — which operates GambetDC, the only sports-betting app that works citywide — said it’s expecting to bring in just shy of $1.5 million in revenue for the city in 2022, one-tenth of the $20 million city officials once estimated.

 

Click on the link for the full article

That’s because Gambet DC is a really poor product.  Crashed on Super Bowl Sunday.  People I know in DC come into VA to make their bets.

[Dan T.]

Car went past security around 9pm at Joint Base Andrews.  Two people jumped out and fled. One was apprehended and was armed. The other is unaccounted for. VP Kamala Harris and Cabinet members were on the base but have left.

 

 

[China]

 

[China]

Maryland drivers may soon need to watch their speed on Route 200

 

Drivers in Prince George’s and Montgomery County may see speed cameras added to the nearly 20 mile stretch of Maryland Route 200, also known as the Intercounty Connector.

 

House Bill 811 was introduced by Montgomery County’s delegation in the house and would place two speed cameras somewhere “between each exit ramp” of the ICC.

 

On Friday, the Maryland General Assembly held a hearing to consider the new bill.

 

“Especially since the pandemic, the ICC has essentially become a racetrack. It’s basically like Talladega north, where folks are flagrantly and intentionally violating the 60 mile [per hour] speed limit,” said Delegate Vaughn Stewart (D-Montgomery) during the transportation committee hearing.

 

“There have been a number of times where either motorcycles, or other otherwise just negligent motorists, have sped past me while I was even going, you know, five or 10 miles over the 60 mile per hour speed limit,” said Stewart.

 

The bill would require the placement of cameras in areas where the Maryland Transportation Authority determined there has been a high number of accidents. Drivers would have to go at least 12 miles per hour over the speed limit to get a ticket.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

 

[China]

Inspection of Maryland Nuclear Reactor Alert Finds 7 Apparent Violations: NRC Report

 

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection of the February 2021 alert at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) nuclear reactor found seven apparent violations NRC will examine further to decide what enforcement to take.

 

The NRC’s final report confirms the public was safe during and after the event when a fuel element was damaged and the reactor automatically shut down.

 

“We have already begun making changes to our organization and procedures and will work closely with the NRC to make sure an incident like this does not happen again,” said James Olthoff of NIST.

 

Radiation levels inside its reactor complex became elevated Feb. 3, 2021, requiring at least 10 workers to be decontaminated before they were sent home. An alarm on the site warned of the radiation levels during a restart of the reactor from regularly scheduled maintenance, and the facility was evacuated, NIST said.

 

The NRC inspection confirmed previous NIST and NRC reports that the overheating of one fuel element caused the reactor to exceed the fuel temperature safety limit. The inspection found shortcomings in policy, procedure, training and safety were contributing factors.

 

Five of the violations relate to the fuel temperature and damaged fuel element. The others involve emergency planning and equipment modification.

 

The reactor will remain shut down until NRC approves a restart.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Cooked Crack]

 

Pretty big If.

Edited March 19, 2022 by Cooked Crack

[China]

Time To Lift The Ban On Swimming In The Potomac And Anacostia Rivers, Advocates Say

 

A century ago, a hot summer day in D.C. would mean thousands of people crowding the banks of the Tidal Basin, the Potomac River, Anacostia River and Rock Creek to cool off. Now, environmental advocates say the waters are, in some places at least, once again clean enough to swim in. They are calling on city officials to lift the longtime ban on swimming.

 

“This this is one of the only cities in the United States that it’s illegal to swim because of raw sewage in the waterways,” said Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks.

 

“D.C. has made a lot of progress,” he said. “It’s time to lift the swim ban.”

 

The Potomac Riverkeeper Network has launched a campaign to get D.C. to end the ban on swimming, and has a petition urging Mayor Muriel Bowser to commit to doing so.

 

The first swim ban on the Potomac was instituted in 1932. At the time, there was no sewage treatment in the region; raw sewage from hundreds of thousands of residents was dumped directly into the rivers.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Cooked Crack]

 

[China]

On 3/15/2022 at 1:30 AM, China said:

 

 

Apparently it's still stuck:

 

A container ship named Ever Forward has been stuck in the Chesapeake Bay for 18 days

[China]

Native American tribe gets its land back after being displaced nearly 400 years ago

 

The Rappahannock Tribe, a Native Tribe in Virginia, has reacquired 465 acres of sacred land at Fones Cliff.

 

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams celebrated the tribe's reacquisiton of the land Friday, according to a press release from the Department of the Interior.

"We have worked for many years to restore this sacred place to the Tribe," said Rappahannock Tribe Chief Anne Richardson, according to the Chesapeake Conservancy. "With eagles being prayer messengers, this area where they gather has always been a place of natural, cultural and spiritual importance."

Fones Cliff is the ancestral home of the tribe, located on the eastern side of the Rappahannock River in Virginia. The area, located inside the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, will be publicly accessible and placed in trust with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Tribe plans to educate the public about their history by constructing a replica 16th-century village and expand their "Return to the River" program, which trains Tribal youth in traditional river knowledge and practices.

"The Department is honored to join the Rappahannock Tribe in co-stewardship of this portion of their ancestral homeland. We look forward to drawing upon Tribal expertise and Indigenous knowledge in helping manage the area's wildlife and habitat," Secretary Haaland said in the statement. "This historic reacquisition underscores how Tribes, private landowners, and other stakeholders all play a central role in this Administration's work to ensure our conservation efforts are locally led and support communities' health and well-being."

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Renegade7]

Thought he looked familiar...

[China]

On 4/1/2022 at 1:35 AM, China said:

 

Apparently it's still stuck:

 

A container ship named Ever Forward has been stuck in the Chesapeake Bay for 18 days

 

Still stuck:

 

Coast Guard: Ever Forward's containers to be removed before new effort to refloat stuck ship

 

Crews will remove the shipping containers from the Ever Forward, a container ship that has been stuck in the Chesapeake Bay for weeks, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday.

 

The Coast Guard said in a statement that salvage experts determined they can't overcome the ground force of the Ever Forward in its current loaded condition. Once the containers are removed, crews will again try to refloat the ship.

 

Two crane barges will be installed to remove the containers during daylight hours. The barges will take the containers back to the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore.

 

Once the containers are removed, tugs and pull barges will attempt another refloat of the Ever Forward.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[@DCGoldPants]

 

 

[Ball Security]

44 minutes ago, @DCGoldPants said:

 

 

That is, ummm, something.  If they were on top of their game, they’d also have a hologram and them battle.

[China]

 

[China]

Capitol Hill fox euthanized, tests positive for rabies as DC Health officials weigh kits’ fate

 

The tail of the wild Capitol fox that bit a congressman, a reporter and at least seven other people in Washington Tuesday came to an end after city health officials put it down and later confirmed it had been infected with the rabies virus.

 

Health officials in Washington, D.C., said the fox captured Tuesday, after reports of "aggressive" encounters around Capitol Hill, was an adult female. They captured its kits earlier this morning and were still looking into what to do with them.

 

"The fox responsible for nine confirmed bites on Capitol Hill yesterday was captured and humanely euthanized so that rabies testing may be done," a spokesperson for D.C. Health told Fox News Digital Wednesday. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Cooked Crack]