Local (to the DMV) News and Events

[Barry.Randolphe]

1 hour ago, Bang said:

Oh man, drinking the Fleet cleanser the night before is SUCH a treat.

My god, the worst taste I've ever had. 

 

~Bang

 

I still can't drink anything creamsicle flavored without having PTSD

[China]

Does permanent Daylight Saving Time make sense for Maryland?

 

To spring forward, or not to spring forward, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to pass permanent Daylight Saving Time legislation or fear the potential chaos and leave things be.

 

Thursday, Maryland State Sen. Justin Ready (R-Carroll Co.) argued the benefits of a bill aimed at helping the state “spring forward and stay there.”

 

Proponents say the merits of permanent Daylight Saving Time include having an extra hour of daylight, a safer evening rush hour thanks to the light, economic benefits, fewer heart attacks on the following Monday and an overall better quality of life.

 

Bill Title: General Provisions - Standard Time - Year-Round Daylight Saving Time

 

Click on the link for more

 

[Cooked Crack]

I think we need to defeat this scourge as a nation. Too confusing to be doing it as an individual state.

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by Cooked Crack

[China]

Without Tourists, The National Mall Is Weirdly Quiet And Unusually Green

 

Protecting America’s front yard hasn’t always been easy. To shield the National Mall from damage caused by its 30 million visitors a year, the National Park Service invested $40 million to replace the grass with sustainable turf in 2016. NPS also installed 16 acres of protective decking in preparation for Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration. But it seems like the best thing for the turf has been simply staying off of it.

 

While the National Mall remains accessible while following social distancing guidelines, D.C.’s typically booming spring tourism industry has ground to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic—leaving iconic monuments largely empty and the Mall’s grounds silent and unusually green.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[PleaseBlitz]

My family has been having a picnic on the Mall every Sunday for weeks. It is generally pretty empty. Plus weve been getting lots of rain. 

[Renegade7]

1 minute ago, PleaseBlitz said:

My family has been having a picnic on the Mall every Sunday for weeks. It is generally pretty empty. Plus weve been getting lots of rain. 

 

Is tidal basin open again now?  Heard they closed it off during peak blossom bloom.

[skinfan2k]

7 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

My family has been having a picnic on the Mall every Sunday for weeks. It is generally pretty empty. Plus weve been getting lots of rain. 

wow that's awesome.  we used to do that as kids and i miss that. 

[PleaseBlitz]

16 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

Is tidal basin open again now?  Heard they closed it off during peak blossom bloom.

My secret spot is near the Washington Monument, in a grove of trees. 

 

11 minutes ago, skinfan2k said:

wow that's awesome.  we used to do that as kids and i miss that. 

Especially awesome when bomb ass restaurants that are usually impossible to get into are doing takeout, including wine and ****tails. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by PleaseBlitz

[PleaseBlitz]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/05/01/coronavirus-dc-maryland-virginia-live-updates/#link-WIFNSGJN4BF5LC3EZKNT5L7ZBY

 

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by PleaseBlitz

[ClaytoAli]

On 5/1/2020 at 3:03 PM, PleaseBlitz said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/05/01/coronavirus-dc-maryland-virginia-live-updates/#link-WIFNSGJN4BF5LC3EZKNT5L7ZBY

 

 

This was an encouraging thing to see, I saw two of them in formation briefly flying over Baltimore heading towards D.C.

[China]

Police searching for serial arson suspect who set man on fire in Northeast DC

 

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A D.C. man is in critical condition after being set on fire early Wednesday morning in Northeast. It's a crime so vicious the chief of police is calling it "demonic".

 

Now, FOX 5 has obtained video of the suspect investigators believe is responsible for a spree of arson fires in the community. 

 

Just after 1 a.m. Wednesday, a man was seen sleeping on a corner in Northeast when a suspect in a hooded sweatshirt carrying a can of fluid walks up and sets him on fire. He then takes off. The incident was all caught on a surveillance camera.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

 

 

 

[China]

Yorktown Principal Apologizes for Banner Seen as Racist

 

A banner featuring a collage of photos of Yorktown High School seniors was intended to celebrate the class of 2020, but instead it is being decried as racist.

 

The banner has since been removed and Yorktown’s principal has apologized, after the controversy blew up on social media yesterday. At issue: the banner uses class photos to form an image of the Yorktown logo, but singles out students of color to create the black outline of the logo.

 

“I thoroughly don’t understand how Yorktown put forth such a racist banner,” said one student in a social media post. “I understand they were trying to do something nice for the seniors, but the execution was horrible. [People of color] shouldn’t be the outline and there are better ways to highlight the Y.”

 

“They really used us as the shading cmon now,” said another.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

Seems like a mouthful. Why did Columbus have to be such an asshole?

Edited June 16, 2020 by Cooked Crack

[Renegade7]

Overthinking this it feels like sometimes.  Who cares if the state name is still District of Columbia?

 

Make the Mayor the Governor, 2 senators, some house representatives, with States rights...is this from trying go figure how how to deal with the largest city would encompasses the entire state?  

 

Again, DC already has Wards, do they really have to be called counties because everyone else does, for example?

Edited June 16, 2020 by Renegade7

[PleaseBlitz]

This story is ****ing crazy.

 

https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/06/16/the-entire-staff-quit-over-this-coffee-shops-racist-and-covid-denying-tweets-the-owner-claims-theyre-not-his/

 

Quote

Over the past couple months, the Twitter account for DC-area coffeeshop Killer ESP has liked, shared, and commented on a series of tweets suggesting that the pandemic is a hoax and George Floyd’s death was staged, among other offensive or questionable content.

 

That's all im going to post, but you should read it.  This guy denies making all kinds of right-winger QAnon posts on Twitter, but then when asked about them by a reporter, admits that he totally agrees with those posts.  Then it moves on to how he molested most of his staff of teenage girls.  Holy.  ****.  

[Barry.Randolphe]

Jesus....that was a train wreck....it just kept getting worse. Was this dude drunk/high when he gave the interview? It was like Rick James during the Chappelle show skit

[PleaseBlitz]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/the-years-top-workplaces-elevate-strategies-to-keep-employees-engaged/2020/06/08/2ab30aba-88ac-11ea-9dfd-990f9dcc71fc_story.html

 

Washington Post Top 200 Workplaces

[PleaseBlitz]

The huge raft of new laws that were passed in January go into effect today.  

 

Edit:  This is for Virginia. 

 

Quote

Red flag law
Senate Bill 240 and House Bill 674 will establish an Extreme Risk Protective Order, creating a legal way for law enforcement to temporarily separate someone from his or her firearms when they represent a danger to themselves or others. This is more commonly known as a red flag law. When being discussed this became quite a controversial topic, with more than 100 cities and counties across the state declaring themselves as Second Amendment sanctuaries.

 

One-handgun-a-Month
Senate Bill 69 and House Bill 812 reinstate Virginia’s previous law, which only allowed individuals to buy one handgun per month. The previous law was on the books for decades before being repealed in 2012.

 

Background checks on all gun sales
Senate Bill 70 and House Bill 2 will require background checks to be performed during all firearm sales in Virginia. The idea behind this legislation is to close what some call the gun show loophole, which allowed people to purchase firearms during gun shows from an unlicensed seller without a background check.

 

Marijuana Decriminalized
Northam signed two identical bills: Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 972, which decriminalize simple marijuana possession and provide a civil penalty of no more than $25. Prior to this law, someone with a half ounce of marijuana or less would be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. With the newly-signed bill, the threshold for a Class 1 misdemeanor is now one ounce or less.

 

Local governments gain ability to remove war memorials
Senate Bill 183 and House Bill 1537, overturn the state’s law regarding the removal of Confederate war memorials. Prior to this, it was unlawful to disturb or interfere with such monuments or memorials. Now local governments may remove, relocate, contextualize, or cover any monument or memorial for war veterans on the locality’s public property. Monuments cannot just be removed with a simple vote as there are processes and procedures in place for making such decisions.

 

Lee-Jackson Day out, Election Day in
House Bill 108 and Senate Bill 601 make Election Day a state holiday while stripping Lee-Jackson Day of that status, to maintain the same number of state holidays.

 

You no longer need a photo ID to vote
Northam signed House Bill 19, which removes the need for voters to show a form of photo identification in order to be allowed to vote. What will you need? Nothing, technically. Someone voting without photo ID will be required to sign a statement that the person is the named registered voter he or she claims to be in order to be permitted to cast a ballot.

 

Some of Virginia’s abortion restrictions are no more
Senate Bill 733 removes what Gov. Northam refered to as “medically-unnecessary” restrictions on women’s health care.

Any person jointly licensed by the Board of Medicine and Nursing as a nurse practitioner acting within such person’s scope of practice can now perform a first trimester abortion
Gone are all of the procedures and processes, including the performance of an ultrasound, required to effect a pregnant woman’s informed written consent to the performance of an abortion.
Gone is the language classifying facilities that perform five or more first trimester abortions per month as hospitals for the purpose of complying with regulations establishing minimum standards for hospitals.
The bill does not change the requirement that a pregnant woman’s informed written consent first be obtained.

 

New protections for LGBTQ people

Senate Bill 868 prohibits discrimination in housing, public or private employment, public spaces and credit transactions on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

 

Insulin Price Cap

Those living with diabetes will be able to pay less for needed insulin. House Bill 66, limits the insurance copay for insulin at $50 for a 30-day supply.

 

Virginia’s minimum wage will become $15 (eventually)

Currently, Virginia’s minimum wage is $7.25. However, effective May 1, 2021, it will jump up to $9.50 an hour. So no, this doesn’t take effect July 1, but it was a part of this legislative session, so we wanted to include it on the list. Then in 2022, 2023, 2025, the wage increases until January 1, 2026, when it reaches $15 an hour.

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by PleaseBlitz

[LadySkinsFan]

Makes me want to move back to Virginia. Instead, I'm stuck here in backward Texas.

[Mr. Sinister]

Alright, VA!

[Captain Wiggles]

On 6/16/2020 at 6:19 PM, Renegade7 said:

Again, DC already has Wards, do they really have to be called counties because everyone else does, for example?

 

In Louisiana counties are parishes. In Alaska they're boroughs. No reason DC couldn't keep all the Wards in place as a state.

[China]

A business to boycott:

 

Montgomery restaurant says employees won’t wear face masks, violating regulations

 

A Gaithersburg restaurant says on Facebook that its employees would not wear face masks to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

 

The Grille at Flower Hill, a smokehouse in Montgomery County, said in a post over the weekend that it had been visited by health authorities following a complaint that its employees were not wearing face masks — a violation of both state and local health regulations.

 

The Facebook post, which has since been deleted, lambasted patrons for reporting the restaurant to authorities and told them not to dine there if they felt uncomfortable.

 

“Let me very clear,” the post stated. “My staff will not wear face masks while working here at the Grille.”

 

On Sunday, the restaurant posted on Facebook that it would be closed from July 5. It said it plans “hopefully” to reopen on Thursday, adding that “complaints regarding our limited hours of service” should be directed to Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R).

 

The post received more than 700 comments, the majority of which were critical of the restaurant.

 

“Hopefully not reopening ever!” one user wrote. “Since you’re explicitly putting your customers and staff in danger by refusing to wear masks. Horrible mindset in this challenging time.”

 

On Thursday, health inspectors visited the restaurant to remind the restaurant of the mask mandate in Montgomery, Anderson said. Three days later, the department received new complaints noting that employees had not been wearing face coverings over the weekend.

 

The health department plans to send inspectors to the Grille again when it reopens.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[PleaseBlitz]

They are getting the Yelp treatment. 

[China]

Multiple people stabbed at Bible study, police chief injured taking down attacker

 

Multiple people were injured during a Bible study session on Saturday afternoon when an alleged member of the congregation stabbed the church's pastor before being stopped by the area’s police chief who happened to be in attendance.

 

The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon at around 3 p.m. at the Grace Covenant Church in Chantilly, Virginia, about 25 miles west of Washington, D.C. when a member of the church stabbed the church’s pastor who was leading a Bible study class at the time.

 

Click on the link for the full article