This week’s Digest includes attempted Metro suicides, arrests in the Senate, and potential Metro station name changes.

Metro woes

On Tuesday around 5 p.m., an individual intentionally threw himself onto the Metro tracks at the Clarendon station, disrupting Orange line service. At 6 p.m., the man, who survived his fall, was taken off the track by emergency dispatchers. Metro Riders of the train that hit him were not allowed to be released, and suffered for an hour in a hot car without power or electricity. Traffic in the orange line stations became unbearable during rush hour.

Stop the Machine

Also on Tuesday, six protesters were arrested by Capitol Police in the afternoon in the Senate Hart Office Building after trying to hang a banner related to the Stop the Machine protests.  Part of a planned flash mob, about 100 people entered the building around 11:30 a.m.  The individuals hanging the banner were asked to stop, refused, and were subsequently charged with unlawful conduct.

Name changes

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority came out with a map of the Metro system with potential changes to the names of various stations. Some of these changes better indicate nearby hospitals, like the proposal to change “Forest Glen” to “Forest Glen (Holy Cross Hospital).” Mongotmery Country, Alexandria, and the District have requested six possible name changes.  WMATA has endorsed two of the potential changes: “King Street” to “King Street- Old Town” and “Navy Yard” to “Navy Yard-Ballpark.”  Many other changes have been proposed by the District, including changing the “Smithsonian” station to “Smithsonian (The National Mall).”

Other News

On Monday night, the District witnessed a potential moonbow, which occurs when light is reflected off the moon through some other element. The phenomenon, pictured above, could also have been a 22 degree halo. Last week, the Atlas Performing Arts Center, located on H street NE, was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places.

This week’s Digest includes a McDonald’s brawl, leaky carbon monoxide, and a surprising District statistic.

McDonald’s Tragedy

Last Friday, a George Washington University Graduate student, Patrick Casey, was injured when trying to help break up a fight outside the McDonald’s located at 1916 M Street . Patrick was a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, and was studying international affairs at GW. The fight occurred at 2:40 a.m., and Casey was reportedly thrown to the ground while attempting to stop three men from fighting. According to reports, he died after spending time at the GW hospital.

Leaky smells

Tuesday afternoon, the Second Genesis rehabilitation center, located at 1324 Harvard Street NW, was the recipient of D.C. Fire and EMS attention.  At 3:15 p.m., emergency responders found a “high level” of carbon monoxide in the facility, and a number of people who were showing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Three people were confirmed with carbon monoxide poisoning and were sent to the hospita,l while several more were taken as a precaution.

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This week’s digest includes a new season, cute pandas, and a great year of bikes.

Weather change

This September’s abundance of rain and cooler temperatures have all been leading up to the autumn equinox, which happened today at 5:04am. Meteorologically, fall actually began three weeks ago, but today marks the official start of the season in the Northern Hemisphere.  The sun will begin to shine directly overhead at the equator, causing disappearing sunlight for us Northerners.

Newest District citizens

Yesterday, one of two red pandas born at the National Zoo was finally named.  Born on during a storm on June 17, the zoo wanted to name the two pandas something stormy related.  The first was named “Damini”, which is Nepalese for lightning. The second’s name was put to a vote sponsored by NBC 4. The highest vote scoring name was “Pili,” which means “clap  of thunder” in Chinese.

Happy Birthday, Bikeshare

Yesterday, Capital Bikeshare had their first birthday and one millionth ride. With over 1,100 bikes, the 116 stations, the company served about 16,000 members since its opening last year with the city’s Smart Bike program. The young program has been so successful it even has a copycat in New York.

Other news

Thanks to increasing technology, WMATA opened online SmarTrip reloading to riders yesterday.  After completion of a 150,000-person pilot program, the online system is now up and running, making everyday life a little bit more convenient for avid Metro users. Beginning on October 2nd, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library will be closed every Sunday due to an $800,000 cut in the D.C. budget.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

This week’s Digest includes a potential increase in D.C. alcohol taxes, the new poverty rate, and a missing starlet.

Tax burns

Tough times call for tough measures; politicians in the District have been looking everywhere to cut corners and increase taxes. Under the 2012 D.C. Budget, Mayor Vincent Gray has proposed an increase in the tax on the sale of alcohol for off-premises consumption.  The newly-imposed tax would increase the current 9% rate to 10%, and is estimated to bring in an additional $2.9 million for the District.  Also, it is speculated that another $2.4 million will come in if liquor stores are allowed to sell until midnight and open at 8 a.m. on Sundays. Maryland’s increased tax on alcohol brought in an extra $6 million in July alone, and is expected to make $72 million in annual revenue.

Low times for the District

On Tuesday, the poverty rate of the U.S. reached its highest level in more than 20 years.  At 15.1%, 46 million people in the U.S. are now classified as living at or below the poverty line.  To make matters worse, the poverty rate in the District, at 19.9%, ranks third in the U.S., behind only Mississippi and Louisiana. The study also shows that the number of D.C. residents without healthcare coverage rose dramatically over the past year.

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This week’s District Digest includes relocating 9/11 memorial events, Tropical Storm Lee, and a Dupont daze.

9/11 Rememberance Preparations

Yesterday morning at approximately 10:55 a.m., a crane at the National Cathedral fell on its side, sending the operator to the hospital. In addition, four vehicles and two buildings were damaged by the crane’s fall. No one is quite sure why the crane fell, but wind gusts up to 50mph were recorded as a contributing cause. 9/11 remembrance events that were scheduled to take place at the National Cathedral are now being relocated to the Kennedy Center.  Friday and Sunday events at the Center are to consist of a speech by President Obama, performances by Patti Labelle, Denyce Graves, Allan Jackson, and military musical groups. Saturday’s planned concert of local artists will be rescheduled at a later time. Washington Post has shared an updated schedule of events, many of which will be streamed online through Facebook.

Lee, don’t tread on me

This past week, Tropical Storm Lee has been making quite the mark on the D.C. area. Thursday’s storms resulted in flash floods killing two people in Fairfax, the evacuation of homes, and the closing of major highways like I-66 and the Capital Beltway.  Many people were stranded at their workplaces, and the storm has brought a total of a foot of rainfall since Monday. According to weather experts, conditions are only going to become worse.

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This week’s edition of District Digest includes an executive with a terrible pastime, earthquake fractions, more suspicious packages, and a new D.C. title.

Too many naughty videos

As of Wednesday, prosecutors in Fairfax county have decided to drop charges against a previous America Online executive.  Charged with possession of child pornography, he was accused of secretly taping a nude teenage girl at his home.  First arrested in June 2010, Craig Dykstra was facing about five felony counts in the case.  Dykstra’s habit was discovered when throwing an after-prom pool party for his daughter and a teenage boy and girl discovered a camera taping them as they were changing.

Up one puddle and down another

When inspecting the upper levels of the Washington Monument on Monday, workers had found minor flooding in some stairwells, puddles throughout others, and even more concealed cracks throughout the structure.  Only four exterior stones were found to be cracked, and other damage may have been due to the soft mortar from a 1999 renovation.

Troubles for Canada, eh!

Again, the Canadian embassy was evacuated yesterday afternoon. According to the U.S. Secret Service, an unattended package was seen outside the building and later determined to not be dangerous.  Because of this, blocks of Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues were close while the matter was sorted through.

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This week’s District Digest includes a “monumental” earthquake, postponed
celebration, and Metro work.

MLK, come another day

Come Saturday afternoon, Hurricane Irene will arrive in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, with storm conditions expected through Sunday. Due to this, the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Ceremony originally scheduled for 11am Sunday will be delayed until September or October, according to announcement from the memorial project’s chief executive, Harry E. Johnson, Sr. Johnson explained that the westward movement of Irene was a large factor in the decision, which was made with input from D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) and the National Park Service.

Earth what?

If you didn’t feel it, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the East Coast this past Tuesday, causing ripples from the Carolinas through D.C. to upper New England. The quake occurred at 1:51pm in Mineral, Virginia and lasted for roughly a minute, with D.C. feeling a small shock shortly after.  Cell phone service was shot and buildings were evacuated,  yet the first sign of the coming earthquake was given by red ruffed lemurs and other animals from the National Zoo. The lemurs began “alarm calling” about 15 minutes before the quake hit, an orangutan gave a holler ten seconds before,  flamingos huddled together, and ducks dashed for safety. After the quake, cracks were found in the Washington Monument, including one about four feet long.

Work in progress

One of the Metro’s busiest stations, Farragut North, will be undergoing a major revamping: the station will be gaining new protection for its water and sewer lines.  The project is estimated to cost about $3 million and should be done by the end of the summer.

Photo: ryanjreilly

This belated edition of District Digest (courtesy of crashed computer) includes a new kind of flash mob, foul play, more Council member corruptions, a bad birthday, and a terrible restaurant experience.

Flash mobs of crime

On Saturday, Mayor Vincent Gray announced that the District would crack down on flash mob robberies.  Thursday morning, about ten girls invaded a Benning Road convenience store and stole about $70 of snacks and other items.

To combat similar instances, Montgomery County Council proposed a new curfew requiring children under 18 to be home by 11 p.m. on weeknights and 12 a.m. on weekends.

Foul play in the village

Last Tuesday, police arrested Albrecht Gero Muth, 47, for murdering his wife Viola Drath, 91, a former journalist and Georgetown socialite.

Drath was found unconscious in her Q Street home after purportedly falling down the stairs. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. Drath had taken out several protective orders against Muth before the incident.

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This week’s digest contains a number of grizzly incidents, including hate crimes and murders. Also, a bank robber terrorizes Arlington and Metro strikes yet another passenger.

Hate crimes

On Wednesday, police announced the arrest of a 19-year-old D.C. man accused of assaulting five lesbians outside the Columbia Heights Metro station. Police Chief Cathy Lanier heard a barrage of complaints earlier this week as the victims accused Metropolitan Police officers of letting the alleged attacker go. Lanier told LGBT activists last week that as many as seven police officers could be fired in the wake of this scandal.

In cold blood

On July 23rd, Dr. Mark Lawrence, a psychiatrist and former University Medical School professor, was brutally shot and killed by colleague and patient Barbara Newman. Newman was suffering from long-term psychological issues following the death of her father.

Yesterday, the D.C. police recovered a body near the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. The body has yet to be officially identified. The time and date of death have not yet been determined.

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This week’s edition includes a promising soccer player, a mayor’s dirty past, liquor laws, and leaking gas lines.

Rooting for the home team

On Wednesday, U.S. Soccer’s Jurgen Klinsmann selected goalkeeper Bill Hamid of D.C. United to play for the U.S. national team. Hamid will face Mexico in Philadelphia on the August 10.

Smelly money

According to a Washington Post investigation, Mayor Vincent Gray accepted illegal cash donations during the last mayoral election.

Gray received several cash donations above the legal limit of $25. In addition, Gray’s campaign staff would exchange the cash for money orders, a type of donation that carried a higher limit. These money orders total more than $5000.

The D.C. Office of Campaign Finance is investigating the matter and stated that “any individual or political committee in violation of city campaign rules could face a fine of up to $5000 and six months in prison. Anyone who ‘knowingly’ misleads or files misleading reports can be fined up to $10,000 and receive a five- year prison term.”

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