The love is mutual, apparently: Bethesda residents spend a lot of time looking at houses in D.C.:

Maybe they can just trade houses!

Nick Nefedro

Nick Nefedro, the Gypsy psychic who challenged Montgomery County's fortune-telling ban and won, tells City Desk that he plans to come back to Bethesda and start looking for a place to re-open his psychic shop. 

Well, just as soon as the time for filing an appeal is up. The county has 90 days to dispute the June 10 Maryland Court of Appeals ruling, which found the county law an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.

The appellate court rejected the county's argument that fortune-telling is "inherently fraudulent," writing, "While we recognize that some fortunetellers may make fraudulent statements, just as some lawyers or journalists may, we see nothing in the record to suggest that fortunetelling always involves fraudulent statements. Indeed, fortunetellers, like magicians or horoscope writers, are able to provide entertainment to their customers or some other benefit that does not deceive those who receive their speech."

One wonders, incidentally, if fortune tellers should object to being lumped in with lawyers and journalists!

"I felt it was my civil rights," says Nefedro, who now lives in New York, "it was a question of freedom of speech, a question of freedom of religion, and my civil rights as a Romani Gypsy. I felt that ruling was, I guess, all of that."

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

20th minute-The place is packed. Rough head count: about 70. One woman has fashioned herself a dress out of a Brazilian flag. Eight televisions are tuned into the game. Some people look like they're simply playing hooky from work, while others are totally decked out in Brazil-themed attire. The woman behind me is wielding a noisemaker. Waitresses are all wearing yellow- and green-colored tank tops.

Halftime-Still nil-nil. Fans look a little nervous. Oh, wait, I think I see a North Korea fan. He's been real quiet.

48th minute-Presumed N. Korean fan claims he's actually only having lunch; not affiliated with the guys in red. In my own defense, he's only the Asian guy in the whole restaurant and he's sitting right in front of the TV.

55th minute-Goooool! Brazil! People are screaming. One guy is doing a little jig. A woman sitting at the table next to me whips out a Brazilian flag to drape around herself and dances around, as her friend films on his camcorder.

 72nd minute-Another goal! More dancing and rejoicing. The camcorder comes out yet again. Two college girls wrapped in a Brazilian flag are jumping up and down; one sticks out her tongue. Despite the revelry, only some people in the dining room are drinking beer. Most are sticking to water and soda.

 89th minute-NoKo goal! Guy dressed in business attire stands and claps. Unclear whether that's in support of the North Koreans, or rather trying to rally Brazil. Otherwise, a collective groan. "Abominable," gripes one guy.

Final whistle-Fans seem humbled by that last goal. Tommy Joe's staffers seem content that the game is over. Atmosphere dies down a lot.

Games resume at 7 a.m. Drinks at 8 a.m. Where to go? Consult our trusty guide: Where to Watch the World Cup.

Photo by Kaster/Wikimedia Commons

"Since April 26, 2010, there have been four reports of 'peeping tom' activity at residential apartments which all involve a similarly described black male suspect, in his 30’s or 40’s." Cops say there was a fifth similar incident, but that the potential peeper "fled before his intentions were clear."

In one instance, the alleged ogler may have had some kind of recording device, cops say. "On Wednesday, June 2, at approximately 9:50 p.m., the victim was undressing in her ground level apartment when she noticed a red light coming from the side of her bedroom curtains. She thought it was possibly some sort or recording device such as a video camera or cell phone.  The victim looked closer and saw a black male suspect standing next to the window," according to the release.

In another, the victim could only see that a man was lurking outside. "On Monday, April 26, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the female victim noticed some movement at her window and saw the suspect crouching by the corner of the window," the release said.

The alleged voyeur seems to strike at night and during early morning hours, cops say.

When street cars were given short shrift
Some folks on the Council got miffed
DC can afford it
So Vincent restored it
The whole thing was silly, but swift

But speaking of Councilman Gray
It's final; his fence cannot stay
At 5'7" high
It's taller than I
And slightly less tasteful, I'd say

The language's moment was fleeting
And all that I know is a greeting
But get up here pronto
To speak Esperanto
Bethesda's where die-hards  are meeting

These rhymes mean the weekend is here
Memorial Day is quite near
Some 800K
Are going away
You too? Well, just don't forget beer

Happy Hump-Day! I can see you slumping over and sleeping at your desk, so I’ve helpfully ended each news-blip with a BOOM, in honor of the Black Eyed Peas, Brett from FOTC, and the DC Metro transit system. Stay awake! Boom!

For those metro riders who have finally managed to assuage their fears of track-jumpers and crashed cars—stop reading. Prince of Petworth reports that there was more trouble on the red line yesterday. One witness said his car had “a series of explosions, with little fire and sparks everywhere.” Another mentioned a “loud BOOM!” and a decent cloud of smoke at Metro Center. And before that fiasco, the car reportedly stopped to let a sick passenger off the train. Coincidence? Metro says the train “lost one of its collector shoes”. My theory is that there was an X-Men/Heroes/Men in Black character on the train who beat up an invisible bad-guy, and than erased everyone’s memory. Draw your own conclusions. Boom!

Get ready for the same-sex marriage debate to take the District by storm—D.C. Council member David Catania introduced the bill on Tuesday. Somewhat diplomatically, the bill doesn’t require religious organizations to actually perform the marriages.  There will be a public hearing in October, and a preliminarily vote in December. Although same-sex marriages valid in other states have been recognized here since July, it’s hard to predict which way the wind will blow. Regardless, everyone is going to get drenched. Boom!

According to POLITICO, President Barack Obama has reaffirmed that the White House Olympic office will remain open, even though the US isn’t forecasted to host the Olympics until 2020—at the earliest. Okay, I know it probably isn’t logical, but just remembering President Obama skulk out of Copenhagen makes me hear small violins playing. It’s small consolation. Thoughts? Boom!

Winter is creeping up on fall–but don't panic. There's still plenty of time to dive into some cider-drinking, pumpkin-picking, plaid scarf fun: the Maryland Renaissance Fair is going on until Oct. 25, the Maryland Celtic Festival is coming, or you could even go metro-accessible camping like these sprightly college kids. Boom!

And finally, even Enya couldn’t calm down spa-goers in Bethesda when an 82-year-old woman plowed into a salon. According to WUSA, emergency responders believe the woman mixed up the accelerator and the brake. Boom—okay, not appropriate. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

Don’t you feel awake now? Washington City Paper: Stronger than your morning coffee.

Photo by KM Photography, Creative Commons License

Around noon on Saturday, an unidentified man moved into the path of a train at the Potomac Avenue station in Southeast and was struck by an Orange Line train.  EMS technicians worked to free the man and eventually transported him to a local hospital but he later died from his injuries.  Approximately 24 hours later, Gweno Ladisch, a French woman living in Chevy Chase, also purposely placed herself in front of a train at Bethesda station and died as a result.  Metro suicides like these are tragic, isolated incidents but are becoming more frequent, according to a poll in today's Examiner.  It's the other incidents of violence that have greater shock value.

Yesterday, two employees of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transit Commission were shot and killed at a bus terminal in Prince William County.  A suspect, Glenn Wade, who also happened to be a roommate of one of the victims, turned himself in and was charged with murder last night.  According to police, an altercation between the two men may have resulted in the shooting, but a reason behind the action doesn't make it better.

What is it about this area?  It was only last November that a 15 year old boy was shot and killed on a Ride-On bus in Silver Spring.  Two years ago, people nation-wide were praising Wesley Autry, the New Yorker who saved a stranger's life by throwing himself onto the tracks as the train passed over them.  In DC, four people have died in three days with little fanfare.  Our public transit system needs a safety overhaul, that's for sure.  But maybe Washingtonians aren't fazed.  According to Metro's ridership statistics, the number of people using Metro is constantly rising.

"River Road is a raging torrent of water. River Road is closed between Seven Locks and Bradley Boulevard.

A Maryland State Police helicopter has been lowering baskets down to the cars. The people inside then carefully climbing into them.

The rescues are not far from the entrance to Congressional Country Club.

Montgomery County Police tell WTOP Traffic that a 66-inch water main pump burst"

You can watch the coverage unfold live.

Update 9:20 a.m.: The Post has its story up on the on-going rescues along River Road. They've made some calls:

Officials at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission could not immediate provide details of when and how the underground water pipe broke in the vicinity of River Road and Fenway Drive.

But the result — waves of water covering River Road for several blocks — left several cars trapped. Helicopters hovered over the scene, the whirring of their propellers adding to the stiff winds and blowing the already high waves over the sides of the trapped vehicles.

WJLA is reporting that MOCO police received a call for the water main break at 7:55 a.m. Those on the scene are estimating that the water is between four and five feet high. The station has this graph that should trouble people:

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission confirms that this is a 66 inch water main break. They cannot get to the area to shut the water off right now and are trying to go further up the line to shut it off.