Good morning, people! Hope everyone had a wonderfully relaxing weekend, and you're not sitting somewhere in your office sunburned and wondering what happened exactly. Either way, it's almost the weekend again! The District's looking at a high of 101 degrees for today. Don't worry, it won't get there until about 3 p.m., and it'll only stay that way for, oh, the rest of the week. I ran out of town last Friday, when the weather sat at a gorgeous, breezy 80 degrees. What the hell happened?

In Vienna, Va., a community holds a fundraiser in honor of Vanessa Pham, the teen found murdered in her car over a week ago. There are still no leads in the case. In transportation news, traffic is not the headline today (I'm not sure what's worse). A 7-year-old boy, piloting a boat, fatally injured his mother on July 4th. Apparently there are no age restrictions in Virginia on operating motorboats. Perhaps this should be reconsidered? Seems the water's about as safe as the skies these days. With an influx of inexperienced controllers, "near-collisions" in Washington area skies are on the rise, reports WaPo.

"A 120-seat United Airlines plane bound for Reagan National Airport from Chicago narrowly avoided colliding with a business jet departing from Dulles last Monday, the latest of 22 recent potentially dangerous mistakes by air traffic controllers who command the skies above Washington...

...The number of times planes have come too close for comfort in the region in the past six months has surpassed the total of 18 the previous year. Nationwide, air traffic controllers committed 949 errors last year."

Over on this side of the river, Wal-Mart may be moving into the District for the first time, onto New York Avenue in Northeast. An early morning fire Monday, at a three-story rowhouse on Rhode Island Avenue in Northwest, left 18 people homeless. A hundred fire fighters responded to the scene, says WaPo; happily, no one was injured. On the brighter side, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission lifted water restrictions in Montgomery and Prince George's counties. (So, you won't die of thirst today. Just heat.)

Have a popsicle, use deodorant if you're prone to smellage and have a nice day!

Photo by kossy@FINEDAYS'. Creative Commons Attribution License.

In case you missed it: Potomac Gardens is the new Langston Terrace, Chucky's hanging around the District, the summer jobs program kicks off with knives and thefts and romantic woes are serious.

The weather may be the only good news for the day. Near Falls Church, Va., the body of 19-year-old Vanessa Pham, a resident, was found Sunday at 3:30 p.m., in her car, on a side road off Route 50 and Gallows Road. Fairfax County police say Pham was stabbed multiple times before her car—which was going the wrong way—hopped a curve and ended in a ditch. She'd left her home in Falls Church at 2:30 p.m. to visit friends—the rest is unclear, reports WaPo. Two missing Fairfax teens, Tiffany Ghani and Tram Hoang, last seen Friday, June 18 before sneaking out of Ghani's father's house, are still missing. Which is either a really eerie coincidence, or a sign of something worse.

A verdict is expected to be reached today in the Robert Wone conspiracy trial. The 2006 Dupont Circle murder of Wone has enthralled the District. Joseph R. Price, Victor J. Zaborsky, and Dylan M. Ward, all housemates at the time, are each charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. Judge Lynn Leibovitz acquitted Zaborsky and Ward of tampering with evidence, four and a half weeks into the trial.

The man who jumped from a Metro station mezzanine onto the tracks late yesterday evening at the Red Line's Grosvenor station died—the jump was apparently a suicide.

In other news: After 3 months of wrangling, the nurses at Washington Hospital Center voted overwhelmingly to reject the new contract offered. They're currently working without a contract. If hospital management is unwilling to work out a deal, the nurses are prepared to vote on a strike. Over at WaPo, our former colleague DeBonis reports D.C. gun suits could bring along an 'avalanche' of litigation.

"The Supreme Court ruling Monday in McDonald v. City of Chicago places the District of Columbia at the vanguard of answering a new and crucial question: Just what kinds of gun regulations are constitutional in the United States?"

Across the river, Virginia Attorney Ken Cuccinelli, says Supreme Court ruling will guide review of Virginia gun laws.

All right, everyone. That's all for this morning, I have to run to the gym—and then, in light of all the crime news above, purchase some Mace. Stay safe.

Good morning, everyone. Today’s somehow supposed to be a lovely Tuesday with intermittent possibilities of rain. Doesn’t make much sense to me. I went out and bought the Facebook Effect last night–haven’t been this excited about a read since Harry Potter. This morning's photo is in honor of Twitter–the sperm whale was failing all last night.

In case you missed it: motherfuckers need to be checkin’ themselves, the Textile Museum gets a new director, Japan ain’t no Korea, and blizzards are a silly excuse for missing work.

Virginia is headed toward an annual surplus for the first time since 2008, Gov. Bob McDonnell said. Great news, except Fairfax County still sits in that $2.2 billion transportation funding hole. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s hardcore about keeping his minions in check, but perhaps he should take a kindness lesson from Northern Virginia. Fear that your kid may kill you in your sleep? Move to NoVA–residents there, compared to other parts of the state, are the least likely to assault other people in their household, according to a new report published by the Family & Children’s Trust Fund of Virginia. Rihanna should’ve caught someone there, as you'll recall Chris Brown is from Tappahannock.

The Washington Examiner’s Harry Jaffe argues that big hole in D.C.’s criminal justice system ought to be fixed. Obama’s hustlin’ for another Stimulus package. Free money!

Remember that oil spill down south? The Los Angeles Times reports:

“The Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico was built in South Korea. It was operated by a Swiss company under contract to a British oil firm. Primary responsibility for safety and other inspections rested not with the U.S. government but with the Republic of the Marshall Islands–a tiny, impoverished nation in the Pacific Ocean.”

Well, I’ll be damned. Sounds like every other product I wear, use, and consume in the good ol’ USA. Are we surprised? And BP’s latest plan to capture the still gushing oil, may pose safety risks to workers, wrote BP Vice President Doug Suttles in a letter. Three ships placed in the area at the end of June may process up to 53,000 barrels of crude oil a day. I don’t get it. Why can’t we just plug the goddamn hole? What’s this capturing shit about?

All right kids, that's all. I'm thinking sushi for lunch before it's no longer a possibility.

Photo by d.boyd. Creative Commons Attribution License.

Good morning, people. Today looks to be as gorgeous as yesterday. The forecast calls for rain tomorrow, so take advantage of this day–have a popsicle, run up and down some bleachers, make friends with strangers on the sidewalk.

It beats driving around the DMV–D.C., Maryland, Virginia. Who the hell came up with that acronym? Every time I hear it, I have to pause for a second because I think they’re talking about the Department of Motor Vehicles. Quite appropriate, I guess, as traffic in this region might as well be a parking lot. And if Fairfax County doesn’t get its shit straight, the $2.2 billion transportation funding shortfall it’s set to face over the next three years may fuck commuters harder than the beltway already does every hour of the day. Then, we’d all be taking public transportation–but falling onto the tracks isn’t my idea of fun. On the bright side, Virginia may be increasing speed limits in the near future.

DCist reports Bryce Harper, the “LeBron of the diamond,” now belongs to the Washington Nationals. The 17-year-old Las Vegas native sounds like something out of Little Big League. Between him and Stephen Strasburg, baseball fans must be giddy with joy.

In other news, a man posed as a customer before robbing a BB&T branch in Upper Marlboro. Not very creative; he should’ve donned a more seasonal outfit. D.C. Public Schools chief Michelle Rhee is under investigation, and media outlets are in court over why search warrants were sealed in the investigation into the death of University of Virginia lacrosse player Yeardley Love.

Outside of our bubble, as President Obama’s trying to figure out “whose ass to kick,” oil continues to leak at a rate of no one fucking knows. Spew would probably be the better word (watch and be depressed).  The Huffington Post reports that BP plans to replace its containment cap, currently collecting between a third and three-fourths of the oil, with a newer one next month that will “provide a better, tighter fit.” Sounds like a Trojan commercial. What the fuck’s the hold up? In the meantime, the current administration plans to reopen offshore drilling in shallow water, as Wall Street talks shares, and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal attempts to repair his reputation. For now, you might want to take that trip to Miami before it all turns into a vat of something you don’t want to be swimming in–don’t say I never warned you.

All right, it's over. Mosey on.

Photo by dsb nola. Creative Commons Attribution License.

Good morning, everyone. Today’s Tuesday, in case the long weekend confused you. And it’s June! Perhaps now, we can move on to sunny days and temperatures that make sense.

Memorial Day weekend was a mess of shootings from Baltimore to Chinatown. A teen was found shot in the head in Greenbelt, a man was found dead in his SUV, and Ted Koppel’s son was found dead in his New York apartment. A gravely depressing morning roundup, I know.

In national news, the “top kill” failed to plug the hole–and it seems BP may have overestimated its ability to deal with the situation. Attorney General Eric Holder plans to visit the Gulf Coast to assess the area. The Department of Justice has asked BP to retain all documents related to the spill. Uh-oh. Better head to the beaches down south before they cease to exist. On the bright side, someone will now write a book and get a movie deal. Even Osama bin Laden’s jealous.

A move in Fairfax County to build a day laborer site in Centreville has opponents up in arms, amid fears that giving them an official building will only lure more immigrants seeking work into the area.

Around here, residents complain Nationals Ballpark has really brought nothing more than “a giant bowl of mud.” Traffic fines are skyrocketing in an attempt to balance the city’s budget. And I also learned this weekend via a bouncer that if you’re a Virginia resident with an old-school vertical driver’s license, you won’t be getting drinks in the District. Cheers to ugly purple licenses!

Can’t find a date in real life? Can’t find a date online? I’d say you’re screwed, but now we’ve got date doctors–they type for you! Note: they won’t fuck for you.

There's a chance of thunderstorms today, so don't forget your umbrella.

Photo by azrainman. Creative Commons Attribution License.

Good morning, folks. In case you missed it, oil's still gushing into our ocean, and the trial of Joe Price, Victor Zaborsky and Dylan Ward, charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence in connection to the August 2006 murder of Robert Wone, continues today. Between knives, interrogation videos and a $1.2 million townhouse on Swann Street in Northwest–who needs Law and Order?

Strangers with candy never gets old. A Prince George’s County school bus driver was charged with producing child pornography yesterday. Silly man forgot his memory card filled with naked photos of a 7-year-old boy, reports WaPo. The memory card was left at the counter of a 7-Eleven in Clinton. The boy, identified by investigators, said Scott Smallwood, 27, was his “night” bus driver:

“…someone who “took him to church,” the records say.…The boy told officials that he had “sleepovers” with Smallwood and that Smallwood offered him candy.”

On the downside, venomous snakes are getting in early bites in Fairfax County this year. Copperhead snake sightings and non-fatal bites already abound–an uncommon occurrence. Infant snakes usually start slithering from their eggs between August and October. With all the weather confusion, they're probably just as confused as we are.

So between the stabbings, bitings and late-night bus rides, the man dying from chewing crack cocaine may have had it easy. At least it was painless? But he probably should have stuck with candy.

In other news, Metro is fucking old people over, and do people seriously believe vodka eyeballing is a new trend? I mean, teenagers do stupid things, but come on. Really??? It's about as smart as bro-icing.

The state of the world consistently befuddles me. Have a good day, everyone.

Photo by mateoutah. Creative Commons Attribution License.

Since it's been established here, here, and here that terminology matters, it seems worth pointing out the screaming language on the front page of the Washington Examiner yesterday: "Suburban dreams turn into ghettoes." The headline inside the paper said: "Foreclosure crisis creating suburban slums."

The story by Bill Myers and David Sherfinski began:

Two years of economic collapse have pockmarked the D.C. region's affluent suburbs with blight, and experts are worried that the foundering cul-de-sacs and towns are on the verge of becoming the region's next ghettoes.

Here's another term – "ghetto" – that gets thrown around far too much, and too casually, in talking about urban (and, in this case, suburban) problems.

Greater Greater Washington looked at the use of the word and its social and racial implications a few months ago; City Desk followed up.

The Examiner story (the main online headline is "Bedroom community blues" instead) referenced dropping home values, falling tax revenues, the high foreclosure rate in some local jurisdictions, and the fact that some – many? it's unclear – former single-family homes are now being (gasp) rented out. It quoted the president of the Kettering Community Association in Upper Marlboro, Linda Crudup, describing the vandalism of some of those foreclosed properties, in the form of broken windows and doors kicked in. It vaguely spoke of "neighbors who just a few years ago worried about curb height or speed bumps" now finding themselves "fighting to keep drug dealers from setting up shop in boarded-up homes." The story also cited an increase in homelessness in Prince William and Loudon and noted one Fairfax County district is "littered with hundreds of boarded-up McMansions."

Those are real problems, to be sure. But they have nothing to do with the term "ghetto," or the actual thing.

Ideas? Comments? I’m at eniedowski@washingtoncitypaper.com, and on Twitter.

Nobody was ever charged with any crimes in either the gambling investigation or the killing of Culosi, who was unarmed when he was gunned down in front of his house.

Culosi's death came during what felt like a spree of deadly and indictment-free police shootings in Northern Virginia.

Just five days before Culosi's killing, a civil jury had awarded the family of Prince Jones $3.7 million in a wrongful death suit.

Jones, an unarmed Howard U. student, was shot five times in the back in a Falls Church driveway in September 2000 by an undercover Prince George's County cop, Carlton Jones (no relation).

Fairfax County prosecutor Robert Horan, who later wouldn't bring charges in Culosi's killing, didn't charge Prince Jones' killer, either.

And only a month after Culosi was killed, unarmed 19-year-old Aaron Brown of Annandale was shot and killed in the parking lot of an International House of Pancakes by Carl Stowe, an off-duty Alexandria police officer.

Brown was in the backseat of a car full of friends who were accused of trying to run out without paying a $26 check when Stowe fired the fatal shot into the side of the vehicle.

Had one of the restaurant's waiters or short order cooks gunned down a patron under the exact same circumstances, murder indictments would surely have followed. No charges were filed against Stowe, who was working at the IHOP as a security guard when he killed Brown.

Stowe's other employer, the city of Alexandria, paid a $1.1 million settlement to Brown's family.

In Greece, one such police shooting — the killing in December of an unarmed 19-year-old student by an Athens cop — sparked a month of riots that has left governments all over Europe afraid.

Other than some quiet protests organized by some of Jones' Howard classmates, the three Northern Virginia killings inspired no civil disobedience.

Perhaps that's why these things happen more around here?

Who cares that the team is slumping? The few seconds it takes for the multi-chambered air rifle to fire a couple dozen shirts into the stratosphere are worth a trip to the Verizon Center.

Before encountering the Hoyas' toy, I don't think I'd heard the phrase "Gatling Gun" since high school history class. (I'm a product of Fairfax County schools, where civil war minutiae gets treated like breaking local news. )

But, as any military buff would be aware but I hadn't a clue, the Gatling Gun never went away as an implement of destruction.

And now, in fact, it's really in vogue.

Apparently, Barack Obama's escorts carry a Gatling Gun with them, just in case.

Here's footage of the presidential firepower in action.

Prepare to be scared. No, really.