Lost in the Flood: There was a time when it seemed like it hadn't rained in the District for weeks; grass dried up and died, it was unbearably hot, and weather officials were issuing drought warnings for the region. That time was August. Since then, it basically hasn't stopped raining. Which means today, like all days that end in "-day," brought a fresh round of flood warnings, watches, and downpours. The city was giving out sandbags all afternoon; no word on when they'll switch to issuing arks. -2

White (Powder) Clam Sauce: Clams—they're not just for steaming anymore. At Dulles International Airport, officials intercepted a man allegedly trying to smuggle $10,000 worth of cocaine into the United States from El Salvador by hiding it inside clam shells, which were then glued shut. Next time, we advise any would-be smugglers hoping to use the same tactic to try National; they've got a Legal Seafoods there, so the clams might attract less attention. -1

Dupont Circle, Now Northbound Only: One of the most dramatic entrances to any Metro station in the whole system is the elevator into Dupont Circle at Connecticut Avenue and Q Street NW. A huge pit, complete with a concrete cap and a Walt Whitman quote, ushers riders onto the Red Line; the southern entrance, wedged next to an office building on the bottom of the circle, can't quite compete. And in fact, for a while next year, it won't even try: Metro officials announced today that they'll close the southern entrance to replace all three of its elevators at some point. Bad news for Krispy Kreme; good news for Kramerbooks. -1

Terp-a-Porter: On Monday night, the University of Maryland played the University of Miami in a nationally televised fashion show. Technically, it was a football game, but the hideousness of the Terps' Maryland flag-themed uniforms dominated any and all conversation about the game (which Maryland won). Finally some good news on the sartorial front out of College Park: The Terrapins will never wear that awful get-up again, as the school plans to auction the uniforms off. Jerseys will start at $200; helmets at $500. Presumably, if any UMD undergraduates buy the jerseys, they'll just set them on fire. +1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 54 Today's score: -3 Today's Needle rating: 51

Look Out Below: When Michele Bachmann (a House member from Minnesota, currently pretending that she's got some chance of being elected president of the entire United States) said the recent earthquake and hurricane in D.C. were an indication God wanted Congress to cut spending, it was easy to laugh. Today's accident at the Washington National Cathedral, though, might mean Bachmann was onto something. A crane toppled during heavy rains; the crane, of course, was there repairing earthquake and hurricane damage. No one was seriously injured, but theologists and meteorologists alike warned of a chance of further smiting around Woodley Park tonight. -2

Giant Going, Going, Gone: When the Giant Food in Shaw opened in 1979, it was apparently the first new grocery store to open in the District in a decade. Times have changed (in some neighborhoods, at least, if not all of them). Now the O Street Giant looks woefully outdated compared to its newer competitors, and it's shutting down until a new development on its current site is built, including a new store. The store will shuttle shoppers to the Giant on Park Road in the interim, but it won't exactly be convenient if you live nearby. -2

Not That Kind Of Historic House: The house where Robert Wone was murdered five years ago might seem like the kind of place to avoid if you believe in ghosts. Apparently, Forest W. Kettler doesn't spook easily, though. The son of area real estate tycoon Bob Kettler, who works at the family's McLean-based firm, bought the Swann Street NW house for a bit less than $1.5 million. The home sold in 2008 for $1.42 million; it came on the market this time at $1.6 million. Just shows location beats everything else in the property game. +1

Strasburg!: A year and three days ago, the hope of the Washington Nationals had surgery on his elbow. Last night, Stephen Strasburg returned to the major leagues right where he left off before getting hurt. He threw 56 pitches through five innings, striking out four Los Angeles Dodgers, and left the game with the Nats ahead. Of course, the team went on to lose 7-3; that's why Strasburg represents the future, not the present. +1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 56 Today's score: -2 Today's Needle rating: 54

The House Always Wins: In the first month since opening near Ocean City, Maryland's new Ocean Downs casino took in $3 million. Not bad, considering it's not exactly high season at the beach. Another casino near Perryville, off I-95, generated another $7.7 million. Maybe D.C. officials should look into gambling as a source of local revenue? After all, there seems to be no end to the number of politically connected folks landing $110,000-a-year jobs. +1

Bike Bonanza: Consider this fair warning to the various obnoxious drivers of the region who like to grumble about sharing the road with bicyclists—there's likely to be a lot of bikes around downtown this week. The National Bike Summit is set to kick off tomorrow at the Grand Hyatt, amid concerns that the federal budget deficit will mean cuts to bike funding. Here in D.C., the city's own budget deficit may mean fewer cars on the road—since with a nine-figure shortfall, District officials can't afford too many $2,000-a-month SUVs! +2

Anyone for Tennis?: Discount buses aren't the only thing being displaced by the imminent start of construction on the former convention center site. The Washington Kastles, the local team tennis franchise (whose name is not misspelled, but rather a tribute to a sponsor, Kastle Systems), will play this season in a temporary facility near the Southwest waterfront. It's near the Metro, near the Circulator, and presumably, you could also boat there. +1

Record Rained Out: Yes, that officially was an unusual amount of rain yesterday. A record set in 1967 for rainfall on March 6 at Dulles International Airport was broken by Sunday's storm, which dumped 1.64 inches by the end of the day. If you're building an ark near Dulles, we suggest you check with Metro to see if the construction for the Silver Line will interfere with its deployment. -1

Friday's Needle rating: 38 Today's score: +3 Today's Needle rating: 41

Approaching DCA, February 28

700 Block H Street NW.   © 2011 Matt Dunn

© 2010 Michael W. Hicks

1600 Block of Columbia Road NW, November 16

Columbia Road NW, November 16

© 2010 Michael W. Hicks

© 2010 Michael W. Hicks

H Street NE, October 4

Now That It's Raining More Than Ever: First, we need to preface this item by saying we do know there's nothing more annoying than breathless news reports telling you what the weather's doing. You know what the weather's like! You have windows! That said... Have you noticed it's been raining? The District, predictably, fell to pieces; manholes started smoking on H Street NE, accidents snarled traffic everywhere, the Redskins had to practice in a hangar at Dulles. Nearly half a foot of rain could fall by the end of the day. But the weekend looks nice! -4

Metro Fights Back: Every now and then, another story pops up about how none of the members of the Metro Board of Directors ever actually ride any subways or buses. Now we know why: Alexandria Mayor Bill Euile, a member of the board, was injured today trying to take the train to a Metro board meeting, falling while boarding a subway at Braddock Road. He'll need surgery. Yes, really. There was a time when Metro was the pride of the D.C. region. But now, raise your hand if you'd trade a working, 24-hour, if dirty, New York subway system for our clean, but utterly dysfunctional one? -3

Google This: Readers of Greater Greater Washington noticed updated Google Maps satellite photos of the D.C. region recently—and promptly set about figuring out when they were taken: Between 1 p.m. and 1:35 p.m., on Sunday, Aug. 29. Clues that tipped them off included Metro track work (naturally), farmers markets in Dupont Circle and Greenbelt (which only meet on Sundays), and the lack of some Capital Bikeshare stations installed not long afterwards. Behold the power of crowd-sourcing! There is nothing that the hive mind cannot conquer! (Well, nothing mostly trivial, at least.) +2

Players Win and Winners Play: Glebe Road turns out to be a rather lucky place—Pura Valdez bought her first-ever Virginia Lotto Ticket at a Giant Food there recently, and won $1 million. (Certain City Paper editors have been buying Powerball tickets once or twice a month for years now and never won anything more than a lousy $3!) The store got $10,000 for selling the winning ticket. Valdez says she's been crying, sleeping badly, and not eating since she won; maybe being a millionaire isn't all it's cracked out to be. +1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 42 Today's score: -4 Today's Needle rating: 38

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September 30