Yes, Actually, It Is Hot Enough For Me: Leave town. Now. That's the only reasonable advice for how to deal with the early heat wave that's suffocating the region today—it is, after all, still only spring. The high temperature at National Airport was 102 degrees, tying a record first set in 1874, and combined with last summer's ridiculous heat, makes this the first back-to-back years with three-digit temperatures in June since 1933-34. We had a joke to make here, but we went outside a few hours ago, and our brains are still recovering. -4

We Don't Need No Water: No matter how well the city trains its firefighters, no matter how quickly they respond to calls, and no matter how well people in a burning building remember their "stop, drop, and roll" elementary school-era instructions, there's one essential component to dealing with any fire: water. This year, unlike in past years, there should be enough of it if it's needed. Fire hydrants and underground pipes like the ones that failed in blazes at the Georgetown Library in 2007 and Peggy Cafritz Cooper's house in 2009 are now in good shape, officials say. The city set a goal of having not more than 1 percent of hydrants out of service at any one time; as of June 1, the total was .41 percent. Which is good news for everyone except the people who live on whatever block the hydrant's busted on. +2

Crimefighters-R-Us: Constituent service is the lifeblood of local politics. Here in the District, Yvette Alexander really means it, apparently. The Ward 7 D.C. Council member helped catch a guy who'd stolen a Kindle near Freedom Plaza Wednesday, then yelled at the unlucky thief as Fox 5's cameras rolled. Phil Mendelson, who chairs the public safety committee, better watch out; Alexander has hands-on experience now. +2

Two If By Sea: Driving during rush hour is bad for blood pressure; taking Metro means unexplained delays and rising fares. How about getting to work by boat? Evidently, that won't work either; American River Taxi, which launched a Southwest waterfront-to-Georgetown route in April, has shut its morning service down. The ride was $8, and took 30 minutes, making it both more expensive and slower than other, non-riparian forms of public transit. Then again, maybe it'd be worth it to be able to respond to emails on the way to work with a simple, "I'm on a boat." -1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 57 Today's score: -1 Today's Needle rating: 56

District police are searching for a man they say posed as a cab driver and sexually assaulted two women in separate early morning incidents this month in the District. The driver, described as being of Middle Eastern descent and between 30 and 40 years old, is alleged to have picked up one woman in Dupont Circle on May 11 and attacked her in the 300 block of 18th Street Nether second assault occurred on May 22 in the 3700 block of Quebec Street NW after the driver picked up a woman in Georgetown, police said.

The suspect hasn't been caught yet, and it's a bad situation for both female passengers looking for a safe way to their destination and taxi drivers trying to eke out a living. Though we'd all like to think we could spot an imitation taxi, MPD spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump actually says she can't "confirm that the cab is fake" at this point.

So City Desk asked her what women should do besides keep an eye out for a creepy hack. Her suggestions—which could make you feel a little paranoid—are mostly about gathering information on the cab you're stepping into and then dialing 911 the moment there's the sense that something is wrong.

• When traveling late at night, travel with a companion.

• Get a description of the cab, including company name, cab number.

• Get the driver's information from the displayed placard.

• If it appears that the driver is going out of the way of the passenger's destination or passing the destination, contact the police.

• If the taxi driver is appears to be parking or stopping the cab in a remote location, contact the police.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

In the ERC study, cabbies passed blind customers for sighted passengers 50 percent of the time.

Seeing person or blind person with a guide dog? A recent civil rights watchdog group study showed that D.C. cabbies will pass by the blind person and their dog in favor of a sighted person down the road 50 percent of the time. Busted!

The Equal Rights Center study was based on 30 tests in the District. A blind person with a service dog was placed up the street so they would be seen by the cab driver first. A person who wasn't blind and didn't have a service dog stood on the same side of the street after the blind person. In 15 of the 30 tests, the cab driver drove past the blind person and picked up the sighted person without the dog. In three of the tests, the cab driver attempted to add a surcharge to the blind person's fare for transporting the dog. Under ADA and D.C. law, charging people with disabilities or service animals extra is illegal.

The ERC has video of some of the tests to show what happened:

Last week, Habteab picked up Nadler at Union Station. He took him to his hotel in Southwest D.C., but an argument erupted between the two when they reached their destination. Nadler insisted the driver keep the meter running while he ran inside to drop off his things. Habtreab said he had to restart the meter. Nadler ended up ditching the driver when he didn't get his way.

When Habteab went to the press with his story, Nadler came back at him with documentation supposedly proving he was in the right. Nadler paraded himself as an advocate for rider rights, standing up against for all things wrong in the horrid world of D.C. transportation.

Well now Habteab and D.C. cab drivers are back and kicking. Conclusion: Don't piss off a cabbie.

Justice for DC Taxis issued their own statement supporting Habtreab's account of the situation:

“The regulations clearly say that a stop must be en route to the final destination.  To the best of our knowledge, en route means on the way or in the same general direction.  This trip was just the opposite.  The Congressman asked the driver to double back.” said Nathan Price, spokesperson for the D.C. Professional Taxicab Drivers Association.

Habteab still says Nadler never told him the full itinerary of the trip until they arrived at the hotel. The second leg of the trip involved a destination in the opposite direction and Habteab insisted on restarting the meter. Nadler was so ticked off he left the cab without paying and jumping into another for his trip back to the Capitol.

Justice for DC Taxis does have a point. In the D.C. Taxi Commission's FAQ, it states that the multiple stops is only applicable in "one direction" and the final destination must be stated at the start of the trip. Nadler and Habteab seem to disagree on what was said at Union Station.

A good suggestion for any cool-headed individual: Pay the damn fare, get a receipt and file a complaint. Then your name isn't splashed in the news as a ride-and-ditch participant.

Just before the Fourth of July, the organizers of SoberRide managed to scrape together the $31,000 they needed to keep the program running. MillerCoors kicked in $15,000 (which, presumably, it'll make back this weekend, one silver bullet at a time), and GEICO and anti-drunk driving group the Century Council each ponied up $5,000. The Restaurant Association of Washington chipped in $2,000.

Of course, there's no guarantee you won't have to wait several drunken hours for the free ride home. Still—happy birthday, America!

You Just Lost Your Tip, Buddy:

Other uses for the iPad?: On June 12, District cops busted nine suspects for peddling sex over the Internet. In an email, cops revealed that authorities cooperated with "the management of various PSA 307 hotels" to bust the sex workers:  "Along with these arrest came the seizure of various electronic items that were utilized to enhance their trade..."

Bad Sign: On June 8, cops had to call in a sign language interpreter to sort things out after an argument between two deaf D.C. residents turned deadly. It happened at a residence in the 4300 block of Livingston Road SE. According to cops, after a heated exchange, "the suspect used a knife in the kitchen, and stabbed the victim to the left side of the stomach."

Sexual Assault in Rockville: Maryland police are looking for two suspects they believe responsible for a June 13 sexual assault. The assault took place at about 12:30 a.m. in the area of Aspen Hill Road and Veirs Mill Road in Rockville. According to cops, "The preliminary investigation revealed that the 26-year-old female victim was walking along Veirs Mill Road when she was accosted by two male subjects. The two males forced the victim into a wooded area along Veirs Mill Road and sexually assaulted her. After the assault, the victim was released and she called police."

I'm Your Private Dancer: An MPD first district listserv poster reports that on June 9 his wife encountered some disturbing morning nudity:

Yesterday morning (approx 0720) my wife was approached by a man on the 900 block of 10th Street NE. He was stumbling and seemed to have mental/SA issues. Black male, approx. 6'2", very skinny 110 lbs. He proceeded to take off his clothes and flash my wife and a few passing cars. He repeated this a number of times, and attempted to approach my wife as she walked back to our home."

The poster said he and his wife spotted the possibly deranged stripper again on K & 10th Street NE the next morning "wearing very little clothing." Cops have promised to be on lookout for the Chippendales wannabe.

LL cycled down through the drizzle to the District's federal courthouse this morning to catch a hearing in the Ted Loza bribery case.

Things have been rather quiet in the prosecution of Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham's former chief of staff, and LL was hoping prosecutors might be filing the new charges they've indicated that might be on the way. Alas, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Crabb told LL no such charges would be forthcoming today.

So LL turned around and left, exiting through the courthouse annex. A few steps up 3rd Street NW, lo and behold, was Loza, running late for his 10:15 hearing. It was the first time LL had encountered him since his arrest.

"Life is good," Loza said, dressed in blue suit and red tie.

Conversation quickly moved to the state of his case: "I'm innocent. This is bullshit," he told LL, declining to speak in any further detail.

He proceeded take umbrage at LL's reporting last fall on Loza and his personal and professional dealings. "You didn't do me any justice," he said.

There's always next time, LL replied.

Loza's trial was set today for Oct. 4—bad news, incidentally, for Graham's Democratic challengers who might have enjoyed some pre-election bad press for the incumbent. Only an independent or Republican will be in a position to make political hay out of any revelations that might be aired at trial.

File photo by Darrow Montgomery

The Issue:

The headline-snatching councilmember, Jim Graham, angered cabbies by proposing to instate a district medallion system, which would charge taxis a monthly fee to operate, and also aim to cap the district’s 8,000 cab drivers. According to the Washington Post, Graham pulled the bill on Wednesday, a decision that reportedly has “nothing to do” with the arrest of his chief of staff. So why are the cabbies still honking?

Metro It: Cab drivers hope to send a message to Ward 1 residents that the medallion system needs to be shoved off the table: John Porterfield of the Dominion of Cab Drivers told City Desk, “We want to motivate business owners in Adams Morgan that DC cab drivers are an integral part of business. They can’t just do what they’ve done to us and not have any retribution…it’s time for you people to throw Jim Graham under the bus.”

Cab It: The legislation has been discarded—and it’s unclear how many drivers will actually boycott the area, and how many will just hike up fares. And of course, the stranded wasted college students affected by the strike can’t actually vote in Ward 1.

Next Step: The taxicab hearing has been postponed to later this month, but keep track of the ongoing saga before penciling it into your calendar...

Photo by Thomas Hawk, Creative Commons Attribution License