Wednesday morning’s roundup is brought to you by the young and restless intern, who is refusing  to write about any Social-Security-sucking, ozone-depleting, spotlight-hogging baby boomers today.

While walking past a convenience store last  week, I noticed a sign that borderline panicked: “Get your vanilla cigarettes before they are banned!” The sign nearly inspired my non-smoking self into stockpiling like it was 1999, but it appears I am too late. The FDA has banned the sale of flavored tobacco, three months after President Barack Obama agreed to let the FDA regulate tobacco products. What’s so wrong with having a little “Warm Winter Toffee” with your lung cancer? According to the New York Times, 17-year-olds are three times more likely than those over 25 to smoke the flavored cigarettes.

Read More "Morning Roundup: The Young and Restless Edition" »

The D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services department has hydrant problems, that much we know. With water flow cited as a key cause in the destruction of Peggy Cooper Cafritz's Chain Bridge Road manse last month, the department has been checking and rechecking plugs across the city to prevent another disaster.

Tania Shand also has hydrant problems.

Shand lives down the block from the FEMS headquarters, in the former Grimke School at T Street and Vermont Avenue NW. She has a hydrant in front of her house, and fire department brass are constantly parking in front of it.

Read More "Fire Brass Likes Parking in Front of Hydrant" »

Frozen Tropics has more info on the recent mugging of Capital City Diner's owners. The owners post their own account here. As many of you know by now, the two claimed they were robbed while walking home on Bladensburg Road NE. This is just a small excerpt from their account (you really should read the entirety of their post):

"We were walking down the street, passed by a group of 4-5 young people (one in a wheelchair), one of which asked if we had any money.  After we passed about 10-15 feet, he quickly approached us, presented what appeared to be a sawed-off shotgun in his pants, and then demanded money from us.  Two of us handed over some money and they fled up L St NE toward Carver/Langston.  911 was called immediately after, but it took some time for a respose and thus the police couldn’t locate them.

It also took a lot of effort to get interviewed by the police.  Frustrated with the slow response, we continued walking home, as the police had Matt’s cell number from when he called.  As we reach home, the police dispatcher calls back, asks for our current location, and Matt gives her the address, which she is heard relaying to the police unit (Trinidad 1) responding to our call."

They finally flag down a detective nearby. But the detective is not interested in filing a report (emphasis added):

"Unfortunately, the detective tried repeatedly to convice Matt out of making a report.  He stated that a robbery hadn’t occurred since Matt “gave up the money” willingly and the suspect didn’t actually reach into Matt’s pockets to steal the money (Matt handed him the robber money when asked for it).  Matt recounted that DC code doesn’t require that a robbery physically touch someone, and that someone using fear (even without a weapon displayed) to take something is considered robbery."

Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Policing Indifference" »

This morning a very small faction of possible IMF/World Bank Protesters--six jerks--vandalized two banks on P Street. A drive through downtown and in the surrounding area shows that the protesters did not hit any other banks or symbols of crass yuppiedom/corporate greed. The biggest crowds were the ones gathering at a street food cart. The biggest police/fire department scene concerned a man passed out on 16th Street just below Columbia Road.

If the protesters really wanted to do harm to District residents, disrupt their Saturday brunch rituals, they screwed up. Two takeaways from this incident: The protesters don't know anything about D.C, and city residents showed serious courage by not staying indoors on this beautiful day. Here's a rundown of safe activities that residents are currently enjoying.

Read More "Cake Love Unharmed By IMF/World Bank Protesters" »

DCist is reporting that Mocha Hut has closed. We agree with the bloggers that its brunch was super awesome and relatively cheap. It literally was one of two decent options in the corridor. It was always Mocha Hut or Busboys and Poets for brunch. This will surely mean the lines at Busboys will be that much longer.  I wonder why they went out of business considering that the U Street coffee shop always seemed busy (at least on weekends). DCist writes:

"A notice posted on the door this morning reads simply, "Mocha Hut is closed. We sincerely thank you for all of our support," and is ironically posted only a few feet away from a plea for votes in the Washington City Paper's Best of D.C. awards."

Sad.

The Washington Business Journal reports that another coffee shop will be taking Mocha Hut's place. But what are the odds that its egg specials will be as tasty and as cheap?

Remember when furniture chain Room & Board was definitely coming to D.C. via the demise of the locals' plan to bring a Diner/Tryst/Open City/comedy club/yoga and dance studio to 14th and T? Well, it fell through.

Housing Complex's Ruth Samuelson has the scoop, which takes up where we left off.

Some time ago, City Desk featured a story about Adams Morgan resident Sid Binks, who had a rat problem. The rats ate through his ignition wires and his new car wouldn't start.

Mr. Binks, you have company down at 15th and U. Sylvia Keys, a calligrapher who's lived in a condo there for 18 years, recently posted to the U Street Listserv that she finally scored an alley parking spot and, guess what? There are rats in the alley. And guess what else? They are "living, eating and partying on our motors. And leaving 'debris' behind," Keys writes.

And that's not all: "My taillight went out and the dealer said that rats had been chewing away the wires, thus costing me $200. And yes, the dealership did find a dead rat baby around my motor."

Read More "Hope and Change Can’t Keep Rats from Eating Cars on U Street" »

That's right: more from last night on U Street.

[Footage courtesy of Amanda Hess and Ted Scheinman]

Trouble viewing? Try the YouTube version.

Read More "Photos: The Celebration" »

While you were watching the election returns:

Seven-Eleven, U St. & 11th St. NW

Ben's Chili Bowl, U St. & 13th St. NW

Rite Aid, U St. & 13th St. NW

The first polls are about to close, and Mister Lloyd is spending Election Day with his family. They're all working past dark at Lloyd's V St. Barber shop, Spotts, which has been on the street for a year but in business for 40. Rodney Pringle (above) works on a close shave while Tommy Comer sits in the second barber's chair, holding daughter Kira and watching a small corner television. Rico leans up against the wall, filling out the small operation's skinny row-house. Another customer waits outside, in a pastel button-down and tie, waiting for his last election season cut.

Lloyd (above) says he's excited about Obama; he'll be staying up, watching the shop's television, until the election is called. Nine-year-old Kira isn't so sure she'll make it. "I might fall asleep," she says.

The family might be persuaded to put down their shears in the event of a McCain victory. "We're gonna tear the city up," says Pringle. "Damn right. Be looking for me."

Busboys & Poets at 14th & V Sts. NW is at capacity and ready to party, just in time for the first polls closing. There's a line snaking down the block to get a table. My view was from the outside in:

Read More "Party Time, Excellent" »

Read More "Photos: U Street Corridor" »

My hair has gotten to that point, folks. It's time for a haircut.

I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but there's a point—an actual length—in the afterlife of my hair follicles when all hell breaks loose. In January 2007, I was so sick of it (and it was long enough, after the split ends) to donate the majority of my locks to Locks of Love. Yes, I did revert to looking like my sixth-grade self, but it was worth it just to get rid of the horrible tangles that kept me in the shower for 30-45 minutes shampooing, conditioning, pulling strands apart, and repeating.

I'm not willing to get a cut as drastic as before (I've realized that chin-length bobs make me look a little chunky above the neck). I just need to take a couple inches off.

Which brings me to my main problem: decision-making. Sometimes (and when it really counts), I'm able to go confidently in the direction of my dreams...ahem. But for everyday decisions, like, say, where to eat for lunch in a new area or a new place to get my hair cut, it takes me awhile.

I asked colleagues the other day and scoured Yelp! looking for a quality salon with moderate prices and near Adams Morgan. I did a new search online this morning (with, of course, the same results and reviews) and chose a couple of places to call. I thought today would be the day. Thursdays can be relatively slower in terms of content, so I figured I could leave for a long lunch, get my hair cut, and come back beautiful and ready for a date tonight. And then I came to work and promptly forgot about it until I ran my fingers through my hair.

I was thinking Trim (close but expensive), Blondie's (a bit of a walk but moderate), Urban Escape (I could just tumble down the hill to get there), or Bang (more of a trek but moderate prices, I think). Any (helpful) suggestions?