‘Bang!’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

July 1 is tomorrow and the alterations to the Virginia concealed weapons law go into effect. Previously a person with a concealed weapons permit couldn’t – subject to some exceptions – carry their concealed weapon into any location that served alcohol. The new rules allow permitted individuals to keep their weapons on them so long as they do not consume any alcohol.

Unfortunately the media continues to misrepresent the changes either in the name of more salacious headlines or simple brevity. In the second paragraph of their story the Washington post says “Virginia legislature lifted a ban on guns in establishments that serve alcohol.” However, as I told you back in February, no such ban ever existed and WaPo has even reported on this fact before.

I’m sure we can look forward to more of these over the weekend. Whether you support these changes or think they’re horrific you can at least take some comfort in the fact that nothing has really changed, regardless of how lazy reporters might try to froth you up. As always, establishments are free to post signs banning firearms from the premises.

‘parking issues #1’
courtesy of ‘gerdaindc’

Fellow District blogger Prince of Petworth got a car towed all by writing about it. Talk about the power of the blog.

A yellow 2001 Volkswagen Beetle was parked in the 1500 block of Church Street just a few feet from 16^th and had a giant stack of fading pink parking tickets totaling $3,295 before additional fines for nonpayment, according to NBC Washington.

You’ve got to check out the row of pink tickets lining the windshield of the car. It’s laughable really.

‘Happy The Hippo :)’
courtesy of ‘Daniel.Techie{TaiShan~4Ever} @ 127.0.0.1’

Well, probably not. But according to a new study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation twenty states got fatter and we’re the only region that got thinner. So DC residents would have an easier time fitting into a voting booth if only they were allowed in.

Go ahead and pat yourself on the back if you like, but only do it for the exercise and don’t eat any celebration cake. While we’re down on average the quantity of obese adults rose in the poor and black populations. In that we’re just like everywhere else and it’s a pretty sad and stark number –  21.5% of our general adult population is obese versus 34.% of the black population, a full half again.

The study does have a few bright spots and calls us out as being among the half of the country that’s put in some measures to make school lunches and vended food in schools healthier. Whether vending bans actually help is a matter of heated debate but there’s no question you can load up a lot of calories from them. This 2006 Forbes slideshow of some of the “worst” vending foods lists several items that, all by themselves, exceed 10% of the FDA’s 2000 daily calories guideline.

‘Nationals vs Mets 08’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

During the dog days of the baseball season, there are two major July milestones that benchmark most teams for the year. First is the All-Star Break, three days off the normal schedule and inclusive of two of the only days of the year where there are absolutely no major sports being played in North America. The second is the MLB trade deadlines of July 31, where teams in contention do what they can to strengthen their rosters – and those who are lagging behind potentially make the commitment to “look to next year.”

On the last day of June, we look to the last day of July, and it looks more and more likely (even with the win last night) that the Washington Nationals are going to be clearing some room to build for the future. There are two names that seem to pop up the most in trade rumor talk: Josh “The Hammer” Willingham and Adam Dunn. Both will be free agents at the end of the season, so it’s in the Nationals best interest to try and move them to get something back on the investment. Willingham’s bat could help out many a contender, and recent conversation indicate that he may be a fit for NL East rival Atlanta; Dunn would be a good addition to an AL club like the White Sox, where he’d be able to DH and not have to see the field.

We’ll keep you up to date on who will be wearing a Nationals uniform come the end of next month – but it’s more likely than not going to be a few new jerseys to get to know.

‘IMG_0692.JPG’
courtesy of ‘rogefer’

The MLB All-Star Game is still three weeks away, but there’s some good news if you’re looking for a rivalry in the sport of baseball that will distract you from the hometown team’s recent struggles.  Since 1909, Congressional Democrats and Republicans have squared off in an annual midsummer classic of their own; this year’s contest will be held tonight at Nationals Park and plenty of tickets are still available. The all-time series has the Republicans holding a 38-33-1 edge of their Democratic counterparts, and this year marks the 49th year that Roll Call has sponsored the contest.

There’s one more reason to consider attending in the heat this evening: the ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by the daughter of baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, Rachel. Whether you work on the Hill or not, it is still one of those Only-In-D.C. events to get you excited about the week.

‘Recompensa’
courtesy of ‘Daquella manera’

Today, Judge Lynn Liebovitz delivered her verdict on the conspiracy/tampering/obstruction charges in the Robert Wone case. She found the defendants Dylan Ward, Victor Zaborsky, and Joseph Price not guilty on all counts, while still noting that it’s “very likely” that Price altered the knife used to murder Wone. She also rejected both the intruder theory of the crime as well as Michael Price, brother of Joseph, as the murderer.

The three housemates in whose house Wone was killed still face a wrongful death suit by Kathy Wone, Robert’s widow. The rules of evidence for civil cases are different than those for criminal cases, so watch for different information to be considered in that proceeding.