Thanks to a reader for passing on the warning from the 1900 Block of 15th Street, NW.
PSA
Photo by PoPville flickr user Jess J
“Dear PoPville,
While walking my dog this morning in Meridian Hill Park a man approached me and proceeded to expose and pleasure himself. I yelled that I would call police he quickly apologized, zipped up and headed out of the park. I contacted the police to report the incident and they confirmed they would contact officers in the area. This occurred on the far side of the park on the stairs closest to 16th Street and Florida. He was last seen heading down Florida towards 17th-18th Street area.
Description:
Hispanic Male
5 ft. 6 in.
Wearing: white tshirt, jean shorts and a navy or black back pack
Just a warning to those in the area, he approached casually, I honestly thought just harmless exchange of pleasantries, before I realized what he was doing.”
Ed. Note: MPD has alerted Park Police as well.
Photo by PoPville flickr user evegophotos
Free lead-paint abatement from the city?
“I just had the exterior of my house painted, and in passing, the painter mentioned that he’d heard of a program through the DC government that allows homeowners to have their lead-painted interiors (and trim too? God, I hope so!) stripped and painted for free. Have any of you heard of this program? Has anyone used it? What is the process, and how does it work?
Thanks!”
You can see all forum topics and add your own here.
“Dear PoPville,
My girlfriend (driver) and I were coming back from McLean Gardens last Saturday morning around 1:30 AM. Heading Southbound on Mass Ave, we both began to notice a figure by the side of the road up near the bus top at Edmunds and Mass close to the Naval Observatory. Already getting close, we slammed on the brakes as soon as we saw it was a deer and that it was heading into the street. By the time we began to slow, it was too late.
The deer stared into our headlights while slowly beginning to run. All this did, however, was place it directly into the path of our Jetta. We hit it square in the hips going about 15 mph, but its forward momentum continued to carry it into the path of unsuspecting, oncoming traffic.
A Honda Civic coming up Mass Avenue hit the deer at full speed, killing it instantly. By the time the whole thing was over, the Civic was missing a right wheel well and front bumper, and we had a nice dent in the hood. No one (but the deer) was hurt.
I pulled the dead doe out of the road and onto the tree bank, and we called 311. They said they’d take care of the deer, but told us to also call 911. When the cops arrived, they were pretty reverent, saying that: “we invaded the deer’s natural territory, and this thing was bound to happen…”
In any event, be careful out there. If it had been a buck or had we been going faster, it could have been much worse.”
“Dear PoPville,
Someone attempted to break into our house yesterday. They tried to kick open the door that leads to our basement in the back of our house. The alarm went off and they left without being able to get in, thankfully. We don’t have a camera in the back of our house but our neighbor does; we were not able to see faces but saw a white pick-up truck with red interior. We have information from our neighbors that the white pick up was driving slowly around the neighborhood, and one of the individuals actually got out of the car to walk up to our house in the front and was using an interest in providing landscaping services as a cover. We are passing this information to the police, but wanted to share with neighbors as well as a public safety issue. We are on 4th Street near the Soldiers’ Home.”
“Dear PoPville,
I bike down 9th street, NW to get downtown often. There is a strange track-looking thing that extends down 9th between L and M, NW. See the attached pictures. It is a deep groove between two metal plates and it’s been there for as long as I can remember, years? It’s just big enough to trap a bike tire inside and despite me avoiding riding over/near it, I must have turned wrong yesterday and my wheel lodged itself inside the track and catapulted me into the street.
First, what is this thing? Does it serve a purpose? I remember there being an issue on H street when the tracks were installed and had to be fixed because of a similar bike hazard. Do you think DDOT would care about this issue?
– Bruised and bloody Mt Vernon Square resident.”
Unfortunately this issue comes up about every six months after a crash. In previous comments we’ve learned:
“They are expansion joints. Due to changes in weather, hot and cold, materials expand or contract. You will most commonly see these on bridges. The reason why the convention center has these is because of the sky walks over the streets. The expansion joints allow the entire building to move together and prevents cracking.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Vileinist
“Dear PoP,
This is kind of a crazy story, but is definitely something your readers should know about. TWO of my friends have been taken by the same scam artist in the last couple days. (the first took place outside the Kennedy center, and the other occurred near gallery place.) in both situations, the woman in a puffy coat came up to the target and started crying. she told a long story about how she’s pregnant and had been hit by a car. she begged for money to get back home (allegedly two hours away). she just kept sobbing and begging for money. she made up ridiculous stories about how her friend was supposed to pick her up but left early / her bank was closed until the morning / her baby might be hurt. in both situations, my friends (being nice/trusting individuals) gave her cash. as soon as my friend opened her wallet, the woman directed her to go to a nearby ATM to get MORE money. this is clearly a scam – please be aware.”
Scammers abound.
Photo by PoPville flickr user zxgirl
“Dear PoP,
This morning I had a blood-pressure-raising drive to work. I usually take the Metro, so driving is a treat for me as it cuts my commute time in half. I jumped onto Rock Creek Parkway and was targeted by some d-bag in a light blue sportscar. He proceeded to tailgate me, cut me off then slam on the breaks, stop in the middle of fast-paced Rock Creek Parkway at 7:15am in the morning–just a real jerk–and it felt like he was targeting me, from DC to Virginia. I made a mental snapshot of the description of his car and plate number (Maryland driver, obviously), and jumped online when I got to work. Turns out, Maryland, DC, and Virginia have a safe driving campaign called Smooth Operator. It tells you to call #77 — did that and reported this guy. Since the trooper didn’t see this incident, I’d have to go to court, get subpoenas and all that jazz (the last thing I need is to be a witness and have this guy target me again, but I don’t want him to do this to other people).
So, because he’s got Maryland tags, and the incidents occurred in DC and Virginia, I’m not sure where to turn next. I’m worried that this guy’s aggression is going to hurt someone–just this morning he nearly caused 3 accidents.
If anything, be safe out there and call #77 if you spot an aggressive driver. Those Maryland drivers are batsh*t crazy.”
Anyone ever have success reporting dangerous aggressive driving?
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“Dear PoP,
I was walking back home from work today on Florida ave, and I noticed 2 cars between 11th and 13th, NW with their windows smashed in on the south side of the Cardozo’s field. I remember over the summer you wrote about cars being broken into in the same location after someone sent you an email and I know how many times you have written about people leaving valuable property in the open inside their cars, so I thought I’d send you this email along with some pictures of the cars.”
This is a PoP PSA I give over and over again. This is especially true for folks who park on Florida Ave, NW near Cardozo High School. Please don’t leave anything at all in your cars. If you must – leave the item in your trunk. Replacing windows because your left your gym bag in the car is a very expensive mistake.
It seems like lately there have been a number of devastating fires around town. Unfortunately a reader sends an update that a 2nd victim has died from the Oct. 18th fire that took place at 3132 16th Street, NW. Also earlier in the week there was a fire on the 2800 block of Sherman Ave, NW that displaced 11 residents and of course yesterday there was a 3 alarm fire that took place at 1444 Rhode Island Ave, NW at the Windsor House Apts that injured 5 (including 2 firefighters) and displaced 21 residents.
I know I sound square but please check that your alarms are working and have fresh batteries.