“Dear PoPville,
Overnight [October 11th] my sister’s friend’s bike got its two tires stripped on the 700 block of Hamilton Street, NW. It had been on the porch for almost two weeks no problems. In hindsight it was horrible idea to have it on the front porch for so long. If anybody has seen anything we would appreciate if you guys could call (786) 247-6179. Tips for handling this situation are appreciated as well. Is it worth filing a report with the Police?”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC
“Dear PoPville,
Possible PSA: I don’t have a link but federal employees need to be very cautious about using their SmarTrip cards if the government shuts down if they have transit benefits loaded onto them. We’ve been told that some agencies will monitor usage, so folks should try to use cash or acquire a personal SmarTrip card so this doesn’t cause any issues if the government shuts down.”
Anyone else hear this?
“Dear PoPville,
There is a crazed raccoon in the neighborhood that killed my neighbor’s cat on their back porch (9/20/13). DC Animal Control was contacted but I don’t know if a trap has been installed near their house. People should be on the lookout and think twice before leaving a pet outdoors and unsupervised.”
“Dear PoPville,
My bike was stolen at some point this week off of my second story balcony. No, it wasn’t locked, but I really never would have thought someone would scale a building, active the motion censored lights, right in front of windows, hop onto a balcony, throw the thing down and ride off with it… boy was I wrong. The bike is registered, I have proof of purchase and a police report has been filed.
I’ve contacted all of the bike shops in the area to let them know that it is stolen and to report if someone comes in trying to sell it. I’ve scoured Craigslist every day but have had no luck. Considering the circumstances, the bike is probably floating around somewhere in DC…
It was stolen from the corner of 18th and U st. It’s a matte red and black medium 2013 GT Tachyon hybrid. The serial number is C302120003. It’s dearly missed.
There is a reward for whoever finds/returns it.”
Thanks to a reader for passing on the warning from the 1900 Block of 15th Street, NW.
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.”