The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
HOTELS EVACUATED
An underground fire shot flames 30 feet in the air blackening a corner of the W Hotel and cutting power for blocks just east of the White House Saturday evening. No one was hurt by the fire, which appeared to have been caused by a transformer housed under a grate in the 1400 block of F Street NW. The Willard the W hotels were evacuated as a precaution said D.C. fire department spokesman Pete Piringer. “It was pretty spectacular,” said Piringer. “Flames were going up 20 to 30 feet”
(WASHINGTON EXAMINER)
MAJOR TRAFFIC DELAYS EXPECTED
A major town artery will likely see significant delays Sunday and, beginning Monday, one of the town's oldest neighborhoods will also have detours posted because of construction work. Dominion Virginia Power is advising motorists to anticipate major traffic delays Sunday in Leesburg, as crews will be pulling wires across roadways for the new power line. The Sunday work will require stopping traffic for up to 15 minutes at a time on South King Street in Leesburg near the Rt. 7 Bypass interchange, and just east of the interchange on the Rt. 7 Bypass. Crews will work from 5:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Throughout the day, state police and VDOT will monitor traffic queues and temporarily suspend stoppages if necessary to relieve delays.
(LEESBURG TODAY)
DOG LEFT IN CAR AT ZOO
A Washington Humane Society officer responded to a call from National Zoo police, who had removed a dog that had been left inside a vehicle in a parking lot for more than 30 minutes. The Chihuahua was taken to the zoo's police office. When the owner returned to the vehicle, the officer discussed the hazards of leaving a dog unattended in a vehicle in hot weather. The man said that he was unaware of the hazards and that he would not leave the dog unattended in the vehicle again. The dog was returned to its owner.
(WASHINGTON POST)
PIG RACING AT THE FAIR
Swifty the Swimming Pig apparently thought the cheer "Go, Swifty, Go" was a cue for him to do something more than paddle his way through an eight-foot water-filled container. As announcer Jonas Mitchell was revving up the crowd packed into the wooden bleachers on Saturday afternoon, Swifty was answering nature's call. Finally, after much prodding and a lot of laughter from both Mitchell and the crowd, Swifty leaped into the water and in a few short strides, cleared the length of the container. Swifty's actions were just some of the fun to be had at the Prince William County Fair Kids' Zone. There were three rounds of pig races and all of the entries had comical nicknames. David Hassellhog, Spamela Anderson and Arnold Schwarzenhogger took first prize, consisting of an Oreo cookie on a silver-colored plate.
(INSIDENOVA.COM)
DC IS BEST CITY FOR JOBS
Washington is the best place for job seekers among 50 large U.S. cities in the latest ranking by career search engine Juju.com, released Friday. Juju’s Job Search Difficulty Index is based on the ratio of jobless workers in a given market to job openings advertised online, which Juju compiles and lists on its website. D.C. claimed the top spot among cities this month, with 1.18 jobless workers per advertised job, followed by San Jose, Calif.; New York; Baltimore; and Hartford, Conn. Juju said the worst cities in which to find a job this month out of the 50 it ranks are Miami, with 9.41 jobless workers per available job, followed by Detroit; Las Vegas; Riverside, Calif.; and Los Angeles.
(WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL)
