The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.
NOT IN THE MOOD? PANDA PAIR TRIES ANOTHER METHOD FOR CUB
WTOP: ""Not this year, honey ... I have a headache."
Maybe that's why the Giant Pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoo weren't in the mood again this year -- although it appears they certainly tried to be.
The zoo says Mei Xiang and Tian Tian did not mate the natural way last week, so Mei Xiang now has been artificially inseminated."
FORMER DC COUNCIL CONTENDER MOVES TO THE 'BURBS
The Other 35 Percent: "I was shocked to learn this morning from The Georgetown Dish that I've moved to Rockville. Truth be told, as of yesterday evening, I've moved near Darnestown, Maryland, a place that this city boy did not even know existed until recently. It's a change that I expect that I will be coming to terms with for some time. I refuse to call it the "suburbs." I call it "the countryside."
As I explained in my final President's Column of the Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association newsletter, with my first kid soon to arrive, it was time for a larger place in a safe neighborhood with excellent schools."
ALEXANDRIA RESIDENTS ARE MORE GENEROUS THAN YOU
Washington Examiner: "Alexandria residents are a generous bunch, according to a new report, which ranks the city No. 1 among large U.S. cities for making online donations.
It’s the third year in a row Alexandria residents have topped the list, which ranks 273 cities with populations of more than 100,000. More than $389 million was donated by people in those cities, according to the report by Convio, a fundraising and community engagement organization."
IN TAKOMA PARK, TREES TRIUMPH OVER SOLAR PANELS
Gazette.net: "Takoma Park residents hoping to replace a tree with solar panels will find no tradeoff in the city's tree ordinance.
The Takoma Park City Council opposed changing the tree ordinance, which helps ensure such widespread benefits as reduced stormwater runoff and shade, to make exceptions for those looking to install environmentally friendly solar panels. Changing the ordinance was not up for a vote, but council members discussed whether to draft a resolution to change its existing law."
