The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
SAFETY FIRST AT BOY SCOUT JAMBOREE
Boy Scouts and their 3,770 adult leaders begin arriving tomorrow at Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County for what could be the last National Scout Jamboree in Virginia, the issue of safety will be paramount and put into practice like never before. Alarmed by the accidental electrocution deaths of four Scout leaders at the last national jamboree in 2005 -- and the thousands of heat-related ailments of boys overwhelmed by blistering temperatures -- Scouting officials have adopted firm new rules and innovative procedures designed to limit safetyand health-related problems during this year's 10-day event.
(RICHMOND-TIMES DISPATCH)
ANIMALS SENSED EARTHQUAKE
The earthquake that recently struck the Washington area was minor, but it offered new information on a matter that has aroused curiosity since ancient times. This is the question of animals and earthquakes, and specifically whether animals can somehow foretell a quake. Hundreds of comments have been posted on the Washington Post Web site in connection with accounts of the July 16 quake, which was centered in Montgomery County. Without being asked, some people described what animals did before, during and after the earthquake.
(WASHINGTON POST)
CELEBRITY AT MAYORAL FORUM
Guess which celebrity Mayor Adrian Fenty brought along for the mayoral forum and straw poll this morning in Ward 7. Ronald Moten? Wrong; nobody controls Ronald Moten (though he was there). The big star was none other than former Phoenix Suns great Kevin Johnson. (Who, as we all know, is also the mayor of Sacramento and the future Mr. Michelle Rhee.) Johnson, wearing a Fenty sticker, posed for pictures with Hizzoner and his supporters after the forum. And he told LL he won't be doing much more campaigning for Fenty in the next two months. "I've got a city to run," Johnson said. LL tried to get Johnson to take a public swipe (a la Magic, Jordan and Barkley) at LeBron James for "taking his talents to South Beach," but Johnson wouldn't bite.
(WASHINGTON CITY PAPER)
DC SPONSORS NATIONAL HOT DOG MONTH
Few things represent summer better than a plump, juicy hot dog off the grill. Friday was National Hot Dog Day, smack in the middle of National Hot Dog Month - a time set aside by the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council to celebrate the sausage variant from Frankfurt, Germany. The bun was allegedly added by a vendor on Coney Island in the 1870s. While the top-selling dogs in America come from 7-Eleven, in D.C., the most famous hot dogs are not really hot dogs at all. Like any good D.C. resident knows, the half-smokes - half-pork, half-beef sausage - served at Ben's Chili Bowl are to be served with mustard, onions and spicy chili sauce.
(WTOP.COM)
