The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.
THE STRIKE THAT WASN'T
Even D.C.'s cabbies had a tough time figuring it all out, according to local blog D.C. Cab Rider: Ok, if you're going to strike you need to be much, much better organized. I didn't know there was supposed to be a taxi strike today until a cab pulled up next to the one I was in and the driver asked my driver. Turns out the other guy thought Monday was strike day and he'd stayed home. There were a lot of cabs out today for a strike. The Post said that about 1,000 cabbies took part in Tuesday's strike (on car-free day, no less). Believe the number if you want, but there were no big rumblings heard about not being able to hail a cab across the District. (NBC Washington)
FIDEL PRAISES THE PREZ
Barack Obama's call for action on climate change and his admission that rich nations have a particular responsibility to lead has received strong praise from an unusual source — U.S. nemesis Fidel Castro. The former Cuban leader on Wednesday called the American president's speech at the United Nations "brave" and said no other American head of state would have had the courage to make similar remarks. In a speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, Obama acknowledged that the United States had been slow to act on climate change, but said Washington was now prepared to be a full partner as the world confronts the threat. (AP)
COP TOLD HE CAN'T SPORT CORNROWS
Police in Philadelphia say a white officer who came to work with cornrows was ordered by a black superior to get a haircut because the braids violated department standards. The Philadelphia Daily News reported Monday that Officer Thomas Strain was put on desk duty this month because of the braids, even though the paper reported dozens of black officers wear cornrows. "They pulled him out of roll call and took him right up to the inspector's office," said an officer who asked to remain anonymous. (MSNBC)
MAN THROWS THOUSANDS OF GOLF BALLS IN NATIONAL PARK
A La Quinta man is scheduled to face a federal magistrate this month on accusations he threw thousands of golf balls into Joshua Tree National Park for more than a year. Park rangers cited and released Douglas Jones, 57, on Aug. 17 with abandoning property, littering and feeding wildlife. "Since (some time in) 2007, he had been coming into the park and just throwing golf balls across the landscape just tossing them out of a vehicle," park spokesman Joe Zarki said Wednesday. "Apparently, there's some tennis balls involved, as well." (USA Today)
