The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.
DC BEST FOR RAISES
D.C. tops the list of major metro areas that are giving pay raises, with companies giving average pay hikes of 2.3 percent. A survey by the global human resources association World at Work finds 77 percent of companies are giving raises. Baltimore also falls in the top 10 at No. 10, with the average raise at 2.1 percent. (WTOP)
PREZ GETS AN UGLY CAKE
Maybe this is just wild conjecture here -- and we all know how much everyone loves opinions in Serious Journalism -- but isn't Barack Obama's birthday cake hideously ugly? This is not at all in line with Obama's sleek, skinny-tie persona, and frankly, we're shocked. It looks like the Cake Boss's disgruntled ex karate-chopped the frosting bag. Decorated with the presidential seal, the layer cake was accompanied by various pies, including pecan, huckleberry, Key lime and coconut cream, plus a cheesecake. (NBC Washington)
HORSE TRAMPLES CAR IN ISRAEL
An Israeli horse took to the highway and trampled an oncoming car in an encounter captured on video by a group of tourists in northern Israel. The tourists began filming when three horses came on the highway and began to canter alongside their car, but the scene took a bizarre turn when an oncoming car came on the scene. The first two horses weaved out of the sedan's path, but the third took it head-on, smashing through its windshield with its hooves before leaping over it and continuing on its way. (MSNBC)
NO NOISY NEIGHBORS
Victor Vangelakos and his family never have to worry about noisy neighbors in their luxury condo on the Caloosahatchee River. There are no neighbors. Vangelakos, 45, his wife, Cathy, and their three children are the only residents in the 32-story Oasis I condo on the east edge of downtown Fort Myers. The Weehawken, N.J., firefighter bought the condo from The Related Group, based in Miami, for $430,000 and closed on it in November. He planned to make it a vacation getaway and eventually his full-time residence when he retires in four years — but prices have fallen hard since the real estate bubble burst in early 2006. (USA Today)
MORE ON FENTY'S CRASH
The Washington Post, also in possession of the Mayor Adrian M. Fenty collector’s edition accident report from his Sunday evening collision in Northwest D.C., notes that the report seems to indicate that several police procedures were violated, including that the names of passengers in Fenty’s vehicle were not listed on the accident form and pictures were not taken at the scene even though a city vehicle was apparently damaged. The report was taken by a member of Fenty’s security detail and not a regular patrol officer. The “detailed narrative” says that Fenty reported being struck by James Gambrill Utt Jr., which is what Fenty’s spokesperson told the Post earlier in the week. But Allison Klein notes that the report lists Fenty’s as the “striking vehicle/object.” (Washington City Paper)
