Defense Cuts Threaten NOVA

NOVA's Post Apoc Future?

Is NOVA on the verge of an economic doomsday? According to a study published by George Mason professor Stephen Fuller, we are all officially screwed unless Congress gets off of its collective butt and does something.

 Approximately 220,000 federal jobs in civilian agencies [i.e. contractors] will be eliminated next year if Congress fails to repeal the automatic defense spending cuts, often called the defense "sequestration," that are scheduled to go into effect in January.

Over a period of ten years, approximately 2.1 million jobs would be eliminated, either directly because of the cuts or indirectly as a result of its effects on local economies, the study concluded.

That’s a lot of good paying jobs that will be going down the toilet. 

I can only imagine what NOVA will look like ten years from now if these cuts go into effect.

New Bike Signs [NOT] Likely To Make Life Better

PREPARE TO GET REEMED COMMUNTERS

Another genius idea by Fairfax County is causing confusion on the roads.

 According to the Fairfax Times, new signs are going up across the County that read "Bikes May Use Full Lane” as opposed to just staying to the far right of the road where they belong. 

Not only is this idea completely insane, but it also may violate a state law that directs bicyclists to stay to the far right of any lane when impeding traffic. A rep from VDOT however stated in the Fairfax Times article that the signs were legal. [I.E. don’t try to lawyer your way out of this one]

But putting aside the legality of the signs, allow me to re-state the obvious.

Who the heck wants to see bicycles taking up entire lanes on ANY road, EVER!

I’m sure that’s EXACTLY what commuters want to see when they are trying to bust through ever worsening traffic conditions.

Fortunately, Virginia State Delegate Mark L. Keam, (D-Dist. 35) is looking into this issue.

Well that’s a relief.

Bloody Summer

This is shaping up to be a bloody Summer on the mean streets of NOVA. Last week, Fairfax Police in Mount Vernon shot and killed a man who allegedly opened fire on them in the Mount Vernon area, making it the third Police shooting in Fairfax within the last month and a half.

Now two more people are dead in the Falls Church area after a shooting incident at the Eden Center shopping plaza.

Is it just me or is Fairfax not quite feeling like such a safe place anymore?

UPDATE: Police Scanner Up And Running

We Really Have Nothing Better To Do Than Listen To You.

Attention all criminals, rabble-rousers, law-enforcement wannabes and overly concerned citizens:

After a  week long hiatus that began when the mega-storm hit, the Fairfax County Police scanner is now up and running again!

So feel free to listen in. The link is provided on this very blog!

NOVAGEDDON: The Aftermath

GOV. SPRINGS INTO ACTION.

Normally I try to make my posts amusing, but when it comes to the total breakdown of our 911 system after the “Derecho” mega-storm, there really is no way to be funny. Instead, I’ll have to settle for some outrage tinged with a bit of sarcasm. [Thanks Verizon! You did a great job with this whole storm thing, but next time can we keep our 911?]

Now our government is responding to the aftermath with decisive and bold ideas to make sure that when it happens again, we'll be ready.

 

Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) was quoted in the Fairfax Times as saying, “The best possible reaction you have when you have no communication is … to have someone on the street to knock on doors.”

Excellent point Mr. Hyland. But if we are planning to go down that road, why don’t we start training every citizen to handle law-enforcement, fire, and medical emergencies?

Better yet, if we could just get Dominion to start training average citizens to make repairs on the electrical grid, we’d never have to wait for power again! Come on, how hard can it be right?

In all seriousness though, our government is taking this stuff really seriously [really?] Gov. McDonnell (R) has created a subcommittee to study this issue and Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity (R) will serve on it.

So the next time NOVAGEDDON happens, you can be assured, your government will be working hard at studying the issue.

Tyson’s Cluster. No End In Sight Despite “Breakthrough”

 

GIVE ME MORE CUSTOMERS I SAY. MORE!

Congratulations Fairfax County, you have nearly completed construction of the Silver Line around the Tysons Corner area. Soon all of our traffic problems will be over. [NOT REALLY]

According to the Fairfax Times  workers have nearly completed the large aerial guideways that will be used to carry the new Metro line. Marcia McAllister, communications manager for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project said that the aerial guideways, deemed to be “some of the most difficult work” would be completed by the middle of this month.

Unfortunately, this will not ease any of the congestion problems around the region.

Despite McAllister’s promise that this “breakthrough” will lead to less disruptions along the Dulles Toll Road and Va. 7, it will not mean an end to road closures related to rail construction, the Times noted.

Well that’s just wonderful. So commuters will continue to pay, on the roads and with their pocketbooks, all so that Tysons can get a few extra customers.

Here’s an idea. Instead of pumping some $2.6 billion into building a new Metro line, why not improve the existing system, AND work on improving some of the roads around here?

But that just makes too much sense. Far too much sense for any politician to take seriously.

Dog Stabbing In Mt. Vernon Rocks County

 

EXPLOSIVE REVELATIONS FROM FX COUNTY PD:

Time To Take The Oath Cane. Raise Your Right Paw In The Air.

Another George Zimmerman type character has decided to take the law into his own hands, except this time the violence has gone cross-species.

Cane, a 15-month-old white Pit Bull was found by Police Officers in the Mount Vernon District with injuries to the left side of his neck. A veterinarian later determined that the injuries were consistent with a stab wound.

Officers are now searching for the [bad] man that stabbed Cane.

 But was it all self - defense? Knowing the reputation of Pit Bulls in this country, I wouldn’t be surprised if the alleged perpetrator tried to make that claim. This could also make finding an unbiased jury difficult for the Prosecution.

 

 To make matters ever worse for our canine friend, Cane has the additional disadvantage of not being able to speak English.

So how is Cane supposed to get any justice? Feel free to weigh in.

Dominion Makes July 4th Worth Celebrating

Lot's Of Blue And Green ... We Like It!

Fairfax residents can be thankful for a lot of things this Independence Day, especially their power company. Compared to its Maryland counterpart, Pepco, Dominion has done an excellent job in restoring power to the region. When the storm hit, nearly half a million residents of Northern Virginia lost their electricity.  That number has now fallen to 16,239.  

Over this same period of time, Pepco went from around  400,000  outages to 38,421.

 Nevertheless Pepco is standing by its performance.  As reported in the Washington Post, the company recently stated that it has restored power to 90% of its customers two days earlier than anticipated.  

Are Pepco’s claims justified?  It is hard to say from where I’m sitting, across the river in my electrified Virginia home.  But I have a feeling that there are plenty of Pepco customers out there that aren’t feeling the same gratitude toward their own power company as I am.  

NOVAGEDON

On Friday night, a mega-storm called a Derecho (immigration status unknown) disrupted power for hundreds of thousands even as temperatures reached record highs.

How We Feel When We Lose Power.

Over-night, NOVA was transformed into NOVAGEDON. A (somewhat) lawless place where residents were forced to battle it out for the right to make a left turn at power-less intersections.

With refrigeration failing fast,  hordes of hungry Fairfax residents Saturday morning turned to their last best hope for a decent meal. McDonald’s breakfast. But with only one functional McDonald’s for miles around and a fast approaching deadline of 10:30 AM, many were undoubtedly forced to abandon this endeavor and seek sustenance elsewhere.

From my observation of the local media, Starbucks and various shopping outlets remained popular throughout the weekend, especially with record breaking temperatures. 

There were also shortages of gasoline and ice.

Fortunately, NOVA never quite reached a Mad Max level of societal breakdown, and now that it is Monday, it looks like things are getting back to normal.

To get the latest updates on the storm recovery effort, check out the FX County emergency blog here.