Editor’s Note: The Local Woof is a column that’s sponsored and written by the staff of Woofs! Dog Training Center. Woofs! has full-service dog training, boarding, and daycare facilities, near Shirlington and Ballston.

There are several avenues you can use to get a dog. Dogs are available through breeders, rescue groups and animal shelters. All of these options have good dogs available. But before you go to get a dog, you will need to have an idea of what you are looking for.

The first thing to consider is whether your lifestyle is better suited to a puppy or an adult dog.

Puppies usually require a much bigger commitment in the beginning to teach them all of the important lessons they need to know in the first two to three years of their lives.  The upside of getting a puppy is that it will grow up alongside you and naturally mold to your lifestyle. The down side is the time commitment and the unknown nature of its personality. Even a lovely puppy can develop behavioral problems through no fault of the owners.

An adult dog requires a lot less time right from the start, since they are already socially and physically mature. This means they are (usually) house trained and crate trained, do not require midnight bathroom breaks or detailed socialization plans. It also means that the are a bit more set in their ways and may not adapt as easily to every type of household. The upside is that you have a much better chance of knowing what you are getting right from the beginning. A three year old dog who loves kids and other dogs will probably remain relatively friendly.

The next thing to consider is that type of dog do you want? Large or small? High energy or couch potato? Highly social or super independent? These are all serious considerations and breed characteristics can help answer some of these questions.

Once you know what you are looking for the most important thing you need to consider is the temperament of the dog. When you meet a dog or a puppy, they should willingly and happily approach you and show evidence that they enjoy your company. Shy dogs may be very reserved and will work better in a quiet home with no young children. Any signs of aggression are an indication of major trouble.

Unfortunately, the thing that drives people most strongly, is the last thing that matters.

The last thing you should consider is what the dog looks like. I know, I know, that’s almost impossible. But it is true. The temperament and behavior of the dog is so much more important. Only once you are sure the pup has the characteristics and temperament you want should you even consider the cuteness factor.

Woofs! offers free pre-adoption counseling services to help you find the best dog for your lifestyle and family.  There is nothing we love better than making a great match between a dog and its new family.

The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

The post Local Woof: Picking Out Your Next Dog appeared first on WTOP.

On Lucy’s* eighth birthday, she woke up to a surprise. It wasn’t a cool toy or a fun game, the kind of things kids often look forward to on days like this. Instead, her back and stomach itched so badly she was crying.

The small rash on her back spread quickly, while Lucy endured more pain and discomfort. According to her father, the young girl said, “Daddy, if this is living, I don’t want to live anymore.”

It was clear to her family that Lucy was suffering. But why? What was the source of this sudden attack?

The answer: a common preservative found in personal care products like body wash and shampoo; there’s a good chance you could walk into your bathroom right now and find any number of bottles that contain it. It’s called methylisothiazolinone [MI], and it made Lucy’s life hell for more than four months.

Reactions like Lucy’s to MI are statistically rare, but examples are not difficult to find. There is, for example, a Facebook group for those who are sensitive to MI (as well as related preservatives isothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone, but more on those later) that has upwards of 4,500 Facebook followers. Symptoms can include redness, dryness, a burning or stinging sensation, facial swelling, blisters and crusting.

“…She basically didn’t sleep… It was like having a newborn, but a newborn who could talk and tell you just how miserable they were.”

Like most people, Lucy’s parents hadn’t heard of MI at the end of April 2014, when Lucy’s troubling rash first appeared. It took four months for the family to determine the culprit, an entire summer of watching Lucy struggle not to scratch between appointments with doctor after doctor.

“It was awful,” Lucy’s father John* told Consumerist. “Maybe the first month, she basically didn’t sleep. She’d fall asleep for 45 minutes… it was like having a newborn, but a newborn who could talk and tell you just how miserable they were, and there’s nothing you could do.”

Treatments ran the gamut of hospital-administered steroids to oatmeal baths. “You name it,” John said, but nothing seemed to be working and physicians could not explain the rash’s cause.

The search began with Lucy’s pediatrician who, according to John, said Lucy’s was the “worst rash she’s ever seen.”

Adding to the difficulty was the fact that the rash covered Lucy’s entire body from the neck down.

“You couldn’t see her skin,” he explains. “When they were trying to do blood tests, they couldn’t find the vein because they couldn’t see through the skin, it was covered with red bumps.”

After Lucy’s pediatrician, John says they tried a pediatric dermatologist and a slew of other specialists: an allergy immunologist, infectious disease experts, geneticists and rheumatologists. Lucy’s chest was X-rayed to rule out Hodgkin’s, another scare her parents were forced to endure.

“We had no idea what was causing this. She’s suffering, we’re wondering… does she have some kind of chronic condition?” John recalls.

As Lucy tells it, living with the rash was a constant battle for the eight-year-old.

“It’s like my body was telling me to scratch and I couldn’t resist it,” Lucy told Consumerist, after her parents said we could speak with her. “I couldn’t think against it. It was like a voice inside my head saying, ‘Scratch it! SCRATCH IT!’ I couldn’t resist it because I couldn’t think back at it and tell it not to.”

In an attempt to rule out a gluten-intolerance issue, Lucy’s parents had her avoid foods with gluten for months. Not a winning idea, especially for an 8-year-old who loves pizza.

“Because they thought that gluten was causing the rash, I had to stop eating gluten!” Lucy told Consumerist. “Which was like the one thing that made me feel better a little.”

The only positive, she says, was that she somehow didn’t get any of the rash on her face.

Finally, around the beginning of June, Lucy’s doctors prescribed powerful oral steroids and her discomfort lessened, even though the rash lingered. For months it still remained too severe for doctors to perform a patch test. A patch test involves applying different allergens to the skin in a controlled way and then monitoring the tested areas for reactions. The catch is that you need enough healthy skin to test, and Lucy’s entire body was covered with the rash.

When enough of Lucy’s skin was clear, her family went to see Dr. Vincent Deleo, then the head of dermatology at St. Luke’s Roosevelt in Manhattan. According to John, Deleo tested Lucy for sensitivity to around 70 different allergens and, at last, finally reached a conclusion: Lucy had a severe response to methylisothiazolinone.

At home, her parents tracked down the source of the MI — Suave Kids Body Wash, a product made by Unilever and marketed as “hypoallergenic” and “safe for kids’ delicate skin.”

“Our hypoallergenic, ophthalmologist-tested Suave Kids® Free and Gentle Body Wash is dye-free and will not irritate your child’s skin,” the product description reads, in part. “Made specifically for kids’ skin, it helps make bath time tear-free.”

Lucy would probably disagree with that part about the tears.

Upon realizing that methylisothiazolinone was causing Lucy’s painful symptoms, the family stopped using the Suave body wash — and the rash quickly cleared up. Finding the source was a huge moment, says John, even though it was hard to believe that the culprit had been sitting in their bathroom for all of these months, and that Lucy had been using it during her months-long ordeal.

“It was such an extraordinary relief,” he recalls. “Through the process, taking her for a chest X-ray for Hodgkin’s… you kind of think like, ‘This has got to be a low chance, but some kids get cancer.’ And she has this really weird condition and we’ve ruled out so many other things, a very prominent doctor is recommending we check it out…”

Thinking about it now, John tells Consumerist that it feels “so stupid” that they hadn’t thought to focus on that product, mostly because of the “hypoallergenic label” and words like “free and gentle.” They’d continued to use the product during the entire process, because of those words.

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of MI or noticed it on product labels, but the chemical is increasingly being used as a preservative.

Cosmetic and skin care products have long used a class of preservatives known as parabens, but with some consumers calling on manufacturers to discontinue the use of parabens because of alleged long-term health concerns, Dr. Deleo tells Consumerist that these companies had to come up with something else to use to make things like body wash and shampoo shelf-stable.

About 25 years ago or so, Deleo tells Consumerist, many companies started using a new preservative to keep bubbly products bubbly, combining similar chemical methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) with methylisothiazolinone in a concentration of three-to-one.

“It was known that that could be an allergen,” he explains, “but that it was fairly safe to use in things like shampoos, which are washed off and so diluted,” in comparison to leave-on products like lotion.

“You can’t say it’s really common, I guess, but it’s certainly not rare.”

And then, for reasons unclear to Deleo, companies started using methylisothiazolinone alone and at a higher concentration to make it effective.

People started having reactions to it — but dermatologists often missed it, because previous patch-testing methods had only tested for the combination chemical, Deleo explains.

“So to make matters worse, not only was it occurring seemingly much more frequently than the combination, but we were missing it because we had the wrong allergen to test to,” he says.

Now, he says, he and other dermatologists test for both, and in his experience, it shows up pretty often.

“You can’t say it’s really common, I guess, but it’s certainly not rare,” Deleo tells Consumerist.

Despite some complaints linking MI to rashes, the chemical is so widely used that you’re likely applying it to your skin and hair on a regular basis.

After first talking to John about Lucy’s ordeal, I immediately looked in my bathroom to check my Suave shampoo and conditioner. Lo and behold, there was MI.

Though it’s more common to see MI in wash-off products, it’s also used in some leave-on products, including some Eucerin lotions and moisturizers made by Breiersdorf.

Between 2007 and 2010, the number of products that used it more than doubled to about 2,400 items, according to an estimate from the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

A quick check of a Rite Aid store in Brooklyn turned up three kids-themed body washes made by a company called MZB Accessories — a Frozen bottle, Spongebob Squarepants brand and a Spider-Man version — with both methylisothiazolinone and its sibling, methylchloroisothiazolinone on each label.

A Baylor College of Medicine study published in August 2014 evaluating products specifically marketed for babies and children found that out of 152 products surveyed at major retailers, 30 products — from facial or body wipes to hair products, bubble baths, moisturizers and sunscreens made by major brands — marketed specifically to the younger set contained MI.

“Of note, products marketed as ‘gentle,’ ‘sensitive,’ ‘organic,’ or ‘hypoallergenic’ often contained MI, thus emphasizing the importance of consumer scrutiny of product choices,” the researchers noted. “These findings reinforce the importance of educating parents and providing consumer decision-making advice regarding common skin care products, in order to help prevent [allergic contact dermatitis] in children.”

Speaking Of Hypoallergenic…

As for labels that use words like “natural” and “hypoallergenic,” Deleo says those terms mean nothing and shouldn’t guide your buying choices.

“Things like ‘natural’ and ‘hypoallergenic’… mean absolutely nothing.”

Indeed — even the federal government notes that “there are no Federal standards or definitions that govern the use of the term ‘hypoallergenic.'” The term means whatever a particular company wants it to mean… The term ‘hypoallergenic’ may have considerable market value in promoting cosmetic products to consumers on a retail basis, but dermatologists say it has very little meaning.

“Pay no attention whatsoever to things like ‘natural’ and ‘hypoallergenic’ because they mean absolutely nothing,” Deleo advises, pointing out that, “Pneumococcal pneumonia is also natural. So is poison ivy.”

The safest thing to do? Deleo recommends simply buying products that have very few ingredients.

If you’re worried that you might get a rash from methylisothiazolinone — people with eczema, for example, could be more susceptible — Deleo says it’s best to just stay away from products that contain that ingredient, or the lower concentration version of methylchloroisothiazolinone (it’s common to see them both together).

Even if you’ve never experienced a reaction, your skin can become sensitized over time, he says, causing problems later.

What’s Next?

Methylisothiazolinone has caught some flack in the last few years, most noticeably earning the title of Contact Allergen of the Year in 2013 from the American Contact Dermatitis Society. In 2013, Kimberly-Clark also came under fire for using MI in its Huggies baby wipes, and subsequently stopped using the preservative in those wipes.

(As Deleo explains, using MI in any areas that usually stay covered — like the perianal and genital regions — can increase sensitivity to the chemical, as absorption is increased.)

Deleo notes that many countries in Europe have already started restricting the use of MI, and he thinks U.S. companies have also started moving away from using it as an ingredient.

In 2013, the same year the ACDS named methylisothiazolinone as Contact Dermatitis Allergen of the year, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, a European advisory group, said that MI should be used only in limited quantities for wash-off products, and that “no safe concentrations” existed for leave-on products like lotions, the New York Times reported in January of this year.

Other companies like Johnson & Johnson and Unilever have recently pledged to phase out using MI in new leave-on products.

A Johnson & Johnson spokesman told the NYT that the company would not use MI in new leave-on products, and is “evaluating its use in any new products that rinse off,” adding that it only uses MI when “absolutely necessary.”

In January 2014, an industry group called the Personal Care Products Council issued a statement acknowledging reports about “increased sensitization resulting from greater use of MI alone as a preservative.”

While noting that the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel, “an independent body of scientific and medical experts that assesses the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics in the U.S.” (that the PCPC itself established in 1976 with the support of the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Federation of America) limits MI as a preservative in cosmetics and personal care products up to 0.01% (100 ppm), the group said in light of new data, its members were “evaluating information relevant to exposure to MI as used in North America” with the goal of reporting those findings to the CIR.

After reviewing “relevant animal and human data,” the subsequent CIR report [PDF] said its panel “concluded that MI is safe for use in rinse-off cosmetic products at concentrations up to 100 ppm and safe in leave-on cosmetics products when they are formulated to be non-sensitizing, which may be determined based on a QRA [quality risk assessment].”

Consumerist also reached out to MZB Accessories (the distributors of those kid-themed body wash products I found on the Rite-Aid shelf), Breiersdorf (maker of Eucerin and Nivea products) and Galderma Laboratories (Cetaphil) for their policies concerning MI. We’ve yet to receive responses from these companies.

But even if manufacturers phase out MI, personal care products could still be hanging out in your bathroom or in a cabinet for years to come, depending on how often you go through body wash, shampoo and conditioner. If you buy these products in bulk, it could be quite some time before you exhaust your supply.

It also won’t necessarily be easy for companies to come up with alternative preservatives, despite the fact that they’re developing new preservatives all the time.

“When you test a product… even if you test it in a thousand people…there are going to be a lot of people who are going to get exposed and get allergic,” Deleo notes. “So it’s hard to pre-market test to get something that’s totally, totally safe.”

When Consumerist asked Unilever, the manufacturer of Lucy’s body wash, for a general comment on using MI in products, the company said in a statement:

“Methylisothiazolinone (MI) is a common preservative used in the personal care industry, where there are now allergy concerns. We have already removed MI from the vast majority of our leave-on personal care products and will complete reformulation of remaining leave-on products by the end of 2015.”

“For rinse-off products, we are reducing MI levels to ensure we meet any new EU regulatory requirements and we will implement this globally,” the statement continues. “The presence of MI is shown in the ingredients list so that any person who is allergic to MI can avoid using the product. We will continue to monitor scientific developments to ensure that all our products are safe, effective and fully compliant with regulatory requirements.”

John and his wife have not yet been in touch with Unilever regarding the specific “hypoallergenic” label on products with MI. He tells Consumerist he felt calling a consumer hotline number wouldn’t accomplish his goal of getting the company to stop using MI, and/or convince it to stop labeling products as “hypoallergenic.”

Instead, he filed a complaint with the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN).

“I didn’t get the sense that the FDA took my report seriously or that they’re going to take swift, meaningful action on this issue,” he told Consumerist.

Again, though Unilever and John have not been in touch, on the general topic of the “hypoallergenic” label on products containing MI, Unilever said:

“For Unilever products that make the claim ‘hypoallergenic’ we follow all industry standards for testing. The use of the term ‘hypoallergenic does not prevent the possibility that some consumers may have an allergic reaction, however the average population tested with sensitive skin are not shown to have allergic reactions. We will continue to engage with dermatologists on our approach, ensuring that our products are safe and effective.”

An Unforgettable Ordeal

Talking to Lucy these days, it’s clear she won’t soon forget about those four months of misery. When the source of Lucy’s rash was finally identified and gluten was off the hook, she and her parents went out for pizza to celebrate.

“I was really happy that I could finally eat gluten,” she remembers of that celebratory slice.

And she’s got a message for companies that use MI in their products.

“I would tell them that that chemical should have never existed,” Lucy tells Consumerist. “And whoever made up that chemical should just go in jail.”

And while it was also hard for John to talk about Lucy’s painful experience, he says if it can bring the issue to light for other parents, he’s more than willing to remember every awful moment.

He explains, “Where I am now, I’m thrilled to share in the hopes that someone else won’t have to live through it.”

*We have changed these names in order to protect the privacy of Lucy, a minor.

Although cemeteries might be an ideal spot for bicyclists seeking long paths and little traffic, one cemetery in Indiana has had to ban bikes from the grounds after a series of incidents. Because for many, having a bicycle racing past while you’re trying to give your loved one a final good-bye isn’t an ideal situation.

Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis is a go-to spot for many cyclists, with its 25 miles of paved roads, winding trails, smooth pavement and hill that boasts the highest title of highest point in the county, notes the Indianapolis Star. But after a serious bicycling accident and disruptions during two graveside burials, the cemetery has decided it needs to lay down some rules for cyclists for the first time.

Those limits include a ban on riding down one side of the cemetery’s big hill, a speed limit and no access to the cemetery on Veterans and Memorial Days.

The cemetery’s president said the purpose of the rules are to respect the privacy of mourners and keep everyone safe.

“We’ve always been welcoming of competitive cyclers and families, as well, and we’d like to keep it that way,” he said. “But after those few incidents, we decided we needed to make people accountable and protect everyone’s liability.”

A serious biking accident in February left a cyclist with a broken collar bone and a concussion after she crashed at the bottom of the hill. Two other incidents found pairs of cyclists riding between parked cars lining the narrow roads during graveside ceremonies.

“I was there both times, and it was unbelievable to me,” the president said. “I was absolutely astounded and humiliated.”

The cemetery worked with a local biking group to come up with a compromise, with the cycling organization’s president stressing that it would be a shame for all cyclists if a few reckless people ruined it for everyone.

“We thought it was lack of education and was something we could correct,” he said. “Some of these bicyclists don’t know they’re being jerks and we thought we could address that.”

In addition to closing the park on Veterans and Memorial day, rules for people who don’t know they’re being jerks also include limits on groups of cyclists (only four people at a time); avoiding memorial services or grieving families; turning aside when coming into contact with funerals; a speed limit of 24 mph and a ban on racing other cyclists.

Crown Hill Cemetery puts brakes on cyclists [Indianapolis Star]

Has your pet joined the raw food movement?

PetMAC at Lake Anne Plaza is inviting you to try — and possibly win a year’s supply of raw pet food.

The pet store is participating in the National Raw Pet Food Challenge.The challenge asks contestants who have never fed their pet raw food before to feed them raw food for 30 days as their main source of nutrition.

That means no grains, no kibble, nothing with any chemical preservatives or that is highly processed. At the end of the 30 day period, contestants will submit a video detailing how Raw Food affected the health of their pet during the challenge, says PetMAC owner Cindy Williams.

The winner will be chosen at random from all the videos to receive a FREE year’s supply of Answers Pet Food, up to a $2,000 value.

All contestants will receive a 25 percent discount off Answers Pet Food, Raw Goat’s Milk and Fish Stock at PetMAC Lake Anne for the duration of the contest, said Williams.

The goal of this contest is to educate pet owners about the health benefits of a natural pet diet and to increase the lifespan and health of our pets, she said.

“Processed foods have created an obesity crisis for our pets,” said Williams. “By getting our pets back to basics and feeding them what they are naturally designed to eat, we hope to reverse the damage caused by highly-processed, inferior-quality foods that permeate the pet food industry.”

Williams said that benefits to a raw diet include improved digestion, healthier skin and coat with less shedding, reduced allergy symptoms, and better weight control, among others.

Want to enter? Sign no later than Aug. 7 at the store at 11412 Washington Plaza West or contact cindy@petmac.org.

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WASHINGTON — If Geno looks worried, it’s only because he hasn’t met you yet. Geno is a 9-month-old pup who is still trying to figure it all out, but once he does, he is so sweet.

Like many shelter dogs, his ancestry is a bit of a mystery, but he looks rather like a miniature Australian cattle dog mixed with a Dachshund. Whatever he is, he certainly is cute!

Geno is a bit concerned around other dogs and needs a home without small children. He’s yearning for a human companion who will love him and help build his confidence. Could that be you? Visit the Washington Animal Rescue League, look Geno in his eyes, and tell him everything will be alright.

About WARL: Founded in 1914, the Washington Animal Rescue League is the oldest animal shelter in Washington D.C. Its mission includes rescuing, rehabilitating and finding homes for animals who have no where else to go. The League also supports animals through affordable veterinary care, community outreach and education. Learn more about the Washington Animal Rescue League at www.warl.org.

If you are thinking of adding a furry friend to your family, check out these other great shelters in the area:

Maryland

Humane Society of Charles County
(301) 645-8181
71 Industrial Park Dr. PO Box 1015 Waldorf, Md. 20604

Humane Society of Charles County offers a low cost spay/neuter program to the public. Please call or visit our website for more information. The shelter is also looking for more foster parents to help its animals.

Prince George’s County Humane Society
(301) 262-5625
P.O. Box 925 Bowie, Md. 20718
Prince George’s County Humane Society is also looking for foster parents. For more information, contact the organization.

PAW — Partnership for Animal Welfare
(301) 572-4729
P.O. Box 1074 Greenbelt, Md. 20768

Paws Animal Kingdom
(301) 920-2318
P.O. Box 11531 Takoma Park, Md. 20912

Montgomery County Humane Society
(240) 773-5960
14645 Rothgeb Dr. Rockville, Md. 20850

The Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County
(301) 740-2511
12 Park Ave. Gaithersburg, Md. 20877

D.C.

Washington Humane Society
(202) 576-6664
1201 New York Ave. NE 20002

ASAP — Alliance for Stray Animals and People
(202) 331-1330
P.O. Box 65438 Washington, D.C. 20035-5438

Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue
(202) 575-2210
Approved applicants may attend monthly adoption meets that are usually held at the house of a volunteer in either Northern Virginia or Southern Maryland.

Lucky Dog Animal Rescue
(202) 741-5428
Lucky Dog is a foster home organization and does not run a dedicated housing facility.

Northern Virginia

A Forever Home
(703) 961-8690
A Forever-Home is a nonprofit dog rescue group that operates in the Northern Virginia/Washington Metropolitan area.

Lab Rescue of L.R.C.P.
(301) 299-6756
Lab Rescue of the LRCP is a volunteer driven, nonprofit organization that rescues, fosters and places homeless, abused, and/or abandoned Labrador retrievers.

FOHA — Friends of Homeless Animals
(703) 385-0224
All visitors must speak to a Friends representative before receiving directions to their shelter location.

SPCA of Northern Virginia
P.O. Box 100220 Arlington, Va. 22210-3220
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria
(703) 746-4774
4101 Eisenhower Ave. Alexandria, Va. 22304

Animal Welfare League of Arlington
(703) 931-9241
2650 S. Arlington Mill Dr. Arlington, Va.

Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation
(703) 295-3647
P.O. Box 223953 Chantilly, Va. 20153

HART — Homeless Animal Rescue Team
(703) 691-HART
P.O. Box 7261 Fairfax Station, Va. 22039-7261

King Street Cats Rescue and Adoption
(703) 231-7199
25 Dove St. Alexandria, Va. 22314

The post Pet of the Week: Geno appeared first on WTOP.

For the second time in five years, 156-year-old grocery store operator Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, laying out plans to sell off or close many of its stores.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the company, which currently operates 296 stores under the A&P, Best Cellars, Pathmark and Superfresh names, filed papers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York on Sunday.

New Jersey-based A&P, which has debts of about $2.3 billion and assets of about $1.6 billion, states in the filing that it has already begun talks with Acme Markets Inc. – the owner of Safeway and Albertsons supermarkets – Stop & Shop Supermarket Co and Key Food Stores Co-operative Inc about buying its assets.

Those supermarket companies are thought to be the lead bidders for as many as 120 of A&P’s stores at a purchase price of about $600 million, the WSJ reports.

The 120 stores affected by the possible purchase employ about 12,500 of A&P’s current 28,500 employees in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

In addition to the 120 stores up for sale, the company says it has already earmarked 25 locations for a quick closure. It was unclear how many people work at those locations.

A&P posted a note on its website Monday morning reassuring customers that many of its stores are open for business.

“The vast majority of our stores are operating normally and will be fully stocked during this process. While some stores will close in the near-term, the vast majority will continue providing customers with the same high-quality products and exceptional customer service,” the company said in a statement. “We will also continue to honor all existing customer promotional and loyalty programs. Serving our customers has been and will continue to be our #1 priority.”

This isn’t the first time A&P has run into financial issues. Back in 2010, the company filed for bankruptcy, only to reemerge two years later as a private company after obtaining financing from investors including Goldman Sachs and billionaire Ron Burkle, Reuters reports.

The company, which began as a mail order business in 1859, has struggled in recent years to keep up with discounts from large box stores likes of Walmart and Costco and high-end retailers like Whole Foods.

A&P Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy [The Wall Street Journal]
Grocery store chain A&P files for bankruptcy again [Reuters]

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — A Confederate flag has been taken down from outside the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/1DpVqfV ) reports that the flag, which has a different design than the Confederate battle flag, had flown over the shipyard in Portsmouth since 1967, alongside an American flag, a British flag and the flag of Virginia.

The controversial banner features the original flag design of the Confederacy, with seven stars representing the original states that seceded.

On Friday, following questions from the newspaper, a Naval spokeswoman said that Capt. Scott Brown ordered that all four flags be removed and placed in a museum.

Spokeswoman Terri Davis says the four flags had marked the shipyard’s 248-year history, but times change.

On Sunday, a photo on the shipyard’s Facebook page showed that all four flagpoles now feature American flags.

___

Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com

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Washington Times

Rolling Stone says University of Virginia rape accuser introduced by White ... Washington Times Students participating in rush pass by the Phi Kappa Psi house at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., on Jan. 15. (Associated Press) more >. By Jeffrey Scott Shapiro - The Washington Times - Sunday, July 19, 2015. Rolling Stone has ...

Prince William County community calendar - The Washington Post Washington Post Dale City Farmers Market 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Dale City Commuter Lot, (behind Center Plaza Shopping Center), Dale Boulevard, Dale City. 703-670-7112, Ext. 227. www.pwcparks.org. Free. Bristow farmers market 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Bristow Montessori School, parking ... DJ, Exxon service station, robbed last week in Manassas - Potomac Local ...PotomacLocal.com Police: Midnight Robber Steals Cash From Service Station | Manassas, VA PatchPatch.com all 10 news articles »

Parents want 2 books about Middle East removed from school Washington Times JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Parents of elementary school students in one Florida county are pushing to remove two books about conflict in the Middle East from school bookshelves. The Florida Times-Union (http://bit.ly/1OokKtk ) reported on Sunday that ... and more »

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) — A dog is missing after a house fire in Upper Marlboro.

WUSA-TV reports (http://on.wusa9.com/1gIAiNi ) that the house fire occurred on the 9800 block of Healy Court on Sunday. Officials responded to a report of a kitchen fire. All of the home’s residents were out of the house at the time of the blaze.

One dog was rescued from the home, and another is missing.

A firefighter was taken to the hospital for dehydration.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Her body was found in her third-floor apartment in Northwest Washington, and among the few valuables she left behind, police said, were a pair of mahogany leather boots, some cheap jewelry and $152 in cash.

Residents at her apartment complex said the woman, who was between 45 and 65 years old, developed a churlish reputation over the years. The only thing she was known more for besides her all-black ensemble and her affinity for cigarettes was her brusque demeanor.

“She was kind of an unusual lady,” one longtime resident of the Connecticut Avenue building said. “You weren’t really sure what to do (around her).”

More than six months after she was found dead of undetermined causes, no one knows her name.

In most instances, families and friends are notified fairly quickly about the death of a loved one. But there are also those found dead whose identities remain a mystery for months, even years or decades.

“There are families out there who don’t have closure,” said Officer Jonathan Perok of the Prince William County police department. “It’s hard for (the detectives) to know they have remains and to know a little bit about the person, and to know the family is out there.”

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, run by the U.S. Justice Department, authorities in Maryland have been unable to identify the remains of 296 people, with some cases dating back to the 1950s. There are 161 cases in Virginia, according to the agency, including many that have remained mysteries for years. Some were suicides or natural deaths; others were slain.

Some of the bodies were discovered more recently. D.C. authorities said they are continuing to search for the identities of 20 sets of human remains or bodies found in the past decade. From 2009 through last year, there were 37 unidentified bodies in Maryland and 25 in Virginia, officials said.

When the obvious means to identify someone are exhausted, police turn to small clues — putting out descriptions with details of tattoos, clothing and jewelry in hopes that a friend or loved one will recognize them.

In November 2013, a woman’s body was found on the shore of the Potomac River. She was in her 60s or 70s and wore a gold ring on the ring finger of her left hand. In January 2012, an infant girl was found wrapped in a striped towel in the 3000 block of Channing Street SE. She died a few hours later of hypothermia.

In 1984, in Prince William County, a young Asian man was found strangled near the ramp from Joplin Road to Interstate 95.

All of their identities remain unknown.

Perok said breaks in these types of cases don’t come quickly, which makes it even tougher for those affected. “A lot of the time, it is just a waiting game,” he said.

Peter Gastelle knows what that’s like. His sister Cynthia vanished in April 1980 after she left her Takoma Park home for a job interview in Silver Spring. The 18-year-old had attempted to run away twice before and was nearly successful in changing her identity, Gastelle said, so his family waited several days to report her missing.

As time passed and she never came back, he said a part of him hoped she had formed a new life. But in May 2012, authorities matched DNA from his siblings to a skeleton that had been found in Prince William County in 1982. Cynthia Gastelle had been dead for decades.

“The not knowing is always the worst thing,” Peter Gastelle said. “As the years went by, you start to think that something terrible did happen, but you don’t want to let that genie out of the bottle.”

Cynthia’s skeleton showed injuries consistent with a stabbing, police said at the time. No arrest had been made. Now that the Gastelles know Cynthia is gone, their focus has turned to finding her killer.

“We were kind of happy living in a dream world,” Gastelle said of thinking Cynthia was alive and well. “Now we live with a brutal reality with a far dimmer hope that the perpetrator gets caught.”

Gastelle said his advice to families with missing loved ones would be to exhaust every effort. “My message to my peers in this awful club that we belong to is to not give up hope,” he said. “There are tools out there (you can use). Retrace the steps of your loved ones. Be a detective yourself.”

Detective Wayne Promisel of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said when a body is found, investigators look for any clues that can help point them in the right direction, including tire tracks, cigarette butts and bottles.

Since 1988, the Loudoun sheriff’s office has found three bodies — two infants and one adult — that could not be identified after an initial investigation, according to department spokeswoman Liz Mills. The infants were found in a pond; the adult, who had been shot, was discovered as a skeleton found wrapped in a blanket in a wooded area, according to the authorities. Those cases remain under investigation.

David Fowler, Maryland’s chief medical examiner, said his office usually is able to identify a body through fingerprints. “A significant number of people have fingerprints on file for one reason or the other,” Fowler said.

Facial reconstruction can be used to help identify victims whose bodies or skeletal remains are badly decomposed but it isn’t 100 percent effective, Fowler said.

And some people take steps to hide their identities, Fowler said.

Perhaps the most unusual thing about the woman found dead on Nov. 5, 2014, in the Connecticut Avenue apartment is that she had a roommate of several years. Richard David Vail, now deceased, told authorities that they had been living together for 10 years, but he didn’t know her name, according to Vail’s brother, James.

James Vail said his brother took the woman in off the streets. She was homeless and didn’t wish to reveal her identity.

“She remained largely a mystery to Richard,” James Vail said.

Why did Richard Vail invite a homeless woman to live with him, rent-free? “Because that’s the type of person he was,” James Vail said. “He was selfless.” So selfless, he said, that the woman slept in his brother’s bed while Richard Vail took the floor.

James Vail said that his brother didn’t pester his roommate about her identity or possible family. In the last several weeks before she died, Richard Vail told his brother that the woman was sick, but James Vail said he didn’t know the extent of her illness.

Richard Vail died in February of natural causes. He was 76.

Three months after Vail died, police sent out a statement asking for the public’s help in identifying the woman. They provided details about when she was found, and they asked for anyone with information about her or how she died to come forward. Police said that the woman had no identification and no mail, prescriptions or other paperwork that could identify her.

Like other departments, they keep looking for answers.

“We would love to connect a family to a victim,” Loudoun County Detective Steve Schochet said. “I think when you’re in homicide, you’re always thinking of victims and their families.”

___

Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com

The post Police keep looking for answers to unidentified remains appeared first on WTOP.

There are two recalls going on right now for stuffed chicken breasts because of the risk that they might be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have figured out who is sick from what: seven of the documented infections resulting from these foods so far are only from the Barber Foods recall, and three are from the larger Koch Foods recall.

Experts know this because they’re able to match bacteria found in the chicken dishes to bacteria found in people who are sick. One strain matches to the three people in Minnesota who are known to be sick from the Koch Foods chicken, and the other seven cases in Minnesota and Wisconsin trace back to the Barber Foods strain.

Check your freezer for frozen chicken breasts with USDA establishment numbers:
P-4230A (a similar recall of Omaha Steaks chicken products)
P-1358 (Aspen Foods)
P-276 (Barber Foods)

Food poisoning outbreaks typically make more people sick than companies and the government announce, since samples are taken only from patients who visit a doctor or who are hospitalized. Some people have no symptoms from Salmonella infections. Typically, they have fever and abdominal distress for four to seven days, but children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems can become more seriously ill and should seek medical attention.

Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis Infections Linked to Raw, Frozen, Stuffed Chicken Entrees Produced by Barber Foods [CDC] (via Food Safety News)

PREVIOUSLY:
2 Million More Stuffed Chicken Breasts Recalled For Possible Salmonella
1.7 Million Pounds Of Barber Foods Chicken Products Recalled For Possible Salmonella

We’ve told you before about Comcast not really paying attention to the payments it receives — like the woman who accidentally sent them her rent check and found that it had been deposited in the cable company’s account — but here’s a story of a man who isn’t even a Comcast customer but found that $500 had been taken out of his bank account anyway.

The man tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer that not only isn’t he a Comcast subscriber, but the cable giant doesn’t serve his area.

But there it was on his bank statement: $500 paid to Comcast.

His bank, Huntington, didn’t appear to give him too much of a hassle, crediting the money to his account after he filled out the proper documents. But how did this happen?

The bank pinned the blame on an “incorrect keystroke,” but as the Plain Dealer’s Teresa Dixon Murray notes it could also be fraud.

All one needs to process an electronic bank-to-bank check (aka an “Automated Clearing House” or ACH payment) is the bank account number, and the account’s relevant bank routing number. This information is available on your standard printed check, so anyone who gets their hands on an old check has everything they need.

“They don’t need your name or address or ZIP code or anything else,” writes Dixon Murray. “So if someone wants to pay for something online or by phone with an ACH… he or she could pick a bank and find its routing number, which is easy. And then pick an account number with the correct number of digits. Gold!”

ACH transactions are monitored by NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association — but that’s no guarantee that errors and fraud won’t happen.

Someone fraudulently using another person’s account info for ACH transactions will likely be caught in the long, but only if the victim spots the bogus transactions. As the man in this story noted, if he hadn’t caught the questionable statement entries himself, his accountant probably would have assumed it was a legitimate purchases.

“My accountant would have no idea whether Comcast was my internet provider and, if I had not checked, it would have been written off as a business expense,” he explains.

The best you can do is to be careful about not sharing your account info — Dixon Murray even suggests having a smaller, secondary checking account for writing checks to people or businesses you don’t necessarily trust — and to remain vigilant about checking your accounts for signs of potential errors or fraud.

As any ambitious kid (or former kid) who’s tried to bring in a big haul from running a sidewalk lemonade stand knows, it isn’t easy to make a lot of money from selling drinks for a nickel (or $1, whatever a cup of lemonade goes for these days). Two young entrepreneurial spirits faced an even tougher situation for their fledgling business, after police say a guy overturned their lemonade stand and made off with all their profits.

An 18-year-old California man was arrested on suspicion of knocking over two teens’ lemonade stand, both literally and figuratively, reports the L.A. Times.

The man walked up to the stand on Wednesday afternoon and even though he said he didn’t have any money, the two 13-year-olds girls gave him some lemonade, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department says.

Authorities said he walked away for a moment before coming back and overturning the stand, grabbing the cash box filled with about $30 and running off with it. One of the girls’ brothers took off after him and confronted him, but returned with only the empty money box.

A sheriff’s deputy caught up with him about 10 minutes later and arrested him on suspicion of strong-arm robbery, officials said.

Man accused of toppling girls’ lemonade stand and fleeing with $30 [Los Angeles Times]

On Amazon, not only can the price of a product change from minute to minute, but you often have multiple sellers offering the same product at different products. How is a bricks-and-mortar retailer supposed to compete with that level of flexibility and agility? Not having to print out new price tags every time you tweak a price might be a start.

Bloomberg reports on the growing trend of electronic price tags, which have already been deployed at Kohl’s and Nebraska Furniture Mart, a small chain of massive home furnishing warehouse stores.

The tags not only allow for making a quick price change, but could let a retailer make price changes across multiple outlets simultaneously.

So, in theory, if Amazon or some other competitor drops their price, a retailer with one of these price tags could respond accordingly. The hope is that this could help to cut down on “showrooming,” the practice of using physical retail stores to get eyes/hands-on with a product and then going online to get it for less.

“If we have a TV for $1,200 and Amazon has it for $900, customers are going to say, what the heck, your prices are not the lowest,” David Bash, chief information officer at Nebraska Furniture Mart, tells Bloomberg, though he notes that the store limits price changes to once a day to minimize confusion for customers.

Stores could also take advantage of smartphone-based functionalities with these electronic tags, helping customers navigate rows or find items on shelves by causing tags of sought-after products to blink when the shopper approaches.

As you’d expect, it’s not cheap to change over an entire store from traditional paper/plastic shelf labels to the new-fangled electronic ones. A large retailer can end up spending in the six figures to update a single location.

“This is not an inexpensive solution,” admits a rep for Swedish company Pricer, a manufacturer of this tag technology. “It’s starting to gain a lot more interest. Over the next year or two, you’ll see a lot more retailers rolling them out.”

For stores that are frequently modifying prices or rearranging shelves, electronic tags could save labor costs in the long-run, allowing stores to cut prices to compete with online sellers. Stores could also take those employees who would have been spending their time redoing price labels and put them to work serving customers.

WASHINGTON — Summer is a good time for vacations, and it is also a popular time for families to make a move to a new home or apartment.

But moving can be a stressful time not only for humans, but for the family pets.

“Start preparing them now, before your move,” said Dr. Katy Nelson, a veterinarian  with Belle Haven Animal Medical Centre in Alexandria, Virginia.

Nelson said dog and cats that only go into the carrier for check-ups need to be re-introduced to the carriers so they are not petrified when they come out on moving day.

Before the moving trucks roll in, check with the movers and make sure it is OK to have animals around. If it is not allowed, owners may need to find somewhere to keep their pets on moving day.

As the trucks are being loaded, Nelson said owners need to make sure that their pets are secured. With people coming in and out of the home, pets may escape when a door is left open. There also needs to be a safe a secure place for the pets at the new home as the movers bring in boxes and furniture.

Nelson said at the new place, owners need to explore before pets are allowed to do the same.

“You don’t know all the hiding places in this one [home], you don’t know if there is a hole in the back of the cabinet where the cat can get into the wall,” she said.

Consider making the setup at the new home similar to the setup at the previous home when it comes to furniture and litter box placement. Nelson said pets, especially cats, can get very attached to their surroundings, so a somewhat familiar layout will make the move easier on them.

Finally, remain calm during the move. Nelson said pets quickly pick up on our stress so calm owners will help prevent animals from getting worked up.

After the move, updating tags and microchips with the new address should be a priority.

The post Helping pets handle the stress of a move appeared first on WTOP.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — So, this summer getting too hot for you? Try being a blacksmith — not because you have to because it’s your job, but because it’s fun.

Members of the Chesapeake Forge Blacksmith Guild gathered at their “clubhouse” at Kinder Farm Park on Sunday, sweating over one of four 1,500 degree coal forges, tinkering with their metal projects.

The whir of a fan boosting the fire’s heat was punctuated by the loud ping from hammers hitting glowing hot steel on anvils.

“Welding!” shouted Mark Ramey, of Arnold, warning others that serious sparks were about to fly as he took his hammer to a thick piece of steel he would fold onto itself to build strength so that he could later form into a knife. About 30 whacks later, he returned the steel to the fire.

It was a slow, repetitive process: heating metal until it glowed like the bituminous coal of the fire; then taking it from the fire to the anvil to pound and bend, or twist into candleholders, a trammel hook, an iron tripod for campfire cooking, or an ambitious Damascus steel piece that will someday become a knife.

All on hand Sunday had started by taking introductory smithing lessons from Paul Wiedorn, who also serves as the guild treasurer.

Safety is first during the initiating lessons, offered four times a year, usually in the cooler winter months. “We give them a tour, and the first half of the day is all about safety, and some of the basic tools,” said Wiedorn, who got involved nine years ago when his son expressed an interest in the blacksmithing at Kinder Park.

By the end of the day, students try their hand at making something.

“Pokers. Lots of pokers, that first day,” Wiedorn said.

On Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings, the guild members show up to the forge building, a post and beam structure built with pegs — no nails.

Ramey showed up hoping to use the shop’s power hammer to quicken the pace of the pounding required to turn two pieces of high carbon steel into a Damascus knife blank.

But the hammer was taken apart in the middle of refurbishing, and he had to resort to the old ways — heating and pounding the two pieces together, then repeating until the new single piece is large enough to fold over onto itself.

He will do that at least nine times to build layers of steel. It’s similar to making puff pastry, layer after layer, fold after fold. And a super strong chunk of steel, made stronger from the layers, can be fashioned into a knife that will hold its extra sharp edge much longer than other blades.

“I will be a better blacksmith from knife-making,” Ramey said, wiping sweat from his brow. It took him nearly three hours to complete one fold.

Cliff Greene, of Crofton, was heating and pounding three 4-foot-long pieces of iron that he will stretch and taper to form a tripod.

“I’ll use camping to hang a pot over a fire,” he said, as he scooped coal over one of the pieces to heat it faster.

He joined the guild last October and said he has finished 30 or 40 projects.

“First was the poker. Then hooks. Then more hooks. They are good for teaching you how to handle the hammers.”

And there were scores of hammers for jobs hanging from the work benches in front of each chimney at opposite ends of the small-barn like building. Each chimney handles two forges.

Levi Hoover, of Glen Burnie, was fashioning a trammel hook, a long straight piece of metal with several round holes for yet another hook to slip into and hang a pot at different heights over a fire.

With help holding the hot metal in a hardy tool, Hoover drove a chisel into the glowing metal. Once through, another round, tapered chisel was driven through the hole to form a near perfect circle.

Five or six holes were punched through his piece before he turned to making the hook that will fit his creation.

Sunday was a cooperative atmosphere with young smiths dropping one thing to help another. All took time to answer questions from park visitors who wandered through the building, careful to mind the warning to stay on the asphalt walkway in the middle to keep from getting too close to the heat or sparks.

Andrew Pavlicek, of Odenton, was twisting a thin piece of rounded metal stock in concentric circles to fashion a candle holder.

“I am almost done,” he said. “Hopefully, I am not sweating in vain here.”

When his wife arrived late in the afternoon session, he showed her the piece. She mentioned the hole curled just so for a candle to rest in might be a little big.

“Uh, well I can fix that next time,” he said.

All it takes is a little heat, and a little more sweat.

___

Information from: The Capital, http://www.capitalgazette.com/

The post Maryland blacksmith guild proves its mettle appeared first on WTOP.

This is a sponsored post by Elizabeth Arguelles, veterinarian and owner of Just Cats Clinic at Lake Anne Plaza. 

One of the hardest things to accept as a pet parent is the undeniable reality that we will likely outlive our furry friends. Proper veterinary care can certainly help you get many long happy years with your kitty, but the difference in our average lifespans means that you will probably have to say goodbye to a beloved friend and part of your life.

For many, this can be as emotionally difficult and painful as losing a human member of the family. The resulting grief can be debilitating and can cause wider problems if not dealt with effectively.

Fortunately, there are strategies for coping with the death of a beloved pet. The first step is to better understand your own emotional response. There are five generally accepted stages that one passes through on the journey from the initial loss to a place of healing and recovery. Let’s look at each one a little more closely:

1. Shock, disbelief and denial: When a cat parent first loses a beloved friend, the enormity of the situation, the intense pain and the feeling of bereavement often overwhelm the person’s capacity to handle them. Refusing to believe or accept reality is a fairly common mechanism for coping. Denial of the grief associated with the loss can also help the person continue to function when forced to deal with “necessary evils” like cremation or burial arrangements.

2. Anger: Once the initial shock wears off and the person accepts the reality of the situation, it is not uncommon for him or her to grow very angry. This anger can either be expressed outwardly, inwardly or in both directions simultaneously. In the first case, the person might blame the veterinarian or seek to identify ways in which the cat’s care was responsible for the death. He or she might also get angry at the cat itself for “going away” and leaving the parent behind.

It is also common for people to blame the universe, fate or some other higher power for letting them down. In the second case, the bereaved turns his or her anger inwards and blames him or herself for not having done enough to save a beloved friend.

3. Bargaining/making deals: People try to often overcome their feelings of helplessness by trying to strike a real or imaginary deal to effect a change in the circumstances. This is often called the “if-only” stage.

4. Depression: Once the full weight of the situation has been understood on an emotional level, the bereaved tends to become consumed by feelings of sadness. The feelings at the root of the depression can often be put into two categories.

In the first are sadness and regret. Sadness at having lost a beloved family member and regret that the parent might have neglected other responsibilities while caring for the sick cat. In the second are more subtle and private emotions, such as a feeling of isolation and an inability to express one’s feelings. These are often accompanied by a general sense of confusion and difficulty concentrating on everyday life.

5. Acceptance: The final stage of the grieving process is when recovery starts. The bereaved can talk more freely about their loss and begins to access the situation on a more objective and rational level. Often this stage of the grief process also incorporates remembering the pet during happier times instead of focusing on the sadness and loss.

In considering the different stages of the grieving process, it is important to remember that the duration and intensity of the feelings experienced at each step will depend on the individual person. And even more crucial is the understanding that all of the feelings are completely normal.

Perhaps the most important part of the process is understanding that your grief is real and that it’s validated. Losing a pet is losing a member of the family and it’s only natural that you’ll need to grieve at your own pace.

Throughout the grieving process, finding healthy outlets for your emotions can be a good way to ease the pain associated with the loss. One that many pet parents choose is to find a way to memorialize their beloved feline friend.

• Buy and wear a piece of jewelry in memory of your cat. Many vendors make pendants into which a little piece of your kitty’s fur or cremains can be placed.
• Get an urn that reminds you of happier times. If you choose to have your cat cremated, there are urns that allow you to put a picture of your kitty on them.
• Make a photo tribute to your cat. Decorating your house with photos of your beloved cat can help you feel like your kitty is still with you.
• Have a portrait of your kitty painted. Similarly, immortalizing your cat in piece of art that hangs on your wall can be a good way to keep them from slipping from your memory.
• Plant a tree or a flowering bush in your cat’s honor.
• Keep a journal. Writing down things that you remember about your cat in the immediate aftermath of its passing can help ensure that happy memories are preserved forever. Reading through it later can remind you of the joyful moments you shared with your feline friend.
• Donation to a local cat shelter or rescue foundation in your cat’s name. Sometimes helping other kitties and their parents can be both a good way to deal with your grief and to keep your own cat’s memory alive.

Whatever the circumstances of the passing of your cat, it is important to remember that other people understand the bond you had with your pet and can offer you support and understanding throughout the grieving process.

The post Beyond 9 Lives: Coping With a Pet’s Death appeared first on WTOP.

WJLA

Leesburg residents rally for, against Confederate soldier monument WJLA LEESBURG, V.A. (WJLA) - After the shooting tragedy in Charleston, many communities across the south have debated when and where Confederate battle flags or monuments should be on public display. That debate arrived in Leesburg, Virginia Saturday. Protest of Bronze Statue Draws NAACP to LeesburgNBC4 Washington all 5 news articles »

7 cars found burning in Centreville neighborhood Washington Post CENTREVILLE, Va. — Investigators say seven vehicles were found burning in a planned community in Centreville. Fairfax County police say the fires broke out between 3:50 a.m. and 4:40 a.m. Saturday in the Little Rocky Run community. No injuries were ... and more »

PotomacLocal.com

Why Manassas Regional Airport's code is HEF and other fun facts PotomacLocal.com In May, press was buzzing about the World War II fighter bombers that were based at the Manassas Regional Airport for the Victory Capitol Flyover for the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. While special events like the flyover, airshows ... and more »

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — Colonial Williamsburg’s plan for a musket-shooting range has passed one hurdle.

The Daily Press (http://bit.ly/1HSmZiS ) reports that Williamsburg’s Planning Commission gave the thumbs up this week to the shooting range, sending the proposal to City Council.

The musket range would be located between a golf course and the Colonial Parkway. It would include a 20-foot berm behind the target area, and 10-foot high berms along the sides of the site.

Colonial Williamsburg is hopeful the musket range will attract more visitors to the heritage attraction. It has seen visitors decline over the past decade.

___

Information from: Daily Press, http://www.dailypress.com/

The post At Colonial Williamsburg, a musket-shooting range, of course appeared first on WTOP.

Editor’s Note: Healthy Paws is a new column sponsored and written by the owners of Clarendon Animal Care, a full-service, general practice veterinary clinic. The clinic is located 3000 10th Street N., Suite B. and can be reached at 703-997-9776.

Most of you have likely brought a stool sample in to your pet’s annual veterinary visit, perhaps wondering in the back of your mind why it’s necessary to check a stool sample on an annual basis, especially if you have a cat or dog that spends minimal time outdoors.

Roundworms, hookworms, Giardia and coccidia are the most common intestinal parasites in our geographical region, and all but coccidia also have the potential to be zoonotic — transmissible to human beings — thus deserving special attention.

Roundworms, most specifically Toxocara canis (in dogs) and Toxocara gati (in cats), were found to be present in 1/79 (1.2%) of dogs and 1/26 (3.82%) of cats in Arlington County. Infection can occur via ingestion of infective eggs, in utero transmission (dogs only), or transmammary transmission, which is why it is seen so commonly in puppies and kittens. Infection can cause pot-bellied appearance, failure to thrive, and gastrointestinal signs; puppies infected in utero are most likely to be severely sick. Roundworm eggs are often found in soil, including houseplant potting soil (a source of infection for indoor-only cats). Children, with their propensity to put things in their mouths, are most at risk for zoonotic infection. Due to the complicated migration of roundworm throughout the body tissues upon ingestion in an inappropriate host, symptoms in humans can include visceral larva migrans and ocular larva migrans. Ocular larva migrans is a cause of retinal damage and partial blindness in children and can be mistaken for the more severe disease, retinoblastoma (cancer), resulting in an unnecessary removal of the eye.

Hookworms (Ancylostoma species.), found in 2.21% of dogs and 0.51% of cats in Arlington County, are transmitted via ingestion of infected eggs, as well as transmammary transmission; the larval stages of hookworm also have the ability to penetrate intact skin to infect their host. Hookworms suck blood from the wall of the intestinal tract and can lead to severe anemia and even death in young puppies; older dogs may show diarrhea as the primary sign. Hookworms are most often contracted by humans when they directly penetrate the skin, leading to cutaneous larva migrans.

Giardia, a protozoan parasite, is a common cause of intestinal symptoms in cats and dogs — primarily diarrhea, and less commonly vomiting, inappetence, or weight loss. According to the CAPC, 15.6% of dogs and 10.3% of cats with compatible symptoms tested positive for Giardia, though there are distinct regional differences, with infection being more common in some areas than others. Giardia is the most common intestinal parasite of humans in the U.S., causing similar gastrointestinal signs to those seen in our pets, such as diarrhea, bloating and cramping. Transmission in both humans and dogs results from ingestion of cysts shed in the feces of infected animals, typically from contaminated water. Fortunately, Giardia subspecies are quite species-specific so transmission between humans and pets is uncommon in healthy individuals. Children, elderly, or otherwise immune-deficient individuals are most at risk for transmission from an infected pet.

Coccidia (Isospora species), another protozoan parasite, though not thought to be zoonotic, is a common intestinal parasite, especially in puppies and kittens who do not have fully developed immune systems. It is also more common in pets from intense breeding, hoarding and shelter situations as it is very hardy in the environment. The most recent prevalence data from CAPC showed that Coccida was present in approximately 3% of dogs and cats in Pennsylvania (the closest state with prevalence data).

In general, pet-to-human transmission of roundworms, hookworms and Giardia can be minimized by removing feces from the environment on a daily basis and hand-washing after any potential contamination. Once in the environment, it is extremely difficult to decontaminate the environment; however, if stools are picked up immediately there is little chance of transmission to other pets and/or humans. It is also important to dispose of feces with the municipal waste, as it otherwise has the potential to contaminate water sources.

Other intestinal parasites found less commonly in our pets include whipworms (dogs), tapeworms, stomach worms, Toxoplasma (cats), and Strongyloides. In addition to your pet’s veterinarian, the Companion Animal Parasite Council is a fantastic resource for all things parasite-related.

The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

The post Healthy Paws: Intestinal Parasites appeared first on WTOP.

Disgraced Planned Parenthood Official Works For White House Staff...Her 'Right ... Daily Caller Records reveal that Nucatola was employed by a former White House staffer at the time that she was selling aborted baby fetus parts. A staunch political advocate, Nucatola railed against the “right-wing” Bush administration. What's more, she so enjoyed ...

DC's Chinatown has only 300 Chinese Americans left, and they're fighting to stay. Washington Post Jenny Tang remembers when Chinatown was still Chinatown. It was a neighborhood of empty lots, but the streets were crowded with people — shoppers, merchants, children, the elderly. Many of them were locals, and nearly all of them Chinese. She needed ...

NBC4 Washington

Dog Escapes From Crate Onto Dulles Airfield NBC4 Washington HERNDON, VA - MAY 4: A United Airlines flight takes off May 4, 2004 from Dulles Airport one of the area airports in the Washington, DC May 4, 2004 in Herndon, Virginia. According a report by the Washington Times, federal officials have pinpointed the ...

Another day, another Facebook scam that has suckered more than 25,000 people in just a matter of hours — in spite of the fact that nothing about this supposed giveaway indicates that it’s legitimate.

Let’s again break down the most obvious signs that this scam is just harvesting “Likes” for some unscrupulous moron to try to flip for a profit before they get caught by Facebook.

1. The Page’s Name
Apparently none of the 26,000+ people who shared this scam noticed that the name of arguably the most famous theme park on the planet is inexplicably written as “Walt Disney-World.”

Yes, aside from the random hyphen, that “.” is part of the name, an indicator that a scammer is trying to impersonate a popular “Verified” account of a big brand.

It’s the same trick that “United Airlines.” tried to pull earlier this month.

2. No History

Accepting for a moment that maybe the head of Disney’s social media team has no idea how to write the park’s name, why does the Facebook page for one of the world’s biggest tourist destinations only have a single post and no history before earlier today?

Because it’s a scam and you should apologize to all your friends for littering their timelines with it.

3. Lack Of Fine Print

The Walt Disney Company has a market cap of more than $200 billion, and owns everything from the theme parks to publishing interests to ABC, ESPN, and other TV/film/home entertainment brands.

A company with that much to lose isn’t going to just give away prizes worth thousands of dollars with complete disregard to federal and state laws.

This is not a company that plays fast and loose with fine print. If you’ve any doubt, I point you to the entire website that Disney has set up with Terms of Service for its various properties in multiple languages.

Do you think a business that translates its online terms of service into both Canadian French and good ol’ French is going to hand out boxes of cash because you liked a photo?

Please feel free to like and share this story; you won’t win anything, we promise.

Where is a business supposed to draw the line between a traditional employee and an independent contractor hired by the company? Some say it’s a question of hours worked, or whether the position is project-based, while others claim it’s whatever the company and the worker agree to call it. In an effort to clarify the matter, the U.S. Dept. of Labor has chimed in with new guidance for employers.

The guidance [PDF] — essentially Labor’s interpretation of the Fair Labor Standards Act — comes amid growing debate about the pros and cons of the independent contractor model. Supporters of the idea argue that the flexibility of contractor arrangements allows “independent entrepreneurs” to flourish. Detractors claim that the companies are using contractors to cut down on labor costs.

According to the Dept. of Labor, the newly released guidance is meant to assist workers and employers in understanding current labor laws. The interpretation is modeled on tests that courts have used in the past to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. Those examinations look at the “economic realities” surrounding an individual and those realities relationship to an employer.

Based on that approach, the Dept. contends that if a worker is “economically dependent” on the employer, that individual is considered an employee. If the person is in business for him or herself, they are an independent contractor.

“The Labor Department supports the use of legitimate independent contractors − who play an important role in our economy − but when employers deliberately misclassify employees in an attempt to cut costs, everyone loses,” the Dept. said in a statement.

The Dept. suggests that by following these guidelines and taking into account a worker’s economic situation, companies can avoid misclassifying workers and subsequent lawsuits, such as those faced in the past by Uber, FedEx and Google.

“Misclassification of employees as independent contractors is found in an increasing number of workplaces in the United States, in part reflecting larger restructuring of business organizations,” the guidance states. “When employers improperly classify employees as independent contractors, the employees may not receive important workplace protections such as the minimum wage, overtime compensation, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.”

The memorandum offers several real-world examples that show how the distinction between a contractor and an employee can be murky.

For a construction company that frames residential homes, carpenters are integral to the employer’s business because the company is in business to frame homes, and carpentry is an integral part of providing that service.

In contrast, the same construction company may contract with a software developer to create software that, among other things, assists the company in tracking its bids, scheduling projects and crews, and tracking material orders. The software developer is performing work that is not integral to the construction company’s business, which is indicative of an independent contractor.

According to the AP, while the new guidance tries to simplify definitions for employers, it could make it more difficult for companies to use independent contractors.

“The pendulum is swinging away from classifying workers as contractors and toward employees,” Michael Droke, an employment law partner at Dorsey and Whitney, said. “Employers should be more cautious in identifying workers as contractors.”

Disputes over whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee are a long-running issue in labor law in general. Companies that habitually do this and are sued by employees – or as companies refer to them as, freelancers.

The most recent case occurred just last month, when the California Labor Commission declared a former driver for Uber was considered an employee.

The decision, which applies only to the one specific driver, could have significant implications for the ride-sharing company and others.

For workers at Uber, Lyft, and similar services, the difference is a significant one. Being an independent contractor, as drivers are defined now, means that drivers are responsible for supplying their cars, maintaining the vehicles, and paying for gasoline. It also gives the companies a convenient shield when they’re accused of discriminating against disabled passengers: it’s the drivers who aren’t picking up service dogs; the app is just a ride-hailing platform and payment-processing service.

If drivers are found to be employees, as the driver in this case was, they would be entitled to have Uber pay their car expenses, as well as other costs that employers are supposed to cover. For all workers, that would include the employer’s portion of Social Security, worker’s compensation, unemployment insurance, and benefits like health insurance if the employee works full-time hours.

Employee or contractor? Labor Department seeks to clarify rules [The Associated Press]