pileofcrapola

Or... just be an adorable kitten that no one could refuse. 

Sure, sure, you can make a alleged faux Key Lime pie out of crushed-up Oreos, flavored gelatin, and whipped non-dairy topping, but why would you do that when you can have an entirely different Oreo-infested simulation of the actual pie?

Yes, Nabisco has inflicted Key Lime Pie Oreos on the world. They’re using the graham crackers from their S’moreos along with a variation on last summer’s limeade-flavored creme. This offers a faint glimmer of hope that they may be running out of ideas.

Like the other “limited edition” novelty flavors, these pie-flavored cookies come in a package that’s only 10.7 ounces, slimming down the package rather than the cookie.

We didn’t hear about this product before it hit stores, which means that Nabisco might finally have a handle on the flavor-leakers who would let horrified bloggers know in advance about the new flavors. We spotted these at a Price Chopper store in upstate New York, and our snack pals over at The Impulsive Buy reported a sighting last week at H-E-B in Texas.

WASHINGTON —It’s already July, but you can still squeeze in a summer vacation with the family without breaking the bank.

Check out apps such as HotelTonight and Hotels.com for last minute hotel deals. Meanwhile,  on Trivago.com, click on a beach icon to find cheap hotels near the water.

According to The Financial Post, travelers in Maryland and Virginia can cut costs even more by camping in the state parks there. 

National Parks are great family destinations, too, and the annual National Parks pass covers fees at more than 2,000 sites for $80. Passes are free for members of the military and their dependents.

When eating out, try to visit restaurants at lunch instead of dinner when prices are usually cheaper — or pack your own food in a big cooler.

Financial planner Janice Cackowski tells the Post that by packing milk, a box of cereal, yogurt and fruit, one can eat a healthy breakfast at a quarter of the cost of eating out.

The post Tips for cheap last-minute vacations appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — Neatly plowed fields, towering stalks of corn and a charming red barn all paint the picture of a classic American farm. But that image is about to change. The new face of agriculture could be a cluster of steel containers.

With more than 700,000 unused shipping containers in the U.S., recent environmental efforts have focused on finding new uses for the large vessels.

As a result, architects are fashioning them into homes, restaurants are incorporating them into their designs and homeowners are transforming the crates into backyard sheds.

Local Roots Farms is also thinking outside of the steel box when it comes to recycling sea containers: It’s turning them into urban farms. And soon, the L.A.-based company hopes to expand its operation to D.C.

“People are realizing that we need a sustainable and very cost-effective source of produce,” says Local Roots co-founder Daniel Kuenzi.

Growing food in portable containers can accomplish just that.

—

Imagine a world where drought and pests have no impact on crop production, and where fruits and vegetables can thrive even in the harshest climates. It’s all possible in a 40-foot container.

Inside Local Roots’ Los Angeles shipping container, stacked rows of hydroponic lettuce line the side walls. “Vertical farming is the term for it,” says Kuenzi, who founded Local Roots Farms with his business partners in 2013.

The container is insulated and refrigerated, making it impervious to weather, and each level of produce has its own lighting system that can be adjusted based on the crops’ needs.

“We’re able to put these farms in subzero temperatures or in a hot desert climate and they’re completely insulated inside,” Kuenzi says. “We can make sure the plants have abundant light, nutrients, CO2 and humidity, and that’s much more difficult to do if we were [growing crops] in open gardens.”

For the past nine months, Local Roots Farms has been growing and selling hydroponic greens and herbs to farmers markets, restaurants and retailers in L.A. But Kuenzi, who is based in D.C., says the startup plans to expand both its line of produce (it’s currently growing and testing different varieties of produce) and its market “as soon as possible” — and Washington is next on the list.

Improving the environment and access to food

In addition to protecting agriculture from unstable weather, Kuenzi says the indoor urban farms improve access to healthy foods and cut down on environmental pollution and food waste from transport.

The shipping container farms can be placed virtually anywhere, including food deserts and areas where access to fresh and healthy food is limited. All that’s required is access to power and water.

“Each 40-foot container is the equivalent of 5 acres of outdoor produce, so it is a tremendous amount of produce,” Kuenzi says, emphasizing that the small farms could have a big impact on food desert communities.

The produce grown in containers is also more nutritionally dense and fresher tasting since light and nutrient levels can be monitored closely. There is also a shorter gap between the time the produce leaves the farm and hits the fork.

Kuenzi says 98 percent of lettuce grown in the U.S. comes from California and Arizona. By the time it lands on the shelves at East Coast stores, it has traveled 3,000 miles over the course of several days.

“So the result is we get shorter shelf life, the price is higher and we get all of the adverse environmental impacts of having to farm unsustainably and then drive a truck all the way across the country to deliver that produce,” Kuenzi says.

“If we can cut the supply chain from five days to five hours, it’s going to taste fresher to anybody who’s eating it. They’re going to taste better, simply because they haven’t been sitting on a truck for days … And our quality is going to be a lot better because we give it perfect weather all the time.”

Additionally, shipping container farms use about 95 percent less water than traditional farming methods, Kuenzi says. Plus, there is no need for pesticides, herbicides and GMOs in the indoor farms.

“In our closed environment, we’re able to recapture all the water that’s not used. We take it out of the air and put it back into the system and clean it out, so what we’re left with is very clean water and very little waste. And because we grow inside, we don’t have exposure to airborne pathogens.”

The future of farming?

Historically, indoor agriculture has been more expensive than traditional farming, but Kuenzi says the costs are coming down, especially when it comes to LED lighting.

“They’ve increased their energy efficiency, so suddenly the cost to produce a head of lettuce or grow a tomato has dramatically decreased over the last few years,” Kuenzi says. “Now it’s affordable, where it hasn’t been in the past.”

Not only will the cost of indoor agriculture soon rival that of traditional farming, Kuenzi predicts that in a few years indoor farming will be just as common.

“I don’t even know how to put a number on how popular it’s going to be in 10 years, but it’s the next wave,” he says.

Taking root in D.C.

Kuenzi has already started talks with numerous groups in D.C. and the surrounding counties to find the right location for the area’s first shipping container farm. When it comes to the perfect spot,  anything goes. He says Local Roots Farms could set up shop in a warehouse space or on a slab of concrete.

“These things fit in back alleys,” Kuenzi says.

Similarly to Local Roots’ operation in L.A., Kuenzi says the D.C. farm will sell its produce though traditional food channels, such as local farmers markets and retailers. The organization is also looking for ways to give back to the local community.

The post Portable farms take root as new use for shipping containers appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — Sweet, easy going and curious — those are the qualities of this week’s Pet of the Week.

Yori is a pretty little 4-year-old beagle/Australian Shepherd mix that can’t wait to find her forever family.  With her unique markings — a white coat with patches of light brown with dark spots — she is one-of-a-kind at the dog park.

True to her background, Yori has the light colored eyes of an Australian Shepherd, as well as the generous ears and active nose of a beagle. She can be a bit tentative at her first meeting, so moving slowly early on is a good idea, but she quickly warms up and loves to love.

Yori would love walks in the neighborhood to check out all of the unique smells the world has to offer, and would be a terrific companion. Come out to the Washington Animal Rescue League today and meet Yori!

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: Yori appeared first on WTOP.

Black Friday is coming four months early for Amazon Prime members. The online retail giant is celebrating its 20th birthday in a big way its upcoming deal-filled Prime Day.

The company announced the birthday extravaganza Monday, saying it plans to offer “more deals than Black Friday” to commemorate turning the big 2-0.

Next Wednesday, July 15, Amazon Prime members in U.S., U.K., Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada and Austria will find exclusive deals every 10 minutes starting at midnight.

“Prime Day is a one-day only event filled with more deals than Black Friday, exclusively for Prime members around the globe,” Greg Greeley, vice president of Amazon Prime, says in a statement.

To get the excitement flowing for Prime Day, Amazon announced it will host a PrimeLiving Photo Contest.

The contest asks customers to submit photos using the hashtag #PrimeLiving, showing off how their Prime benefits. The company will pick one winner from each Prime-eligible country to wing a $10,000 Amazon gift card.

Amazon did not elaborate on whether or not Prime Day is a one and done event or if the company might bring it back each year.

Step Aside Black Friday – Meet Prime Day [Amazon]

CORDOVA, Md. (AP) — Mike Geske wants a drone.

Watching a flying demonstration on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the Missouri farmer envisions using an unmanned aerial vehicle to monitor the irrigation pipes on his farm — a job he now pays three men to do.

“The savings on labor and fuel would just be phenomenal,” Geske says, watching as a small white drone hovers over a nearby corn field and transmits detailed pictures of the growing stalks to an iPad.

Nearby, farmer Chip Bowling tries his hand at flying one of the drones. Bowling, president of the National Corn Growers Association, says he would like to buy one for his Maryland farm to help him scout out which individual fields need extra spraying.

Another farmer, Bobby Hutchison, says he is hoping the man he hires weekly to walk his fields and observe his crops gets a drone, to make the process more efficient and accurate.

“I see it very similar to how I saw the computer when it first started,” says Hutchison, 64. “It was a no-brainer.”

Farmers are eager for the technology.

The small, relatively inexpensive vehicles could replace humans in a variety of ways around large farms: transmitting detailed information about crops to combines and sprayers, directing them very precisely to problem spots and cutting down on the amount of water and chemicals that a farmer needs to use in those areas.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a trade group, says agriculture could account for 80 percent of all commercial drone use.

Agricultural use of drones is about to take off after being grounded for years by the lack of federal guidelines. The Federal Aviation Administration has approved more than 50 exemptions for farm-related operations since January.

Companies with those exemptions say business has grown, helped by quick advances in the technology.

Bret Chilcott of Kansas-based AgEagle, which sells unmanned aerial vehicles and the software to help operate them, says his company took its first orders last year. Now it has a backlog of several hundred orders. He says the technology has transformed the market during that short period.

“Last year users had to land their aircraft and then take the data to the computer,” he says. “Now the data appears on your iPad or hand-held device a few minutes after flight.”

That data could be pictures, 3-D images of plants, thermal readings of crops or animals or other observations that a drone could make while in the air. Information that in the past took days to collect — or could not have been collected at all — can be gathered now in minutes or hours and, in some cases, integrated with separate data collected from other high-tech farm machinery.

Chilcott is optimistic that the technology to scout out problem spots so precisely will be transformative because farmers can limit spraying just to those places.

“In five years we won’t have to blanket a field with chemicals,” he says.

Still, most farmers cannot legally fly the vehicles yet.

The FAA is working on rules that would allow the drones to be used regularly for business while maintaining certain safety and privacy standards. An FAA proposal this year would allow flight of the vehicles as long as they weigh less than 55 pounds, stay within the operator’s sight and fly during the daytime, among other restrictions. Operators would have to pass an FAA test of aeronautical knowledge and a Transportation Security Administration background check.

Thomas Haun of North Carolina-based PrecisionHawk, another company with an exemption, says it is unclear what the business will look like eventually. Farmers may hire services that have unmanned aerial vehicles or every farm may get its own drone. Most likely, it will be a combination.

Haun says the proposed rules are appropriate. “It’s pretty spot on for where the technology is right now,” he says.

Some people have concerns about the guidelines. Pilots of crop dusters and other planes that operate around farms are concerned the rules do not go far enough to ensure safety.

“We can’t see them,” says Andrew Moore of the National Agricultural Aviation Association. His group advocated for the unmanned vehicles to include tracking systems or lights to help airplanes figure out where they are, but that was not included in the proposal.

The rules could pose some challenges for the eager farmers, too.

Geske may not be able to use drones efficiently to monitor all the irrigation pipes on his 2,100 acre Missouri farm if he has to keep them within sight. He’s still interested, though. The men he hires now use a lot of fuel and their trucks tear up his land and roads.

“You can wait forever on advancing technology,” Geske says.

___

Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter http://twitter.com/mcjalonick

The post Farmers eager for drones, but most can’t legally fly them appeared first on WTOP.

SMITHFIELD, Va. (AP) — The black two-story shed still stands out back at 1915 Moonlight Road — a haunting reminder of the brutal dog fights that took place upstairs when NFL quarterback Michael Vick owned the place.

A few steps away, a dog infirmary with eight grimy stalls sits empty in the suffocating heat of an early-summer day. Sick or injured dogs now are nursed to health in the air-conditioned comfort of the property’s five-bedroom, 4,600-square-foot home.

The ghostly relics of the former Bad Newz Kennels have been retained because the current owner of the 15-acre compound, the anti-chaining organization Dogs Deserve Better Inc., wants to keep people aware of animal cruelty now that public attention to the 2007 dogfighting case that landed Vick in prison has faded. The star quarterback served an 18-month federal prison sentence for running a dogfighting ring.

“We want them to see that this is what dogs go through,” said Kenny Sayre, chairman of the Dogs Deserve Better board of directors. “We don’t want people to forget.”

Some things have changed on the property, however. The metal poles and heavy chains that once restrained Vick’s pit bulls are gone. The full-size backyard basketball court has been replaced by fenced dog runs. And many of the trees that once obscured aerial views of the dogfighting operation have been cleared out, providing an expansive, grassy playground for the able-bodied among the 13 to 17 dogs typically residing there.

But the transition from dogfighting to dog rescue has not been without controversy. In 2012, Surry County authorities seized a pit bull terrier named Jada from Dogs Deserve Better and charged the organization’s founder and executive director, Tamira Thayne, with animal cruelty and failure to provide adequate care to a companion animal.

A judge ordered Jada’s return, saying there was no evidence of cruel treatment, and Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter dropped the charges against Thayne.

Stung by the suggestion that she would mistreat an animal, Thayne filed a lawsuit in federal court against Surry County chief animal control officer Tracy Terry and other county officials.

“Thayne suffered extreme humiliation, embarrassment, inconvenience, anxiety, and interference with life, as a result of the baseless criminal charges,” the lawsuit says. “Ms. Thayne’s reputation also has been harmed significantly, including but not limited to a significant decrease in invitations for speaking engagements and other professional and personal injury and harm to her reputation.”

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages, also alleges that the seizure of Jada was illegal because it was not authorized by a search warrant.

Contributions have taken a hit because of the charges, the complaint says. The nonprofit group’s filings with the Internal Revenue Service show that donations plummeted from more than $1.1 million in 2012 to $317,138 in 2013.

U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney dismissed the Surry County Board of Supervisors as defendants but allowed the lawsuit to continue against Terry and five people, whose names are unknown, who participated in the seizure of Jada. The defendants have denied any wrongdoing in court papers, and settlement talks are underway.

Thayne, who recently stepped down as executive director of the organization she founded in 2002, and Terry declined to be interviewed because of the pending litigation.

Sayre said the notion that Thayne would ever abuse a dog is “mind-boggling.” He said the trouble started after a disgruntled former employee leveled bogus accusations.

In the lawsuit, Thayne alludes to what she believes to be another reason she was charged: “Thayne has been an outspoken critic of Surry County, Prosecutor Gerald Poindexter, and Surry County Animal Control’s anemic handling of the Michael Vick dogfighting enterprise and belated prosecution.”

Poindexter was on medical leave and unavailable for comment.

As the court case inches along, the new leadership at Dogs Deserve Better is trying to mend fences as best it can and look to the future. Sayre, whose wife Julie manages the operation, said that when he joined the board they went to the county animal shelter to introduce themselves and received a cool reception.

“We don’t have that personal relationship,” said Denise Cohn, who succeeded Thayne as executive director.

Despite the troubles, the organization that estimates it has rescued, rehabilitated and adopted out approximately 400 chained or penned dogs — none of them holdovers from the Vick operation — has big dreams of expanding. Sayre said long-range plans call for expansion of the house and construction of a “super center” that can house 50 dogs and a veterinary clinic.

Meanwhile, the dog at the center of the organization’s recent controversy is doing well. Julie Sayre said a visitor from Suffolk saw Jada playing with her best friend, Copper, and adopted both.

The post Owners of former Vick dogfighting house clash with county appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — A rabid fox had a Fairfax County community on alert earlier this week.

A young fox with signs of rabies ran toward people in a wooded area near the South Run/Burke Lake Trail of the South Run Recreational facility in Springfield, Virginia, on July 1 around 7 p.m.

Animal Control officers responded to the area and, after a search, were able to locate and euthanize the fox. Lab tests later showed the fox tested positive for rabies.

Animal Control officers say they can’t determine if this was the same fox that approached people, but it is likely.

Health and animal control officials are asking anyone who may have had contact with a fox to contact the Fairfax County Health Department at 571-274-2296.

Below is a map with the location near the incident:

The post Rabid fox captured in Fairfax Co. appeared first on WTOP.

This is an op-ed by Eric Mogensen, CEO and Corporate Director of the Reston Zoo.

There continue to be misperceptions about Reston Zoo and past events. The recent report of USDA filing charges against us, all of which are being refuted, has made it an appropriate time to clarify.

Meghan Mogensen was an employee of the zoo in 2012. She has never been an owner of any of the facilities, as has been repeatedly listed incorrectly. She was the Zoo Director and not involved with daily animal care; that person was the Animal Curator. The curator was directly involved with both the [euthanized] wallaby and the [injured] spider monkey. She was under company investigation for the spider monkey when the wallaby was injured. This was not made public. Corroborating materials will be presented in court. Meghan’s role begins and ends with the wallaby. All other issues for which Reston Zoo has been cited concern other employees.

As reported, Meghan was charged with animal cruelty. Her intent was to ease the suffering of a gravely injured animal as quickly as possible because her curator failed to do her job. The intent was admirable, the process wrong. However, the official necropsy report showed no signs of drowning, i.e. the animal was already deceased. Meghan is a vocal animal rights advocate when it comes to their care; her intent was never to cause any suffering. There was no cruel intent. This is a woman who hand-reared porcupines and pot-belly pigs in our house when she was a girl; a parrot from the day it hatched; helped raise multiple baby kangaroos on bottles.

There have been mistakes made at the zoo, but they were made by animal staff which sincerely cared for their animals, and were inadvertent. As in every zoo in this country, including our very well respected National Zoo, animals die through mistakes and keeper error. No animal cruelty is involved; there is no vicious intent.

Our staff loves their animals; most [staffers] young and want to save the world. For many, this is their first paying  job out of college. It’s hard, gritty and many times unappreciated by everybody and everything concerned. When an animal dies under their care they take it hard. To have the public suggest otherwise shows a lack of knowledge of the bond the keepers and their animals share.

Reston Zoo has worked well with the USDA over the past 15 years, even though now they are making allegations against our facilities. All charges have been refuted by us and have been presented to them through our corporate attorneys. The allegations were filled with redundant, inaccurate and misleading information. The zoo is in complete compliance, and has always made changes whenever there were issues cited. These charges are without merit, and are the result of combining reports for three facilities over a five-year period. All zoos get citations for being non-compliant at times. The inspection process is arbitrary and based upon an individual inspectors personal whims. I visit many zoos each year and  am frustrated by the lack of consistency within the USDA inspection process.

The USDA inspector will inspect hundreds of possible infractions on each visit. If you look at Reston’s reports you will find that most infractions were very minor, and corrected immediately. Keep in mind that to get to those few citations we were in compliance 99 percent of the time. However, since they only comment on the negative, you never hear about the positive.

Reston Zoo has transformed itself over the past several years, with most of the zoo exhibits being updated. We have double perimeter fencing, paved pathways, new exhibits, new holding buildings, different animals. We strive to make the facility a very nice respite.

I realize this letter will not change any minds, nor was it meant to; it was written to correct fallacies listed in previous media reports. We take great pride in the changes to the zoo, and the job that our staff accomplishes every day. We will continue to improve your community zoo.

Eric Mogensen
CEO/Corporate Director

The post Op-Ed: Clearing Up Misinformation about Reston Zoo appeared first on WTOP.

Something important you should probably add to your check list when traveling with a pet: Make sure your furry friend doesn’t go through the X-ray machine at the airport, not only because it could be dangerous, but because everyone around you will promptly freak out. Officials at Los Angeles Airport say a traveler accidentally placed his cat in a bag during the security screening procedure, but agents say it seems the fuzzy guy is perfectly fine.

Transportation Security Administration officers discovered the pet when a JetBlue passenger placed his bag — not a pet carrier — on the conveyor belt to go through the X-ray machine, an LAX Police Department spokeswoman told NBC Los Angeles.

TSA officers took the cat out of the bag and determined it hadn’t suffered any harm for its short ride, while the passenger told a supervisor that he didn’t know animals weren’t supposed to go through X-ray machines.

Witnesses nearby promptly reported the incident on social media, Tweeting that folks were pretty much freaking out left and right. Comedian and writer Sara Benincasa and the Sklar Brothers (or perhaps just one of them?) were on-hand and issued a number of Tweets about the incident:

The Sklar Brothers Twitter account later added that the traveler in question was on their flight, noting for any interested parties that he was wearing a fedora.

Gawker points out that this isn’t the first time a cat has taken a wild ride through the X-ray machine at LAX — another pet was put on the conveyor belt earlier this week, according to Twitter, at least:

LAX X-Ray Machine Reveals Cat in Passenger’s Luggage [NBC Los Angeles]

Unlocking your phone is legal, and the wireless industry agreed months ago to a set of conditions that went into effect earlier this year that allow consumers to do just that. Those companies all promised the FCC that they had a plan. And when you tell a federal agency that you have a plan, you probably actually should, and ought to follow it, too. One company didn’t, and that has landed them in some hot water with the commission.

TracFone sells prepaid wireless phones. They service millions of consumers but, specifically, also provide phones to millions of consumers enrolled in the FCC’s Lifeline subsidy program.

Lifeline: What is it, and how does it work?

In 2014, the President signed into law a piece of legislation that made it legal for you to unlock your own phone. In February of this year, the entire wireless industry — voluntarily, but in cooperation with the FCC — adopted a set of standards that would allow all consumers to have their phones unlocked. However, TracFone apparently missed that memo, and was not entirely cooperating.

As the official Consent Decree (PDF) explains, TracFone certified last year that it would comply with the unlocking rules for its Lifeline customers in the 2015 program year. But when the rules went into effect on February 11, the day everyone else started unlocking phones, TracFone still did not have a process in place for letting their customers unlock their devices, and that’s a no-no.

The FCC opened an investigation, which came to a close with the settlement TracFone and the commission reached this week. Consumers will indeed be able to unlock their TracFone phones, but old equipment can’t necessarily be switched on a dime. So the new plan goes something like this:

• By September 1, TracFone will have a clear unlocking policy, that they will put on their website and send in a text message to all their eligible users.
• Eligible users with old phones can trade them in for cash refunds equal to the phone’s trade-in value.
• By May 1 of next year, non-Lifeline TracFone customers can trade in their old phones toward credit for unlocking ones, and Lifeline customers can straight up trade in their phones for unlocking ones.

TracFone also has to pay a $400,000 per month “offset” into the Universal Service Fund (which funds Lifeline) until all of their Lifeline customers have unlockable phones, which will probably motivate them to hit or beat their deadlines.

“Unlocking of cell phones has been widely embraced by the wireless industry and by consumers across the country,” Travis LeBlanc, head of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, said in a statement. “Today’s agreement ensures that millions of eligible TracFone customers will be able to use their phones on any compatible network they choose.”

The FCC estimates that at least 8 million TracFone customers will benefit from the settlement, to the approximate value of $80 million.

Of all the dreams I’ve dreamed in all the nights of sleep I’ve had, never have I believed that a pizza farm could be a real thing. While this popular new form of agritourism might not feature fertile fields fairly bursting with hot, cheesy pies right off the vine, pizza farms have proven to be a popular way for those in the farming business to sell directly to customers looking for that “farm-to-table” situation.

These trendy “pizza farms” are popping up all over the country, have proved especially popular in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin (where apparently all the food geniuses live), reports the Associated Press, bringing in crowds by inviting them over for pizza straight from wood-fired ovens, topped with ingredients grown right there on the farm.

Customers set up picnics, bringing chairs and tables and packing soda, beer and wine to go with their pies, so they’re happy. Many farms also require that diners bring their own napkins, plates and utensils and clean up for themselves.

And small farms are happy too — especially those that set up commercial kitchens to comply with regulations on serving food, as they can can often use those kitchens to supplement their income by making other products to sell, like jams and baked goods.

“It’s fun to get people back out to the country,” one Minnesota pizza farmer told the AP.

Agritourism is a good way for small farmers to diversify, much like farm wineries, giving growers another way to make money from the land. And bring pizza to the people, which is basically the best thing you can do for someone in need of good pizza.

“Direct sales to consumers, that’s the best way to capture the most value for the dollar,” Greg Schweser, an expert on sustainable local food systems with the University of Minnesota Extension, told the AP. “There’s no middleman. There’s no wholesalers. That’s how small farmers are making it.”

Thank you, pizza farmers, for making at least one girl’s most fervent dreams come true.

Pizza farms offer reverse twist in farm-to-table movement [Associated Press]

More than five years after an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico left eleven people dead and released untold amounts of oil into the water, BP has agreed to make $18.7 billion in payments — spread out over nearly two decades — to settle all federal and state claims related to the disaster.

The biggest chunk of the proposed payment schedule is $7.1 billion that will go to the federal government and the five states along the Gulf Coast — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas — for natural resource damages (NRD). These payouts, spread out over 15 years, will start one year after the settlement is approved and will ding BP’s coffers for around $490 million a year.

There will also be another $232 million set aside to cover any additional NRD claims that may arise between now and the end of the payment schedule.

Another $5.5 billion is slated to be paid to the feds for BP’s alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. Like the NRD damages, the payouts would start a year from now and be meted out over the course of 15 years.

Finally, BP will pay a total of $4.9 billion to settle other claims with the Gulf Coast states. The first payment of $1 billion will be paid after the deal is approved. Then in year three of the schedule, BP will fork over $260 million a year to the states through year 18.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says the $18.7 billion settlement, which still needs to be approved by the court, represents the highest dollar value ever for a settlement with a single corporate entity.

If approved, “it would help repair the damage done to the Gulf economy, fisheries, wetlands and wildlife; and it would bring lasting benefits to the Gulf region for generations to come,” explains Lynch in a statement.

According to the Wall Street Journal, today’s settlement announcement means BP’s total bill for the 2010 tragedy is nearly $54 billion.

Gourmet olive oil and vinegar tasting gallery opens in Manassas Inside NoVA The new shop at 9406 Grant Ave. in downtown Manassas will host a ribbon cutting and grand opening Friday, July 3 at 5:30 p.m.. Subscription Required. An online service is needed to view this page in its entirety. Paying subscribers to our print ... and more »

Prince William County crime report Washington Post These were among incidents reported by Prince William County police. For information, call 703-792-7245. DUMFRIES AREA. ASSAULTS. Diamondleaf Oak Dr., 16700 block, 11:40 a.m. June 21. During an argument, a woman threw several objects at a male ...

Heavily in debt, Newseum considered risky strategy to improve finances Washington Post Nearly seven years after opening a $477 million complex on a prime parcel of Pennsylvania Avenue, the Newseum floated a document saying it would consider offering an ownership stake in its building in exchange for an immediate influx of funds. Burdened ...

WASHINGTON — Professional public safety athletes are competing against one another at the World Police & Fire Games, one of the largest sporting events in the world featuring 12,000 athletes from 70 countries.

For a guide of all the dates and locations for each event, click here.

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Virginia Business Magazine

HFF secures $33.75 million refinancing for Manassas shopping center Virginia Business Magazine Holliday Fenoglio Fowler L.P. (HFF) said Tuesday that it has secured $33.7 million in refinancing for Davis Ford Crossing, a 152,391-square-foot neighborhood shopping center with multiple national anchors in Manassas. HFF worked on behalf of the ... and more »

Manassas City leaders like Georgetown South parking district PotomacLocal.com Georgetown South has a unique set of rules that govern who can park in the Manassas neighborhood. For the past 20 years, visitors and guests of neighborhood residents have been required to obtain a special parking pass from the Manassas treasurer's ...

Rent-to-own stores offer cash-strapped consumers the ability to take home a new refrigerator, living room furniture set and hundred of other items by allowing them to pay a little each month. But, as we’ve reported in the past, what seems like a convenient years-long payment plan often adds hundreds – even thousands – of dollars to the price tag of a product. To ensure potential customers of rent-to-own stores know what they’re getting into, our colleagues at Consumer Reports put together a helpful video spelling out the potential dangers of such retail models.

The video warning is the result of CR’s review of several offers from the nation’s two largest rent-to-own stores – Aaron’s and Rent-A-Center – that found some of the monthly payment plans could cost customers hundreds of dollars more than they would spend purchasing the product outright.

“If these were loans, the equivalent interest rate would be between 50% and 150%,” Mandy Walker, money editor for Consumer Reports says in the video. “There’s lots of fine print in the ads and in contracts, and many consumers just don’t realize the full cost.”

That was the case for a Georgia woman who purchased a washer and dryer set from a local Aaron’s store.

The woman says she signed a 24-month lease that included an option to buy the appliances at the listed cash price within 120 days.

She tells CR that she had the funds available, but when she went to the store to pay, an employee told her she’d missed the deadline.

That left her on the hook for the entire 24-month lease, which would total $3,671 – twice the amount she would pay at a big box store, CR reports.

A representative for the industry’s Association of Progressive Rental Organizations tells CR that such companies offer the “only debt-free transaction that allows the customer to return the product at any time for any reason without legal penalty and affecting the consumer’s credit.”

But returning the washer and dryer set wasn’t an option for the Aaron’s customer, as she’d already paid more than $2,000 for the appliances.

CR advises potential rent-to-own customers to read contracts carefully and make sure they can afford to make on-time payments.

“Better yet, save up your money and pay up front,” Walker says.

CR reports that the Georgia woman’s story ends on a bit of a happier note. After the organization publicized her ordeal, Aaron’s forgave her the last four months of the lease and sent a letter telling her she owned the appliances outright.

The company even sent along a coupon for 50% off the first payment of her next purchase at the store, a deal she says she won’t be using.

If you’re still crying into your pillow at night over the demise of the Zune MP3 player or Crystal Pepsi, take a long, hard look into the mirror: Your shopping habits might have foretold the doom of your favorite, discontinued products. At least, according to a group of researchers pointing the finger at certain early adopters.

In a study published in the Journal of Marketing Research, researchers identified particular kinds of consumers whose preferences can predict products that will flop, calling those folks “harbingers of failure,” reports the Chicago Tribune.

“Certain customers systematically purchase new products that prove unsuccessful,” wrote the study authors. “Their early adoption of a new product is a strong signal that a product will fail.”

Researchers looked at retail purchases made by about 130,000 consumers at a national convenience store chain, and found that 13% of them had buying habits that predicted failure of a new product. Failure in this case means surviving less than three years. About half or more of the products they bought were doomed to die before they had a chance to make it big.

This means if you’re the kind of person who liked the Zune, you probably also liked Frito Lay Lemonade, which apparently was a thing.

And “the more they buy, the less likely the product will succeed,” the researchers wrote.

This is because harbingers of failure are more likely to consistently buy things that other customers won’t, for whatever reason. Maybe they like to be different, or maybe they just have a soft spot for the things no one else likes.

For companies, this means that they’d need to be careful not to just focus on how many people are buying a new product, but who it is that’s doing the buying. If you’ve got a boatload of these harbingers of failure on board, your ship is sure to sink.

There’s a reason all your favorite products are always being discontinued [Chicago Tribune]

The Twitter account for the New York Times learned a very important lesson today: Avocados are sacred, and as such, guacamole should not be despoiled by the likes of the pea, a food reviled by any kid ever forced to finish their vegetables before they could leave the table. Any suggestion otherwise is outright HERESY, according to the denizens of the Internet. The responses are numerous, the ire is intense, and discontent reigns. [@NYTimes]

Sometimes the Slurpee machine is just… too… far… away. Am I right? Sure, because otherwise why would 7-Eleven be testing a delivery service? Yes, that is a thing that is happening, as we have become a people who can’t even be bothered to microwave our own burritos.

The company announced the news today in a press release, saying the new service is a partnership with Postmates, a technology business out of San Francisco that also teamed up with Chipotle recently to offer delivery in some cities.

Select stores in San Francisco and Oakland, CA will have the on-demand delivery service starting now through Postmate’s app for iOS devices or online, with a variety of 7-Eleven products available. From the sound of it, that could include Slurpees and burritos (though it’s unclear), as an assortment of items “from hot foods and snacks to cold beverages and other convenience items” are on the table.

Deliveries will arrive in an hour or less, 7-Eleven says.

“7‑Eleven’s founder, Joe C. Thompson Jr., used to say 7‑Eleven’s mission was to ‘give customers what they want, when and where they want it’,” said Raja Doddala, 7‑Eleven’s vice president of innovation and omnichannel strategy in the press release. “Through the modern-day technology that Postmates provides, we can fulfill that promise in a way we haven’t done before.”

Doddala adds that the company plans to expand delivery later this year to other areas with a high density of 7-Eleven stores, including Austin, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

You might just never leave your couch again. Well, if you have a butler. Because someone’s got to answer the door or the Slurpees will melt.

Hey kids, isn’t vertical integration awesome? Thanks to Comcast’s acquisition of NBC/Universal, the cable giant can now use its latest high-tech remote control to advertise its feature films directly to your living room! Let’s all cheer for cross-promotional, cross-platform, market-targeted, gibberish-spouting synergy!!

Last week, Comcast boasted on its corporate blog that users of its new voice-enabled remote controls could speak “Minionese,” the hilariously family friendly and profitable language spoken by the Minions in the upcoming film release The Minions, distributed by Universal.

Say something in Minionese into the remote and it speaks back to you in Minionese, along with taking you to various pieces of content curated by Comcast to promote The Minions, opening July 10 in a theater full of kids you’ll want to avoid if you enjoy your sanity.

The idea of turning your remote control — for which Comcast customers pay a pretty penny each month — into a de facto toy that is then being used to advertise a movie with a kid-centric audience didn’t exactly win over Josh Golin, Associate Director at the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

“It’s extremely disappointing that Comcast is already using its voice-enabled remotes to manipulate kids,” Golin tells Consumerist. “Young children, the film’s target audience, won’t understand that this is just a ploy to get them to want to see the movie and buy Minions merchandise. It’s bad enough to target young children with clearly delineated commercials, but to use technology to wow kids and mask the fact that you are, in fact, advertising is deceptive, unfair, and unethical.”

[via IBtimes.com]

Are you in the market for a new pet, one that doesn’t require much maintenance or care? Or perhaps, one that requires absolutely nothing from you? You’re in luck: One Petco appears to have a long tailed grass lizard skeleton available in its store tank, for the low price of just $9.99.

Consumerist reader Holly pointed us to a recent Reddit post titled, “We clean our cages regularly,” with a link to a series of photos apparently snapped at a Texas Petco.

If you’re not looking closely enough, you might just think it’s an empty tank, devoid of any pets. That can surely happen when someone buys a pet and the store hasn’t moved a new inmate in yet.

But further inspection reveals the skeleton of a small lizard, ostensibly the Long Tailed Grass Lizard on the tank’s sign. That same sign includes helpful instructions that might’ve helped the store’s animal handlers, things like feeding the lizard and making sure it has enough water. The sign also promises a pet that is “quick and active,” which we’re sure these lizards are… when they’re alive.

One commenter who claims to have worked for the company in another location in Texas points out that this particular store has a bad reputation, and that this kind of thing “is NOT standard” for other stores in the area.

We’ve reached out to Petco corporate to ask how this kind of thing could happen, if it’s investigating this particular incident (as this could all be part of an elaborate hoax), and what company policy is on displaying animals for sale that have clearly been dead long enough to decompose to a skeletal state. We’ll let you know when and if we receive a reply.

GRASONVILLE, Md. (AP) — Police say a child has died and at least seven other people were injured when a racing boat lost control and crashed into a crowd of onlookers off Kent Island.

The Capital Gazette (http://bit.ly/1GKk5xh ) reports that Maryland Natural Resources police spokeswoman Candy Thomson says a 7-year-old died. Three victims were taken to a trauma center following the collision Sunday afternoon in the Chesapeake Bay. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

The crash occurred during the Thunder on the Narrows race at the Kent Narrows. Thomson says the operator of the boat lost control and struck onlookers who were gathered on spectator boats that were sitting next to each other along the race course.

Thomson says the incident is unrelated to another capsized boat on the other side of Kent Island Sunday afternoon. One boater was missing following that incident.

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Several Leesburg residents call for removal of Confederate soldier statue WJLA LEESBURG, Va. (WJLA) - In the wake of the Charleston, S.C. mass-shooting, some residents are calling for the removal of a statue in front of the courthouse in historic downtown Leesburg. Continue reading. The 12-foot statue is of a lone rebel soldier ...

MOUNT AIRY, Md. (AP) — Carroll County authorities are investigating after a man apparently drove his car into a swimming pool in Mount Airy and died.

The county sheriff’s office says officers were notified Friday evening. Investigators say Marvel Freund was submerged in the pool inside his vehicle but was pulled out by family members and neighbors.

Freund was pronounced dead later by paramedics.

Investigators say it appears the victim drove his vehicle through a garage and into his house. When backing up his vehicle, investigators believe he accidentally went into the pool.

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CHEVY CHASE, Md. — A mother and child were taken to a hospital after being shocked by electricity in a flooded area of their Montgomery County home.

Rescuers responded to a report of several people being shocked Saturday in the Chevy Chase area.

Montgomery County fire department spokesman Pete Piringer says one mother and one child were taken to a hospital. He later Tweeted that both the adult and child were electrocuted.

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police – Major Crimes Division are investigating the  two possible weather-related deaths that occurred Saturday afternoon.

According to a released statement, at approximately 4:26 p.m.,  Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel responded to a residence in the 8800 block of Connecticut Avenue near Jones Bridge Road for a report of an electrocution.

The preliminary investigation revealed that a 29-year-old female and her 4-year-old daughter were found unresponsive outside of the home in the stairwell leading to the basement. They were each transported to separate trauma centers where they succumbed to their injuries.

Investigators found a portable sump pump in the standing water near the victims. Detectives are looking at the possibility that the water was charged and an electrical surge contributed to the victims’ deaths.

Many areas of Montgomery County experienced flooding due to the heavy rain fall throughout the day.

This incident remains under investigation, however, no foul-play is suspected at this time, the statement reads.

ICYMI(430p) 8806 Connecticut Av, flooded condition, water energized & shocked 1adult & 1child, both electrocuted, 1 FF inj, PD investigating — Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) June 28, 2015

Detectives Investigate Two Possible Weather-Related Deaths in Chevy Chase http://t.co/cI4zlKBNCY

— Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) June 28, 2015

 

 

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