You spend a lot of time with your mattress and yet you probably don’t clean it all that often. (If only we could throw it in the washing machine.) If you’ve got a steam cleaner—mop or handheld device—put it to use getting your mattress like new.

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There’s no time like the present to grow or refine ourselves a little bit more, and few resources are as helpful as TED talks. In that vein, here are the top 10 TED talks we’ve featured on Lifehacker or that have been popular on TED.

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The humble egg is one of the most hackable, flexible foods you can eat. There are dozens of ways to make them, and no two ways are alike. In this video from Brothers Green Eats, you’ll learn ten different dishes you can make with just eggs (and maybe a little garnish.)

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The term “middle class” has become such common jargon that most of us accept it as both a clearly defined group, and a worthwhile goal. But what defines the middle class is a bit more fluid than you might think.

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BURNS, Ore. (AP) — Armed protesters are occupying a building at a national wildlife refuge in Oregon and asking militia members around the country to join them. The protesters went to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday following a peaceful rally in support of two Oregon ranchers facing additional prison time for arson.

___

HOW DID THIS SITUATION BEGIN?

Tension has been building for weeks in the Burns, Oregon, area over the case of Dwight and Steven Hammond. Dwight Hammond, 73, and Steven Hammond, 46, said they lit fires on federal land in 2001 and 2006 to reduce the growth of invasive plants and protect their property from wildfires. The two were convicted three years ago and served time — the father three months, the son one year. But in October, a federal judge in Oregon ruled their terms were too short under U.S. law and ordered them back to prison for about four years each.

___

WHO IS LEADING THE PROTESTERS?

The Hammonds have received support from local residents, but the most vocal groups are from outside the area. Ammon Bundy, the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a standoff with the government over grazing rights, is among those organizing the opposition at the wildlife refuge. Ammon Bundy and militiamen from other states arrived last month in Burns, some 60 miles from the Hammond ranch. Ammon Bundy has criticized the U.S. government for what he called a failed legal process.

___

WHERE IS THE WILDLIFE REFUGE?

The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is about 30 miles south of Burns in in the high desert of eastern Oregon. The area is very remote, about 280 miles southeast of Portland.

___

OUTSIDERS NOT WELCOMED BY SOME IN OREGON

Many locals have told the outside groups to stay away, concerned their presence could lead to violence. The Hammonds, as well, have rebuffed the Bundy’s support for their cause. “Neither Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organization speak for the Hammond Family,” the Hammonds’ lawyer W. Alan Schroeder wrote to Sheriff David Ward. Dwight Hammond has said he and his son plan to peacefully report to prison Monday as ordered by the judge. “We gave our word that’s what we would do, and we intend to act on it,” he told The Associated Press last week.

___

WHAT ARE AUTHORITIES DOING?

Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward has told people to stay away from the area as authorities work to defuse the situation. Beth Anne Steele, an FBI spokeswoman in Portland, told AP the agency was aware of the situation at the national wildlife refuge but made no further comment.

The post Key things to know about the militia standoff in Oregon appeared first on WTOP.

Wishful thinking or insider information? Either way, I wasn’t expecting to see Dallas RGIII jerseys today. pic.twitter.com/mvCwNzyxPS

— Homer McFanboy (@HomerMcFanboy) January 3, 2016

WASHINGTON — Robert Griffin III may not have had a big presence on the field during the Washington Redskins’ victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

But the former first-round pick quarterback did have a major showing on the sidelines, thanks to a couple of fans who donned custom RGIII Cowboys jerseys.

The photos made the rounds on Twitter during the game, for which Griffin was inactive.

Initial reports were that the jersey wearers were related to RGIII, but the Redskins later refuted those claims in a tweet:

From #Redskins PR: Contrary to published reports, the fans seen wearing Griffin III Dallas jerseys today were not members of his family. — Washington Redskins (@Redskins) January 3, 2016

The post Fans wear custom RGIII Cowboys jerseys at Redskins game appeared first on WTOP.

Prince William County community calendar 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. Bingo Proceeds support local veterans. Doors open at noon Sundays with ... and more »

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ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a man and a woman killed by a former in-law in a murder-suicide at a Southern California cemetery were a married couple from North Hollywood visiting a grave.

Police in Ontario say 60-year-old Misak Minasyan and 59-year-old Hripsime Minasyan were fatally shot by Karapet Kalajian Saturday at Bellevue Memorial Park.

City News Service reports the 71-year-old Kalajian had been married to the murdered woman’s sister. Investigators said Sunday that Kalajian had become estranged from the family and was distraught because Jan. 3 is the 5-year anniversary of his late wife’s death.

Detectives say Kalajian was at the Ontario cemetery when the couple arrived. Kalajian shot them with a handgun and then turned the weapon on himself.

An elderly woman who was with the couple was not harmed.

___

This story corrects the spelling of the suspect’s name. It is Kalajian, not Karajan.

The post 2 of 3 killed at California cemetery were married couple appeared first on WTOP.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The escape of tons of natural gas from storage under a Los Angeles neighborhood is not likely to be fixed for at least another two months because of the specific dynamics of the leak, according to officials.

The leak at Porter Ranch, already several months old, has forced the relocation of several thousand residents who said the stench made them sick.

The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday (http://tinyurl.com/qa7jj9b) that the leak persists because workers were unable to plug it and instead have the painstaking task of drilling two relief wells.

Officials with Southern California Gas Co., which operates the Aliso Canyon Underground Storage Facility, estimate the new wells may not be finished until the end of February, or even later.

The new pipes will meet where the well emerges from rock that forms the “capstone” which seals the gas in place.

The natural repository is huge — nearly one cubic mile at a depth of a mile and a half, according to the newspaper — and holds natural gas brought from as far away as Canada. The gas company holds it underground, then distributes it to nearly 22 million customers in the region.

Southern California Gas tried to plug the damaged well after the leak began in October, but both an ice blockage and upward pressure averaging 2,700 pounds per square inch wouldn’t let the mixture of mud and brine work.

Amid concerns that trying to force the mixture down might create a larger leak, the company decided to drill two relief wells, said Jason Marshall, chief deputy director of the California Department of Conservation, which regulates natural gas wells.

If all goes to plan, those wells will intersect the damaged well where it meets the capstone, about a mile down. Workers hope that will let them plug the well below the damaged, leaky section. The cause and exact location of the leak are unclear, though Marshall said engineers speculate it is about 500 feet underground.

Marshall suspects age is a factor — the well began operating in 1954, according to Conservation Department records.

Drilling on the first relief well began Dec. 4, but will take weeks to complete. Drilling of the second well is expected by Jan. 20, Marshall said — it’s a backup, in case the first one misses the existing 7-inch pipe or is unable to deliver enough brine and mud to stop the leak.

Trying to intercept at such a depth, Marshall told the newspaper, “is a little like trying to hit a quarter-inch target from the distance of a football field.”

The post Huge natural gas leak in Los Angeles still months from fix appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON –An investigation into a dog bite led to the seizure of 66 dogs from a home in Rockville, Maryland on Friday.

A search warrant was executed after a Montgomery County animal services officers visited the residence on New Year’s Eve to inquire about a dog involved in a bite case.

The dogs they recovered varied in age size and breed. Some of them required immediate medical attention.

Police claimed the homeowner was “uncooperative” during the initial visit, unwilling to let officers look for the dog involved in the bite case.

Then, as officers spoke to the homeowner outside, they began to suspect that there were a large number of animals living  in the home based on “observations of the condition of the home and property.”

Police said the dogs are now in the care of the Animal Services Division.

The post 66 dogs seized from Rockville home appeared first on WTOP.

NBC4 Washington

Police Seize 66 Dogs From One Rockville Home NBC4 Washington Sixty-six dogs were seized from a home in Rockville. News4's Darcy Spencer reports. (Published 3 hours ago). Police seized 66 dogs from a Rockville home Friday, including some that needed immediate veterinary care. Authorities came to the house in the ... 66 dogs seized from Rockville homeW*USA 9 all 7 news articles »

Not all uses of time are equal and this simple truth can make a big difference in life. Understanding how to get the most out of your time starts with knowing—in exact terms—what your time is worth. Here’s how to methodically find out the value of your time.

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WASHINGTON — Pet owners in Fairfax and Prince William counties need to renew their dog licenses before Jan. 31, 2016.

“The fee is minimal — kept minimal on purpose,” Prince William County Police Capt. Fred Miller said of the $10 fee.

“We really don’t want to price it out of the market for people because we want them to be able to afford to not only license their dogs, but to make sure they have all their correct vaccinations,” he said.

In addition to the public safety aspect of ensuring your animal can’t spread rabies, getting it licensed can provide peace of mind. In Prince William, any dog without a license tag after Jan. 31 faces a fine of up to $250. 

“That number on the dog license can help us reunite the [lost] pet with its owner,” Miller said.

In D.C., dog licenses expire July 1.

In Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, licenses that are required for both dogs and cats expire a year after purchase.

Prince George’s County also licenses ferrets.

Licenses are required for pets once they turn four months old and upon moving into a new area. Prices vary by jurisdiction.

“What often happens is the fee that is paid to obtain the license is used to help pay for the animal control and animal shelter services that the municipalities provide,” Miller said.

The Humane Society estimates that 65 percent of American households have at least one pet.

The post Pet owners in Fairfax, Prince William have until Jan. 31 to renew dog licenses appeared first on WTOP.

Washington Post

9:30 Club: Ahead of its time for 35 years Washington Post The name of the club, opened by Dodi DiSanto and Jon Bowers in May 1980, is named after its address on F Street NW, not the showtime. Chuck D of Public Enemy thought it referred to the club's square footage, it was so small. Seth Hurwitz, co-owner of ... and more »

There are more efficient ways to cook pasta besides dropping it into a big pot of boiling, salted water. For example, next time pasta’s on the menu, try turning off the burner once you drop the pasta and letting it cook in the already-hot water.

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Past credit mistakes can come back to haunt you. While they don’t stay on your credit report forever, some mistakes drop off faster than others. This infographic from Experian tells you just how long different events stay on your report.

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At the end of every year, we take a look back at our most popular posts to reminisce (and to help you catch any stuff you might have missed). Here’s one last look at our best posts in 2015.

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BALTIMORE (AP) — Attorneys for Caesar Goodson, one of six officers facing criminal charges stemming from the death of Freddie Gray, filed two internal police documents that claim Gray complained of a back injury to police officers more than a month before his death in the back of a police van and he had a history of hurting himself while in custody.

The incident, first disclosed to defense attorneys during the trial for William Porter that ended in a mistrial earlier this month, is detailed in a police document that was until recently under seal. In the May 1 document, Baltimore Police Sgt. John Herzog says that during a March 31 meeting with Gray at the Western District station house, Gray “was awkwardly sitting in the chair, leaning to the left.” Herzog wrote that when he asked Gray about his position, he responded “something to the effect of ‘I hurt my back’ or ‘I have a bad back.'”

Herzog went on to write that the incident had slipped his mind but his memory was “jogged” after “rumors and information was released that Freddie Gray possibly had been involved in a car accident.” Herzog said Gray had come to the station to provide information about a string of robberies in the neighborhood.

Goodson and five other officers were indicted May 1.

A second report from the police was also included in the filing: an anonymous tip, delivered to the department by phone May 22, from a woman who said Gray once injured himself and had to be restrained and disciplined while in a Baltimore jail. Defense attorneys have argued that Gray was banging in the back of the van during several of the six stops the van made on its 45-minute ride from the site of his arrest to the Western District station house, where he arrived unresponsive.

Prosecutors have said Gray’s injuries stemmed from the negligence of the officers tasked with protecting him while he was in custody.

Goodson’s trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 11. Goodson drove the transport van, and in addition to manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office charges, he faces the most serious charge: second-degree “depraved-heart” murder.

The filing also lists dozens of witnesses Goodson’s attorneys could call to the witness stand. Among them are police officers, reporters, the former police commissioner and the state medical examiner. Many of those on the list testified during Porter’s trial.

The post Filing says Freddie Gray complained of back problem appeared first on WTOP.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago mayor’s office, police and the body that investigates police shootings closely coordinated their response in the months after a white officer fatally shot a black teenager in 2014, newly released emails revealed.

The messages released Thursday clearly indicate that advisers to Mayor Rahm Emanuel knew within months that the case could be politically explosive.

Thousands of emails were released in response to open-records requests from The Associated Press and other media regarding 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who was killed in October 2014 after being shot 16 times. Few communications from Emanuel’s staff mention him directly — though several refer to him by the acronym “MRE.”

A video of the officer shooting McDonald — which was not made public until more than a year later, on Nov. 24 — led to protests and repeated calls for Emanuel to resign. The officer has been charged with murder and pleaded not guilty this week at his arraignment.

Emanuel has denied ever seeing the video prior to its release, a contention many activists have said they do not believe. The emails do not appear to contradict Emanuel’s claim, though they show how City Hall grew increasingly concerned that the video could pose a major public-relations problem.

In early December 2014, Scott Ando, head of the Independent Police Review Authority — publicly touted by the mayor as uniquely independent in its probes of police shootings — singled out the case. He sent an email to the mayor’s deputy chief of staff, Janey Rountree, with a link to a website that raised questions about police accounts of the shooting.

Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins sent a flurry of emails about media inquiries into video of the shooting. His subject line on a Dec. 10, 2014, email to fellow Emanuel staffers included the headline in one Chicago newspaper: “If Chicago police have video of teen shooting, let’s see it: advocates.”

The risk that a publicly released video could blow up not just locally but also nationally was made by lawyers from McDonald’s family, who reached out to the city about a settlement in early 2015, just over a month before Emanuel’s re-election.

Although none of the correspondence directly addressed Emanuel, in a letter on March 6 — after the family’s lawyers saw the video — attorney Jeffrey J. Neslund told city lawyers that the footage would reflect badly on the city.

“I submit the graphic dash cam video will have a powerful impact on any jury and the Chicago community as a whole,” he wrote. “This case will undoubtedly bring a microscope of national attention to the shooting itself as well as the city’s pattern, practice and procedures in rubber-stamping fatal police shootings of African Americans as ‘justified.'”

He demanded $16 million. The two sides eventually settled on $5 million, a deal approved by the city council shortly after Emanuel won a second term.

Though the Independent Police Review Authority, or IPRA, is supposed to maintain a distance from police and the mayor’s office, a March 11 email from Ando asks about forwarding witness interview transcripts to the law department “for their use in settlement negotiations with” the McDonald family.

In May, Collins cautioned IPRA spokesman Larry Merritt to “tread lightly” when a reporter asked for an IPRA interview about the case.

“Can anyone do an interview? I think we need to accept some of these opportunities,” Merritt wrote in a May 26 email to top Emanuel aides and Ando. “These stories are getting done with or without us.”

Collins responded: “I completely agree that we need to engage more, but if their focus is on specifics (sic) investigations we should tread very lightly. This is about Laquan McDonald and we should not do interviews about open investigations.”

Also in May, Collins complained to colleagues that IPRA did not follow his recommendation on how to respond to a TV station about McDonald.

Days before the video’s release, Collins wrote to police and law department representatives urging them to speak with “one voice” on the topic.

Emanuel and Chicago police have been under heavy scrutiny since the city, under court order, released the squad-car video. McDonald, who was carrying a folded 3-inch knife, is seen veering away from officer Jason Van Dyke in the video before the officer starts firing.

Months before the video was made public, Emanuel’s administration was well aware of growing outrage about the case. In a late July email exchange, top Emanuel aides worried about the perception of a cover-up and noted recent news stories.

“As you might imagine, the timing and details discussed in the Sun-Times article and growing interest in the McDonald incident has not worked in our favor, and is helping to ‘stir the pot,'” Emanuel aide Vance Henry wrote.

By October, Henry noted organizing by community groups around the McDonald case and the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Rekia Boyd by another Chicago officer. He suggested in an Oct. 11 email that officials would be “smart to act timely and strategically” in both cases.

The release of the video forced the resignation of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and led to an ongoing civil rights investigation of the entire Chicago Police Department by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The city released the emails less than a week after police fatally shot two other people: 55-year-old Bettie Jones, who authorities said was killed accidentally, and 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier, who police said was being “combative.” Both were black.

The post Newly released emails reveal coordination after teen’s death appeared first on WTOP.

Editor’s Note: Healthy Paws is a 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.

Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) — although relatively new to the Western world — is a medical system that has been used in China to treat animals for thousands of years. It is an adaptation and extension of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) used to treat humans and is made up of four branches: Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Food Therapy and Tui-na massage.

Speaking broadly, Chinese Medicine is a complete body of thought and practice grounded in Chinese Daoist philosophy. Though it can be traced back over two millennia in recorded history, it — like any medical system — continues to evolve today, and current research on acupuncture and herbal medicine is beginning to shed light on its mechanism of action.

Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, when combined with Western Veterinary Medicine, can help to promote health and prevent disease in animals.

Common FAQs About Acupuncture

Q: What is acupuncture?

It is the insertion of needles into specific points on the body to produce a healing response. These points are related to internal organs and can help many different ailments. It is most commonly used to relieve musculoskeletal issues, such as arthritis, intervertebral disk disease and even some nerve injuries. However, it can also be used for all of the following:

• Respiratory problems, such as feline asthma
• Skin problems, such as skin irritation secondary to allergies
• Gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel disease and chronic diarrhea
• Geriatric medicine, such as chronic kidney failure and some cases of heart failure
• Behavior issues, such as separation anxiety
• Promotes quality of life after a diagnosis of cancer

Acupuncture stimulates nerves, increases blood circulation, relieves muscle spasms and releases endorphins in the body to aid in the healing process. Combining acupuncture, massage therapy, and herbal therapy can make wonderful tools for your pet’s health.

Q: Is acupuncture painful?

For most animals, insertion of the needles is virtually painless. They are very thin and once the needles are inserted, there should be no pain. Most animals become extremely relaxed and some will fall asleep! Some common sensations after needle insertion are tingling, mild numbness and heat at the needle points.

Q: Is acupuncture safe for animals?

If administered by a properly trained veterinarian, acupuncture can be one of the safest forms of medical treatment for animals. Some animals will experience lethargy or sleepiness after the first few treatments, but side effects such as nausea or GI upset are rarely seen.

Q: How can my pet benefit from acupuncture?

Acupuncture blocks pain responses, increases serotonin levels and relaxes muscles. All of these effects are useful in most commonly-seen conditions with animals. In addition, it can help to balance organ functions and normalize energy (Qi) flow, which is the goal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.

How to Get Acupuncture for Your Pet

Clarendon Animal Care is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Darleen Nath to our staff. In addition to being trained in western medicine and earning her DVM degree from Tuskegee University in Tennessee, she attended The Chi Institute in Gainesville, FL to become a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist in 2014. She has also completed the coursework for her certification in Tui Na massage therapy.

If you are interested in acupuncture for your pets, please call the clinic to set up an initial consultation appointment with Dr. Nath. The first visit will include a traditional western exam, a traditional eastern exam and the first acupuncture session.

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: This Could Be the Yin to Your Pet’s Yang appeared first on WTOP.

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — The ashes of World War II veteran Elaine Harmon are sitting in a closet in her daughter’s home, where they will remain until they can go to what her family says is her rightful resting place: Arlington National Cemetery.

Harmon piloted aircraft in World War II under a special program, Women Airforce Service Pilots, that flew noncombat missions to free up male pilots for combat. Granted veteran status in 1977, the WASPs have been eligible to have their ashes placed at Arlington with military honors since 2002.

But earlier this year, then-Secretary of the Army John McHugh reversed course and ruled WASPs ineligible.

After Harmon died in April at age 95, her daughter, Terry Harmon, 69, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was dismayed to learn that the Army had moved to exclude WASPs. She said her mother had helped lead the effort to gain recognition for WASPs.

“These women have been fighting this battle, off and on, for over 50 years now,” she said.

Harmon’s family and others are working to overturn McHugh’s directive. A petition on change.org has received more than 4,000 signatures. Harmon also hopes Congress will ask incoming Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning about the issue at his upcoming confirmation hearing.

McHugh’s memo, which Terry Harmon obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, says Army lawyers reviewed the rules in 2014 and determined that WASPs and other World War II veterans classified as “active duty designees” are not eligible for inurnment — placement of their urns in an above-ground structure at Arlington. The largest group affected by the memo is actually the Merchant Marine, nearly 250,000 of whose members served during World War II.

The WASP program was much smaller — just over 1,000 women were accepted into the program, which ran from 1942 to 1944.

In a statement, Army spokesman Paul Prince said the cemetery superintendent in 2002 had no authority to allow WASPS’ remains into the cemetery. Under federal law, he said, WASPs are eligible only for burial at cemeteries run by the Department of Veterans Affairs — not Arlington National Cemetery, which is run by the Army.

Kate Landdeck, a Texas Woman’s University history professor who has focused much of her academic research on WASPs, said she doesn’t understand the rationale for the Army going out of its way to exclude this group of women from Arlington after they had been deemed eligible for over a decade without controversy.

WASPs “are a distinct group of women with the surviving 100-or-so women all in their 90s,” she said. “It is just mean-spirited for the Secretary of the Army to question their value to their country. Again.”

Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, who commanded the Army Air Forces in World War II, created the WASP unit in 1942 with the intention of granting it full military status, but Congress never approved it.

So the WASPs served as a paramilitary unit, subject to military discipline and staying in barracks, Landdeck said. They test-flew repaired military aircraft, trained combat pilots and towed airborne targets that other pilots fired at with live ammunition during training.

Arlington is running out of space and faces ongoing pressure over its eligibility requirements. Tight rules spell out whose ashes can be laid to rest there, and even tighter rules spell out who is eligible for in-ground burial, which place a greater strain on the cemetery’s capacity. Harmon’s family says the WASPs aren’t asking for anything beyond what they earned: eligibility for placement of ashes. And they say the impact on cemetery capacity would be minimal, given that so few World War II veterans remain.

Harmon’s granddaughter, Erin Miller, said her grandmother, a Maryland native, had specifically requested her ashes go to Arlington.

“My grandmother is from here,” Miller said. “Arlington is kind of our local national cemetery.”

In an interview archived with the Library of Congress, Elaine Harmon recalled she needed permission from her skeptical father to begin training as a pilot while a student at the University of Maryland.

“Back in those days, women weren’t expected do things like this, and so many people were against the idea of women flying, endangering their lives,” she said in the interview.

The post Female WWII pilots barred from Arlington National Cemetery appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration’s no drone zone around the nation’s capital has grown.

The FAA warned this summer that unmanned aircraft, such as drones and model aircraft, were prohibited within 15 miles of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, just south of Washington. But its online guidance now says they’re banned from Washington’s special flight rules area, a ring with a 30-mile radius encircling much of southern and central Maryland and northern Virginia. The development was first reported by WUSA-TV.

The FAA maintains unmanned aircraft are subject to FAA rules and must comply with the requirements, including maintaining two-way radio communication and transmitting a beacon code.

Academy of Model Aeronautics spokesman Rich Hanson said in a statement his group disputes that they are aircraft subject to FAA rules.

The post No drone zone around Washington DC grows appeared first on WTOP.

DC Politician Calls Man 'White Supremist' For Live-Tweeting A Meeting Daily Caller A low-level District of Columbia politician long known for her crazy antics recently stormed out of a meeting and called a man a “white supremist” [sic] for tweeting about the meeting. Audio recorded at a May meeting of an Advisory Neighborhood ...

Patch.com

'Manssas 2016' - Airshow, Walk MS, BMX Tournament, Heritage Railway Festival Patch.com We googled "Manassas 2016" and here's what we found. Tell us what you're excited about in the new year! Manassas, VA. By Greg Hambrick (Patch Staff) December 31, 2015. ShareTweetGoogle PlusRedditEmailComments0. 'Manssas 2016' - Airshow, Walk ...

NBC4 Washington

Suspect Arrested in Southeast DC Murder Cold Case NBC4 Washington An 18-year-old has been arrested in the 2011 murder of Mohammed Muktar Abdulselam at a gas station. The suspect was just 14 years old at the time of the crime. News4's Jackie Bensen reports. (Published Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015). In the final hours of ... and more »

Now that 2015 is done and we finally learned that Luke Skywalker is actually Faye Dunaway’s daughter (and sister!), it’s time to take off the party hats, sweep up the confetti, and do the walk of shame forward into the uncharted territory of the year to come.

And it is indeed a trudge, because so many of the issues that will make headlines in the weeks and months to come are holdovers from the last year. If only we could wipe the slate clean every first of January, but the news doesn’t really care what day it is.

Now that we’ve had our orange juice and a bite of bagel, let’s get on to the consumer topics and issues we predict will be in the fore for 2016:

While the most invasive portions of the Patriot Act have lapsed and been replaced with the smaller-scale snooping allowed by the new USA FREEDOM Act, concerns about invasions of privacy — both from the government and private industry — will only continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

Law enforcement officials at just about every level have pushed back against manufacturers’ efforts to provide consumers with devices that can only be accessed by the user. The U.S. Department of Justice and others have for years called for phone and computer makers to include so-called backdoor access to devices or weaker encryption standards so that computers, phones, and other items can be searched with a warrant, but without requiring the users’ password, fingerprint, or some other key.

The tech industry and privacy advocates have fired back, arguing that this sort of access is not only unprecedented — when you get the lock changed on your garage, you’re not required to provide a copy to the police — but that the inclusion of any sort of built-in backdoor is like putting out a “welcome” mat for hackers.

But even as device manufacturers and Internet giants argue against weakened protections for consumers, some of these same companies stand accused of crossing the line and invading users’ privacy.

A recent complaint accuses Google of spying on users of its Apps for Education. A pending class action claims that Twitter eavesdrops on supposedly private direct messages. Samsung riled up the Internet and privacy advocates by recording audio and transmitting it to a third party, as did the new Hello Barbie doll.

Additionally, the growing “Internet of things” has brought web-connectivity to everything from your thermostat to your garage door to your toothbrush. So much of this is new territory, some of it being charted by new companies with little understanding of best practices for data privacy.

We’re effectively in a pre-adolescent stage in our relationship with the IoT. As these products continue to replace boring ol’ items that don’t connect to the Internet, we’re going to go through a lot of growing pains sorting out when, how, and why we share our data.

By General Motors’ own accounting, 124 people died and another 275 were severely injured because the car company failed to issue a recall to replace a part that cost GM a few bucks each. Yes, the car company has paid out nearly $600 million to those victims and their families — and yes, GM did agree to pay $900 million to defer federal criminal charges, but many consumers wanted to know why not a single person at GM was held criminally responsible for negligence that led to so many untimely deaths.

Likewise, Volkswagen has acknowledged that millions of its supposedly “clean diesel” vehicles — several hundred thousand of them sold in the U.S. alone — were anything but. In fact, these cars used “defeat devices” to trick emissions-testing devices into believing the vehicles were meeting standards. As a result, VW deceived both regulators and consumers, and may have caused dozens of people to die as a result of the additional toxins released into the air because of their cars.

In addition to these lingering automotive dramas, there is the still-unresolved Takata airbag issue, which involves potentially lethal safety devices in millions of cars made by a wide variety of manufacturers. So far, nine deaths have been linked to the defective airbags — which can spew shrapnel when they explode — with eight of those coming from just the U.S.

Looking ahead to 2016, you can expect to see a concerted push from safety advocates and legislators to hold car makers (and their suppliers) more accountable for their failings.

At a time when we’re more aware than ever about food safety and the need for proper handling and storage, we still see major companies — Costco and Chipotle in just the past couple of months — hit with outbreaks of E. coli and other nasties, sickening customers all over the country and making people even more concerned about the food they buy.

After decades of warnings from doctors and researchers, a growing number consumers are beginning to demonstrate concern about the huge amount of antibiotics being fed to cows, pigs, and poultry — a practice that only encourages the development of drug-resistant bacteria, aka “superbugs,” that sicken millions, and kill thousands of Americans each year.

Farm animals consume about 75% of all antibiotics sold in the U.S., almost all of it sold without a prescription or veterinary feed directive. And with increased demand for meat products in fast-developing countries like China, Brazil, and India, it’s expected that antibiotic overuse is poised to pose a global health concern.

A more controversial subject for 2016 is going to be genetically modified and genetically engineered food. The FDA recently approved the first GE animal — a salmon — for sale as a food item in the U.S., but said it could not require any special labeling because the fish is not nutritionally different from its non-GE counterpart.

A rider attached to the end-of-year federal spending bill does compel the FDA to create a label specifically for this fish. Opponents say that such a requirement is alarmist and anti-science. Supporters of labeling argue that the label only allows consumers to make the choice on their own.

In 2016, we expect to see pro-GMO campaigns intended to highlight the science behind these foods. At the same time, we predict we’ll continue to see calls for more transparency and labeling about GE foods and ingredients.

In early 2014, Verizon successfully convinced a federal appeals court to gut the FCC’s 2010 Open Internet Order, which first established the “net neutrality” rules preventing Internet service providers from blocking, throttling, or prioritizing content.

Rather than appeal the matter further up the legal ladder, the FCC chose instead to take a second stab at the rules. This time, it took the controversial step of reclassifying broadband as a “Title II” common carrier, much like landline phone service.

Now neutrality is back in court again, facing lawsuits filed by AT&T and others, claiming — among other things — that the FCC is restricting ISPs’ First Amendment rights.

Regardless of who wins this first round of the new neutrality battle, we’re predicting that the matter will ultimately end up being decided by the nine robed justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

As that legal war wages, expect to see the FCC making smaller decisions about related matters, like whether or not “zero rating” deals — in which an ISP doesn’t count the data used for certain content providers — count as a violation of the neutrality rules, or whether it’s just a new way to deliver data.

Student loan debt in the U.S. has long since passed the $1 trillion mark. At the same time, a number of the nation’s largest for-profit colleges — responsible for the largest chunk of federal student loan borrowing — are either failing or are under investigation for questionable practices.

We’ve already seen the collapse of Corinthian Colleges — the company behind for-profit education chains like Everest, WyoTech, and Heald — and the subsequent sale of some campuses to Educational Credit Management Corporation.

In December, the federal government forgave more than $100 million in student loans for thousands students who attended CCI schools. However, that’s a small fraction of the billions in outstanding loans from current and recent CCI students.

And CCI wasn’t the only problem child in the for-profit playground. The parent company of industry biggie University of Phoenix recently lost its ability to participate in tuition assistance programs for active-duty military personnel. Executives at ITT Educational Services have been charged with fraud by the federal government. And Education Management Corporation, the operator of Brown Mackie College, Argosy University, and the Art Institutes, agreed to pay $95.5 million to settle claims it violated state and federal False Claims Act provisions regarding its recruiting practices. Yet these companies still managed to receive billions of dollars in federal aid money in 2014.

At the same time, the for-profit college industry has tried to fight the government’s attempt to hold them more accountable. Though they succeeded in scuttling the Department of Education’s first attempt to draft a gainful employment rule — requiring these schools to demonstrate that a certain percentage of their graduates are able to obtain meaningful work after finishing their education — the administration eventually finalized the rules in late 2014.

The industry tried to fight the rules in court. When that failed, industry-backed lawmakers tried to undercut the rule through legislation, slapping on amendments to federal spending bills that would have blocked Education officials from implementing the requirements. In the end, that too failed.

We’ve not yet hit bottom on the issue of student loans, for-profit college, and holding schools accountable — and we may not hit it in 2016 — but there will undoubtedly be plenty of stories about these topics as we keep digging.

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Many of you are now enjoying new gadgets, whether it’s from a winter holiday present or post-holiday clearance sale self-gifting. If your new item replaced an old one, don’t throw the old one in a drawer: consider recycling it or passing it on to an organization that re-uses technology. Yep, there really is someone out there interested in your old game console and conference swag flash drives.

CNET brought together a list of useful places to send your old electronics other than the recycling bins outside your local Best Buy. For example, you can send your old console or unwanted games to the Get-Well Gamers Foundation, which passes them on to children’s hospitals to keep them supplied with a steady supply of video games.

RecycleUSB takes your drawer full of old USB drives, loads a version of Linux designed for kids’ educational use on them, and sends them to students all over the world. Finally, RecycleHealth takes old fitness trackers and recycles them to people in the community who need to be more active but can’t afford one.

The easiest ways to donate your old tech [CNET]