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I Feel The Earth Move: Last summer, the D.C. area shook through a 3.6 magnitude earthquake. 2010: Consider yourself topped. A 5.8 magnitude quake centered 87 miles away (near Mineral, Va.) and about 4 miles underground rumbled this afternoon, forcing buildings to be evacuated, damaging some facilities, and generally freaking everyone the fuck out. The good news: There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or truly devastating damage. The bad news: There may also be a hurricane on the way. -7
Silly Rabbit, Fireworks Are For July: The annual Independence Day fireworks show draws a big crowd. Which may be why Glenn Neff planned to do his own, authorities say: As part of a protest against the banking industry, he was going to set off a bunch of explosives on the Mall. Neff, 27, of Stuart, Fla., was found sitting in his car in Cabin John Regional Park with fireworks, a turret, and tubes to launch them. The bankers, we presume, remain unconcerned. -2
Tickets R Us: In these troubled economic times, tax revenues are dropping, leaving city budgets around the country strapped. The District, though, has a backup plan. Last year, D.C. collected more than $80 million from parking tickets; this year, it had already picked up $50 million through May. That puts it on a pace ahead of Chicago, the third-biggest city in the nation (D.C. is only the 24th-biggest). The revenue may not solve all of D.C.’s financial woes, though: AAA claims 47 percent of tickets were dismissed when contested. +1
Fully Fed: Going to a food bank to feed your family is, by definition, a last resort for people who can’t afford to buy groceries. So when the Capital Area Food Bank had to implement a 10 cent-per-pound fee to other food distribution centers to pay for fresh produce, it was a bad sign. But William Conway, managing director of the Carlyle Group, has stepped in with a $1 million donation to cover the costs the fee was going to pay for. Conway, one of the 400 richest people in the country, also gave $5 million to the food bank last year. +2
Yesterday’s Needle rating: 69 Today’s score: -6 Today’s Needle rating: 63