Mike Jakaitis – ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app News Washington's Top News Thu, 29 Sep 2022 18:07:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 /wp-content/uploads/2021/05/WtopNewsLogo_500x500-150x150.png Mike Jakaitis – ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app News 32 32 Bus crashes into Forestville gas station /prince-georges-county/2022/09/bus-crashes-into-forestville-gas-station/ /prince-georges-county/2022/09/bus-crashes-into-forestville-gas-station/#respond Thu, 29 Sep 2022 18:07:12 +0000 /?p=24075762 A few people suffered minor injuries after a bus crashed into a Prince George’s County, Maryland, gas station.

Police said the bus crashed into a Shell gas station at Forestville Road and Stewart Road, in Forestville, about 10:45 a.m. Thursday, and that the bus isn’t a county bus.

They said one person was transported for evaluation.

Officials said it’s a bus used to train people to get their commercial driver’s license.

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Alexandria shooting leaves 2 dead /alexandria/2022/07/alexandria-shooting-leaves-1-dead-another-injured/ /alexandria/2022/07/alexandria-shooting-leaves-1-dead-another-injured/#respond Sat, 16 Jul 2022 15:30:11 +0000 /?p=23826815 Two people were killed during a shooting in an Alexandria, Virginia, neighborhood on Saturday morning.

Alexandria police received a report of shots fired shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday. It happened in the 100 block of Century Drive, near Duke Street.



Police said the incident started as a burglary shortly after 7:20 a.m. Saturday. One person was pronounced dead on the scene and another later died at a hospital.

A person of interest is in custody, according to police, and there is no threat to the public.

“We have, like, three different crime scenes,” said Alexandria Police Chief Don Hayes. “That’s why we have so many units out here. We had the burglaries in one location and possibly at another location, and then shots fired in another location.”

Hayes said it is unknown if the suspect was looking for a particular location.

“We’re doing, of course, a canvass of the area to see if there’s any other victims or any other crime scenes there,” Hayes said. “We’re going to be here awhile with the resources we have to make sure we cover everything we need to cover before we leave.”

Below is a map of the area:

ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app’s Melissa Howell contributed to this report.

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3 injured in car crash on Clara Barton Parkway /montgomery-county/2022/06/3-injured-in-car-crash-on-clara-barton-parkway/ /montgomery-county/2022/06/3-injured-in-car-crash-on-clara-barton-parkway/#respond Tue, 21 Jun 2022 02:33:20 +0000 /?p=23742925 Three people are hurt after a crash on the Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County, Maryland.

It happened Monday around 4:20 p.m. on the outbound lanes after the Glen Echo turnaround heading toward Interstate 495, .

All three were taken to the hospital, including one person with life-threatening injuries.

Lanes were closed for over four hours as police investigated the crash. U.S. Park Police diverted traffic to MacArthur Boulevard.

The outbound lanes reopened

It is unclear what caused the crash.

Below is a map of where the incident occurred.


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3 boys’ soccer coaches at Fairfax Co. high school fired after apparent hazing incident at practice /fairfax-county/2022/04/3-boys-soccer-coaches-at-fairfax-co-high-school-fired-after-apparent-hazing-incident-at-practice/ /fairfax-county/2022/04/3-boys-soccer-coaches-at-fairfax-co-high-school-fired-after-apparent-hazing-incident-at-practice/#respond Tue, 26 Apr 2022 21:06:13 +0000 /?p=23567503 Three varsity boys’ soccer coaches at a Fairfax County, Virginia, high school have been fired after a student was singled out and injured during a practice earlier this month in an apparent hazing incident.

In a message to West Potomac High School soccer families, Principal Tanganyika Millard said that after an April 21 practice, a “parent reported a student was injured after being singled out to run through a ‘gauntlet/tunnel.'”

Head coach Ahmad Sasso and two other coaches were fired after the incident. Millard said in her message that she met with the team to discuss what happened.

The extent of the student’s injuries is unclear.



“West Potomac athletic programs follow the tenets of the Positive Coaching Alliance, which is to provide students with an athletic experience that is caring, challenging, competitive, affirming and positive. Negative words and actions are in direct conflict with the environment we seek to create and maintain for our student athletes,” Millard said.

Sasso and the other coaches are contractors and not school system employees.

“FCPS does not tolerate this kind of treatment of our students,” a school system spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “As soon as the principal was aware, the appropriate action was taken.”

Millard wrote that the school is working with assistant coaches to ensure a smooth transition. The team has four regular season games remaining,

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Woman killed inside her car in Northeast DC shooting; 2 suspects sought /dc/2022/03/woman-killed-inside-her-car-in-northeast-dc-shooting-2-suspects-sought/ /dc/2022/03/woman-killed-inside-her-car-in-northeast-dc-shooting-2-suspects-sought/#respond Fri, 11 Mar 2022 01:21:34 +0000 /?p=23426725 A woman was killed after being shot inside her car in Northeast D.C. Thursday evening.

D.C. police said two twin toddlers were inside the car when the shooting happened but they were not hurt.

Police said they are looking for two suspects involved in the shooting, which occurred in the 1800 block of Benning Road NE around 6 p.m.

The suspects fled westward toward Gales Street NE. In a tweet, the as two Black men last seen wearing all-black clothing.

An investigation is ongoing.

Below is a map of the area:

 

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It’s football season: Barbecue ideas for your game day food experience /food-restaurant/2021/09/its-football-season-barbecue-ideas-for-your-game-day-food-experience/ /food-restaurant/2021/09/its-football-season-barbecue-ideas-for-your-game-day-food-experience/#respond Fri, 10 Sep 2021 13:00:35 +0000 /?p=22781455 The summer is upon us, and grills and smokers all over the DMV are heating up as well. For the series “Fired Up with Jake and John,” ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app’s Mike Jakaitis and John Domen talk with some of the region’s best pit masters about their methods, with the goal of helping you level up your barbecue game.

Labor Day has come and gone, which means the unofficial end of summer — but that doesn’t mean it’s time to put away your grill or smoker.

It’s football season, so it’s still prime time barbecue season. The first full week of the college season is in the books, and the pros kick off this week. That means tailgating or football gatherings over the next several months.

There’s nothing wrong with your basic hamburger or hot dog, but if you want to enhance the game day food experience, there are some things you can do that will impress your friends or family.

“Cook a pork butt overnight,” said Drew Darnielle, the owner of Smoke Craft Modern BBQ in Arlington, Virginia. “You can feed a lot of people with pulled pork sandwiches, pulled pork nachos.”

And speaking of nachos, Darnielle has this suggestion to impress the hungry crowd: “You can smoke queso. Smoking your own queso to have a giant make-your-own nacho bar, that’s something that’s really cool and it’s going to have that little bit of something that somebody else can’t do.”


Fired Up with Jake and John


Staying with the pork playbook, Darnielle says people will love pork belly burnt ends.

“You get pork belly, cut them up into cube. When you render those down, those are some of the things people go crazy for.”

Darnielle also suggests bacon-wrapped jalapeños, buffalo chicken dip and, of course, a football food staple: wings.

“You have to have them on game day.”

He brines and smokes whole wings before cutting them.

“By keeping them whole, they smoke better and I can keep them in a little bit longer.”

Darnielle smokes his wings for about an hour-and-a-half at 250 degrees using hickory wood before flash-frying for about a minute to crisp up the skin.

“If they were cut in half, if I had flats and drums, then it would only take about 45 minutes.”

And speaking of time, the “Winningest Man in BBQ” has this suggestion so you don’t miss the game or pregame festivities because you are cooking,

“I would pick proteins that are a short cook,” Myron Mixon said, from his self-named restaurant in Old Town Alexandria. “You want to do things that cook fast, like pork loin cooking in an hour and 45 minutes, ribs in two-and-a-half hours 
 bacon wrapped tenderloins, you can do those in an hour and 15 minutes.”

Mixon says by picking things that cook fast, you’ll have more time to have fun.

“You don’t want everybody eating up your food, drinking your liquor while you’re manning the pit all day.”

Enjoy the season!


 to the “Fired Up with Jake and John” podcast on Podcast One.


 

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Your barbecue guide to the easiest meat to mishandle /food-restaurant/2021/09/your-barbecue-guide-to-the-easiest-meat-to-mishandle/ /food-restaurant/2021/09/your-barbecue-guide-to-the-easiest-meat-to-mishandle/#respond Fri, 03 Sep 2021 10:22:29 +0000 /?p=22758808 The summer is upon us, and grills and smokers all over the DMV are heating up as well. For the series “Fired Up with Jake and John,” ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app’s Mike Jakaitis and John Domen talk with some of the region’s best pit masters about their methods, with the goal of helping you level up your barbecue game.

This summer, we’ve talked about pork, beef, seafood and vegetables, but we haven’t done a deep dive on the meat that is easiest to screw up: poultry.

We’ve probably all had the unfortunate pleasure of eating dry, flavorless chicken at a barbecue. We’ve probably also had the pleasure to experience moist, juicy, succulent chicken.

So what’s the secret?

“Not overcooking it,” said Drew Darneille, the owner of Smoke Craft Modern BBQ, in Arlington, Virginia. “A perfectly moist chicken is really challenging.”

A good brine is one of his keys for poultry perfection.

“Water, salt, sugar, with different flavors — herbs, whatever you want to put in it,” Darneille said. “That will help retain the moisture inside the meat, so, as it cooks, it doesn’t dry out.”

Fernando Gonzalez, at 2Fifty BBQ, in Riverdale, Maryland, smokes wings, leg quarters and whole chickens at his restaurant. He is also a big proponent of brining poultry: “It avoids surprises.”

If you don’t brine your chicken, you could end up with “very good smoky flavor, but it’s dry inside.”

Gonzalez brines his chicken for at least 24 hours, smokes it at 275 degrees and doesn’t pull it off the pit until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 175 degrees — a little higher than the USDA recommendation. “Just to make sure everything is falling off the bone, really tender, really nice.”

Gonzalez said not all chicken parts are created equal.

“Whole chickens tend to be ready in three hours. Chicken wings, you can finish them in one hour, an hour-and-a-half. Chicken leg quarters, something in between (whole chicken and wings).”

Darneille has taken part in many barbecue competitions and has been invited to compete in what is widely considered the world’s most prestigious barbecue contest: the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue, set for Lynchburg, Tennessee, in October.

He said he’s made one barbecue mistake that sounds counterintuitive.

“Smoke. Believe it or not, at a barbecue competition, judges don’t like smoke, especially chicken.” Some judges used to comment that his chicken was too smoky, so he made adjustments.

“It’s understanding how to use the smoke as a slight ingredient — like a salt or pepper — versus overwhelming it.”


Fired Up with Jake and John


But even with all the brines, seasonings and smoke, Darneille said there’s one important thing to remember when it comes to smoking poultry.

“Chicken, at the end of the day, is supposed to taste like chicken.”


to the “Fired Up with Jake and John” podcast on Podcast One.


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No grill required: Your guide to barbecuing vegetables /food-restaurant/2021/08/no-grill-required-your-guide-to-barbecuing-vegetables/ /food-restaurant/2021/08/no-grill-required-your-guide-to-barbecuing-vegetables/#respond Fri, 13 Aug 2021 08:55:07 +0000 /?p=22693106
Barbecued vegetables are great, and pit mater Steve Raichlen says you can even skip the grill. (ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app/Mike Jakaitis)

The summer is upon us, and grills and smokers all over the DMV are heating up as well. For the series “Fired Up with Jake and John,” ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app’s Mike Jakaitis and John Domen talk with some of the region’s best pit masters about their methods, with the goal of helping you level up your barbecue game.

All summer long, we have talked meat, meat, meat, and more meat.

This week, we are doing a 180 and appealing to vegans and others who love their veggies. Cooking vegetables on the stove is as exciting as spreading mulch in the yard. But add a little fire and some smoke and I’m all in. Farmer’s markets are stocked with fresh corn, peppers, zucchini and many other delicious vegetables right now, and they come out great on the grill or in the smoker.

Steven Raichlen has been a grill master for a long time. He is the author of many books on barbecue, including “How to Grill” and “The Barbecue Bible.” He’s written chapter and verse about ribs, brisket, steaks and chicken, but he flipped the script in his latest book, “How to Grill Vegetables: The New Bible for Barbecuing Vegetables over Live Fire.”

“I think every vegetable tastes better over live fire,” he said.

Raichlen grills a lot of his vegetables using the same method he uses to grill a big juicy steak: “It’s the oldest, the most primal, the most primitive style of grilling,” he said.

It’s called caveman style: The vegetables are grilled directly on the charcoal embers. Nope – no grill grate.

“I do eggplants caveman style; bell peppers are amazing. Salsa ingredients — your tomatoes, your peppers, your onions.”

Even corn on the cob “Just lay it right on the embers [without foil]. You get a smoke flavor; it’s off-the-charts delicious.”

A lot of us – not including my podcast partner John Domen – love potatoes. Raichlen said they’re excellent on the grill, and there are many ways to grill them. If you’re grilling potatoes for the first time he suggests a simple method: “Brush it with melted butter, olive oil — or why not even bacon fat — salt and pepper and indirect grill it.”

(Sorry, vegans; I couldn’t resist the temptation to mention meat.)

You can even grill peas! Raichlen warns it can be very time consuming to grill such a little vegetable, but he did it on his PBS show “Project Fire” a couple of years ago.

“I wanted to put peas in the paella, so somebody in our field kitchen actually skewered individual peas on very slender bamboo skewers.”

Vegetables already have a lot of great natural flavor, he said, but he’s gotten a lot of seasoning inspiration from other cultures where vegetables are a primary food source, such as Armenia, Southeast Asia and South America. He also has a piece of advice when adding herbs to vegetables: “Take an extra bunch and toss it on the coals; you’ll be cooking in this wonderful fragrant herb smoke.”

And Raichlen said vegetables are a great way for first-time grillers to get their feet wet — because it’s really hard to mess up.

“We are in the realm of foods you can burn and it still tastes great,” he said; “You can burn a bell pepper; you can burn an eggplant, and it will taste all that much better.”

You know, Meatless Mondays may become a thing in our household.


to the “Fired Up with Jake and John” podcast on Podcast One.


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Learning the BBQ favorites /food-restaurant/2021/07/learning-the-bbq-favorites/ /food-restaurant/2021/07/learning-the-bbq-favorites/#respond Fri, 30 Jul 2021 10:29:12 +0000 /?p=22632686

The summer is upon us, and grills and smokers all over the DMV are heating up as well. For the series “Fired Up with Jake and John,” ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app’s Mike Jakaitis and John Domen talk with some of the region’s best pitmasters about their methods, with the goal of helping you level up your barbecue game.

The basics you’ll find at any barbecue joint — in no particular order — are: brisket, ribs, pork butt and chicken.

It’s always a tough choice when it comes to ordering.

However, it may be a smart idea to find out what is the chef’s favorite thing to eat and then place your order.

We asked some of the region’s top barbecue pitmasters what they like to make when they are cooking at home. You may be surprised many of them don’t like to spend all day in the backyard.

Kyle Norris owns . He used to work as a contractor and was a backyard chef himself and used to cooking for large crowds. Norris has 16 brothers and sisters, and his wife has 11.

“I built this smoke pit in my backyard and started loading chickens on it and I was like, ‘You know what? I can probably put a hog in here,’ and I ended up putting a hog in there and that was my first notion of this is what I like to do.”

Norris said the hog was perfectly cooked and that’s when he realized he had a future in barbecue.

Out of all of the things he throws on the pit, he said there’s one piece of meat that always hits the sweet spot in his stomach: spare ribs.

“I like the St. Louis (type of rib). I’m not a big baby-back fan but a lot of people are.”

Fernando Gonzales of , Maryland, likes to do ribs too, and that’s how he learned how to barbecue because it was pretty much the most decent meat cut he could find in his native El Salvador. Still, he said he wasn’t a natural at barbecue when he started.

“I burned a few, I learned a lot,” he said.

But to this day, ribs are still the favorite thing he likes to make for himself.

“If you know the basics of barbecue, you can still provide a great slab of ribs,” he said.


Fired Up with Jake and John


Rob Sonderman doesn’t like to do long cooks at home so he prefers cooking baby back ribs at home for this reason.

“They cook up faster than spare ribs,” he said. “I like serving spare ribs because I prefer those over baby back ribs, but baby back ribs cook in about half or two-thirds the time.”

Another thing Sonderman likes to make at home is a nice juicy porterhouse steak.

“Smoke on indirect heat for 45 minutes so it comes up to temperature slowly, and then I flash it on the grill, sort of a reverse sear method,” Sonderman said.

When asked about his favorite thing he likes to cook in his backyard, Norris said with a laugh: “I don’t like to smoke anything when I’m home.”

Norris said the fire pit in his backyard has not been used for a few years.

“When I go home, I prefer not to cook because I spend a lot of time on the smoker. I spend a lot of time here.”


to the “Fired Up with Jake and John” podcast on Podcast One


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Wood you rather? Top barbecue chefs on the best woods and spice rubs /food-restaurant/2021/07/wood-you-rather-top-barbecue-chefs-on-the-best-woods-and-spice-rubs/ /food-restaurant/2021/07/wood-you-rather-top-barbecue-chefs-on-the-best-woods-and-spice-rubs/#respond Fri, 16 Jul 2021 12:28:52 +0000 /?p=22586169 The summer is upon us, and grills and smokers all over the DMV are heating up as well. For the series “Fired Up with Jake and John,” ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app’s Mike Jakaitis and John Domen talk with some of the region’s best pitmasters about their methods, with the goal of helping you level up your barbecue game.

So far, we’ve talked about cuts of meat, smoking times and cooking techniques. We haven’t said a lot about spice rubs or wood, but they’re an important part of the flavor — and the smell — of great barbecue.

Fernando Gonzalez, who owns 2Fifty BBQ, in Riverdale, Maryland, calls wood his main ingredient. He has giant sheds full of oak to cook with because it’s easy to get in bulk. But for backyard cooks, Gonzalez suggests different woods for different meats.

“If you’re cooking one small batch of briskets for your family and friends in the backyard, I would say hickory and mesquite. It’s a good way to enhance the smoky flavor,” Gonzalez said. When he’s cooking chicken in his own backyard, Gonzalez likes to use Applewood.

Myron Mixon, the owner of Myron Mixon’s BBQ in Old Town Alexandria who just won his fifth Memphis in May World Championship, uses a variety of wood.

“Hickory is a great wood for barbecue, and is readily available,” Mixon said. And as a Georgia native, he has access to peach wood, which he calls “awesome.”

Spice rubs are another key factor in great barbecue, but where do you start in creating a good rub?

Rob Sonderman, at the Federalist Pig, said he uses five seasonings as a base.

“Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and brown sugar are kind of like my five keys to a dry rub,” Sonderman said.


Fired Up with Jake and John


You can add other seasonings along the way: Sonderman said he sometimes likes to add a little cumin to his rub. At home, he experiments with more unusual flavors, and last Christmas, he smoked a Peking-style duck.

But don’t get too complicated.

“If you’re going to be experimenting at home, don’t try to change too many things each time,” Sonderman said. “If you want to change your rub up, maybe add one more ingredient each time you’re cooking, so you know what you’re liking and what you don’t like 
 trying to change five different things, you don’t really know what worked and what didn’t work, because you can’t really isolate the different changes you made.”

Gonzalez uses different rubs for beef, chicken and pork.

“Beef is 100% salt and pepper,” he said. “Kosher salt, ground black pepper.”

As for pork, salt and pepper make for the base. From there, “We play with Hungarian paprika, or chili powder. You need to use some garlic powder, some onion powder.”

Some people add sugar to their pork rubs, but not Gonzalez: “No sweet on the pork; sometimes we use a little bit of sugar on the chicken.”

Speaking of chicken, Gonzalez likes to brine his poultry for 24 to 72 hours to keep it from drying out.

Even with all of these tips, he also cautions: Don’t overthink the process.

“You are looking for good flavor but not as complex as [to hide] what the meat tastes like,” Gonzalez said. “At the end of the day, you want to taste that meat.”


to the “Fired Up with Jake and John” podcast on Podcast One


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Next University of Maryland president appointed /maryland/2020/02/next-university-of-maryland-president-appointed/ /maryland/2020/02/next-university-of-maryland-president-appointed/#respond Thu, 13 Feb 2020 00:14:31 +0000 /?p=20734691 The University of Maryland that it has appointed a new president.

The University System of Maryland Board of Regents appointed Darryll J. Pines to succeed Wallace Loh. Pines’ appointment is effective July 1, and he will be the 34th president of the University of Maryland, College Park.

Pines has been the A. James Clark School of Engineering dean for the past 11 years. He has been with the university for 25 years, starting as an assistant professor in 1995.

He later became chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering from 2006 to 2009.

Achievements during his tenure as dean include improving teaching in fundamental undergraduate courses, raising student retention, success in student competitions, and placing emphasis in sustainability in engineering, among others, the university said in a news release.


“He knows intimately the strengths of the faculty, the energy of the students, and the circle of legislative and philanthropic support both in the State of Maryland and beyond. I can’t think of a better person to build on the excellence at the university and take it to even higher levels,” Board of Regents Chair Linda Gooden said in a statement.

Loh’s retirement was set for June 2019, but it was delayed for a year because it was taking longer to find a new president.

Loh announced his retirement in 2018, following the death of 19-year-old old football player Jordan McNair, which created a lot of controversy and led to the resignation of several school leaders and staff.

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Alexandria man wins $2M in lottery /alexandria/2019/08/alexandria-man-wins-2m-in-lottery/ /alexandria/2019/08/alexandria-man-wins-2m-in-lottery/#respond Wed, 21 Aug 2019 14:20:40 +0000 /?p=20075598 An Alexandria, Virginia, man went out to buy his wife a sandwich and ended up $2 million richer.

Calvin Kim matched the first five numbers in the Mega Millions drawing on May 28 and won $1 million. But he spent an extra buck for the Megaplier, doubling his prize to $2 million.

Kim bought his lucky ticket while picking up something for his wife to eat at the Saigon Bakery & Deli in Falls Church.

Kim says he will put his winnings toward retirement.

His ticket was the only one in Virginia to match the first five numbers. No ticket matched all of that night’s $418 million jackpot.

alexandria lottery winner Calvin Kim
Calvin Kim of Alexandria, Virginia, matched five numbers. (Courtesy Virginia Lottery)

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Arlington Memorial Bridge work, lane closures postponed once again /dc-transit/2018/09/arlington-memorial-bridge-work-lane-closures-postponed-once-again/ /dc-transit/2018/09/arlington-memorial-bridge-work-lane-closures-postponed-once-again/#respond Fri, 21 Sep 2018 12:59:28 +0000 /?p=18758945 WASHINGTON — Work that would temporarily shut down the Arlington Memorial Bridge this weekend has been pushed back again, this time due to high water on the Potomac.

The work and lane closures will now take place next weekend from 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28 through 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 1, said Jonathan Shafer, public affairs specialist for the National Park Service.

The work on the bridge, which involves cutting holes into the bridge deck’s center span, was originally scheduled for last weekend but was pushed back a week because of the expected arrival of Hurricane Florence.

Road closures will affect drivers, cyclists and pedestrians as both sidewalks and all six lanes of the bridge will be temporarily closed for the bridge repairs. Boaters in the Potomac River should also avoid the area near the bridge’s center span.

The park service said full bridge closure on weekends and at night are expected over the next 2 and 1/2 years. Another full weekend closure is scheduled for November.

ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app’s Teta Alim contributed to this report. 

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Playing Through: Topgolf Loudoun /golf/2018/01/playing-through-topgolf-loudoun/ /golf/2018/01/playing-through-topgolf-loudoun/#respond Mon, 29 Jan 2018 07:44:10 +0000 /?p=17821811 ASHBURN, Va. — So, it’s late January. How’s your golf game?

Maybe you’re not particularly interested in trying to look strong and tough, or just not interested in wrapping yourself head-to-toe to survive an 18-hole jaunt in subfreezing temperatures. That’s understandable, and it’s where Topgolf comes in.

With 102 heated stalls — not to mention a gourmet kitchen and full bar at your disposal — Topgolf Loudoun gives you a chance to keep your game sharp while enjoying comforts not found out on the course this time of year.

For those who’ve never been to Topgolf, here’s the gist: It’s an interactive driving range with a stall that you rent by the hour for a group of up to six people. There are specific games you can play, or you can just mess around. You can bring your own clubs or just use theirs.

It can absolutely be a place where serious golfers can go to work on their game, but it’s also where someone who has never swung a golf club before can go and be comfortable.

Started by two competitive golfing brothers in the U.K. in 2000, the concept was fairly straightforward.

“They wanted to find a way to make their driving range experience a lot more competitive,” Brandon Gabay, senior marketing manager for Topgolf’s Washington region, told ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app.

“It started, actually, with taking a chip out of a dog collar. That was like the original microchip to see how you could track that ball.”

Now, each ball is equipped with an RFID chip to accurately tell you which quadrant of each green-shaped target you landed in and exactly how far your ball traveled. Originally built on top of existing driving ranges, Topgolf centers now start from scratch, giving them a chance to dig into the ground and create a more effective measurement system.

But, ironically, their origin atop driving ranges is not where the name comes from but rather the acronym Target Oriented Practice Golf.

Now with 40 venues serving over 13 million people per year across the U.S. and beyond, the focus has expanded well beyond just golf. The Nashville site has a concert venue attached called Topgolf Live, complete with a 600-person amphitheater. The Las Vegas location, right by MGM Grand, features two pools with cabanas. With expansion into Australia in 2018 and plans moving along for Canada, Mexico and Dubai, the regional flair only figures to continue to expand.

“We have really shifted away from being a driving range,” said Gabay. “It’s just as much fun for someone who’s never picked up a club in their entire life as someone who’s a scratch golfer.”

To that end, Gabay said the clientele at Topgolf Loudoun is split about 50/50 between golfers and non-golfers. Whether you play or don’t, there’s plenty of food and drink options to keep you entertained, as well as a Kidzone on the lower level.

Speaking of the food — it’s surprisingly good. The presentation has plenty of flair, which doesn’t do anything in particular for me, though your mileage may vary. Thankfully, it doesn’t come at expense of flavor.

The Mushi, a burrito cut into sushi-like rolls, was a nice bite-sized offering of solid, Mexican flavors. The Grass-Fed Zing Zang Chili — which features Bloody Mary mix — was well-balanced and had a good pop of heat. And while the Injectable Donut Hole syringes were a bit much, the doughnuts themselves had tastes of cinnamon and were sugary and deliciously golden brown with a chewy center all on their own.

We didn’t sample any drinks; it wasn’t just because we were on the clock but also because it was 11 a.m. It was also 23 degrees when we arrived. But with dual heaters over both the seating area and the hitting pad, we were both fine in a light sweater, which seemed to be the going attire.

This was over the holiday break, but it was still surprising just how many people were there, given the hour on a weekday. It can certainly get busy, especially on the weekends, with occasional waits up to two or three hours. Topgolf is now experimenting with taking reservations for stalls to help you avoid showing up and finding yourself behind a big crowd.

If you’re looking to keep your game sharp, or maybe to drag the non-golfers in your life along for some fun, Topgolf’s a solid option, especially in the colder months.

It can get a little pricey if there’s just one or two of you, though, as all pricing is done by the hour for the hitting bay itself (anywhere from $25 to $45 an hour, depending on time of day). If you just want to hit a bucket on your own, the range will be cheaper and quieter. So it’s best consumed as a group, as each bay accommodates up to six people.

Jake’s Take

Topgolf is a great place for the casual and beginning golfer. Take away all the bells and whistles (food, bar, servers — which I like) it’s still a good place to work on your game. You can learn which club you need to use for a certain distance.

Topgolf provides clubs and suggests which club you should use to the target. When I started out, I had no idea which club to use on the course besides the putter. Over time, you’ll figure out your distance for your individual clubs on your own, but if you’re starting out, this can give you a good foundation as you develop your game.

I found the games on the range helpful because it helped me stay focused on each shot instead of just “gripping and ripping.”

As for those bells and whistles, the food and service is great. The bar area is a cool place to watch a game. Overall, Topgolf is a good place to work on your game and have some fun, especially if you don’t have the time to commit four to five hours for a round.

Dates and Rates

Open year-round Sunday to Thursday 9 a.m.—11 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9 a.m.—1 a.m.

Costs are per bay, not per person; up to six people per bay, includes unlimited golf

9 a.m.—noon: $25/hour

Noon—5 p.m.: $35/hour

After 5 p.m.: $45/hour

Specials

Winter Leagues start Jan. 29

Mondays, four to six person social league (beginner/intermediate)

Tuesdays, two-person (intermediate/advanced), includes playoffs

Winner gets free entry for next season and entry to Topgolf Tour

Leagues range from about $120 to $140 per season

Food/Drink

Full restaurant with executive chef

Full bar plus outdoor lounge area

Service to each bay while you play

Pace of Play

As long as you want, though waits can be up to several hours during busy times

Dress Code

No golf dress code

Directions

Take Route 7 eastward from D.C. or Northern Virginia; facility is on the left side of the highway; exit at Loudoun County Parkway.

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Hundreds line up for car washes as temperatures rise /montgomery-county/2018/01/temperatures-rise-hundreds-line-car-washes/ /montgomery-county/2018/01/temperatures-rise-hundreds-line-car-washes/#respond Sun, 21 Jan 2018 15:48:01 +0000 /?p=17694551 WASHINGTON — If you thought this mild weekend was a perfect opportunity to get the salt washed off your car, you’re not alone. Hundreds of people waited in lines at area gas stations Saturday and crowds are expected Sunday too.

At Germantown Auto Spa in Montgomery County, Maryland, at least 500 people had their car washed on Saturday. Marketing director Cheryl Hanes and manager Zach Grimnes had to stand outside and direct traffic.

“It was fantastic, the perfect storm of events created it,” Grimnes said.

The line of cars snaked all the way around the adjacent gas station. At 5 p.m., the wait was about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Hanes said the car wash has been that way since the recent cold spell in the D.C. area finally let up.

“We are going to have a record breaking weekend at all of our auto spas,” Hanes said.

Temperatures on Sunday are expected to reach the upper 50s, but it won’t be as sunny as Saturday. Check ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app’s weather page for the latest updates.

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