Washington

Advice | Miss Manners: Regifting an obvious regift

Published

2 years ago

April 11, 2024

Advice | Miss Manners: Regifting an obvious regift

Dear Miss Manners: A friend gave me a gift that had obviously been recycled, possibly more than once. When I opened it, a card fell out — dated 1995. The item itself was in good shape, unused, but the box was showing a little wear. Internet research revealed that this item has not been manufactured in at least 10 years.

Naturally, I thanked her profusely for the gift. It was expensive, but not something I can use. I thought of donating it, but my friend sometimes shops at thrift stores and might see it on the shelf there (and she may have purchased it there to begin with). I am thinking of giving it to another friend who can use it and who does not know the friend who gave it to me.

Should I mention the gift’s history as an amusing anecdote, or say that I had received a nice gift I can’t use? Or should I just not say anything about its provenance?

As she is always in favor of a good story, Miss Manners suggests including that when you regift the item. This, of course, has the added benefit of allowing you to include the card and the box, as well as minimizing the risk of getting caught, even if the card is passionately addressed to someone neither of you has ever met.

Dear Miss Manners: Is it proper to play cards at a restaurant after finishing your meal? My husband and I had lunch at a local establishment, and seated at the table next to us were four women playing cards and drinking iced tea refills. They were there when we arrived and still there when we left.

With some exceptions, commercial establishments generally discourage such behavior in the interest of staying in business. Are you thinking of starting a tournament or a restaurant?

Dear Miss Manners: I work in an informal environment (academia) where I receive a set salary. It is the kind of job where the amount of work fluctuates and sometimes requires me to work more than eight hours in a day. Because of the nature of my workplace, there is no set 9-5 rule; nevertheless, some colleagues appear to think it’s necessary to follow that schedule.

I have never understood this. If I have a meeting at 9 a.m., of course I will do my best to arrive at work before that. If I am running even five minutes late, I will notify the other meeting attendees and apologize. For all other workdays, I feel I should be able to arrive later and leave earlier, as long as my work is not suffering. But I still feel guilty when I do so.

For what it’s worth, my boss primarily judges employees based on performance and not the number of hours put in on any given day. Am I committing a workplace faux pas by straying from convention?

It is presumably the boss’s opinion that matters, not that of your co-workers, colleagues — or whatever new term the university may have invented to obscure that professional manners, not social ones, apply. If you worry that there might be misunderstandings later, you could ask for a written attendance policy — and hope that this will not jar your boss into changing it now.

New Miss Manners columns are posted Monday through Saturday on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com. You can also follow her @RealMissManners.

Source link

Washington

Deputies shoot armed suspect in Leesburg Walmart parking lot

Published

3 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Deputies shoot armed suspect in Leesburg Walmart parking lot

Deputies shot an armed suspect in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Leesburg, Virginia, late Tuesday morning, authorities say.

Detectives, deputies and special agents from the FBI had tracked the suspect down after he tried to rob the Bank of America at Dulles Crossing on Monday, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said. The suspect, who still hasn’t been named, didn’t get any money before taking off from the bank.

Authorities found the suspect was parked at the back of the Walmart parking lot just before noon Tuesday.

Deputies pulled up behind the suspect’s blue sedan at the back of the Walmart parking lot about 11:40 a.m. Tuesday. As they approached, the suspect got out with a gun, Sheriff Mike Chapman said.

Deputies then fired their guns at the suspect, hitting him. Chapman did not say how many times the suspect was shot or give specific information about his injuries.

Medics took the suspect to a hospital.

No deputies were injured, the sheriff’s office said.

Chapman said it was too early in the investigation to say if the suspect fired his gun or how many officers were involved in the shooting.

Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.

Source link

Washington

The American story projected on the Washington Monument came from North Texas

Published

15 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

The American story projected on the Washington Monument came from North Texas

Steve Deitz walks with the energy of a coach; however, he does not hide that he and his team are digital nerds and storytellers who specialize in large-scale visual content and software development. More specifically, the 48-year-old makes a living creating the wow factor at his agency, “900lbs.”

“We started the company working for the Dallas Mavericks, telling large-scale visual content on the Jumbotron, and next thing you know, Activision, Blizzard calls,” he said. “We get to work in the Perot Museum on the biggest exhibit in the museum, and then fast-forward another 12 years, and here we are now.”

His current project is wrapping up in the nation’s capital — sorta. Since Dec.31, projections of America’s story have been given to his agency.

“We’re telling the story of the 250-year birthday of America in the biggest way possible on the facade of the Washington Monument on all four sides,” Deitz said.

He said they started testing out the results a couple of nights before New Year’s Eve. Scenes from Thomas Edison’s light bulb, the Empire State Building, the Model T Ford, and the Industrial Revolution, to name a few, are projected onto the Washington Monument.

Deitz gives his team a ton of credit from the moment he received the call about the project. He also thinks back to the times when he was an athlete who loved to draw in Merkel, Texas. The kid who dared to dream beyond the city limits and outside of the box. The CEO is giving advice to that child who may need a little inspiration.

“Hard work, perseverance, dedication, surround yourself with a team of brilliant people that are way smarter than you, and do the best you possibly can,” he said.

Deitz said there is a likelihood his team’s creations will return to the nation’s capital this year.

Source link

Washington

Tracking crime in the DMV: Some areas see drop in violent crime, homicide

Published

2 days ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Tracking crime in the DMV: Some areas see drop in violent crime, homicide

It is not the way any homicide squad wants to start an already busy new year.

Prince George’s County police Sunday were trying to figure out who was found dead in a car behind a strip center overnight and why. Police, who responded after a call about gun shots, told News4 they’re still searching for the most basic details.

It comes just a day after three people were shot and killed at a Temple Hills banquet hall early Saturday morning. Police told News4 that investigation is active and showing signs of promise.

But the busy start somewhat hides the bigger picture about crime in the area.

Despite the tough start to 2026, homicide in Prince George’s County was down 40% in 2025 percent compared to 2024, and violent crime on a whole was down 19%, both through mid-December according to Prince George’s County police.

In D.C. is a similar story.

“Now we have no crime in Washington, DC. We have no killing,” said President Donald Trump Saturday during a news conference about action in Venezuela.

While the crime rate is not nearly as good as Trump has repeatedly said, the District recorded five homicides in December and 126 in all of 2025. That’s down 32% over 2024. Violent crime is down 29%, according to D.C .police crime statistics.

In Fairfax, homicide is down 14% — but the county only had 12 total — and violent crime dropped 4%, according to the county’s online reporting.

Source link