Around Town

Despite worries about long lines and delays, catching a flight at Reagan National Airport was a relative breeze this morning. Parking at the Clarendon Whole Foods, on the other hand, is a disaster zone.

The heavy volume of shoppers stocking up for Thanksgiving dinner is overwhelming the five (count ’em) neon-vested parking attendants who are currently working the lot.


News

Investigators say 49-year-old Storme Swann, a registered sex offender from LaPlata, Md., knocked on the victims’ hotel room door then forced his way inside. He sexually assaulted the daughter, who is in her 50s, and then fled after stealing money and electronics, according to police.

In a press release, police say they tracked down the suspect thanks to an anonymous tip.


Around Town

The USTA Mid-Atlantic Section named Arlington County’s Parks Department its “2010 Parks and Recreation Agency of the Year.” The award is in recognition of the county’s “overall tennis programming.”

“This award demonstrates that the state of tennis in Arlington County is strong and getting even stronger,” Parks Department Sports Programmer Eric Legg said in a statement. “As the popularity of tennis in Arlington County grows, so too does the quality of tennis programming and facilities.”


Opinion

Contrary to popular belief, the Friday after Thanksgiving is not the busiest shopping day of the year. Americans actually buy more in the days leading up to Christmas.

But Black Friday is one of the biggest “traffic” days of the year at shopping centers, as consumers, unburdened by work or the need to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner, head out to the mall just for the sake of getting out and doing something. And of course there are those doorbuster specials, too.


News

Passenger Protests, Midwest Weather Could Cause Airport Delays — Flying out of Dulles or Reagan National Airport today could be a challenge. On the busiest travel day of the Thanksgiving holiday, thousands of passengers are planning a nationwide, grassroots revolt against the TSA’s use of full-body scanners. Instead of going through the machines, they will protest by insisting on a time-consuming pat-down. That, combined with a storm system in the upper Midwest could cause delays. So far, however, flights at DCA and IAD are on time. More from the Washington Post.

Crystal City Renaissance Hotel To Open in March — A new LEED-certified Renaissance Hotel is coming to the quickly-developing area south of Crystal City and north of Potomac Yard. The hotel, located at 2800 South Potomac Avenue, is expected to open in March 2011. Rooms will initially start at $299 per night, according to HotelChatter.com.