IN THE NEWS: Those Pesky Bank Robbers, Forgey Begins Examination of Anacostia Redevelopment, Cicadas Raining Down

... No Bonnie and Clyde, But Mavericks Nonetheless. Law enforcement agencies in the area are crediting a group of bank robbers' risky tactics, surprise timing and high-powered weapons as the reasons why they haven't been caught yet. In the past six months, six banks have been robbed between 10 a.m. and noon in high-traffic areas. Most recently, a stolen get-away van was, in dramatic fashion, set on fire in Upper Northwest after a Sun Trust bank on Connecticut Avenue was held-up.

"Robbers Stymie Area Police" [The Washington Post]

... The Other River.The Washington Post's architecture critic Benjamin Forgey begins the first in a five-part series on the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, the massive effort to transform the District's second river from a semi-abandoned, dirty, hardscrabble mess, to a showcase riverfront.

From The Washington Post's Benjamin Forgey:
[D.C. Office of Planning Director Andrew] Altman points to dozens of small and large projects that are completed, funded or underway in a mix of public and private development. He predicts that in the next five years these investments will produce 4,637 new residences, 613,000 square feet of retail, 3.2 million square feet of offices and 32 acres of new public parks.

And more is planned, including a new South Capitol Street bridge, a grand South Capitol Street boulevard, and reconfigured expressway links between Capitol Hill and Anacostia.

"The Ripple Effect" [The Washington Post]
Anacostia Waterfront Initiative [D.C. Office of Planning]

... Cicadas Still Coming.The Associated Press reports that although we all thought the Brood X cicada infestation was over and done with, we aren't out of the woods quite yet. Tiny white cicada nymphs, the product of female cicadas laying billions of eggs in the treetops above, will being hatching in the next few weeks and will rain down to the ground in order to dig their way down to their 17-year tree-root slumber. Though the cicadas were for the most part harmless, the Oculus wonders if the nymphs can tell the difference between treeroots and the human scalp when they land in your hair.

"Hatchlings from bygone 17-year cicadas to rain down" [AP via The Washington Times]

... Briefly Noted. Storms could bring flooding. [WRC/NBC-4] ... More Parking at National Airport? [Metro Source via WTOP]