Blue Customers Matter: Police Turned Away at Restaurants | Weekend Read

Each weekend, we share stories that are sparking conversations beyond one town:

Blue Customers Matter: Police Turned Away at Restaurants

An officer in Alexandria, Va., was standing in line recently at a Noodles & Co., a growing fast food pasta chain with more than 400 locations. As the officer was waiting to place her order, the cook walked to the cashier and "said something along the lines of 'I'm not serving that one,'" Alexandria Police Department spokeswoman Crystal Nosal told Patch.

National social justice fights are routinely debated at political podiums and national talk shows, but they're fought on the ground — neighbor to neighbor. Decades ago, it was counters and water fountains marked "whites only." In recent years, it has been religious bakers refusing service to gay couples.

This summer, we're seeing shocking videos of police-involved deaths, as well as deadly attacks on law enforcement like we have never seen before. And the latest individuals turned away at local restaurants are those sworn to protect their communities. >>> Read more.

Federal Investigators Slam Metro

The Federal Transit Administration slammed Metro in a new report this week following recent safety issues in the system, including a derailment near the East Falls Church station that injured one person and shut down the station for days. The feds are promising in the report to "assist" WMATA in making sure that corrective actions are taken.

New Lokl Gourmet: 'Like a Miniature Whole Foods'

Lokl Gourmet, which opened earlier this year in McLean, is getting some top-notch reviews from Yelpers. Since it opened in January, the boutique gourmet shop specializing in local, fresh fare has earned five stars from 16 Yelp reviews.

The company started out (and continues to offer) its fare to customers at area farmers markets and as a caterer; it segued to bricks and mortar earlier this year. "It's like a miniature Whole Foods in the middle of neighborhood," one customer writes. >>>Read more.

Golf is Dying? Not for One Area Parks Authority

Golf is a dying sport that requires too much time from its participants, requires too much cash from its participants' wallets and has suffered mightily from the well-chronicled regression and absence of superstar Tiger Woods. Or so goes the narrative.

Well, Roberta Korzen, who's in charge of golf marketing for the Fairfax County Park Authority, has something of a self-serving rebuttal she nonetheless can back up with facts.

"We're actually ahead on total rounds by 4 percent this year as opposed to last year, and we're actually increasing (participation) as opposed to declining," she said Wednesday. ". . .We're bucking the trend." >>> Read more.