When you stir the spirits in Richmond only bad things are bound to happen. Such was the case this sunny Saturday morning when one guest arrived for the Foundation For Paranormal research's event to "capture and contain" real ghosts at Byrd Park's Pump House building.

The guest parked his car on the curb of Pump House Drive adjacent to the canal and Pump House building when he felt a sudden jolt as the asphalt gave way beneath him. Upon closer inspection he realized the nature of his dilemma, a sink hole was swallowing his car!

Police arrived on the scene around 12:30 to investigate the failing road surface and discovered significant erosion of the hillside next to Pump House Drive and a hole almost 8 feet deep enveloping the rear of the vehicle.

The threat of the expanding hole forced authorities to close down the roadway just before the Pump House complex. It remains unclear when the road will reopen and the city's plan to restore the stability of the road surface.

It also remains unclear what, if any additional vengeance Richmonders can expect from the supernatural after this morning's attempts to capture and contain the poltergeists.

UPDATE 3 PM: Pump House Drive now has Road Closed signs posted. The large hole still remains on the shoulder of the road and a close up inspection reveals a 8-10 foot deep cavern beneath the road surface.

A bumpy patch of pavement on Main Street is now serving as a window into Richmond's past as historic streetcar rails are exposed by an expanding family of potholes.  The archeological excavation photographed is located at the intersection of West Main St. and Strawberry St. in the upper fan.

Are you fascinated by the historical treasures unearthed by decaying asphalt? Please add your favorite pothole to our pothole map at PotholeCity.com (also be sure to report it to the city by calling 3-1-1 so that these historic resources can be preserved with pavement for future generations to enjoy.)

SPOOKY! The Hills & Heights blog tips us that the Foundation for Paranormal Research will "capture and contain" real ghosts this Saturday at the Pump House near the Boulevard Bridge.

The 3 Mile Lock Experiment – Conquest event will take place from 10:30 AM - 12 PM on March 6th.

The organization says about the event:

The foundation’s founder Robert Bess, along with his technical containment team, will demonstrate the real existence of ghosts and other worldly entities by actual capture and containment of real ghosts using the foundation’s inventions and techniques. An explanation of the equipment, the theories, and practical applications etc will be given before the event. The environment will be fully lit and fully visible. This is a rare opportunity for skeptics and non-committed believers, etc.

The paranormal professionals tell us there will be a bonus metaphysical display of at this event:

An added attraction will be the “Parabot,”..... Parabot will be capturing and containing ghosts and showing off its abilities. The foundation will also be demonstrating how its latest invention, “The Tesla Tower,” works. There will be two fully active Tesla coils firing during the demonstration. The coils will be producing over .2.6 million volts of raw uncontrolled energy – wild and attractive arcs from the coils.

Read More About The Biggest Ghost Hunting Event of the Year At Hills & Heights

Sources tell us that Ben & Jerry's of Carytown may in fact NOT be out of business as earlier speculated on Boulevardizen. Close observation of the franchise reveals a sign inside declaring "FREEZER UNDER REPAIR." A freezer failure in the ice cream business is clearly a catastrophic malfunction. The only greater catastrophe in this freezer debacle is the loss of gallons and gallons of delicious frozen treats!

Our original story cited Twitter posts reporting the unexplained closure of the desert shop and conjecture from local fans of competing Bev's Ice Cream. 

A trip to Richard's Restaurant & Gentleman's club on North Boulevard ended terribly for one patron after he was shot in the hand by his friend. The Richmond Times-Dispatch Reports on the Wednesday afternoon incident:

Police said the two men had come to Richmond to visit a topless bar on Altamont Avenue near The Diamond, and after they left the club, they were driving along North Boulevard when Murdock's handgun accidentally fired, striking his friend in one hand.

Police said the two decided to get the hand treated at the [McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center] hospital's emergency room, mistakenly thinking that if they went to the federal facility instead of a private or state-run hospital, authorities would not be required to report the gunshot wound to police.

Read more about this bizarre incident at the Richmond Times-Dispatch

H/T - John Murden at Church Hill People's News for pointing this out.

UPDATE: Nutzy Photos Are Now On Flickr!

**DEVELOPING**

Whipping wintry winds are kicking up along the Boulevard corridor and with these mighty gusts comes the threat of falling ice and flying debris.

Through the morning hours large clouds of wind blown snow were the primary threat but these benign mists of ice are giving way to falling icicles and tree branches. The 30-40 mph gusts in the area have already sent several avalanches of ice crashing down off of Boulevard homes and small branches down onto the sidewalks below.

Tips To Avoid Being Impaled By Icicles or Branches:

• Construction Hardhat - Surely the construction crews at VMFA can spare a few.
• Walk On The Street - You will have plenty of room to dodge debris. Downside is you will likely face oncoming vehicular traffic.
• Snow Shield - A trash can lid or saucer shaped sled makes a perfect defensive tool to fend off blowing wintry debris.
• Stay Indoors - Chances are you will be safe from falling and flying debris indoors (barring Final Destinationesque catastrophe)

The bridge is open again but becareful on your approach from both the north and the south as lanes of Rt. 161 remain verrrrry slippery.

Kaarunch!!! That's the sound of your car hitting another one of Richmond's epic potholes after the stunning snomg and snowpocalypse events. At Boulevardizen.com we've grown weary of the relentless attack of potholes on our tires, frontends and patience.

As city workers are fully occupied with the battle to keep snow off our streets we citizens must be proactive in avoiding these nerve racking and suspension jarring holes. To help you stay out of the hole we've launched PotholeCity.com where you can find a route that is free from potholes and other scary spots on the street.

Have you been truly offended by a pothole in the area? Add it to the pothole map (or even add a photo!)

For the next few weeks Boulevardizen.com will run a "Best Of" featuring some of the most spectacular potholes in our area.

NOTE - If you spot a pothole or any other dangerous feature Richmond's roads please notify the city immediately by calling 3-1-1 and then plot it on our map!

A woman was found dead around 6 a.m. this morning at the Greyhound bus terminal on North Boulevard according to Richmond Police. The woman, one of nearly a hundred stranded passengers appears to have died due to medical causes and police do not suspect foul play.

Says the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Paul Lamie, who is traveling to Marion, said because there were many people sleeping on the terminal floor it was difficult to tell that the woman was in need of assistance.

Another passenger, Bob Cronk, said those stranded were told to leave the terminal and piled onto buses until investigators finished at the scene.

Frustrations mounted for the stranded passengers as they awaited word about when they might be able to continue their journeys. Many have been stranded at the terminal since Friday.

Read more on this tragic incident at the Times-Dispatch

Snow and ice have shutdown the Boulevard Bridge in both directions according to city officials. Plan on an alternative route or enjoy your Saturday indoors.

**DEVELOPING**

Cabin fever is setting in for many residents near the Boulevard as snow cover remains a major obstacle on many cross streets. In response to the growing frustration Department of Public Works officials clarified the city's plan for purging our favorite avenues of the slippery piles of snow:

"The focus is to continue clearing primary and secondary roads, city crews and three contracting companies are also plowing residential roads. They are working through neighborhoods using the city's solid waste collection routes. Solid waste collection has been delayed by one day to give crews a chance to plow the roads ahead of pick up schedules." said Dexter White, Director of Public Works.

"We have more traffic, as well as on-street parking in areas such as The Fan and the Museum District, which makes it more challenging than plowing rural roads and highways." added White in response to the different challenges that urban localities face when removing massive amounts of snow.

Two people are recovering at area hospitals this evening after being poisoned by Carbon Monoxide gas in the Tuscan Villas residential complex at 500 North Boulevard. At around 5 PM Richmond 9-1-1 received a call that a resident was passed out in an apartment within the sprawling complex.

Lt. Shawn Jones with the Richmond Fire Department tells us that the building has been evacuated and two pets are being treated for Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

All travel lanes outside the Tuscan Villa on Boulevard are closed as is Kensington Avenue from Mulberry to Boulevard.

UPDATE 6:15 PM - CBS 6 reports that both individuals rescued from the building are in stable condition at VCU Medical Center.

UPDATE 10:30 PM - The Department of Public Works Tells us: "Furnace had improper venting on the Blvd. Residents are back in the building. Hot water but no gas."

The trees of the Museum District usually loom overhead as silhouettes of benevolent giants but on Monday morning one area resident incurred the wrath of a not so friendly arboreal menace. According to reports from NBC 12 a new Honda Civic was parked beneath one of the old trees on the 3100 block of Patterson Avenue when the unthinkable happened:

A chopped up tree limb fell down early this morning, smashing right through Lindsay Sterling's windshield, ending on the dashboard. Residents who are forced to park on Patterson Avenue are now worried, their car could be next.

Forget the nice weather. People strolling along Patterson Avenue are checking out Lindsay's brand-new car.

"I'm devastated for her. It's unbelievable," said resident Lillian Shirley.

Read More From NBC 12

In an updated report officials with the Richmond Urban Forestry Department accept responsibility for the arboreal attack:

The city's public works office says the tree has Dutch Elm disease and has had it since 2008 when it was last inspected but wasn't on the schedule to be removed.

Crews will now remove the tree Wednesday, January 20.

Get Details On Filing Claims Against The City From NBC 12

Sirens screamed through the fan and museum district last night as a cloud of smoke poured from the first floor of a home on the 2500 block of Kensington Ave.  At 10:22 PM Richmond emergency teams received a call for a house fire near the intersection of Kensington Ave and Robinson St.

According to Lt. Shawn Jones with the Richmond Fire Department crews found a "small amount of fire in the basement" and were able to vanquish its flames with fire extinguishers from their trucks. Firefighters had the blaze under control by 10:37 pm however a Hazardous Materials team was later brought in to clean up spilled gasoline in the structure's basement.