Unemployed or underemployed during the shutdown? We’re updating our shutdown guide daily. Today, for example, you can vent your frustrations at a protest in front of the White House. (Or apply for energy assistance, go to a free museum, or help clean a federally managed park in D.C.) The rally starts at noon at 815 16th St. NW and will march to the White House.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • A teacher reflects on her time as a junior high school student in Chocolate City: knee-high rider boots, band practice, the best lunches in the city, excellent academics, crack cocaine, pagers, paralyzing gun violence, and when her mother would whisper in her ear: “A bullet has no name.”

  • Eight homicides in the first 10 days of 2019 in the District. It’s a very small sample size, but there were only two homicides in D.C. by this time last year.

  • Some property managers might be willing to work with furloughed tenants on rent. Other aren’t.

  • Local charities are inundated with people asking for help during the federal government shutdown. Capital Area Food Bank, for example, is expecting a 10 to 20 percent increase in the number of meals it will serve this month.

  • At 16, he came to America to attend Howard University. Frederick Uku became a naturalized citizen in December 2018. This is his story.

  • What to watch for in 2019 in D.C., including books to look for, local sports teams with a shot at a title, cashless retail, gambling, weed, and Jeff Bezos’ $23 million mansion.

  • Patrick Donnelly, a McKinley Technology High School 10th grader, is preparing to pepper Ward 4 with 10 Free Little Libraries, where people can take and book and leave a book. The project is part of his work toward the Boy Scout rank of Eagle Scout.

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Mitch Ryals (tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Frustrations with Councilmember Brandon Todd have some already looking for 2020 challengers. [WCP]

  • The D.C. State Board of Education is searching for ways to lessen teacher turnover. [DC Line]

  • Criminal record sealing, expungement, and other criminal justice reforms being considered in the DMV area. [WAMU]

YOUNG & HUNGRY LINKS, by Laura Hayes (tips? lhayes@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • New discussion series, “Beat Banter,” is designed to build better relationships between the hospitality industry and police.  [WCP]

  • Is your food safe to eat during the government shutdown? [Post]

  • Food stamps are covered through February. March may be a different story. [NBC]

  • Slim’s Diner is closing after service this Sunday. [Petworth News]

  • Critic Tom Sietsema digs El Sapo Cuban Supper Club in Silver Spring. [Post]

ARTS LINKS, by Matt Cohen (tips? mcohen@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Watch a new short film by Priests’ Katie Alice Greer, which features a track off their forthcoming new album. [NPR Music]

  • And new music is coming from Ex Hex, who shared the first single from their forthcoming album It’s Real. [Pitchfork]

  • Theater J names Jojo Ruf as its new managing director. [Post]

  • Film review: Capernaum is an immersive and heartbreaking story about a Syrian refugee child. [WCP]

  • Film review: Destroyer is too gritty for its own good. [WCP]

HOUSING COMPLEX LINKS, by Morgan Baskin (tips? mbaskin@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • The median income of first-time homebuyers in D.C. [Urban Turf]

  • D.C.’s oldest synagogue gets a new home. [WBJ]

  • Where housing voucher holders live, and how landlords are exacerbating inequalities. [City Lab]

SPORTS LINKS, by Kelyn Soong (tips? ksoong@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • The government shutdown has forced furloughed federal workers to adjust their workout schedules, for better and for worse. [WCP]

  • Elite junior tennis player Ayana Akli of Silver Spring carved her own path to the University of Maryland. [WCP]

  • Don’t get too excited Terps fans, but Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts could be a “good bet to start” for Maryland, according to Sporting News. ESPN reports that Hurts has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.

HAPPENING TODAY, by Kayla Randall (tips? krandall@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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