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It’s the winter solstice today. District Line Daily is on break for these darkest days of the year, returning after the holidays. Follow us on Twitter to read our latest articles as they come out. Happy holidays! We hope the season brings you peace, rest, and/or something nice.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • Nearly one-third of the city’s public housing stock is at imminent risk of becoming uninhabitable. And now D.C.’s Housing Authority is asking for $343 million to make repairs.

  • Councilmember Jack Evans received 200,000 shares in a company just before pushing legislation that would have benefited that company, The Post reports. D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability opened an investigation into Evans’ involvement with the company, Digi Outdoor Media, but suspended the probe. In the past, BEGA has suspended its inquiries to allow law enforcement to take over.

  • A mother and daughter died in the hospital after they were struck by a tour bus on Pennsylvania Avenue, The Post reports. Monica Adams Carlson, 61 was the mayor of Skagway, Alaska, and her 85-year-old mother, Cora Louise Adams, ran a hamburger stand in Elbe, Washington.

  • A group of students, parents and alumni are trying to remove Confederate General Robert E. Lee as the Washington-Lee High School’s namesake.

  • Jeff Bezos wants to build a helipad in D.C.

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

  • Councilmember Anita Bonds killed the dreams of 16 and 17 year olds advocating for the right to vote. Then she gave them an award. [WCP]

  • Council ChairmanPhil Mendelson took more control over D.C.’s school system, effectively taking some control away from At-Large Councilmember David Grosso, chair of the education committee. [Post] Councilmembers Robert White and Trayon White also gained committee chairmanships. [Twitter]

  • Podcast: Councilmember Charles Allen, shadow Sen. Michael Brown, and statehood advocate Bo Shuff of D.C. Vote talk statehood. [Two Broads Talking Politics]

  • Mayor Muriel Bowser scolds the Council for its failure to pass the Sexual Assault Victims’ Rights Amendment Act. [Twitter]

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

  • A D.C. law firm will waive its fees to help restaurants in Ward 7 and 8 open. [WCP]

  • These Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas. [Washingtonian]

  • The highs and lows of dining in 2018, according to the city’s food writers. [BYT]

  • How reservations can actually hurt a restaurant. [DCist]

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

  • A new film documents the weird existence and brilliant music of Butch Willis. [WCP]

  • Smithsonian’s secretary David J. Skorton is leaving his position in June. [WAMU]

  • Studio’s Kings examines how campaign funding can transform novice politicians. [WCP]

  • How Virginia guitarist Daniel Bachman is redefining his instrument. [Post]

  • Listen to Sara Curtin’s breezy new track “Santa Fe.” [WCP]

  • Attention local artists: DCPL is looking for folks to decorate the renovated MLK Library’s entrance. [DCist]

  • Mosaic’s Oh, Godexplores what happens when a deity sees a shrink. [WCP]

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

  • ICYMI: D.C.’s population climbs past 700,000 for the first time in decades. [Census]

  • More than 54 homeless people have died in D.C. this year. [Curbed]

  • The most creative responses to PUD appeals. [Urban Turf]

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

  • With only 15 players under contract for the 2019 season, D.C. United has a lot of decisions to make this offseason. [WCP]

  • Someone threw 38-year-old Caps fan Ken Brasington’s Nats cap onto the ice. Scott Allen of The Washington Post wrote a heartwarming story on how Brasington got it back. [Post]

  • Wizards center Thomas Bryant is making the most of his opportunity as a surprise NBA starter. [Bullets Forever]

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

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