After this past weekend, it’s not hard to believe this is D.C.’s wettest year ever. Today should be sunnier, with temps in the 50s.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • Gerald Watson, a 15-year-old Anacostia High School student, was known for helping his friends through their personal struggles. Last week, masked assailants chased Watson into an apartment building and shot and killed him. As of Friday, police could not suggest a motive. Watson is the ninth homicide victim between the ages of 10 and 17 this year in D.C., where the homicide rate overall is 40 percent higher than last year.

  • A D.C. priest accused of sexually abusing parishioners was denied bond last week. Rev. Urbano Vazquez will be held in jail until his trial.

  • An investigation into a female inmate’s death in a Maryland prison finds fault with the facility’s treatment of people with disabilities.

  • How the District is luring Chinese tourists. In 2017, 324,000 Chinese visitors came to D.C., a 98 percent increase from 2013.

  • Why are there basically no dockless scooters in Southeast D.C.?

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

  • Councilmember Vince Gray to propose a last-ditch effort to salvage the deal to build a new hospital in Southeast D.C.[WCP]

  • The District government is suing Providence Hospital in a final attempt to compel the facility to stay open. [Post]

  • About 1,700 people have signed a petition to keep the District from building a new NFL stadium. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen is leading the charge. [Hail No]

  • The D.C. Council is trying to knock down language barriers for children and parents who speak little to no English. [DC Line]

  • The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ board nominees are all African American, and its corporate office nominees are all women. [WTOP]

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

  • Whaley’s to become a seafood-focused shabu shabu restaurant on Wednesday for the winter months. [WCP]

  • How Ben’s Chili Bowl inspires D.C.’s black business owners. [Eater]

  • Fried chicken and oysters are the perfect pairing and they’re coming to Shaw. [Washingtonian]

  • Thirty-five New Year’s Eve parties for your consideration. [DCist]

  • How does Little Beast stack up? [Post]

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

  • The Sleigher: Jon Batiste and Danielle Brooks cover “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” [WCP]

  • Visualizing the history of Fugazi. [Carni Klirs]

  • It was a good year for hip-hop and rap in the DMV. The Post’s Chris Richards breaks it down. [Post]

  • The Air and Space Museum’s Virginia outpost, the Udvar-Hazy Center, celebrates 15 years. [WAMU]

  • The history of harDCore always focuses on the same men. What about the women who shaped D.C.’s storied punk scene? [Express]

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

  • The fabulous multi-million-dollar condos of NW D.C. [WCP]

  • In Crystal City, a real estate frenzy in anticipation of Amazon. [BisNow]

  • A 2,000-square-foot commercial lot for lease in Blagden Alley. [Twitter]

  • Where native Washingtonians live. [Curbed]

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

  • John Wall scored 40 points to lead the Wizards over LeBron James and the Lakers, 128-110, a few days after trading Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers to the Phoenix Suns. [NBA.com]

  • On the same day that quarterback Alex Smith finally left the hospital following a surgery on his leg, the Washington football team rallied to beat the Jaguars, 16-13. [Richmond Times Dispatch]

  • The Caps scored two back-to-back shootout victories over the weekend. [NBC Sports Washington]

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

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