Looks like the possibility of a snowy Christmas is juuust out of reach for D.C. As for today, we’ll see some rain this afternoon, but temps in the low 40s.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • When people who could be diagnosed with mental illness are out on the streets, other people “drive by, walk by, see them, and think that they’re a lost cause. And they’re not,” says Michael L. Young, a peer specialist at D.C.’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program and a Marine Corps veteran who went undiagnosed for 20 years. “They’re just going through something at that point. And if they could get the help that they need, you would see that there is a marked difference in what could go on.”

  • It looks like an effort to revive Initiative 77 is dead. A D.C. Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that, the Board of Elections failed to follow proper procedure when submitting a hearing notice to the D.C. Register. “It wasn’t over before and it’s not over now,” Restaurant Opportunities Center United’s Diana Ramirez says. “We’re huddling with our attorneys to see what legal avenues we have in our power.”

  • Attorney General Karl Racine filed a lawsuit against six Maryland parents, alleging that they committed residency fraud by falsifying school records to show that they live in the District. Doing so would allow them to pay resident-level tuition for D.C. schools, which Racine said “deprives [D.C.] students of educational opportunities by fraudulently sending their kids to school for free.”

  • Councilmember David Grossois urging Congressional Del. Eleanor Norton to stop the “opaque backdoor deal” with Congressional Republicans that would bring a new football stadium to D.C.

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

  • A Ward 4 ANC is calling for an investigation into their councilmember, Brandon Todd, for potential campaign law violations. [WCP, Twitter]

  • D.C. councilmembers held a public vetting of Chemonics, a company that is asking for a $5.2 million tax break to build its new HQ in Yards Park. A U.S. DOL finding of racially discriminatory hiring practices has some councilmembers concerned. The full Council will vote on the tax abatement Dec. 18. [Twitter, WCP]

  • Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will vote tomorrow on restarting late night services. Councilmember Jack Evans, who chairs the WMATA board, has pledged to block any opposition. [DCist]

  • A slumlord cited several times by DCRA was arrested outside a courtroom earlier this week. She’s charged with working without a permit and violating stop-work orders. [WUSA9]

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

  • Mike Isabella Concepts is done. [Washingtonian]

  • St. Anselm gets three stars from Tom Sietsema. [Post]

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

  • The Sleigher: Joan Jett and the Black Hearts cover “Little Drummer Boy.” [WCP]

  • Timed passes are going to be phased out for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for the non-touristy seasons. [Post]

  • Mary Timony+ Alec MacKaye + Chris Wilson + Mark Cisneros = your new favorite D.C. supergroup. [Post]

  • Seven years later, stonemasons are still fixing earthquake damage to the National Cathedral. [WAMU]

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

  • Why developers are frustrated with First Source. [WCP]

  • The opening of a downtown day center for the homeless is pushed back to 2019. [Curbed]

  • Sesame Street takes on homelessness. [NYT]

  • Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh signs a $20 million affordable housing initiative. [CBS]

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

  • D.C. approaches the 20th anniversary of Daniel Snyder‘s failed ownership of the Washington football team. [WCP]

  • Stone Ridge junior Phoebe Bacon is a swimming phenom breaking records of a friend and former schoolmate—Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky. [WCP]

  • Maryland football player Ellis McKennie didn’t expect to be an activist, but the calling found him. [WCP]

  • DeMatha football coach Elijah Brooks is joining the Terps as running backs coach. [Baltimore Sun]

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

  • At the Betts Theatre at George Washington University, authors John Prendergast and Fidel Bafilemba discuss their book Congo Stories, which reveals how the people of Congo are fighting back against international exploitation and oppression in their nation, along with actor Ryan Gosling, who took photos for the book, and Congolese journalist Chouchou Namegabe. 7 p.m. at 800 21st St. NW. $20–$35.

  • Power pop band Washington Social Clubperforms at Black Cat. 7:30 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $12–$15.

  • Join a group of music enthusiasts in discussion of the graphic novel series exploring the creation of music, Hip Hop Family Tree, at Solid State Books.7:30 p.m. at 600 H St. NE. Free.

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