A morning roundup of news, opinion, and links from City Paper and around the District. Send tips and ideas to citydesk@washingtoncitypaper.com.

“Elections should be about big ideas and holding elected officials accountable. And that’s hard to make happen when you don’t have a challenger.”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s inaugural term was rife with scandals: the pay-to-play politics of FreshPAC, a pro-Bowser political action committee that funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into her election efforts; the serial mishandling of DC General; the decay of United Medical Center. For this week’s cover story, and in the absence of any real political challenger for her seat, City Paper reporter Andrew Giambrone traces the mistakes and upsets of Bowser’s administration.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • Fact: About a dozen people are running againstBowser. One of them is 19. [WCP]

  • Also from this week’s issue of WCP: Food trucks aren’t getting a fair shake at festivals. [WCP]

  • Mr. Ray is a beloved D.C. barber who has been serving servicemen for 26 years. [WCP]

  • This June, voters will get to decide if restaurant workers deserve standard minimum wage. [WAMU]

  • The D.C. Board of Elections nixed a ballot initiative that aimed to legalize the retail sale of marijuana and give 40 percent of the subsequent tax revenue to black residents of D.C. [WAMU]

  • It would take $10 million and 21 medical professionals to get United Medical Center’s obstetrics ward running again. [WBJ]

  • Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is “having a ball now with Marco Rubio.” [PoPville]

  • In the war of the pastries, Vienna (Virginia) is winning. [NBC4]

  • Here’s a photo of a hawk standing triumphantly on another hawk in Columbus Circle. [PoPville]

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Andrew Giambrone (tips? agiambrone@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • D.C. Council’s David Grosso says he may not hold emergency DCPS hearing. [Post]

  • Ward 3 education advocate says MayorMuriel Bowser has frustrated parents. [Times]

  • Reading the tea leaves: Will Amazon put its second HQ in the D.C. area or not? [WAMU]

  • D.C. Board of Elections shoots down ballot initiative to legalize retail pot sales. [WAMU]

  • Get to know your councilmembers—and puns that can be made on their names. [Twitter]

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

  • At the Hirshhorn, a survey of ’80s art as commodity in Brand New. [WCP]

  • The Funk Parade makes a last-ditch effort to save itself through crowdfunding. [DC Music Download]

  • The captain of the Washington Slizzards, Ras Nebyu, is still going strong. [Post]

  • Film review: Ava DuVernay‘s A Wrinkle in Time swings for the fences, and mostly pulls it off. [WCP]

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

  • Where to toast International Women’s Day tonight. [WCP]

  • The tipped minimum wage is on the ballot in June. [WAMU]

  • Liquid-nitrogen loving Nicecream will open two locations in D.C. [WBJ]

  • Avocado toast started it all. [Washingtonian]

  • Alert: There’s finally food at The Pug and it’s a little fancy. [Eater]

  • Find the D.C. bars with the best beer happy hour deals. [DC Refined]

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

  • The city’s annual Rock n’ Roll Marathon is this weekend: Plan your commutes accordingly. [Twitter]

  • Expect a massive new retail-oriented public square next to Crystal City. [Curbed]

  • A neighborhood survey highlights the contentious effort to designate Bloomingdale a historic district. [GGW]

  • Opinion: Testify at the D.C. Council’s March 20 hearing on the city’s Comprehensive Plan. If you don’t, you’re missing a critical chance to have a say in the future of the city. [GGW]

HAPPENING TODAY:

  • ANC 3B meets tonight at 7:00 p.m. 4000 Calvert St. NW.

  • ANC 6A meets tonight, also at 7:00 p.m. 601 15th Street NE.

  • ANC 7C also meets at 7:00 p.m. 5109 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE.

  • The Washington Area Community Investment Fund will host a workshop at 7 p.m. to walk small business owner through the city’s new tax law. 641 S St. NW.

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