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

This holiday season, you could do all your gift shopping online for the sake of convenience, but that means dealing with the threat of package theft. We recommend purchasing presents at the dozens of local businesses featured in our annual Buy D.C. holiday gift guide instead. Your purchases will be better protected and your money will stay within the local economy and sustain the people who are making the products. It’s a win all around.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • Federal agents arrest nearly 30 gang members in busts in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. [WUSA9]

  • Georgetown University won’t recognize graduate student union. [Post]

  • Investigators will search Stafford County for remains of Pamela Butler, a D.C. woman murdered in 2009. [WJLA]

  • Police seek suspect who held up a Northeast liquor store with an “AK-47 style gun.” [Post]

  • Residents express annoyance over dockless bikeshare parking at community meeting. [UrbanTurf]

  • Senior citizens ask Bowser for expansion of crowded senior centers. [WJLA]

  • D.C. forensic scientists investigate a new kind of ATM skimmer that allows crooks to steal your card number and PIN. [WTOP]

  • Extermination company Terminix names D.C. the nation’s pest-iest “state.” [WUSA9]

  • And a so-called “rat warrior” wants businesses to remove the waste rats feed on. [WJLA]

  • City Wildlife is currently treating a bald eagle for lead poisoning. [WTOP]

  • D.C. is a destination for urban wildlife. [WAMU]

RECENT CITY PAPER STORIES TO HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF YOUR DAY:

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Jeffrey Anderson (tips? jeff.anderson@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Councilmembers want more info from developers who request parking subsidies. [GGW]

  • On satisfaction survey on living in the D.C. region, most people are fairly happy. [WAMU]

  • Activists oppose continued federal control of D.C. criminal justice system. [Afro]

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

  • How Ben Bradlee became the face of great journalism, both on screen and in real life. [Washingtonian]

  • Where to watch your favorite holiday movies on the big screen. [WTOP]

  • A look back at one of the most underrated D.C.-set films: Breach. [BYT]

  • The Sleigher: Merry DMXmas, y’all. [WCP]

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

  • Unconventional Diner opens Dec. 18 serving meatloaf and pot pie poppers. [WCP]

  • Merry or miserable: a guide to drinking in D.C. this holiday season. [WCP]

  • Hanukkah restaurant recommendations, including trays of 10 latkes for $10. [Eater]

  • Readers rant to Tom Sietsema about Sweetgreen’s controversial cashless policy. [Post]

  • The annoyingly named G.O.A.T. sports bar opens in Clarendon. [WTOP]

HOUSING COMPLEX LINKS, by Andrew Giambrone (tips? agiambrone@washingtoncitypaper)

  • Sanford Capital, D.C.’s most infamous landlord, sells two Southeast properties. [Bisnow]

  • D.C. could soon implement a law allowing it to purchase affordable housing from landlords. [GGW]

  • Enormous Kalorama townhome with views of Virginia listed for $2.5 million. [Curbed DC]

  • Developer to turn historic apartment building at 3rd and G streets NW into new hotel/apartment hybrid. [UrbanTurf]

  • Editorial: Don’t just feel guilty about D.C. gentrification—do something about it. [Splinter]

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