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

Sign up: To get District Line Daily—or any of our other email newsletters—sent straight to your mailbox, click here.

The D.C. Council is holding a hearing today on a bill that would regulate marijuana sales. Meanwhile the fate of the city’s marijuana legalization remains uncertain.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • Poll: 44 percent of D.C. voters oppose the Pepco-Exelon merger. [CBS9]
  • Metro says federal tax policy is causing ridership to decline. [Post]
  • D.C. Fire and EMS plans to increase training for Metro incidents. Only half the department’s firefighters have ever had the training. [NBC4]
  • D.C. is investigating a suicide at the city’s central cell block. [Post]

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

Public Shaming: Egregious examples of news organizations saying things are “blocks from the White House” when the subject has nothing to do with the White House.

To Boats: A restaurant opening along the Georgetown waterfront will deliver to boats.

In Smoke: The Dupont Circle Metro station was briefly evacuated and closed Friday due to smoke.

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Will Sommer (tips? wsommer@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Muriel Bowser administration backs off request for loosened homeless housing requirements after finding new motel rooms. [WAMU, Post]
  • Conservative groups ask Congress to fight District bills on contraception and gay marriage. [Post]
  • Fire department didn’t track which responders had Metro training. [Post]
  • City rolls out teacher recruitment plan. [Post]
  • Colby King: What do we feel after a fatal shooting? [Post]
  • Apparent suicide in D.C. Jail. [Post]
  • New D.C. Lottery ads are a bummer. [WBJ]
  • Tire-slashing spree in Congress heights. [Post]

HOUSING COMPLEX LINKS, by Aaron Wiener (tips? awiener@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Feds alter plans for St. Elizabeths move. [WBJ]
  • D.C. is gentrifying faster than every city but Portland. [Post]
  • Few D.C. firefighters are trained for Metro emergencies. [WJLA]
  • Smoke briefly shuts down Dupont Circle Metro station. [City Desk]
  • Metro needs to expand its train storage capacity. Development could suffer. [GGW]
  • The growth of D.C. cycling, in one chart. [WashCycle]
  • A snapshot of the McMillan saga. [Hill Rag]
  • Institute for Contemporary Expression challenges Bowser administration’s contention that it’s not raising enough money. [Post]
  • What do you call a street that’s really a parking lot? [GGW]
  • Before buying a house, some people give it a test drive. [WSJ]
  • Here’s how 7th Street NW looked a century ago. [Ghosts of DC]
  • Today on the market: Columbia Heights 3BR townhouse condo—-$575,000

ARTS LINKS, by Christina Cauterucci (tips? ccauterucci@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • No selfie sticks allowed at the Hirshhorn [Washingtonian]
  • Listen to Makeshift Shelters‘ new punk track with pop sensibilities: “Opposite Directions.” [Bandwidth]
  • Here’s what you can hear Alexander Graham Bell say at the American History Museum. [Post]
  • Photos of beautifully designed, touchable crafts on view at the Former Spanish Ambassador’s Residence [BYT]
  • John O’Hurley reprises one of his favorite all-time roles, Chicago‘s Billy Flynn, at the National Theatre. [DC Theatre Scene]

YOUNG & HUNGRY LINKS, by Jessica Sidman (tips? jsidman@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • D.C. now has an Alexander Graham Bell-themed, steampunk-inspired restaurant. [Eater]
  • Six insane Valentine’s Day desserts [Washingtonian]
  • How to use flowers in cocktails for Valentine’s Day [Post]
  • A ranking of every Starbucks drink [Thrillist]
  • Five new must-try bakeries in D.C. [Zagat]
  • Bespoke Kitchen prepares two gluten-free supper clubs this month. [PoPville]
  • Confessions of a former White House chef [VICE]