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 gave preliminary approval to legislation that would decriminalize marijuana when smoked in private places. But Mayor Vince Gray, who will have to sign the bill before it goes into law, says the legislation doesn’t do enough to deter public marijuana smoking.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • The head of D.C.’s Office of Planning, Harriet Tregoning, will be leaving city government to start a new job at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. [Housing Complex]
  • It’s slippery out there; In D.C. the streets are coated with a fraction of an inch of ice. [Post]
  • Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe has not provided an explanation or made any statement regarding an elderly man who collapsed outside of a fire station and, despite pleas for help, allegedly received no aid from firefighters and later died. Mayor Vince Gray says his office has not prohibited Ellerbe from speaking. [News4]
  • The D.C. Council unanimously approved on first vote legislation that would create a college scholarship program for low-income D.C. students. There are concerns, however, that this city program could endanger D.C.’s participation in a popular federal college scholarship program. [WAMU]

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

Rough Ride: ICYMI, our latest cover story examines what it would take to transform the struggling and underenrolled Roosevelt High School in the now-booming Petworth neighborhood.

Revenge of the NIMBYs: A new Dupont citizens group has formed to combat the noise coming from the area’s nightlife establishments.

D.C. Royalty: Local rapper and singer, Maimouna Youssef, responds to Lorde‘s “Royals” with an adaptation of the song called “We’re Already Royal.”

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

  • Tommy Wells‘ marijuana decriminalization bill passes with public pot smoking kept a crime. [LL, Times, Post, NBC ]
  • Office of Planning boss Harriet Tregoning leaves for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. [Housing Complex, Post, WBJ]
  • Vince Gray cabinet official takes a leave of absence to work on the campaign. [LL]
  • And David Catania‘s chief of staff leaves the D.C. Council to work on his exploratory committee. [LL]
  • Catania wants to be mayor, according to the chair of his exploratory committee. [Post]
  • Catania’s D.C. Promise program passes its first Council vote. [Post]
  • Jim Graham not happy with parking placard scofflaws. [WTOP]
  • Ward candidates bring in bucks in Council races. [LL]
  • The Post gets explainer-y on the primary date. [Post]

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

  • Vote for your favorite Chuck Brown Park design. [ElevationDC]
  • The city will suffer in a big way without Metro upgrades. [PlanItMetro]
  • Columbia Heights church will become condos. [UrbanTurf]
  • A petition to fix the Rock Creek Park trail [WABA]
  • More thoughts on the future of D.C.’s middle schools [GGE]
  • New York learns that more bikers means better bikers. [Atlantic Cities]
  • The house where Minor Threat played its first show is for sale. [UrbanTurf]
  • Today on the market: Kingman Park rowhouse—$475,000

ARTS LINKS, by Ally Schweitzer. (tips? aschweitzer@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • The house where Minor Threat played its first show is on the market for $2 million. [Curbed]
  • ANC rejects Ghana Cafe’s request to add live entertainment. [Short Articles About Long Meetings]
  • Neutral Milk Hotel says its forthcoming local tour stop will be its last for the foreseeable future. [Pitchfork]
  • dog & pony dc takes Beertown to New York. [Post]
  • Newman’s Own Foundation donates $1 million to Kennedy Center for education. [AP]
  • A Detroit record collector finds an old Marvin Gaye passport in an LP sleeve. [Spin]
  • D.C. art-party group No Kings Collective to inaugurate a new space in Adams Morgan. [East City Art]
  • Photos of the renovated Northeast Library [Washingtonian]
  • More photos of the forthcoming Georgetown record store, Hill & Dale [BYT]

FOOD LINKS, by Jessica Sidman. (tips? jsidman@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • The best restaurants in D.C. that don’t take reservations [BYT]
  • Try the lamb brains at Khan Kabob in Chantilly, Va. [Washingtonian]
  • Vets of New York’s Wd-50 plan pop-up and eventual restaurant in D.C. [Eater]
  • Halftime Sports Bar coming to H Street NE [PoPville]
  • Ranking 10 restaurant power groups [Zagat]
  • Rhino Bar to host Philip Seymour Hoffman movie marathon on Sunday [Post]