Sign up for our free newsletter

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.

Dozens of D.C. Public School students were supposed to go on a ski trip this week. But because of a contract dispute with a bus company (the company is reportedly owed more than $400,000 for past services) the buses never showed up and many of the trips were canceled.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • The D.C. Council is holding a hearing today on misconduct within the Metropolitan Police Department. [WAMU]
  • Pigskins star Sean Taylor‘s killer was sentenced in Miami Thursday to 57.5 years in prison. [Miami Herald]
  • Embattled Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell reportedly rejected a plea deal that would have prevented his case from going to trial and allowed his wife to avoid charges. [Post]
  • Virginia Hayes Williams, former Mayor Anthony Williams‘ mother, who was known as D.C.’s “first mother,” died Thursday in Los Angeles. [Post]

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

The Answers Issue: You asked. We answered. In the 2014 Answers Issue, we tackled some of your toughest questions, including: If “Washington” and “D.C.” now mean the same thing, why do we still use both? Read the issue to find out that answer and more.

Remembering a Punk Rocker: D.C. academic Alexandros “Alexi” Petersendied in a suicide bombing last Saturday in Kabul. And although media outlets have been remembering his successful career, he was also a talented local punk rocker.

Invisible Lanes: D.C. has about 72 miles of bike lanes in the city, but Ward 8 has zero.

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

  • Vince Gray says he’d keep Kaya Henderson in charge of schools, can’t remember when he learned about the shadow campaign. [Post, LL]
  • Virginia Williams, mother of former mayor Anthony Williams, dies in Los Angeles at 87. [AP]
  • Vincent Orange wants to see the unreleased Gray 2010 audit. [LL]
  • $430,000 school system debt to bus company puts the kibosh on field trip. [Post]
  • Henderson plans to form a task force to consider standardized test use in schools. [Post]
  • Are all those mayoral campaign signs on lamp posts legal? [WCP]
  • Council taking up alleged cop misconduct at hearing today. [WTOP]
  • Marijuana decriminalization bill will have its first full Council vote on Feb. 4. [Times]
  • Kenyan McDuffie introduces housing bill. [DCist]
  • Ward 8 loses out on bike lanes. [Housing Complex]

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

  • D.C. residents pay more for their internet than anyone else. [UrbanTurf]
  • In D.C., Bill De Blasio calls for national “urban consensus.” [NYT]
  • Post-car development is largely to blame for Anacostia’s lack of bike lanes. [WashCycle]
  • Students miss out on ski trip because D.C. owed bus company money. [Post]
  • CFPB building to get a $112 million overhaul. [WBJ]
  • A reason to envy Chicago on a cold winter day. [GGW]
  • Most Germans don’t own their homes. That’s not such a bad thing. [Quartz]
  • Today on the market: Historic Georgetown rowhouse—$974,900

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

  • Area theater companies will mount numerous world premieres by women playwrights in 2015. [Post]
  • Woolly Mammoth, in concert with African Continuum Theatre, will stage six short plays inspired by the Travyon Martin case. [Post]
  • Black Cat staff craft a soundtrack for NSA spies. [Post]
  • General Motors Foundation gives $1 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. [Post]
  • Friends remember Alexandros “Alexi” Petersen, an accomplished academic and punk frontman recently killed in Afghanistan. [Arts Desk]
  • Philippa Hughes, the WAMU profile. [WAMU]
  • Billy Joel to play Nationals Park. Again. [WTOP]
  • DC Jazz Festival announces its 2014 lineup. [Arts Desk]
  • GEMS cover Seal. [Stereogum, Gorilla vs. Bear]
  • Why Travis Jackson mattered to the D.C. punk scene. [Arts Desk]

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

  • Learn how to mix mocktails like a pro [Post]
  • Whiskey Room at Ri Ra Irish Pub opens today. [PoPville]
  • Try the oysters with dashi espuma at BLT Steak. [Zagat]
  • Ambar launches bottomless dinner on Mondays. [Washingtonian]
  • Q&A with chef Frederik de Pue about restaurants Menu and Table. [Eater]
  • How do local coffee shops standout? [Express]