A morning roundup of news, opinion, and links from Washington City Paper and around the District. Send tips and ideas to citydesk@washingtoncitypaper.com.
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On stands and online today: Our second annual Fiction Issue, featuring tales of the District from best-selling author Louis Bayard and the three winners of our short story contest. Bonus: The winners of our first ever photography contest.
LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:
- Mayor Vince Gray kind of/sort of apologizes for all the illegality that went down during his 2010 mayoral campaign. [LL]
- The styrofoam industry is pushing back against proposed D.C. legislation that would ban styrofoam containers at restaurants by 2018 in an attempt to reduce pollution in the Anacostia River. [WAMU]
- The Lincoln Heights neighborhood is waiting for long-overdue development and renewal. [Post]
- Singer Chris Brown and his bodyguard rejected a plea deal Wednesday that would have found them each guilty of one count of simple assault for allegedly punching someone outside the District’s W Hotel in October. [City Desk]
RECENT CITY PAPER STORIES TO HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF YOUR DAY:
NIMBY: The National Book Festival is moving off the National Mall to the Convention Center for the first time since it debuted in 2001.
Friendly Neighbors: When the hypothermia hotline was overwhelmed Monday night, this LeDroit Park business owner sheltered a homeless woman in her store for hours.
Payment of the Future: Metro awarded a $184 million contract to replace the current fare collection system with one that will accept chip-enabled credit cards, federal government IDs, and cell phones for fare payment, as well as SmarTrip cards.
LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Will Sommer. (tips? wsommer@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Vince Gray says sorry for the shadow campaign…not that he had anything to do with it. [WUSA9, LL, Post]
- Former Brooklyn library director will lead D.C. system. [Post]
- Encylopedia Mendelson and the Case of the Missing Tusks [Times, LL, Post]
- Homeless activists want housing guarantee to go on the ballot. [LL]
- More on David Grosso‘s pitch for expanding the District’s medical marijuana program [Times]
- Foggy Bottom gets its own “rat summit.” [NBC 4]
- Most cabbies play by the rules with credit card meters. [Post]
- Lincoln Heights affordable housing project languishes. [Post]
HOUSING COMPLEX LINKS, by Aaron Wiener. (tips awiener@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- The most expensive homes sold in the D.C. area last year. [Post]
- Guaranteed housing initiative appears unlikely to make the ballot. [LL]
- Foreign investment played a big role in last year’s real estate deals. [WBJ]
- With hotline unresponsive, store manager shelters homeless woman. [City Desk]
- Architecture firm could move into old Grimke School. [UrbanTurf]
- Portland debates the future of its version of our Third Church of Christ, Scientist. [Atlantic Cities]
- New National Park Service regulations force National Book Festival off the Mall. [Arts Desk]
- Today on the market: Compact Columbia Heights condo—$299,500
ARTS LINKS, by Ally Schweitzer. (tips? aschweitzer@washingto
- Landmark Theatres to open a six-screen movie theater near 9:30 Club. [Housing Complex]
- Meanwhile, Ballston’s Regal theater closed because of a burst pipe. [ARLnow]
- Chris Brown and his bodyguard reject plea deal. [City Desk]
- National Book Festival will be held indoors this year. [Arts Desk]
- Washington National Opera announces another new commission. [Post]
- Ex Hex announces 2014 tour dates. [Arts Desk]
- The green-paint vandal still unfit to stand trial. [DCist]
- “Star-Spangled Banner” manuscript and flag that inspired it will be displayed together at Smithsonian. [AP]
- Why more art museums may be free in the future [Modern Art Notes]
- The five most intriguing moments in D.C. theater last year, according to Peter Marks [Post]
- Remember how The Walkmen said their recent D.C. gig would be their last before a “pretty extreme hiatus”? It was a very unextreme hiatus. [Stereogum]
FOOD LINKS, by Jessica Sidman. (tips? jsidman@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Billy Klein leaves Pulpo for Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab. [WBJ]
- It’s happening: a marijuana-sushi pairing menu in Colorado [Eater]
- Rito Loco food truck is opening a shop in Shaw this summer. [PoPville]
- The Arsenal at Bluejacket is better for beers than food, critic Tom Sietsema says. [Post]
- Here are D.C.’s best pizza spots [BYT]
- Dave Hansen now manning the ship at Pulpo. [Eater]
- An apple that doesn’t brown? [NPR]
- You have to try this: hot chocolate with tahini whip at Kapnos [Zagat]