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]