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The director of the National Zoo said the recent zebra attack of a keeper and the three recent deaths of animals can be linked to scarce resources and a staff stretched too thin.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • A D.C. cop arrested on child porn charges after he reportedly photographed a teen girl while investigating a complaint that she had run away from home was pronounced dead after he was pulled from the water at Hains Point in Southwest D.C. Tuesday night. [News4]
  • D.C. Taxicab Commission Chair Ron Linton says he will crack down on drivers who use unauthorized credit card readers, like Square, in their vehicles. [WAMU]
  • The Kennedy Center named Deborah F. Rutter, current president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, as its new president beginning Sept. 2014. [Arts Desk]
  • Ward 6 Councilmember (and mayoral candidate) Tommy Wells says he will try to live on the budget of a minimum-wage worker for one week. [AP]

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

Deliver This: A new app, PostMates, launched in D.C. Tuesday and will literally delivery anything to customers, including a half-smoke from Ben’s Chili Bowl.

Raising Zero: The first round of campaign finance reports shows that Mayor Vince Gray has raised and spent no money on his eight-day-old campaign. How’d he do it? For starters, his website was built pro-bono.

Drink Right: Shaw’s Right Proper opened last night and, to start, it brews four different beers right on site.

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

  • Tommy Wells tries on a Bill de Blasio tactic. [Post]
  • No, Andy Shallal is de Blasio! [At the Chalk Face]
  • Vince Gray reports $0 in campaign contributions and expenses. [LL]
  • Post columnist covers rowdy Washington Teachers Union debate. [Post]
  • D.C. charters have biggest market share in the country, after Detroit and New Orleans. [Post]
  • Even footloose bohemians are irrationally afraid of changes to the Height Act. [Housing Complex]
  • Washington Times gets more on the inspector general’s report on the sorry state of DYRS. [Times]
  • Taxi boss Ron Linton is on the hunt for taxis who illicitly use Square for credit cards. [WAMU]
  • David Catania‘s bill to give poor students college money will probably pass its Council hearing today. [Post]
  • What to do about the affordable housing crunch? [Housing Complex]
  • D.C. Council hearing on health exchange rescheduled due to “snow” day. [WAMU]
  • Zoning commission will hold yet another series of hearings on changes. [Post]
  • District’s lawsuit over hotel taxes continues. [WBJ]
  • Courtland Milloy on the connection between D.C. and Johannesburg. [Post]
  • Alleged D.C. bank robber busted in Rockville. [Post]

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

  • There will be no Shaw ice rink this year. [Post]
  • Why D.C. should have a much higher minimum wage than most of America. [Atlantic Cities]
  • Big Chair is back. [CHOTR]
  • The government shutdown was terrible for home sales. [UrbanTurf]
  • Push for landmark status could complicate West Heating Plant plans. [WBJ]
  • CaBi ridership continues to boom. [WashCycle]
  • D.C.’s playgrounds have come a long way. [GGE]
  • Georgetown mansion hitting the market for $16.8 million. [UrbanTurf]
  • Today on the market: 3-unit 15th Street NW rowhouse—$1,200,000

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

  • Kennedy Center announces its new president. [Arts Desk]
  • The new prez is reportedly a “team builder.” [Post]
  • Hank Willis Thomas discusses his new show up at Corcoran, “Question Bridge: Black Males.” [Washingtonian]
  • More delays for the new David Rubenstein gallery at National Archives. [Post]
  • No Rules Theatre Company announces its new season. [D.C. Theatre Scene]
  • Queer-friendly dance party She Rex is packing it up. [Post]
  • NPR names its favorite 50 albums of 2013. [NPR]
  • Washington City Paper contributor Chris Klimek wonders where all the new Christmas standards are. [Slate]
  • Do the Chocolate City Shuffle. [Arts Desk]

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

  • The ultimate guide to holiday dining in D.C. [Zagat]
  • Iron Gate now open for lunch. [Washingtonian]
  • Meet Silver Spring’s Citizen Brewing Company, coming next summer [DC Beer]
  • What happens when you order a Ben’s Chili Bowl half-smoke on your smartphone [City Desk]
  • The best clubs in D.C. [Thrillist]
  • Assembly line pizza joint Pie Five Pizza eyeing D.C.-area locations [Eater]
  • King of Kabob closes downtown. [PoPville]