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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D.C. government officials are contemplating defying Congress and spending money anyways in the event of a government shutdown, in order to avoid the shuttering of any local government services.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

• Former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fent is joining the Silicon Valley office of the Perkins Coie law firm, where he will focus on expanding the firm’s Emerging Company & Venture Capital practice. [Reuters]
• The District proposed drastic changes to the Height Act Tuesday, which would free the city from any federal height restrictions outside historic L’Enfant City. [Housing Complex]
• The Washington Post editorial board urges the D.C. government to comply with the government shutdown and not break federal law, saying the “better approach is to get behind legal efforts that would allow the District to spend local monies in the event of a shutdown.” [Post]
• An elderly D.C. man who lost his house over an unpaid $134 tax bill filed suit against the District government, challenging its tax-lien program.  [Post]

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

Black Out: It looks like the baby panda at the National Zoo will survive a government shutdown, but the fate of the beloved Panda Cam is far from certain.

Inflation: No one yet has bid on the famous Georgetown The Guards sign going on eBay for $10,000, but the owners of the sign say the pricing was all a miscommunication and the starting bid should have been $5,000.

Shutdown Blues Preparing for the government shutdown apocalypse? Listen to this ultimate government collapse playlist.

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

• City considers breaking the law to keep the District government running open during a government shutdown. [LL, WAMU, Post]
• Post ed board says they shouldn’t do it. [Post]
• D.C. proposes big changes to the Height Act. [Housing Complex]
• David Catania accuses school officials of “misleading” public over scores. [Post]
• Lawyer representing man at the center of the Post‘s tax lien investigation files a class-action suit over the program. [Post]
• Howard’s credit rating gets a downgrade. [Post]
• Rate of new HIV cases decreases in the District. [WAMU, City Desk]
• Synthetic marijuana helps District criminals beat drug tests. [Times]
• Pastor whose Ten Commandments sign was flipped over wants a hate crime investigation. [Times]

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

• The city’s Height Act proposal doesn’t go far enough. [Slate]
• Thoughts on the MLK Library redesign. [RPitUS]
• A soundtrack for the government shutdown [City Desk]
• Understaffed DMV is canceling road tests—before the shutdown. [WJLA]
• A broad look at inclusionary zoning [GGW]
• Marines explore options for new barracks. [WBJ]
• The key to successful transit-oriented development. (Hint: It’s not the transit.) [Atlantic Cities]
• Sure, this condo costs $1.2 million, but you get to live in a chapel. [HuffPost DC]
• The zip codes where homes are selling the slowest—but still not very slowly. [UrbanTurf]

Today on the market: Georgetown condo

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

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

• Ed Witt will be chef at Parts & Labor, a new restaurant opening in conjunction with Penn Quarter’s Red Apron Butcher. [Post]
• Celebrate Oktoberfest by visiting one of these breweries. [Washingtonian]
• Bodogs Hot Dogs coming to Penn Quarter. [PoPville]
• The top pizzas in D.C. [Zagat]
• Eno Wine Bar in Georgetown hires Minibar‘s Jeffrey Barrientos as manager and sommelier. [Eater]
• Where to learn how to homebrew [DC Beer]
• Mazagan Moroccan restaurant coming to Arlington. [ARLnow]