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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An amendment to the D.C. charter giving the city government power to spend local tax revenue without approval from Congress is likely to become law this week, a major milestone for budget autonomy activists. Still, Congress could overturn the bill later.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

• A D.C. superior judge upheld a ruling against police chief Cathy Lanier‘s “All Hands on Deck” initiative. [Post]
• Texas congressman Louis Gohmert thinks control of the District should be handed back to Maryland . [WAMU]
• Local clergyman hope they can persuade Mayor Vince Gray to sign the living wage bill by framing the debate in terms of D.C.’s “self-determination.” [Post]
• DC Water lobbied for an exemption from city regulations aimed at managing storm runoff and keeping D.C. waterways clean. [Times]

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

Walter, May I?: Visuals for the three short-listed proposals to develop the Walter Reed site are now available online. Hints at a Wegmans, park space, and words like “eclectic” feature prominently in the proposals.

Same Old, Same Old: In lots of cities, news that a political candidate is entangled in a payment dispute would be shocking. But in D.C., accusations against newly announced mayoral candidate Christian Carter don’t seem so strange.

Is That Hay on Your Plate?: The local food movement is hitting its stride with the celebration of D.C.’s first Farm-to-Table Restaurant Week.

Can’t Stop the Music: When public officials meddle with concert bookings—even controversial ones—it nearly always ends badly.

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

• Judge backs police union on All Hands on Deck. [Times]
• Freeway pylon paintjob that cost D.C. $25,000 quickly peeled. [Post]
• DC Water asked for a stormwater exemption with help from city administrator Allen Lew. [Times]
• Weather knocks out D.C. ambulances, city hires private ambulance company to cover stadium events. [WTOP]
• Scratch-off ticket contract expires, but some lotto tickets remain. [WAMU]
• New mayoral candidate “shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath” as opponents. [Post]
• WAMU reporter tags along with streetcar testers. [WAMU]
• Living wage bill backers want to win over mayor on “self-determination.” [Post]
• Second round of Height Act meetings start Wednesday. [WBJ]
• More details on the Walter Reed proposals. [Housing Complex]

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

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

• So… who’s playing FreeFest? Dunno. [Post]
• More art comes to the Gateway Arts District. [East City Art]
• This unremarkable public art project cost $50,000. [Post]
• Civilian Art Projects hosts an exhibit of screenprinted posters. [ComicsDC]
• Some questions for New York Times journalist Mark Leibovich about his book This Town. [DCist]

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

• Critic Alan Richman features Barmini, Family Meal, and Rasika West End in his list of 50 best things to eat and drink. [GQ]
• &pizza coming to Bethesda. [Bethesda Mag]
• Ray’s Hell Burger‘s furniture gets kicked to the curb. [ARLnow]
• Oh! Fish maki sushi spot closes downtown. [PoPville]
• Fatty Crab plans D.C. location in partnership with Le Diplomate‘s Stephen Starr. [Crain’s]
• Dolcezza plans to introduce soft-serve. [Eater]
• New and notable restaurants of 2013 [Post]