Get our free newsletter

A morning roundup of news, opinion, and links from Washington City Paper and around the District. Send tips and ideas to citydesk@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Sign up: To get District Line Daily—or any of our other email newsletters—sent straight to your mailbox, click here.

The D.C. Council votes today on its large retailer living wage bill—-and if it passes and is signed into law, Walmart says it will kill three of its six planned stores in the District. And that could have a larger impact on one of Mayor Vince Gray‘s largest economic development ambitions.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • Libertarian activist Adam Kokesh was arrested in Herndon last night after filming a video in which he loads a weapon in D.C.’s Freedom Plaza. [WTOP]
  • D.C. police say they checked the car that 7-year-old Michael Kingsbury was found dead in four times before his body was found. [Post, City Desk]
  • D.C. Council will consider a bill today that would give people living in the United States illegally the chance to obtain a driver’s license. They’ll also vote on a new smoking-restrictions bill. [WJLA, Post]
  • A man in a wheelchair who fell onto the tracks at Metro Center was saved by bystanders. [NBC4]

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

Too Chic: Introducing what just might be “D.C.’s douchiest restaurant website.”

Broth Ire: Troubled noodle joint Taan in Adams Morgan is getting a makeover in the form of more Vietnamese dishes and, presumably, less internal strife.

London Calling: Local pop-rap trio RDGLDGRN went to London to hang out with football hooligans.

Photo of the Day: “Man in Red,” here.

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

  • Walmart says it’ll back out of three D.C. stores if large retailer bill passes—or is it bluffing? [Housing Complex, WAMU, WBJ, WBJ, NBC 4]
  • Mammoth day at the D.C. Council, with votes on smoking bans and licenses for undocumented immigrants. [Post]
  • Irv Nathan and DC Appleseed argue about attorney general’s future. [WAMU, WAMU]
  • Vincent Orange wants the Council to be able to boot the mayor or attorney general over ethics. [Post]
  • D.C. schools plan to introduce “twilight academies” for students who fail ninth grade. [Post]
  • Deliberately breaking D.C. gun laws leads to negative consequences. [NBC 4]
  • Jeffrey Thompson‘s Chartered lost money, members. [WBJ]
  • Marion Barry weighs in on Elliot Spitzer. [Detroit Free Press]
  • Georgetown students think their ANC reps are too nice to neighbors. [Hoya]
  • DMV shortage means months-long wait for driving test. [NBC 4]

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

  • If Walmart pulls out, Skyland Town Center is dead. [WBJ]
  • I.M. Pei buildings are historic landmarks; development thrown into question. [UrbanTurf]
  • Old church gets new life as an arts space. [WJLA]
  • The revenue and service benefits of transit-oriented development. [PlanItMetro]
  • In defense of Tommy Wells‘ reasoning on parking. [GGW]
  • Coast Guard headquarters at St. Elizabeths could get a new name. [WBJ]
  • A sampling of D.C. rents in 1914 [Ghosts of DC]
  • We’re measuring school success wrong. Here are the real best schools in town. [GGW]
  • A century ago on the market: Columbia Heights rowhouse for $425. [Ghosts of DC]
  • Today on the market: Dupont condo (weirdly angled rugs not included)

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

  • Rest in peace, Norm Parish. [Lenny Campello]
  • Smithsonian raises $170,00 for its forthcoming yoga exhibit. [Washington Business Journal]
  • Ibiza nightclub files for bankruptcy protection. [Eater]
  • Politics & Prose plans a D.C. cartoons exhibit. [ComicsDC]
  • Who will get Arlington County’s art grants? [ARLnow]

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

  • Does mumbo sauce at trendy restaurants equal swaggerjacking? [Post]
  • Minibar hosts open house in honor of its 10-year anniversary. [Washingtonian]
  • Early look at Attman’s Delicatessen in Potomac [DMV Dining]
  • Where to celebrate Bastille Day [Drink DC]
  • Bryan Voltaggio launches hot dog car in front of his Frederick, Md. restaurant Family Meal. [Eater]
  • Parking enforcement finds another reason to ticket food trucks. [Food Truck Fiesta]
  • Eight must-try burgers around D.C. [Zagat]