We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
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 Councilmartyr’s revenge! The Post reports that, with the 2014 Democratic primary still more than a year away, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells is set to announce his run for mayor.
LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:
- Obama finally puts “No Taxation Without Representation” plates on his car. [LL]
- Cell providers strain to keep service going on the Mall. [WJLA]
- Tenleytown parking fight ends with win for developers, carless. [Housing Complex]
- Man shot, wounded near homeless shelter. [Examiner]
- Inaugural party advice from the Post‘s Nikita Stewart. [Post]
- MWAA gets a new watchdog. [Examiner]
RECENT CITY PAPER STORIES TO HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF YOUR DAY:
Photo of the Day: Unicorn
Mr. Instagramvedere: A Washington hotel is offering a novel option as part of its $47,000 inauguration package: a social media butler to send tweets for you.
Party Like Young Obama: More than 150 D.C. restaurants and bars have special licenses to serve food alcohol late in the night leading up to the inauguration. Here’s the list.
Pump It Up: The Corcoran is unveiling a new exhibit on D.C. go-go and punk with a party featuring DJ Henry Rollins..
LOOSE LIPS, by Loose Lips columnist Alan Suderman. (tips? lips@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Tommy Wells for Mayor campaign about to launch. [Post]
- Anti-school closure protesters target Vince Gray’s house. [Fox5]
- David Catania calls Vincent Orange’s robust advocacy for a rat-infested grocery store “totally bizarre.” [Post]
- Orange gives himself a pat on the back for a “job well done.” [@VincentOrangeDC]
- School closings don’t save much money, report finds. [Examiner]
- Did Michelle Rhee’s trusted adviser tell her way back when he suspected cheating on test scores? [Taking Note]
- Mark Plotkin is “elated” that president will be putting “taxation” plates on limo. [Fox5]
- Cathy Lanier says NBC “dodged a bullet.” [Post]
- Homelessness affecting families. [Examiner]
HOUSING COMPLEX, by Housing Complex columnist Aaron Wiener. (tips? awiener@washingtoncitypaper.com )
- A preview of DDOT’s citywide transportation plan [GGW]
- Why aren’t Ward 3 residents clamoring for more public transit? [RPitUS]
- Maybe they’d get more excited about Personal Rapid Transit. [Atlantic Cities]
- After all, Metro’s not looking so hot after another train derailment. [Unsuck]
- The payoff from closing schools may be minimal. [DCFPI]
- The payoff from firing the guy who’s trying to bring down school lunch costs may also be minimal. [DCist]
- Southwest ANC wants Small Area Plan before public lands begin to be developed. [Southwest]
- Cliff dwellers around the world. [Gizmodo]
- Muriel Bowser is wary of accessory dwellings and corner stores. [GGW]
- GSA leaves a hole in NoMa as it moves back downtown. [WBJ]
- A conversation with Obama’s former Capitol Hill landlord. [UrbanTurf]
- Today on the market: Grand house in 16th Street Heights
ARTS LINKS, by Ally Schweitzer (tips? artsdesk@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Former City Paper staffer Mark Athitakis takes issue with the Washington Post‘s recent list of Washington books, saying it finds Jonathan Yardley overexerting himself to justify D.C.’s existence as a city, not just a literary hub [The New Republic]
- Another chapter in the history of Adams Morgan’s Knickerbocker Theatre, which collapsed after a snowstorm in 1922 [Post]
- Coming to the Smithsonian’s IMAX theaters: LASERS [Washington Business Journal]
- Artist Eames Armstrong: The gimmicky “Naked Girls Reading” doesn’t feel like performance art… [D.C. Performance Art]
- …but Emma Jaster‘s “To Know a Veil,” this Friday’s edition of Armstrong’s Soapbox series at Hillyer, does [Pink Line Project]
- Do you recognize this D.C.-area breakdancer? [Post]
FOOD LINKS, by Jessica Sidman (tips? hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Inauguration brunch specials [Washingtonian]
- Five bars to look forward to in 2013 [Drink DC]
- Top 20 places to eat like the Obamas during inauguration [Obama Foodorama]
- Wildcraft Soda exceeds its Kickstarter goal. [Eater]
- Shwarma Spot closed “for its own protection.” [PoPville]
- William Morris will replace Tony Chittum as chef of Vermillion. [Post]
- Rocklands Barbecue and Grilling Company owner John Snedden named Foodservice Leader of the Year. [Foodservice Monthly]
Pleasant Pops by the numbers [The Plate]