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Good morning from Washington City Paper! It’s Tuesday!
LEADING THE MORNING NEWS: Mayor Vince Gray announced his picks for the much-touted ethics panel. The head will be Robert J. Spagnoletti, a former city attorney general, reports the Post. Also in the Post, more on the possible sale of the Corcoran’s downtown building (the news also made the New York Times ArtsBeat blog and the Examiner, both of which credited City Paper for breaking it). The Times reports that Gray is promising immigrant groups that he’ll fight Secure Communities (as much as he can). The program is supposed to allow for the deportation of illegal immigrants who are violent criminals, but data shows it often affects low-level offenders. Chuck Thies says pressure is building for D.C Council Chairman Kwame Brown: “Brown still has a lot of explaining to do, but it might not be reporters’ questions he will be answering next. If the rumor mill is accurate, Brown will be answering to the long arm of the law.” Plus: Woman in a wheelchair sought in a Chinatown robbery. [Post] Metro supervisor gets nine months in prison for forging time sheets [NBC4] Florida Ave. Market revived? [Examiner] Maryland General Assembly may take the teeth out of pitbull ruling. [Times]
YOUR DAILY QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASUREMENT: Friday, City Paper‘s Needle fell four points. The damage done: Congress makes it really easy to steal from Congress!
RECENT CITY PAPER STORIES TO HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF YOUR DAY:
What, If Any, Council Committee Chairmanship For McDuffie?: Now that Ward 5’s Kenyan McDuffie has taken his seat at the D.C. Council dais, it’s time to figure out what work he’s gonna do there. LL notes that chair Kwame Brown has said he thinks all councilmembers should chair a committee, but he took over the committee led by McDuffie’s disgraced predecessor—so what’s left?
Thompson Fighting Feds Over Access To Records: “At issue is Thompson’s client-attorney privileges, and whether having a group of government lawyers separate from any prosecutorial team review those files infringes on Thompson’s rights. A U.S. District Court judge ruled against Thompson last month, but he’s appealing that decision.“
Old 11th Street Bridge Deck Coming Off, Could Be Rebuilt For Pedestrians: At Housing Complex, LDP is following the latest with the 11th Street Bridge. It’s not going to be for cars, that’s for sure. The Office of Planning wants to turn it into a recreational space—which means they need design ideas.
Street Food Meets Streetwear at Maketto: Y&H reports: “DURKL founder Will Sharp tells Y&H the market will include a coffee and donut bar, an Asian street food-inspired cafe, clothing retail, outdoor patio, and more—all seamlessly flowing together. ‘I’m not sure this has ever been done,’ Sharp says. ‘We’re trying to create an environment where everything interacts. It’s not retail that also has a restaurant in the back or vice versa. It’s one communal market that’s very open.'”
Corcoran: “We Need to Respect Financial Realities”: After contributor Kriston Capps broke the news that the Corcoran may be selling its building in D.C. and moving, the president and chairman released a statement: “The Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design is beginning to implement plans to ensure its long-term stability and attain a new level of vitality and excellence.” This appears to be PR-speak for: “the rent is too damn high.”
AFROTASTIC PHOTO OF THE DAY: Fashionable Woman by Matt Dunn.
LINKDUMP BELOW!
LOOSE LIPS DAILY POLITICS LINKS, by LL columnist Alan Suderman (tips? lips@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Vince Gray taps Robert J. Spagnoletti, former AG under Anthony Williams, to head new ethics board (Spagnoletti was also Gray’s personal lawyer during that whole fence debacle) [Post]
- Jack Evans wants laws governing the distribution of freebie tickets for DC pols [Post]
- Tommy Wells slams the idea (and the mayoral contest is now in full swing!) [@tommywells]
- Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe accused of being a bully. “I’m the battalion chief in charge of toilet paper,” [WUSA9]
- D.C. pols eager to launch special election campaigns, err, to see federal probes wrapped up [Post]
- Charter school funding wobbly on eve of budget vote [Post]
- Gray reassures immigrant communities [Times]
- Hooray for Florida Avenue Market [Examiner]
- Boo for First Source law [Examiner]
- Mayor’s body man gets real estate development gig [Post]
REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT LINKS, by Housing Complex columnist Lydia DePillis (tips? housingcomplex@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Corcoran might leave and sell its building. [ArtsDesk]
- 11th and V on the way to multifamily. [PoP]
- Associated Builders and Contractors an unrepresentative, anti-union front group? [TheHill]
- Sincerely hoping people neither take this seriously nor laugh at it. [Borderstan]
- Wins, losses in using public land for affordable housing. [GGW]
- Monumentalism sure got out of control under Kim Jong-Il. [AtlanticCities]
- Today on the market: Desperate much.
ARTS LINKS, by arts editor Ally Schweitzer (tips? artsdesk@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- What did Kwame Brown really mean when he said newcomers to D.C. should “get over” their distaste for go-go? Who really hates go-go, anyway: D.C. residents or the D.C. government? [DCist]
- Another Michael Kaiser column in dire need of more detail: The Kennedy Center president tackles the ineffective Web strategies of arts organizations, but doesn’t name organizations, or specify what a better strategy might look like. [Huffington Post D.C.]
- Woolly Mammoth hosted a reading of Dustin Lance Black‘s Prop. 8 play 8 last night, but you’ll also be able to hear the version with George Clooney and Brad Pitt on WPFW sometime soon. [AP via Slate]
- Arlington Public Library debuts an online exhibit of vintage postcards. [ArlNow]
FOOD LINKS, by Young & Hungry editor Jessica Sidman (tips? hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Wilson Tavern changes owners/directions with benches made specifically for dancing on [Thrillist]
- Fiola‘s Fabio and Maria Trabocchi are officially a power couple [Forbes]
- Game of Thrones-themed dishes (think head-on-a-stake cake pops) [The Plate]
- Neighborhood Restaurant Group‘s forthcoming Bluejacket brewery will debut its first collaboration beers on Thursday [Washingtonian]
- Sweetgreen opens its 12th store at 19th and L [Twitter]
- How to boil water and other tips from Mark Bittman [Express]
- Cleveland Park Chipotle opens today at 3420 Connecticut Ave. NW [PoP]
- All-you-can-eat poutine buffet and open bar coming to Rhino Bar on June 29 [Food Truck Fiesta]