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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Good morning from Washington City Paper! It’s Friday! We’ll be off on Monday and we hope you are too.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS: Mayor Vince Gray aide Howard Brooks pleads guilty. [WAMU] Chris Cillizza: Gray had the worst week in Washington. [Post] Former mayor-for-life Marion Barry apologized to Asians, offended Poles. [WAMU] Black voters may push same-sex marriage over the top in Maryland. [Times] Trayvon Martin Day at Malcolm X Elementary School in Congress Heights. [Post] Things some parents find suspicious: A man sipping coffee while sitting in a park. [Post]

YOUR DAILY QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASUREMENT: On Thursday, City Paper‘s Needle fell six points. The bad news: This Gray investigation is getting pretty serious. The good news: For a mere $5 million Metrobuses will show up on time. Take a look here.

SIX CITY PAPER STORIES FROM THE LAST 24 HOURS TO HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF YOUR DAY:

Howard Brooks Pleads Guilty: LL has the highlights of the plea, including: “In June 2010, Brooks met with an unidentified person and Thomas Gore, Gray’s campaign treasurer, who pleaded guilty to obstructing justice on Tuesday. At that meeting Brooks ‘was instructed to make payments’ to Brown, though court records don’t say who did the instructing. After the hearing, Brooks’ attorney said it wasn’t Brooks’ idea to pay Brown. LL’s already named the unidentified person as campaign chairwoman and Gray’s closest friend Lorraine Green.”

McMillan Plan Heads to Historic Preservation Review With Most Neighborhood Groups Opposed: “If it were not clear before, let the current state of discussion around planning for the McMillan Sand Filtration Plant leave no doubt that this site is the biggest development headache in the entire city (which, considering the competition, is saying something).”

Marion Barry’s Apology Goes Slightly Awry: Sudip Bhattacharya has a dispatch from yesterday’s press conference and meeting with Barry and a coalition of Asian business owners and groups who wanted a public apology from Barry over his disparaging remarks about Asian businesses and Filipino nurses. There wasn’t a public apology, and Barry somehow managed to offend Polish people.

Mike Isabella’s Non-Mexican Mexican Joint Opens Tonight: Bandolero opened yesterday, and Y&H asks the chef when’s the last time he was in Mexico. It’s been 10 years, but he defends himself: “This is not Mexican food,” Isabella tells Y&H. “This is modern Mexican. I take classics, and I try to reinvent them.”

Chuck Brown’s Public Viewing, Memorial Set for Next Week: Arts Desk has the details: “A public viewing of Chuck Brown‘s remains will take place Tuesday, May 29 at the Howard Theatre from 11 a.m to 10 p.m. A memorial service will take place Thursday, May 31 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from noon to 3 p.m.”

Yet More Resources For Homeless Veterans: LDP has the latest on another non-profit getting the game.

HELLO AGAIN PHOTOS OF THE DAY: Howard Brooks Pleads Guilty by Darrow Montgomery

LINKDUMP BELOW!

LOOSE LIPS DAILY POLITICS LINKS, by Alan Suderman (tips? lips@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Marion Barry apologizes to Asians, offends Poles [CD]
• Howard Brooks pleads guilty, all eyes now on Lorraine Green [Post]
• “It did not appeal to the people we were trying to attract, and it was not something we sanctioned,” Green, last year [Times]
• If you did something naughty during the Gray campaign, it’s time to come clean, says Ron Machen. “We urge others to do the same as we continue our efforts to get to the bottom of what happened during the 2010 election.” [AP]
• D.C. fire department lieutenant on leave after stealing hay, as in horses [Examiner]
• A way out for Gray? [NBC4]

REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT LINKS, by Housing Complex blogger Lydia DePillis (tips? housingcomplex@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• In defense of classicism. [Post]
• The history and culture of parking. [ASLA]
• Boxy building for T Street. [PoP]
• Shall we crown a new most expensive house? [Urbanturf]
• Environmentalists opposed to low-impact development? [Post]
• Housing supply and demand are complicated. [ExtraordinaryObservations]
• Today on the market: European flair.

ARTS LINKS, by Jonathan L. Fischer (tips? artsdesk@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Old photos of Memorial Day 1942, mostly involving a parade around the White House. Historic eye candy! [DCist]
• R.I.P. Hal Jackson, who broke color barriers across many Washington radio stations. [New York Daily News]
• Protect-U on its start in D.C., plus five influential songs! [Fact]
• A plea for peace-focused monuments. [Huffington Post D.C.]

FOOD LINKS, by Young & Hungry editor Jessica Sidman

• Buffalo and Bergen is the name of mixologist Gina Chersevani‘s forthcoming soda shop and bar at Union Market [Washingtonian]
• Burger, Tap & Shake uses 1,200 pounds of beef and 2,000 pounds of potatoes every week [The Plate]
• New food truck called Soulvaki Stop makes its debut [Food Truck Fiesta]
• Leek American Bistro headed to Ballston later this year [WBJ]
• Art & Soul’s Art Smith will compete on Top Chef Masters, which premieres July 25 [Eater]
• The case for pink slime [Washington Post]
• “Pan-Latino” food and Latin American beers at mural-art gallery VeraCruz, opening above Duffy’s [Arts Desk]
• A rant against food critics [Gawker]