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 Wednesday!

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS: Blue Line is Metro’s worst. [WTOP] Vegas, baby! [WAMU] Takoma Park descends into utter self-parody, gets embroiled in rooster controversy. [NBCWashington] Parade time in D.C. [Post] Patients already using medical marijuana, just not legally yet. [Huffington Post D.C.]

YOUR DAILY QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASUREMENT: On Tuesday, City Paper‘s Needle ticked up 2 points. The bad news: To catch a bike thief. The good news: To lose a bike race. Take a look here.

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

Wilds Has Most Cash in Ward 5, One Week Left: “[…] candidate Frank Wilds has a huge lead in the cash-on-hand department. Wilds has more than $45,000 left to spend in the final days of the race, thanks in part to the $18,500 he’s loaned his campaign. His donors include former councilmembers Frank Smith, Bill Lightfoot, and John Ray (or at least, Ray’s law firm). Wilds also took bundled donations (legal, of course) from the politically connected gasman Joe Mamo and the city’s biggest road paving company, Fort Myer Construction. Wilds also got $4,000 from entities sharing an address with Axent Realty Group, which has just been showering D.C. pols with money in recent campaigns.”

Does Susan G. Komen Foundation Really Need WTOP’s Help?: Why is WTOP giving the Komen Foundation—which pulls in more than $300,000,000 a year—$30,000 in free advertising?

JBG Continues to Inflict Outsiders on D.C. Architecture: How dare people with new ideas about architecture design buildings in D.C.? The nerve!

A Modest Proposal for Funding Woolly Mammoth’s New-Plays Initiative: Usually when people say they have a “modest proposal,” they’re actually understating what they want to happen. But this idea from Jonathan L. Fischer actually is modest. Woolly Mammoth should launch a Kickstarter campaign for large donors to help the get the cash they need to support new plays.

Listen: Fat Trel Teams Up With Chief Keef: Hear the latest from cover subject Fat Trel. Contributor Ramon Ramirez says the track “lacks legs,” and we’re not that impressed either. What about you?

Rewriting The Spintastic WMATA “Report Card”: Did 3 in 4 buses arrive on time, or did 1 in 4 arrive late?

TIME FOR A SMOKE PHOTO OF THE DAY: Mercedes, by Matt Dunn

LINKDUMP AFTER THE JUMP!

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

  • Former inspector general found problems with Jeff Thompson’s giving nearly a decade ago. (What did the Council do? They got rid of the IG). [Times]
  • Would-be Thompson health care firm buyer settled fraud case in Kentucky [Times]
  • Councilmembers have televised meeting on budget today. Then, when cameras are off, the real horse trading begins [Post]
  • Judge signs off on Harry Thomas Jr.‘s request to be sent to a prison far away from his family [Post]
  • D.C. Council trying to stick it to ICE [Times]
  • David Catania says deal is near for health care funding for immigrants [Examiner]
  • Education reform is dying, says Jonetta Rose Barras, and Kaya Henderson is killing it [Examiner]
  • District teams with HUD to try and climb out of affordable housing mess [Post]
  • GGW says Michael Brown is spreading false info on zoning rewrite! [GGW]
  • Booze sellers don’t want tax on booze selling [NBC4]

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

  • Housing programs to get federal watchdog. [Post]
  • SEIU rents space for Occupy D.C. [Examiner]
  • Awesome. More tourists. [Examiner]
  • C.A.T. Walk takes a hike. [PoP]
  • Savior for independent bookstores: Booze! [PoP]
  • The Architects’ impending facelift. [DCMetrocentric]
  • It’s true, gas-powered leaf blowers are terrible. [DCist]
  • A different kind of real estate firm. [Bloomingdale]
  • Housing burdens are a function of income as much as price. [R.U.SeriousingMe]
  • Gotta love these guys for live blogging a Transportation committee meeting. [Streetsblog]
  • Shame on Michael Brown for being so swayed by zoning alarmists. [GGW]
  • Today on the market: Live in an autobody shop.

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

  • Politics & Prose applying for a liquor license?! [Prince of Petworth]
  • Trouble Funk filed suit against the Beastie Boys last week—-one day before Adam Yauch died. [Post]
  • NBC will unveil 1600 Penn, a TV show about a dysfunctional first family [Post]
  • Luxe movie dinner-and-a-movie venue Silverspot coming to Bethesda [Washington Business Journal]

FOOD LINKS will resume shortly.