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 Monday! We celebrated the rainy weather with lots of Netflix streaming.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS: No more free parking by the Giant in Glover Park. [WTOP] Outdated, undemocratic British institution to visit D.C. in the form of Prince Harry. [NBC Washington] Jerico City of Praise holds two different services after schism [Post] Virginia woman accidentally wins $1 million [NBC Washington] Hackers take down dc.gov again [DCist]

YOUR DAILY QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASUREMENT: On Friday, City Paper‘s Needle shot up seven points. The bad news: IMF closes streets. The good news: Biz Markie goes house hunting in D.C. Take a look here.

SIX CITY PAPER STORIES FROM THE LAST 72 HOURS TO HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF YOUR DAY:

MIT Thesis on Height Limits Backs Strategic Boosting: Back in 2009, MIT student Andrew Trueblood wrote his thesis on the District’s height limit. His recommendation: Allow higher buildings in some ‘hoods to alleviate housing pressure. “Trueblood proposes an ‘urban bowl,’ allowing heights to rise to 175 feet or about 14 stories in Mt. Vernon Square and Southwest, 190 feet in NoMa, 200 feet on the waterfront and east of the river. The area around Florida Avenue Market, Friendship Heights, and Buzzard Point should also be considered. The ‘secondary markets’ have a better chance of achieving more balanced employment/residential ratios, better allowing people to live near their jobs.”

Is An All-You-Can-Eat Oyster Fest Really The Best Way To Promote Sustainability: This weekend saw a couple of all-you-can-eat oyster specials, and contributor Maggie Lange has the details on whether eating oysters is good for the oyster population: “Shells from the day’s feast will be collected and replanted to help restore the natural oyster population that filters the Chesapeake Bay. ‘Each shell collected through our Shell Recycling Alliance program can plant 10 new oysters,’ says Epkins. ‘So for every oyster someone eats, there’s a potential for 20 new oysters to be planted into our bay.’ In other words, those 4,000 oysters that have been ordered for the event could potentially foster the homes of upwards of 80,000 new ones.”

The Choral Arts Society’s Norman Scribner: The Exit Interview: Contributor Mike Paarlberg interviews Norman Scribner as he steps down from his position as director of the Choral Arts Society. On the many choruses in D.C., Scribner says: “All the choirmasters in town are good friends with each other. I’ve been told that in other cities there’s a lot of intramural jealousy and bickering. We don’t have that feeling in D.C. We share programs, exchange ideas about soloists, and collaborate. As for the abundance of singers, we wonder, where do all these people come from? They’re very intelligent, often have training in church choirs, coming to D.C. because of an idealistic call to national service, here to keep America great and make it greater.”

Neapolitan Smackdown!: 2Amys vs. Forchetta.

How All Our Noise Became One of D.C.’s Best Music Blogs: “Access is important to All Our Noise because a lot of the videos arts get up close with the music, often via backstage interviews and on-the-fly performances. And when De Leon shoots a show, local venues often let him record through the soundboard for higher-quality sonics. ‘We were trying to distinguish ourselves from, “Hey, this is an mp3 from this new band”,’ De Leon says. ‘We wanted to be able to spend a little more time with the bands. We wanted to lean more toward originally produced content.’ In addition to the original sessions, blog posts on All Our Noise curate other songs and videos that catch the eyes of De Leon, Aguilar, and the handful of contributors that have worked on the site over the years.”

Beer and Retail Don’t Mix At The Ballpark?: Why did the folks who run retail across from Nationals Park pull out of the deal after five days?

ROMANTIC PHOTOS OF THE DAY: Diptych

LINKDUMP AFTER THE JUMP!

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

  • Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham expects lively hearing on Children & Youth Investment Trust Corp. today. [Times]
  • D.C. Jail releasing fewer inmates at night. [Examiner]
  • Savoy Elementary School to be featured on Good Morning American along with Mayor Vince Gray‘s favorite actress, Sarah Jessica Parker? [Examiner]

 

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

ARTS LINKS, by Alex Baca (tips? artsdesk@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • How to fix the Helen Hayes Awards: Create more categories, dividing small and large theaters. [Post]
  • Indie rockers The Mean Season write songs based on what they see at the National Portrait Gallery. [DCist]
  • Killer mix of recent local hip-hop, including new Slutty Boyz, Topdolla Sweizy, more. [Start of the Line]
  • Too many museums! [Post]

FOOD LINKS, by Young & Hungry columnist Chris Shott (tips? hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • The Source‘s Scott Drewno is Aspen bound (again) after winning Cochon 555 [Twitter]
  • Three stars for Mintwood Place [Post]
  • The Pig opens May 14 [Borderstan]
  • Taqueria National is moving to 14th & T Streets NW (maybe) [Eater]
  • Sales are surging at ShopHouse [Business Insider]
  • Fiola‘s Fabio Trabocchi puts macerated raspberries and maraschino liqueur on his pancakes [Jamestown Sun]
  • Adour‘s Alain Ducasse wants you to eat more produce [Express]
  • Ward 5 is experiencing a restaurant renaissance [Post]
  • Lots of D.C. eateries take part in “Dining Out for Life” on Thursday [Revamp]
  • Ommegang’s Hop Chef Competition is slated for April 28 [H Street Great Street]