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! FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH. And it’s the day we find out the results of the special ballots in the too-close-to-call D.C. Council At-Large candidate race between Sekou Biddle and Vincent Orange.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS: Lanier Heights resident charged with intent to distribute ecstasy. And it appears he had a meth lab. [Post] Special ballots in at-large race will be counted today. [WJLA] There are still $70,000 worth of fire department polo shirts going unused. [Times] Dozens of D.C. agencies don’t meet their own goals. [Examiner]

YOUR DAILY QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASUREMENT: On Thursday, City Paper‘s Needle rose four points. The bad news: Metro fares on the rise. The good news: Nats won their home opener! Take a look here.

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

Once Mandatory Ethics Pledge Now Optional: First employees were told that if they didn’t sign the pledges, they’d face disciplinary action. Now it’s all good.

DCRA Lightens Up On Record, Used Book, and Vintage Shops: After DCRA busted several second-hand shops for not having the proper licenses, they’re slowing their roll. Shop owners claimed they weren’t informed about the license they need, and DCRA is giving them time to get things in order.

Do We Really Need a Regional Economic Plan?: Lydia DePillis is dubious. “Crafting a regional economic plan, however, is no easy feat. Greater Washington is a rigidly tripartite beast, and its component governments have a vested interest in attracting businesses and residents—all that tax revenue will flow into their coffers, after all, not some kind of shared body that will spread the wealth around. Exhibit A in regional economic non-cooperation is competition for the new Northrop Grumman headquarters: D.C., Maryland, and Virginia all put incentive packages on the table that would’ve been completely unnecessary had any of them considered one state’s win to be everyone’s gain. Then there’s film subsidies, competition for federal agency tenants, the race to undercut each others’ tax rates…the list goes on.”

Five Books I’d Read: If only he had the time.

Pizza: Soooo Hot Right Now: “For a guy who snacked on two different pies on Monday alone, Y&H finds it hard to argue with all this mounting evidence of a continuing pizza boom with no clear end in sight. In an interview with the Huffington Post, George Mason econ prof and prolific food blogger Tyler Cowen points to pizza as one of the two most “dynamic sectors” of D.C.’s developing food scene. The other is burgers.”

Marion Barry Everywhere, All The Time: Shani Hilton points to a profile she did of D.C. Democrat Delegate Gregory Cendana—the only man to get more votes than former mayor-for-life Marion Barry in his bid for a delegate slot at the DNC in North Carolina.

SO MUCH PANTYHOSE PHOTO OF THE DAY: Dunbar Marching Pride

LINKDUMP AFTER THE JUMP!

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

  • At-Large race to be settled today, probably. [AP]
  • Meet the dude who got more votes than Marion Barry. [WCP]
  • Former campaign managers for Kevin Chavous the Younger and Adrian Fenty exchange words. [Post]
  • Let’s build a mayoral mansion. [DCist]
  • CFO Nat Gandhi concerned about unlikely-to-occur massive federal spending cuts. [Times]
  • H Street streetcar line to be named One City Line. [HC]
  • DCFD shirts legit, for about 30 mins. [Times]
  • Bankruptcy complicates DeOnte Rawlings settlement. [Times]
  • Developers excited to get rid of height limit. [WBJ]
  • District agencies not meeting their goals. [Examiner]
  • Jaffe loves pawnshops. [Examiner]
  • The D.C. Council handed out a lot fewer tax breaks last year. [DCFPI]

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

  • Developers are all about this height limit stuff. [WBJ]
  • But would they build tall outside downtown? [RPUS]
  • Why D.C. has no mayoral residence. [DCist]
  • In defense of the new Tenleytown Safeway. [GGW]
  • Don’t block the walk! [GGW]
  • NIMBYs put Cafritz project on the rocks. [WBJ]
  • New museum for downtown. [Post]
  • Will the Uptown Arts overlay become a problem for 14th Street again? [WBJ]
  • Polka dot-driven revitalization. [AtlanticCities]
  • How to make a city beautiful? [MarketUrbanism]
  • Talk about living in a bubble. [Archpaper]
  • Someone finally claims 300 block of H Street NE. [Urbanturf]
  • Bikes and streetcar tracks still not getting along. [TBD]
  • The D.C. Council handed out a lot fewer tax breaks last year. [DCFPI]
  • Truxton Circle, West End, Takoma, and Barracks Row could get pot dispensaries. [DCist]
  • Today on the market: The ugliest house in Ledroit Park?

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

  • David Bowie?! In someone’s living room in Silver Spring?! In 1971?! [Flickr]
  • Matt Groening reveals the location of the real Springfield to Smithsonian magazine. Hint: The dream of the ’90s is alive there. [Smithsonian]
  • Meeping about Veep. [DCist]
  • A book explaining how to get your book published got published. It’s called The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published. [Style Blog]

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

  • A Jewish deli that serves bacon? Call it Mostly Jewish Delicatessen. [Washingtonian]
  • Petworth gets a new sandwich spot, Epiphany. [PoP]
  • The Passenger guys are opening an outdoor beach-themed hangout on New York Avenue. [Post]
  • Smith Commons offers some tax relief. [Twitter]
  • H Street Country Club applies for outdoor seating. [Twitter]
  • Blame interns and transients for D.C.’s mediocre fare. [HuffPo]