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!

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS: New measurements mean only 59 percent of DCPS students graduate on time. [Post] Metro area has the third biggest population boom in the country. [Examiner] DC Public Library switching from daily late fees to a 30-day grace period followed by a $5 charge. [WJLA] Barry apologizes for race-baiting remarks. [WTOP]

YOUR DAILY QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASUREMENT: On Thursday, City Paper‘s Needle ticked up 2 points. The bad news: Marion Barry fiasco continues. The good news: Nats win in Chicago!. Take a look here.

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

Marion Barry Keeps Digging: Barry’s long history in this city means he can almost always pull some artifact out of the past to defend his current behavior. So when the backlash to his comments about Asian business owners started stinging, he went back to the well and touted a trip to China and “opened up relationships” during a time when things were frosty between the U.S. and China. LL digs a bit and writes: “LL can’t find of any record of a Nixon-like detente that occurred with China because of Barry’s visit. But LL did find, in Nexis, a Post article from that era that says Barry upset many in the Chinese-American community when he got back from the trip by partnering with the Chinese government to build the giant arch you see in Chinatown. ‘City officials paid little heed to warnings that many Chinese-American residents who fled communist rule on mainland China years ago would be offended by any project that was sponsored or financed by Peking’s government,’ the Post reported.”

Don’t Worry, Grandma, D.C.’s Not Taking 10th Street Away: Lydia DePillis is not impressed by the protests over a plan to close a block of 10th street to car traffic, including fears that people shop at local retailers if they can’t drive, or they won’t be able to drop their grandmas off curbside at a restaurant: “Come on: Downtown has vastly changed since the failed pedestrian plazas of the late 1990s. There are lots more people living there, eating there, shopping there—and most of them don’t arrive in cars. Many would be more attracted to Ford’s Theater and other businesses by a plaza with seating out front than by a road going past it. Sure, you might not be able to drop grandma off curbside at Bistro D’Oc, but if she can’t walk a couple blocks, she should probably be in a wheelchair anyways.”

All “Song 1” Considered: Kriston Capps considers the massive video installation at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on its merits: “No question, SONG 1 is amazing. It’s a huge spectacle, as you point out, and it’s brilliantly executed. The word is spectacular. But I don’t think it’s very good.” Read the rest.

Barry’s Non-Apology: “It is to these less than stellar Asian American businessmen in Ward 8 that my remarks were directed, not the whole of Asian businessmen in Ward 8 or, the Asian American population.”

So Much For Late Night Dining In D.C.: Both The Hamilton and Black and Orange are scaling back their experimental late-late-late night dining hours.

Kevin Costner at Strathmore, Reviewed: Contributor Mike Paarlberg wanted to make fun of Costner for being bad, and it looks like he got his wish: “He’s not atrocious. As celebrity vanity bands go, the modestly named Kevin Costner and Modern West is about average (see below). He’s backed by some capable musicians, including guitarists John Coinman and Teddy Morgan. Modern West is billed as a country band, but it’s country only in the sense that they sing about being drunk and heartbroken a lot. Their music, written mostly by Coinman, is really just bland but inoffensive boomer rock. They owe a lot to Tom Petty, which is to say they have all of Petty’s cheesiness and none of his hooks.”

COMPLIMENTED BY MAYOR GRAY ON TWITTER PHOTO OF THE DAY: Howard Theatre

LINKDUMP AFTER THE JUMP!

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

  • Marion Barry, the backlash [Post, Post editorial, Times, Examiner, NBC4, WUSA9, WAMU]
  • Did Barry say that Ethiopian restauranteurs are better than Asians? [Fox5]
  • Ok, Ward 5, you’re up [Times]
  • Dorothy Brizill and Mike DeBonis chat about personal/professional lives [DC Porcupine]
  • Occupy DC v. flowers [DCist]
  • D.C. Council Chairman Kwame “Fully Loaded” Brown to shoot guns with journalist [DCist]

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

  • Flower war on Occupy D.C.? [DCist]
  • They may be getting reinforcements. [Post]
  • Tourmobile gets replaced. [WAMU]
  • Can you charge the government for something it didn’t order? [WBJ]
  • What’s the best way to rebuild Wheaton? [JUTP]
  • A deceptively traditional-looking rowhouse. [Urbanturf]
  • Even trailblazers get evicted sometimes. [Fox]
  • H Street eateries, before and after. [Urbanturf]
  • John Kelly gets to the bottom of the most expensive gas in Washington. [Post]
  • Today on the market: Benning Heights.

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

  • Artisphere is broke, and Arlington County—and its taxpayers—aren’t pleased. The beleaguered cultural centerhas been given two options: make money, or close up shop. [Sun Gazette]
  • Yesterday in memes: Texts from Hillary Clinton! Clinton’s made out to be a boss bitch in most of the images, which the meme’s creators say is meant to be a homage. [The Style Blog, The Ticket]
  • In Washington City Paper this week is Jonathan L. Fischer‘s explication of why being local doesn’t make something good. In an appropriately timed clash of all things from here, LivingSocial’s SocialStudies project paired with Listen Local First on this video, featuring D.C. artists at South by Southwest. [SocialStudiesDC]
  • DCist talks to 5×5 Project artist Wilmer Wilson about, among other things, his several-hours-long performance pieces. [DCist]

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

  • Marion Barry apologizes for offending the Asian-American owners of Ward 8 carryouts. Eventually. [Twitter, Post]
  • Sommelier Kathryn Bangs leaves Komi and Little Serow. And D.C., too. [Washingtonian]
  • Red Palace is boiling crawfish for Easter. [Frozen Tropics]
  • Standard is closing early (6 p.m.) on Easter Sunday. [Twitter]
  • Boqueria is now serving lunch. [Eater]
  • Seats are still available for Monday’s gluten-free dinner at Birch & Barley. [Twitter]
  • Get your fill of grilled cheese at Cafe Saint-Ex. [Urban Daddy]
  • More love for Fast Gourmet‘s chivito. [Food Revolution Manifesto]
  • Some out-of-town love for Graffiato and other places. [Boston Globe]
  • Brunch at Tap & Parlour is mediocre at best. [Bitches Who Brunch]
  • Who’s moving into Florida Avenue’s former Tropicana? [Prince of Petworth]
  • Top Chef winner Paul Qui is coming to town for the White House’s Easter Egg Roll. [Austin Statesman]
  • This farmer’s market scone with the Asian pears doesn’t suck. [One Bite At a Time]