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 Thursday and the dead-tree edition is hitting the streets. Go grab your copy!

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS: Effort to recall Mayor Vince Gray dropped. [Times] Metro has accessibility problems, according to a new study. [Examiner] Baltimore woman who claims to be lottery winner still has forked her ticket over to officials. [WJLA] Maryland wants to widen the Capital Beltway. [Post]

YOUR DAILY QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASUREMENT: On Wednesday, City Paper‘s Needle ticked down 1 point. The bad news: Marion Barry has no problem saying he has a problem with Asian shops. The good news: Pleasant Pops may be opening a brick-and-mortar store. Take a look here.

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

Proteus Spann, The Mystery Man: Here’s a new name to add to the Jeff Thompson scandal: Proteus Spann. So who is this guy? He’s a producer in LA and an apparent associate of Thompson’s who seems to donate exactly when and to whom the same people Thompson donates. Read LL’s column this week.

Flip It, Florida Ave. Edition: The big ice warehouse on Florida and North Capitol streets NE that a realty group bought recently may finally be getting turned into condos—by someone else. Lydia DePillis writes: “They’re just taking it through the entitlements process, shooting to submit an application to the Zoning Commission that will likely include around 175 condos by June 1. But somewhere along the line, they expect a real developer to come along and buy the whole thing, hopefully for much more than the $8.97 million they paid for it. That’s how you make money in real estate, folks.”

This Is Why Menus Have Raw Or Undercooked Food Warnings: Salmonella outbreak! “A spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Health confirms at least two cases of salmonella poisoning in the District. Exactly what caused the salmonellosis is unclear and no other details are available at the moment, according to DOH. WTOP is reporting that no D.C. restaurants have been implicated in the outbreak. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Sun is reporting a total of eight people have been infected in Maryland. Health officials there say that “sushi is one of the food sources being tracked because a high proportion of victims ate sashimi or sushi in the week before becoming sick, which is the incubation period for salmonella.”

Where The Special Ballots Were: If At-Large D.C. Council candidate Sekou Biddle is going to win, he’s going to do it on the strength of absentee and provisional ballots. Here’s where they were cast.

How Not To Screw Up The Howard Theatre: Ally Schweitzer has advice in six easy steps.

Glam Rock Musicals Studio 2ndStage Should Produce Next: Jonathan L. Fischer has some suggestions.

ADORABLY MENACING PHOTO OF THE DAY: Other People’s Pets, Logan Circle Edition

LINKDUMP AFTER THE JUMP!

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

  • Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry disparages asians and their “dirty shops.” [NBC4]
  • Ellen London is now the second boss of the Children & Youth Investment Trust Corp., the non-profit that disgraced former Ward 5 Harry Thomas Jr. used to do all of his stealing, to lose her job. [Post]
  • It’ll be a couple weeks before we know who officially won the at-large race. [Post]
  • A city divided. [Post]
  • Councilmember Phil Mendelson grills 911 operations, Homicide Watch continues to pwn local media in public safety watchdogging. [Homicide Watch]
  • Hardware gentification. [HC]
  • Throw the bums out? No thanks. [Post]
  • Recall effort dropped. [Times]

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

  • Maryland thinking about thinking about stealing D.C. United. [DCist]
  • Go census-diving in near Southeast. [JDLand]
  • How much does it cost to replace McPherson’s grass? [Examiner]
  • Dan Tan hearts the Georgetown Waterfront Park. [GM]
  • The funny thing about this is D.C. can’t even paint green lanes. [Washcycle]
  • Library of Congress finally starting scholars residence. [EMMCA]
  • It’s true: Streetcar tracks suck for bicycles. [TBD]
  • Today on the market: Petworth Wardman.

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

  • Elizabeth Catlett, influential D.C.-born sculptor and artistic product of the Harlem Renaissance, has died. [Post]
  • The Howard Theatre has changed, and so has the neighborhood. [Post]
  • Dance Exchange heads for Appalachians. For a new project, “How to Lose a Mountain,” the company is walking to a strip-mining site in West Virginia, staging programs along the way. [DanceDC, Pink Line Project]
  • chickfactor chronicles: Belle & Sebastian‘s Stevie Jackson, interviewed. [BYT]
  • Don’t screw it up, Fat Trel. [D.C. Mumbo Sauce]

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

  • Some wild theories about the future of Capital City Diner. [#dinerrumors]
  • Good Stuff Eatery‘s Spike Mendelsohn is back on TV again. [Eater]
  • Get the empanadas at Fujimar. [Post]
  • Barcelona Wine Bar is coming to 14th Street NW. [Twitter]
  • Sushi Taro‘s regular Thursday ramen special is canceled this week. [Twitter]
  • Toki Underground will be closed on Easter Sunday. [Twitter]
  • Flying Fish Coffee and Tea runs afoul of the Health Department. [Post]
  • The 14th annual Food Safety Summit is in two weeks. [Market Watch]
  • A new pork-centric, nose-to-tail-style joint opens in the suburbs. [Washingtonian]
  • A reason to go to Maryland: it’s BYOB! [Examiner]
  • Where have all the inner-city grocery stores gone? [Daily Finance]
  • Find cheap beer here. [Post]