Garbage Good As Gone: When is a pile of trash sitting on the sidewalk not a pile of trash sitting on the sidewalk? Apparently when the D.C. Department of Public Works declares it’s not there anymore. Calling 311 about garbage might lead to the case being “closed,” but that only means it’s been investigated—not removed. Just ask Mount Pleasant residents, who are waiting for some junk to be hauled away from Lamont Street NW. -2

Booze Ban?: The standard worry when neighborhoods start to be overrun with nightlife is that they’ll become “the next Adams Morgan.” Now H Street NE may be taking steps to make sure that cliché doesn’t ever get replaced with “the next H Street.” The area will consider a cap on liquor licenses, which could prevent more bars from opening up on a strip that’s already packed with pubs. Which might just make it the next Mount Pleasant. -2

So Is Our Children Learning?: Long before the current vogue in standardized testing swept education, the SAT loomed as a terrifying rite of passage for anyone hoping to go on to college. And while the scores on the exam may not mean much when translated to the real world, they still carry a lot of weight on people’s psyches and with college admissions offices. So the news that D.C.’s SAT averages were well below the national norm probably won’t be welcome to anyone. Sharpen your pencils, kids. -1

¡Viva Los Redskins!: Hispanic Heritage Month begins tomorrow, and there’s good news and bad news for those celebrating it as far as the Washington Redskins are concerned. The bad news? The Redskins will, instead, be commemorating “Redskins Hispanic Heritage Week,” not a whole month. The good news? There’s a song involved! The lyrics en español aren’t quite as catchy as “Hail to the Redskins,” but if the team beats the Arizona Cardinals, all will be forgiven; ganar es ganar, after all. +1

Yesterday’s Needle rating: 63 Today’s score: -4 Today’s Needle rating: 59