Last One in the Pool is the D.C. Mayor: If you’re reading this blog post, chances are you’re not splashing around in one of the District’s public pools right now. But you could be! Mayor Vince Gray officially opened the swimming season this afternoon with a ribbon-cutting and proclamation—but no cannonball—at Barry Farm Rec Center. Until the school year ends, most pools aren’t open until after the final bell of the day. Which is probably good for preventing truancy, but not so good for any adults who want to skip work and take a dip. +4

Blue Line to Nowhere: Staying in town this weekend? Plan to get around by foot, by bike, by car, by Segway, or by bus—almost any way except by Metrorail. Four stations will be closed for maintenance, including tourist-heavy Capitol South and the closest stop to a large motorcycle rally, Stadium-Armory. The good news? The work that’s being done will improve safety. The bad news? There’s always the chance that more problems get discovered during the weekend. -1

Who Wants to be a Judge?: Sure, everyone knows President Barack Obama‘s kids go to Sidwell Friends. But the true test of how deep the school’s clout goes may be underway now in D.C. Superior Court—where three judges, so far, have had to recuse themselves from a nasty lawsuit involving an affair and one of the school’s shrinks, because they’ve got ties to Sidwell. Somehow it seems unlikely they’ll be noting the deep connections to the city’s legal community in the next admissions brochure, though. -1

Have an Onion, Kid: Getting children to eat more healthy meals and snacks has become a priority in federal and local government, and rightly so; childhood obesity rates virtually guarantee the U.S. will be spending gazillions of dollars on health care in the future (not to mention bode badly for future Olympic medals). But Turner Elementary School may have gone too far this week, when officials served raw scallions to first-graders. Who, predictably, didn’t like them much. Maybe try deep-frying them next time? -1

Yesterday’s Needle rating: 57 Today’s score: +1 Friday bonus: +2 Memorial Day bonus: +2 Today’s Needle rating: 62