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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—-‘Is DCPS Continuing to Hire Teachers After Firing 229?‘

Morning all. Surprise, surprise: There’s been no movement on teachers’ contract negotiations for a month, says a WaPo report by Bill Turque. The Oct. 2 layoffs of 229 teachers have brought the nearly two-year process ‘to another standstill,’ he writes. ‘The two sides have not met face to face since Sept. 21, and no bargaining sessions are scheduled.’ WTU President George Parker says his ‘number one priority’ is reversing the layoffs, saying ‘I feel a little indifferent to contract negotiations right now.’ Adds AFT’s Randi Weingarten, ‘There is no trust right now.’ Michelle Rhee‘s take: ‘These talks have been at a standstill for two years.’

AFTER THE JUMP—-‘Retarded’ to be stricken from D.C. law books; Councilmember Doolittle checks in; Michael Brown handed taxi oversight; police officer shoots man to death during DV call; ballpark building gets a tenant!

ALSO—-Are you a RIF’d DCPS teacher? Some WTU folks have organized a meeting with a lawyer…in Greenbelt?

The D.C. Council is embarking on a major rewrite of the District’s laws concerning treatment of those with developmental disabilities. The 127-page Developmental Disabilities Reform Act, introduced by Vincent Gray and Tommy Wells, ‘would encourage people living in group homes to move into smaller residential settings and would create new grievance processes for families that have long felt ignored by one of the District’s most dysfunctional bureaucracies,’ Henri Cauvin reports in WaPo. Some caveats: Under the bill, the D.C. Superior Court would no longer enforce service needs, and ‘wait lists for services’ would be a possibility. Says Gray, with his long history of service in the area: ‘It has enormous meaning for me….It’s an exceedingly important bill.’ There’s also the ‘People First Respectful Language Modernization Amendment Act,’ which would purge from D.C. law such terms as ‘handicapped,’ ‘crippled,’ ‘mentally retarded,’ ‘afflicted,’ ‘feeble-minded,’ and ‘idiot.’

Mary Cheh moves to save the animals. Legislation the Ward 3 councilmember introduced yesterday would ‘impose new standards to make sure furry creatures that live in or travel through city neighborhoods are treated humanely,’ Tim Craig reports in WaPo. Private businesses offering wildlife control services would have to be licensed. Trapping would be tightly controlled, hibernating bats would be protected from any disturbance, and “lethal control” of wild animals would be allowed “only when public safety is immediately threatened” or non-lethal methods have proven unsuccessful. Homeowners combating rats and mice would be excepted. Also Examiner.

In other legislative meeting news, pending the wrap-up of the federal investigation, Gray has moved the council’s taxi oversight functions to a special subcommittee, ‘recognizing [the Committee of the Whole’s] heavy workload.’ That panel includes Cheh and Harry Thomas Jr., with Michael A. Brown as chair. Remember MAB, this ain’t the Boxing Commission! WUSA-TV covers.

Harry Jaffe asks whether Chief Cathy Lanier is’ losing the trust of her troops.’ He is prompted to ask this question by the experience of Officer Mike Touart, who, after hearing about cuts to police benefits, responded to a contratulatory mass e-mail from Lanier with, ‘Here, you can have this back. Not worth the gigabytes it’s written on.’ Replied Lanier: ‘You have obviously mistaken my kindness to be openly insubordinate. Please don’t make that mistake again.’ Touart had to give a statement to his superiors about the e-mail, precursor to an investigation; his take: ‘She’s a politician, not a chief of police.’

Cop responding to DV call said to have shot man in an apartment on the 900 block of 21st Street NE; he has been hospitalized with critical injuries. WUSA-TV reports the man has died; also WTTG-TV, NC8, which reports that the man was ‘on a substance.’

Unidentified man is shot dead early this morning on the 4800 block of G Street SE, and a teen is seriously wounded in shooting outside the Georgia Avenue Safeway in Petworth, WaPo reports. ‘The teenager was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound in the head. Two people, one reportedly on a bicycle, approached the teen before he was shot about 8:30 p.m.’ Also NC8, WTTG-TV.

Bicyclist struck this morning at Texas Avenue and East Capitol Street, trapped under SUV. Injuries are ‘non-life-threatening.’

Robberies in the Metro system are up 40 percent, Michael Neibauer reports in Examiner—-that’s ‘a considerable jump that contributed to a rise in overall crime on the transit system.’ Gallery Place/Chinatown is tops, with 41 non-vehicle crimes between January and August. Metro Center had 31, L’Enfant Plaza 27.

DCist, Miami Herald follow up on reports that Don Peebles is interested in the D.C. mayoral race. The latter notes: ‘This month, Peebles walked away from his most high-profile development, SoBe’s troubled Royal Palm hotel.’ Also included: a pic with his wife, Katrina. Yowza!

Rhee makes the lede of Tom Friedman‘s NYT column! But that’s about it.

HPV vaccine numbers are in: 82 percent of the 1,200 sixth-grade girls in DCPS received the controversial shot, Kavitha Cardoza reports at WAMU-FM. ‘Dr LaQuandra Nesbitt, with the D.C. Department of Health, says overall vaccination rate in D.C. public schools is approximately 90 percent. But she wasn’t surprised the HPV numbers were lower. “We do understand there is some public concern so we had an expectation there would be 15 to 20 percent of the young ladies who would opt out.”‘

Suburban jurisdictions are scaling back H1N1 vaccine clinics, citing limited supplies, but things are full steam ahead in D.C.: ‘Officials in the District said their schedule of clinics for pregnant women and people 6 months to 24 years old had not changed. About 100 people were in line Tuesday afternoon shortly after a clinic at Cardozo Senior High School opened,’ Michael Laris reports in WaPo. Also Examiner, NC8, WTTG-TV.

On Monday, WCP’s Amanda Hess reported that according to a Pew study, D.C. has the lowest marriage rate in the country when compared to states (always a dubious endeavor). ‘Only 23 percent of women and 28 percent of men and in D.C. are married, compared to 48 and 52 percent nationwide….The closest states to D.C.’s numbers are Rhode Island, where 43 percent of women are married, and Alaska, where 47 percent of men are married.’ One factor she ID’s: D.C. high gay population. Newsweek reporter reacts, saying that fails ‘to mention the thornier challenge of alleviating poverty and illiteracy.’

WRC-TV covers Bloomingdale’s ‘Boxer Girl.’

Courtland Milloy wants Chief Zee put out to pasture.

DDOE, WASA split about $39M in stim money for water work. Expect more trees, green roofs, and sewer work.

HALLELUJAH—-Ballpark-district office building gets its first tenant, WBJ reports. Sayres and Associates will be moving to Monument Realty’s 55 M St. SE. Also: Condos at CityVista moving quickly.

Folger’s new production of Much Ado About Nothing is set in contemporary Trinidad. Reports WAMU’s Stephanie Kaye, producers ‘found the perfect location for a play written in the 16th century in an alley in Washington D.C. And apparently it’s near Horace & Dickie’s: ‘It’s that alley right behind H Street, Northeast, at that fish store that’s on 12th or 13th…’

Refurb of Vietnam Veterans Memorial has begun.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Stephanie Tsacoumis is Georgetown U.’s new general counsel.

A memorial service for departed council staffer Desi Deschaine is set for 1 p.m. on Nov. 21 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Susie Cambria notes.

D.C. COUNCIL TODAY—-10 a.m.: Committee on Government Operations and The Environment hearing on B18-64 (‘Lead Hazard Prevention and Elimination Amendment Act of 2009’), JAWB 412; 11 a.m.: Committee on Health roundtable on ‘Presentation of Findings of the Youth Sexual Health Project,’ JAWB 500; 3 p.m.: Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs roundtable on PR18-503 (‘Board of Architecture and Interior Designers Suman Sorg Confirmation Resolution of 2009’), PR18-504 (‘Board of Architecture and Interior Designers Genell Anderson Confirmation Resolution of 2009’), PR18-526 (‘Board of Barber and Cosmetology Derek Davis Confirmation Resolution of 2009’), PR18-527 (‘Board of Barber and Cosmetology Deborah Smith Confirmation Resolution of 2009’), PR18-519 (‘Board of Accountancy Anna Gowans Miller Confirmation Resolution of 2009’), and PR18-510 (‘Board of Real Estate Appraisers Margot Wilson Confirmation Resolution of 2009’), JAWB 412.

ADRIAN FENTY TODAY—-10:30 a.m.: remarks, announcement of long-term care awareness campaign, D.C. Center for Independent Living, 2443 Good Hope Road SE; 2 p.m.: remarks, Justice Park groundbreaking, 14th and Euclid Streets NW.