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Congratulations, reader: You’ve made it to another Monday. If you were too busy playing in the snow or soaking up the sun this weekend, keep reading for the news you may have missed.

What Season Is It, Again?

This weekend had a little bit of everything, weather-wise. Fat flakes of snow fell on Saturday, which many residents caught on camera as opposed to on their tongues. Since the snow arrived later in the morning, there was little accumulation, so at least no one needed to dig out their shovels. By Sunday afternoon, temperatures were nearing 50 degrees and D.C. started to look a little more spring-like.

This is probably good news for the ever-confused cherry blossoms and other flowering trees around the city. Green buds have formed on the Yoshino Cherry Trees around the Tidal Basin, but the projected date of peak bloom won’t be announced until Wednesday, when the National Park Service, organizers of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and Mayor Muriel Bowser gather to share the information.

Service Interruptus

Sorry if you thought we’d get through another week without another alteration to Metro’s schedule. Extra apologies go out to riders on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines, who will be most affected by this week’s service adjustments. Starting this evening at 10 p.m., trains will be single tracking to allow maintenance workers to complete necessary fixes, so expect to see a train pull into the station every 26 minutes or so. The single tracking area runs between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery on the Blue Line and between Foggy Bottom and Ballston on the Orange and Silver lines. But the delays will be present throughout the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines.

The track work is scheduled to take place between Feb. 27 and March 2; March 6 and March 9; and March 13 and March 16. 

Double Homicides Under Investigation

After four men died in two separate shootings in Southeast and Northeast D.C. on Sunday, Metropolitan Police Department officials are investigating what happened and whether any of the deceased men knew their assailant. Shortly after the first shooting, on D Street SE, MPD announced that a person of interest had been apprehended, and a weapon had been recovered. Speaking about the second shooting, on Sheriff Road NE, police said they believe the victims knew the person who shot them but did not provide any additional information about a potential suspect.

Thirty-five people have been killed in D.C. so far this year.

—Caroline Jones (tips? cjones@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty doesn’t have much background on criminal justice issues, but his perch on a committee overseeing D.C. affairs has let him grab the spotlight in the debate over the city’s criminal code revisions. And it could be a test case for future Home Rule battles, as Senate Democrats waver in their support for D.C. [Post]
• D.C.’s Department of Buildings has made some progress from its past life as part of the troubled Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, but many of the same complaints about building inspections continue. [Post]
• A delegation of D.C. tourism officials, led by Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio, is trying to drum up business for cherry blossom season by touring big East Coast cities in a pink bus with cringeworthy slogans like “Spring it on!” painted on the sides. It’s costing taxpayers $100,000. [WTOP, Twitter]

By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Some sandwiches at Fight Club might be more ambitious than they are tasty, but chef Andrew Markert’s work pays off most of the time, according to Post critic Tim Carman. [Post]
• Kitchen Savages, a new Creole restaurant from former ANC Darrell Gaston, is now open on Good Hope Road SE. [Eater, WUSA9]
• Planning a trip any time soon? Use it as an excuse to eat whatever you want at the airport. Looking at you, National Airport Legal Sea Foods. [Food & Wine]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Crazy Aunt Helen’s and Tara Hoot’s Drag Storytime brunch went off without a hitch on Saturday. There were no Proud Boys, homophobes, or transphobes in sight, but roughly 200 queer community members and allies showed up to block would-be protesters from harassing families. [Post]
• You don’t have to find a circus to catch a high-wire act, but you need to be able to drop a hefty sum on tickets: The National Building Museum will host two performances from Philippe Petit, the high-wire performer who took a casual stroll between the Twin Towers in the ’70s. [Washingtonian]
• The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s new book, Musical Crossroads: Stories Behind the Objects of African American Music, highlights the ways Black music shaped American identity over the past 200 years. [Informer]

By Sarah Marloff (tips? smarloff@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Howard University men’s swim team won the NEC swimming and diving championship in Geneva, Ohio. [NBC Washington]
• Alex Ovechkin hung out with Keivonn Woodard, a 10-year-old hockey player who is deaf and recently starred on the HBO show, The Last of Us. Ovechkin signed Woodard’s stick, and Woodard taught Ovi how to sign his name in ASL. [WUSA9]
• In their season opener, DC United defeated Toronto FC, 3-2, thanks to a goal from Fairfax County native Ted Ku-Dipietro during the final minute of second-half stoppage time. [MLS, Post]
• Vox Media is no longer supporting the Black and Red United blog, so they’re moving over to the District Press. [Black and Red United]
• Today in potential Commanders bidders: Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is in, Jeff Bezos might be out. [Post, SI]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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