Can You Pay My Bills?: The last time the U.S. faced a major budget crisis was in April, when it wasn't clear that Congress would be able to get its collective shit together to pass legislation in time to keep the government of the nation that purports to be the most powerful in the world from closing for lack of funds. Here in D.C., we realized pretty quickly that our local government would be collateral damage in a stalemate. Lesson learned: D.C. Council Chairman Kwame "Fully Loaded" Brown has, apparently, been watching the news lately, as he's called a special session Monday to brief lawmakers on what would happen if Congress didn't raise the U.S. debt limit and the government had to shift money around. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time to figure out a contigency plan; we assume the District has been quietly stockpiling Swiss francs. -1

Summer Still Hot: Learn any good tips for staying cool during last week's record-breaking heat wave? Good news: You'll have the chance to test them out very soon. Record heat is due back tomorrow, with forecast highs between 98 and 103 degrees, and heat indices of 105 to 110 expected. Don't tell the heartless managers at Metro, though; they have no plans to bring back last week's short-lived policy allowing water on the subway. -1

Today, Arlington; Tomorrow, The World: The Internet truly must be a force for good. How else would the world have heard of Remy Munasifi? The Arlington resident won fame, or at least mild infamy, for his "Arlington: The Rap" video two years ago, and now he's moved on to bigger subjects. Working with Reason magazine, Munasifi has a new track out about, naturally, the debt ceiling. Considering the Post's Capital Weather Gang officially nicknamed the heat wave "Sweat Ceiling," we can't say we're surprised. +1

Albert Haynesworth, No Longer Our Problem: As the Philadelphia Eagles humiliated the Washington Redskins on national television last year, overpaid bench-warmer Albert Haynesworth provided the iconic moment of his time in D.C., laying on the field as Eagles QB Michael Vick waltzed past him for a touchdown. Those days are over. The Redskins traded Haynesworth to the New England Patriots Thursday, getting a fifth-round draft pick in exchange. Which looks like a bad deal for a guy who made as much money as he did, until you remember watching him laying on the field as Michael Vick waltzed past him for a touchdown. +3

Yesterday's Needle rating: 44 Today's score: +2 Today's Needle rating: 46

The MPD's money line: "Are U In?"

Videos were posted on youtube. Digital posters were made available online for downloading. Fliers were hung at D.C. parks.

A month or so later, the marketing geniuses over at Redskins Park, desperate to fill up all those yellow seats in the non-selling premium levels of FedExField, unleashed what sure looks like a bastardized version of the MPD's brainchild.

The money line of the Redskins campaign:  "R You In?"

See what the Skins did there? They changed "Are" to "R" and "U" to "You"!

Filched or coincidental, the Skins ticket-selling campaign was in a thematic shambles by the end of the season.

The copy in the Redskins commercials touted the team's hiring of Bruce Allen ("The Architect has arrived!"), Mike Shanahan ("The Leader is in command!") and, of course, Donovan McNabb ("The Franchise Quarterback is in place!").

By now The Architect's only known duty, despite the lofty General Manager title, is to try to sell club seats; The Leader is so not in charge on the sidelines that his son has to pick up the challenge flag for him; and, The Franchise Quarterback is only in place if the place you're talking about is under a bus co-piloted by The Leader Sr. and The Leader Jr.

I came across the MPD curfew campaign's fliers this fall in a park off 13th Street NW. My best guess is the "Are U In?" catchphrase somehow made trickled out to Redskins Park while team's management was searching for ways to curtail Albert Haynesworth's after-hours carousing.

With all the kids I see walking the streets of Petworth at ungodly hours, the MPD slogan can be scrapped, too. Maybe the team and the city should get together and force curfew violators to sit in FedExField club seats as punishment.

But, what's everybody's 2011 slogan gonna be?

Sportstalker WJFK-FM quickly cooked up a promotion to exploit yet another ridiculous situation coming out of Redskins Park. The station, also known as "The Fan," is sponsoring an "Unhappy Hour" in honor of the suspended lineman/distraction. It'll be held tomorrow night at the American Tap Room in Reston, a Haynesworth hangout. The event will run from 5:30 p.m "until you feel sick and go home early."

"I came up with the idea on Monday night when I heard Albert say he'd left the American Tap room 'early'—at 12:30 [a.m.]!" giggles WJFK program director Chris Kinard. "To me that doesn't sound early, the night before an 8 a.m. meeting. I wonder what late is for the guy. I figured we should all live the Albert Haynesworth lifestyle and see how we feel the next day, and salute one of Dan Snyder's greatest acquisitions."

Kinard's station broadcast the big interview in which Haynesworth detailed his social schedule last Thursday, the night before he showed up late for work and gave his bosses an excuse to recover some of the team's cash. Haynesworth's radio appearance, on WJFK's Kevin and Rock Show, certainly sped up Haynesworth's exodus from the active roster, too.

Haynesworth was still active when WJFK announced the party in his honor. Kinard says the Redskins' decision to boot Haynesworth off the team yesterday won't impact the event.

"I guess it's good for us: Albert's free to come join us now," Kinard says, then adds, "Though I guess it really doesn't matter to him if he has to go to work the next day."

The Haynesworth drama has provided endless hours of programming for WJFK. Just this morning, weekend host and former Redskins star Brian Mitchell went on to stoke the feud he's having with current d-lineman/management mouthpiece Phillip Daniels. Daniels has kept his football career going by carrying water for Redskins management and Coach Tanahan throughout the Haynesworth troubles, doing scads of interviews slamming his teammate all season.

The other day Mitchell said the Redskins defense in general and Daniels specifically "sucked" during the Giants game, and that players should shut up about Haynesworth and worry about winning. Daniels then went on Twitter to call Mitchell "ignorant" and "two-faced."

Today on WJFK, Mitchell used old media to slam Daniels' use of new media.

"How about you jump on Twitter and become a better football player?" Mitchell said to his new rival.

"I love this!" Kinard says of the Redskins latest soap opera. "I can't wait for the next one!"

All Your Budget Are Belong to Us: All the tax talk up on Capitol Hill must be contagious. The D.C. Council approved a plan to close this year's $188 million budget deficit without raising taxes on anyone, defeating one plan that would have had millionaires paying more, and another that would have raised rates for the whole District. Instead, the council will furlough city employees for four days and cut social service programs. Downright Scrooge-like. -4

Bye Bye, Brickskeller?: One of D.C.'s oldest beer bars may be closing up soon. Reports haven't been confirmed officially yet, but it sounds like The Brickskeller will be sold, with its name changed in the process. Sure, the chances that the bar would actually have in stock whatever obscure beer you ordered off its menu weren't great. But any time an institution closes shop, it's a shame. -3

Pay Up, Albert: The Washington Redskins season began with drama over how much of a $21 million bonus the team would have to pay mascot defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth, who didn't want to go along with a shift to a new formation. In the end, they paid him all of the bonus, and the way the season's unfolded, Haynesworth may have been right to resist the new defensive scheme. But now the year's close to ending, and with more Fat Albert drama: the team suspended Haynesworth for four games, costing him $847,000 in paychecks. The only downside here is that means there won't be any more opportunities to watch him lie down on the field while an opposing quarterback coasts to a touchdown. +2

Cloudy With a Chance of Bugs: If the cold wasn't dreary enough, just wait—it turns out any warming trend is bad news, too. Because warmer temperatures will unleash a plague of stinkbugs of Biblical proportions. Evidently, the creatures burrow into homes during warm falls, then hibernate during cold spells. Which means the best bet now is to pray for Siberian winds to descend. -2

Yesterday's Needle rating: 47 Today's score: -7 Today's Needle rating: 40

"All you gotta do is take off the daggone leash," Albert Haynesworth said on WFJK-FM's Kevin and Rock Show last night. "We're not little girls. Nothing wrong with being a girl or anything. But I'm a man... Unleash me and let me go... let me play football. Let me be great at it... no other defensive tackle can outplay me. I guarantee that."

Well, no defensive tackle can underplay Haynesworth, either, if Coach Tanahan keeps it up.

When the onfield product is as bad as the Skins', the team needs stuff like the Haynesworth soap opera to stay in the news and keep the focus off Xs and Os and personnel moves (like signing Haynesworth for $100 million to win the 2009 offseason championship) and anything you can blame on management for the current debacle.

But the full-out assault that Haynesworth is under, which smoked him out and forced him to call WJFK to rebut "the haters," has been bizarre and brutal, even for the Redskins. All the unnamed sources at Redskins Park accusing Haynesworth of being drunk on the job makes it seem like the only reason the team kept Haynesworth around was to sniff out some reason get some of that bonus money back.

Chris Russell, over at the Dan Snyder-owned WTEM, spent all of his hour-long show last night saying he wasn't going to slander Haynesworth.

But Russell also said Haynesworth "wasn't able to do a groin stretch" at practice last week because he'd been out drinking a night earlier. He added that a coaching staff can't accept players showing up "when you're hungover, maybe still drunk, maybe reeking of alcohol."

"Listen, it's not an unbased accusation, that he was hungover, whatever," Russell said. "I just have to be careful what I say."

The whole show reminded me about Sean Taylor, who also missed practice after a night of hard partying. Taylor didn't show up at all to workouts in October 2004 after being arrested for DWI while speeding around the Beltway coming home from Rod Gardner's birthday party at a nightclub called Home.

Taylor was videotaped by the police tripping up on the alphabet during the field sobriety test. He was asked to recite from E to O, but forgot  J, M and N. Coach Joe Gibbs suspended Taylor for that week's game against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.

Taylor's locker is now on display in the Club Level of FedExField and used as a carrot to sell premium seats. Maybe Snyder can put Haynesworth's locker up there, too, when this latest saga is done.

Washington Post columnist Tom Boswell wrote how he made one anonymous Redskins Pro Bowler after another—who knew the Skins roster was so loaded with all-stars?—as well as all-quote, no-game graybeard defensive lineman Phillip Daniels giddier than Derek Anderson on the sidelines by boasting to the players in the locker room that he was going to unload on Albert Haynesworth and say it's time to get rid of the troubled nine-figure-salaried oaf in a newspaper column. (Isn't Week 13 of an NFL season a little late to try send messages?)

And on the weekly game-review show on Dan Snyder's WTEM sports talk radio station this morning,  host Andy Pollin said we now know that Haynesworth isn't just a bad football player, he is also a horrible human being. Pollin signed off by counseling Redskins fans to "cheer up."

"Finally, it appears they're rebuilding in the right way," Pollin said.

Maybe it's because I don't have TiVo, but at first blush it seemed to me like Haynesworth wouldn't have hurt the Skins chances to win the game. And as far as rebuilding, far as I can tell to catch up to the Giants, Snyder's team will need a new QB, running backs, receivers, offensive and defensive lines, cornerbacks, linebackers, a safety, and special teams. (Didn't it seem like the gods had something to do with Devin Thomas, another Skins scapegoat just signed by the Giants, blocking a punt for his new team?)

And after that totally wacky sequence in which Little Shanahan scrambled to pick up a challenge flag thrown by Big Shanahan while begging the ref not to listen to the Old Man, well, the coaching staff doesn't seem the equal of the opposition's, either. (Jim Zorn got ripped as being out of his league for calling the Swinging Gate in last year's game with the Giants. Tanahan's red flag retrieval episode was just as cringe-worthy.)

Perhaps what Pollin meant by telling the radio audience that the Skins are "rebuilding in the right way" was: The kick returner can stay.

If so, I'm with him.

During the Redskins/Colts matchup, we got to see Indy ball carrier Joseph Addai have the life sucked out of him in slo-motion early in the fourth quarter. Skins players held him up and LB London Fletcher delivered a professional kill shot. Addai's head snapped like a crash dummy. His senses and the ball left him before his knee hit the turf. Oswald taking a bullet in front of the cameras made for only slightly more savage television. Addai was helped off the field. He was also removed from a preseason game in August after getting concussed. And he had already reported neck injuries leading up to the Redskins game.

Chris Cooley, the Skins top receiver last night while he was in the lineup, was also sidelined moments earlier with a concussion. The Post recently reported that Cooley admitted to at least three concussions as a college player.

The Skins' Rocky McIntosh sat out last night's game with a similar headwound. Clinton Portis is officially out because of a groin injury, but he's taken a gaggle of devastating head shots this season, and was wobbled for all to see on the field a couple weeks ago.

The headwounds weren't just in Washington this weekend. In Philadelphia, where Vick now plays, the Eagles' DeSean Jackson and the Falcons' Dunta Robinson both suffered brain injuries on the same play. And Steelers linebacker James Harrison inflicted game-ending cranial damage on two Browns yesterday, Dunbar's own Josh Cribbs and Mohammed Massaquoi.

(Seeing all these hits again and again convinced me the highest paid man on the Redskins, Albert Haynesworth, who was spotted in a booth up above the field during the game taking photos of himself and his lady friend, is also the smartest.)

And the owners want to add two more weeks of this? Perhaps if the NFL extends the season, the league will also institute a standing eight count. Or have the players wear spiked collars!

Oh, well. I'd keep watching, with envy.

Once again: Everything you need to know about D.C. sports this year you could have learned in grammar school.

A while back it occurred to me that the two biggest local sports stories of the summer, Stephen Strasburg and Albert Haynesworth, were starting to resemble "The Tortoise and the Hare."

Strasburg had people asking if he was the most popular athlete in town after his first start. Even accountants agreed the record contract he got from the team looked like a bargain.

Haynesworth, meanwhile, had folks wondering most of the summer if he was the most despised man in these parts, with a series of disclosures that he didn't want to do this or that that the Redskins wanted no matter how much money he was guaranteed, and then we were told that he was in no shape to do this or that even if he wanted to.

But, then Strasburg's condition faltered, and he began leaving fans feeling ripped off by no-showing for scheduled events; and Haynesworth got through his shuttle runs and crept back onto the field for third-team duty despite some blood ailment rare and weird enough to show up in a "House" script.

Then on Friday, the Tortoise and Hare denoument really took shape. The Nationals announced Strasburg's season was over, and that he was done for at least a year, maybe more. Hours later,  Haynesworth worked with the first team defense in the Meadowlands for the Redskins' last exhibition game that mattered.

Looks like he'll be in the starting lineup after all come Opening Night.

Given how the situation was for Strasburg and Haynesworth just a few months ago, who woulda guessed things would work out like this for these two competitors?

Anybody who paid attention in second grade, I guess.

What To Expect When Lions Are Expecting: National Zoo officials say Shera and Nababiep, their two female lions, are both pregnant. The only male lion in Woodley Park, Luke, is the father. Apparently, things get exciting at the Zoo after hours! (Or at least, officials think things get exciting; the pregnancy may be only imaginary. "There's always room for error," great cats acting curator Craig Saffoe says.) If the diagnosis is correct, lion cubs could arrive by the end of this month. Remember, Shera and Nababiep: As Smithsonian employees, you're eligible for the federal government's generous family leave and day-care reimbursement policies. +3

Lobster Mobs: About 50 people lined up in Farragut Square well before the Red Hook Lobster Pound arrived for its debut on the D.C. food truck scene. At least they finally arrived; on Tuesday, when the truck originally planned to hit the streets, almost that many people stood in line in vain before the lobster gurus reported they wouldn't be showing up, after all. Fortunately, the prices—$15 for a lobster roll—may keep the lines from getting too out of hand for too long. (Unfortunately, the people who have the time to spend more than an hour waiting for lunch may not have jobs to help fund their lobster purchases.) +5

Hey, Hey, Hey—Fat Albert Backslides: Things were going so nicely for Albert Haynesworth after he finally passed the Redskins fitness test. He was getting along (reasonably well) with head coach Mike Shanahan; he played in the team's first preseason game against Buffalo. Apparently, that second quarter of effort was too much for the Redskins' $31 million man, as he's now missed two straight practices. Team officials say "dehydration" is to blame. In case you're wondering, at $31 million, Haynesworth's salary could pay for 100,000 years of annual Fiji water delivery. -4

Inane Mosque Battle Moves South: First Michael Bloomberg was besieged with questions about why he believes in First Amendment rights even for Muslims at an Adrian Fenty campaign event. Now a chapel at the Pentagon may be coming under scrutiny because there, too, Muslims are allowed to pray even though terrorists attacked the building on 9/11. And as everyone who watches cable news or reads Charles Krauthammer knows, there's an exception in the Bill of Rights for people you don't like. The only thing worse than watching this absurd pseudo-controversy  unfold in the national media would be watching it unfold in the local media. -3

Yesterday's Needle rating: 40 Today's score: +1 Today's Needle rating: 41

Everything I need to know about D.C. sports in the summer of 2010 I learned from "Tortoise and the Hare."

The lead players in the two biggest sports dramas in the market are exchanging roles.

Stephen Strasburg's physical condition became a big question mark out of nowhere. Now he's leaving games early, and leaving fans to wonder how long before his handlers shut him down.

This just as Mike Shanahan is telling Redskins fans that Albert Haynesworth "looked pretty good" and that he wants him to play "all 16 games."

Could it possibly turn out that Haynesworth, not Strasburg, is the guy who ends up earning his keep, record guaranteed bonus money and all, this season?

Spoiler alert: From what I remember of first grade, the real slow wide dude comes out ahead.

Michigan Serial Killer Migrates South?: Authorities say the vehicle used by the attacker in a recent assault in Leesburg, Va., matches the description of the vehicle police believe an attacker used near Flint, Mich., earlier this year. That's bad news; in Michigan, authorities think the same suspect has killed five people and wounded eight others since May. Near Leesburg, three attacks may fit the pattern—all recent incidents where black victims were attacked by a white man. (All but one of the Michigan victims were black.) If you can come up with a joke on the theme of "racially motivated serial killer on the loose," please feel free to insert it here. -7

Metro Board Meets Safety Board: Unhappy with the National Transportation Safety Board's ruling that last summer's Red Line crash was caused by faulty equipment and a lax culture of safety oversight, Metro officials decided to plead with the feds to see things their way. "Safety is the top priority at Metro," Metro board chairman Peter Benjamin told the NTSB. Unfortunately, the ways Metro chooses to make that priority clear—running over pedestrians with buses, for example—don't always translate very well to riders. The meeting is, at least, a sign that the NTSB report got through to someone at the transit agency. Stick to your guns, NTSB! +4

The Prodigal Redskin Returns: Redskins money pit defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth joined the team for his first practice of the season today, after finally passing a fitness test that had turned him, and the team, into the summer amusement for eager NFL fans. Coach Mike Shanahan says Haynesworth "looked pretty good," though he also admitted he didn't actually, um, see much of the $21 million man's workout. For now, he'll begin the season on the bench. Which, as it happens, is also where he spent about three out of every four plays last season. +4

TBD Launches: In today's dismal media environment, it's quite a vote of confidence in the District, the region and—we daresay—the power of the press itself that Albritton Communications chose to launch a brand new newspaper covering local affairs. Wait, what? Oh. Okay, okay, TBD is online only, and yes, its lead story this afternoon linked to The Washington Post's website. Still, it was good to see the site finally go live today—if only because it means their staff will have something other than pre-launch hype to Twitter. +3

Friday's Needle rating: 38 Today's score: 4 Today's Needle rating: 42

In CASE YOU MISSED IT—"LaVar's Crazy Gender Studies," "Fifth Amendment Doesn't Apply To Feces-Flinging Inmate," "Lanier Denies Covering Up Fenty Abuse," "Shooting In Congress Heights," "Vincent Gray's Education Plan Takes Aim At Fenty Ribbon Cuttings"

Good morning. I'm wondering: Is Michelle Rhee dc.gov's Albert Haynesworth? Rhee had been heralded as the savior of DCPS and brought here with unprecedented power and control over the school system. Now, she's saying that if the city gets a new head coach (who may want to tweak the playbook), she may not stick around. Is this the kind of leader we want on our team?

Here's the first graph of Gray's education plan released yesterday: "Vince Gray will make our children’s education the number one priority of his administration. He will be an involved Mayor who takes all stakeholders seriously, who stands by his Schools Chancellor, and who works tirelessly for well-managed, smart reform." Does this sound like a guy who wants to dramatically alter the chancellor's job description? His plan calls for expanding reform to include pre-pre-school, wants that reform to be sustainable (if Rhee leaves what does that say about her reform agenda?), and wants everyone to get along and be transparent (Rhee may have a problem with that last agenda item). Edgy stuff.

Here's what Gray had to say on the chancellor position:

"Vince is committed to having a strong Chancellor who is fully empowered to implement community-driven reform. He will collaborate with the Chancellor to ensure that we keep and build on effective people and programs already in the system.

A Vince Gray administration will put an immediate end to management by ribbon cutting and sound bites, and give the Chancellor the support she needs to fulfill her promise to the students of the District of Columbia. As Mayor, Vince will give the DCPS Chancellor the tools and controls to manage his or her budget. He will continue to support the Chancellor in making hard choices with regard to staffing, hiring, and firing decisions to get bad teachers out of the classroom and keep good teachers in the classroom. He will work closely with the Chancellor and ensure all the resources of District government are brought to bear in supporting kids."

Gray's problem seems to be with Fenty's leadership. But Rhee, this week at least, more than hinted that she's out if residents kick out Jim Zorn, I mean Adrian Fenty. WaPo's Valerie Strauss thinks Rhee has made a mistake by trying to bigfoot her way into the election: "Never mind that she really doesn’t know how Gray will approach their relationship. What political candidates say during a campaign is not always what they do if they win and take office. Considerations change. What is more important, and of more concern, is that Rhee surely knows the importance of consistency in school leadership. She knows she was the seventh person to head the school system in a decade when she arrived in 2007, and that the constant turnover at the top was disastrous for the city’s schools. Rhee states frequently that her concern is only for D.C. schoolchildren. If that is so, it seems odd that she would be so quick to suggest that she might abandon them without giving a new mayor a chance to do what she considers the right thing. Her comments are hardly a great lesson for young people, who need more than ever to learn how to listen to other views and compromise. Would it not be a far better message for Rhee to tell D.C. schoolchildren that she is here to stay and fight to improve their schools?" More coverage on the Gray education plan via The Examiner, WaPo.

AFTER THE JUMP—Fenty vs. rumors day 2, Vince Gray compared to tofu, shake-up at Office of Risk Management, details revealed on Councilmember Phil Mendelson's DYRS bill, and much, much more!

VALENTINE'S DAY: The Examiner's Alan Suderman reports that the head of the troubled Office of Risk Management has resigned: "Mayor Adrian Fenty's administration has placed Kelly Valentine, the director of the District's embattled Office of Risk Management, on administrative leave. The Washington Examiner first reported last month that whistleblowers told the FBI that Valentine gave lucrative contracts to her friends. Contracts ranging from health insurance coverage and private investigations were handed off to companies with ties to Valentine, according to whistleblowers. Last month, Fenty and his attorney general, Peter Nickles, held a news conference where they announced that the District might have to pay $6 million to cover the life insurance premiums the city collected from hundreds of disabled employees over seven years but didn't pass along to the insurance companies. Nickles asked the city's inspector general to conduct an investigation into Risk Management. Besides the FBI and the inspector general, city Auditor Deborah Nichols and the finance office's integrity team have also begun probes. Valentine hasn't responded to repeated requests seeking comment. In addition to the multiple investigations, Risk Management has been besieged by multiple outside contractors demanding payments on outstanding debts."

METRO: WMATA and Virginia make peace. WaPo's Lisa Rein and Anita Kumar report: "Metro's board of directors signed off Thursday on an agreement with Virginia to provide $300 million to match federal funding for safety improvements, ending a month-long battle over the state's push to be represented on the board.The deal will allow the transit agency to sign an $886 million contract Friday for 428 new rail cars, a high-priority purchase that was in danger of falling through. The federal government has agreed to give Metro $1.5 billion for capital needs over 10 years as long as Virginia, Maryland and the District match the money. 'These cars are extremely important to the safety of our customers,' interim General Manager Richard Sarles said after the board drew up a contract with Virginia officials. Of the 428 cars, 128 will help Metro provide service on the Silver Line extension to Dulles International Airport, and 300 will replace Metro's oldest rail cars. The administration of Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) had threatened to withhold Virginia's share of the money unless the state gets two members on the Metro board. Four seats are held by elected officials from Fairfax and Arlington counties and Alexandria, and McDonnell wants to appoint two of them. Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton said Virginia wants more accountability from Metro in the aftermath of last year's fatal Red Line crash. Including its contribution to the matching funds, the state will contribute more to Metro than the Northern Virginia local governments, Connaughton said. But the state decided last week to pay without an agreement on the seats."

VOTE-BUYING: The District will be doing same-day voter registration this year. This could be a mess. Yesterday, the D.C. Council held a roundtable talk on preventing fraud. The Examiner's Emily Babay reports: "Starting with the Sept. 14 primary, people can register to vote at the polls on election day, which has spurred questions about the potential for bought or fraudulent votes. "Votes from same-day registrants will be cast as provisional ballots and subject to review, said Board of Elections and Ethics chief Rokey Suleman. He was among a group of officials from the agency speaking Thursday at a D.C. Council Government Operations and the Environment Committee public roundtable. Suleman said people must vote in the precinct in which they live, so poll workers should recognize voters who try to register outside their precinct. The BOEE plans to have five lawyers staffing a hot line to respond to fraud allegations. But that might not be enough, said Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh, who urged the BOEE officials to increase that number. 'Five seems a little thin to me,' Cheh said. Same-day registration is expected to cause some 'administrative difficulties' on election day, Suleman acknowledged."

VINCE GRAY=TOFU: WaPo's Mike DeBonis makes the case that Gray is tofu: "It's [Fenty's] chief rival, D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), who is racking up endorsements from unions, business groups, ward organizations and others. He can't get the yard signs out fast enough. He's started raising money at an impressive clip. And pretty much all he's had to do is show up." But that Fenty is acting like King Fenty, oblivious of how badly he's campaigned: "He's now in full bloom of explaining to disaffected voters why they hate him so much and why they should vote for him again in spite of it. The Fenty entreaty goes something like this: 'People see a willingness to make tough decisions that we haven't seen in a long time in D.C.,' he said Wednesday night, talking to a group of gay and lesbian supporters about school reform. 'You could probably do this the safe and secure way, but it would probably take two or three decades. . . . We need it to happen fast.' When you step into the voting booth, he said, 'remember our commitment to taking on the tough issues.' Politics, unfortunately, is more complicated than ascribing mass disaffection to 'tough decisions.'" This is the must read piece of the week.

LANIER REFUTES FENTY RUMORS; WTOP's Mark Segraves asked MPD Chief Cathy Lanier about those pesky rumors concerning the mayor, domestic violence, and her role in covering it all up: "Lanier said she had been hearing the rumors for years. 'Actually, those rumors surfaced – I believe – as soon as he began running for mayor, and they've been around ever since,' Lanier said. 'Periodically, they will pop back up, but I can tell you without any question, nobody in the Metropolitan Police Department would cover that up. Certainly, I wouldn't cover that up as a district commander.'"

METRO MESS: City Fix DC blog has a great accounting of a Metro taskforce meeting in which residents vented their frustrations.

MANHOLE: Explosion in Southwest (NC8).

SHOOTING: Woman shot in Northeast (WUSA9).

DYRS REFORM: Here is a summary of Councilmember Phil Mendelson's DYRS reform bill in full. We'll probably crash Washington City Paper's site with this! Here it is:

"Bill 18-344 concerns the confidentiality of information about juveniles who are in the juvenile justice system. Major changes to the current law include:

1. Amends the DYRS establishment act to permit the MPD to access without court order certain records – such as surveillance tapes – in the possession of DYRS when needed for investigating a crime allegedly involving a youth in the custody of DYRS. This amendment addresses a conflict between Titles 2 & 16 of the D.C. Code – the latter permitting “law enforcement officers [access] when necessary for the discharge of their current official duties.” This conflict came into focus June 20th when MPD responded to a melee at New Beginnings but had to get a court order before being able to view video tapes of the melee.

2. Rewrites D.C. Code §§ 16-2331, 16-2332, and 16-2333 (regarding confidentiality) to improve clarity.

3. Provides that the following information shall be public information: A child’s name, the fact that he/she was arrested, the arrest charges, the charges filed in court, whether the child was found guilty (“involved”) and, if so, the charges for which he/she was found guilty, and the child’s initial disposition (i.e., probation or DYRS commitment).

Such information shall be public information only if the child has been found guilty of a crime of violence or certain dangerous crimes, or found guilty twice of certain other felonies, including UUV, stolen auto, or felony assault; or the individual has been found guilty of any felony or a misdemeanor assault within three years of the conclusion of his juvenile sentence.

The public availability of this information will enable the public to demand accountability of government agencies responsible for prosecuting or rehabilitating juveniles, and will pierce the veil of confidentiality behind which some chronic, violent juvenile offenders seem to thrive.

4. Requires the MPD to publish statistics twice yearly detailing by PSA the number of juveniles arrested, as well as the charge(s) and dates of arrest.

5. Authorizes an official of MPD, Court Social Services, or DYRS to disclose certain information – but not records – about a juvenile delinquent to a school official or mental health professional when, in the professional judgment of the official, disclosure of the information will assist in the protection, welfare, treatment, or rehabilitation of the juvenile.

6. Establishes an Abscondence Review Committee (5 members plus 2 ex officio) to examine what steps could have prevented juvenile abscondence where a homicide, assault with intent to kill, or assault with a deadly weapon (firearm) was committed by or to the juvenile.

7. Preserves the status quo in the current law regarding confidentiality by making explicit that, notwithstanding the public availability of certain information, a juvenile shall not be required to disclose, and shall have the right to refuse disclosure of, his or her juvenile delinquency information in an application for employment, education, or housing."

KOJO: Maryland gubernatorial candidate Bob Ehrlich and D.C. congressional hopeful Doug Sloan.

MAYOR'S SCHEDULE: No public events.

D.C. COUNCIL'S SCHEDULE: No public events.

Who gets the $2 million?

The Virginia Lottery recently ended Redskins Mania, the Redskins scratch ticket offer. The tickets cost $20 apiece. But several weeks after the last ticket was sold, there's a lot of money that never found its way back to lottery players.

Two of the three million dollar giveaways hailed when the Redskins Mania program was announced haven't been given away. Three of the six $25,000 prizes also went unclaimed, as did more than 60 percent of the $5,000 and $1,000s winners.

In fact, there was only one prize category in which Virginia Lottery gave away all the prizes it said it was going to give away. That category? Season tickets to Skins games for the next 20 years!

That was called the "top prize" by lottery officials.

Lesser beings would insert a joke here about second prize being season tickets for the next 40 years.

But, according to one of the "top prize" winners, that wouldn't be a joke: A sad sack going simply by the name of "John" went on a lottery blog a couple months ago to warn folks that winning isn't everything.

I’m one of the winners of Virginia Lottery’s 20 years of Redskins Season’s tickets, and believe me it took 300 $20 Redskins Lottery ticket entries, to be lucky enough to be selected to be one of the 16 finalists that went to FedEx field. Then from there 7 out of the 16 won the 20 years worth of Redskins tickets at the drawing held at FedEx field. Sometimes it just comes straight down to luck. LOL, of course, the extra taxes for winning 20 years of tickets is going to kill me in the 2010 tax season, so just maybe you can count yourself lucky for not winning the 20 years worth of Raven’s tickets.

In other words, dear John spent more than $6,000, got Redskins season tickets, and still feels screwed.

Sounds like a typical Skins season ticketholder to me!

So, what gives with the lack of giveaways? Why is the lottery holding back so many prizes? Did Skins fans not claim them? Were fans unable to figure out the complicated scratch game rules and let the winnings go to waste? Did fans find Redskins lottery tickets, like actual Redskins tickets, just not worth their price last season? Can we blame this all on Albert Haynesworth?

I'm waiting for answers to these questions from Virginia Lottery officials.

Redskins Scratch Mania statistical roundup available after the jump.

Prize                      Available     Unclaimed

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—"Michael Price's Ex-Lover Forced To Testify At Wone Trial," "Librarian Layoffs Rattle Cleveland Park," "World Cup Roundup: Brazil Backers Blitz Bethesda Bar," "Affordable Housing May Not Have To Stay That Way"

Good morning. Yesterday, D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray was endorsed in his run for mayor by the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. He bested Mayor Adrian Fenty with 63 percent of the club's members voting in his favor. But as WaPo's Tim Craig reports, the endorsement may have had little to do with the substance of the candidates' positions. Both major candidates supported the same-sex marriage bill and other issues concerning the LGBT community. Craig writes that Gray's victory may have come down to Fenty's heavy reliance on notes during the debate leading up to the big vote.

So is it wrong for Fenty to use cheat sheets during debates? It's come up in an earlier debate. This LL expects the issue to continue unless the mayor decides to study up before these forums. It only reinforces the perception that Fenty is, um, aloof. Craig writes: "Although Gray also had a briefing book nearby, he rarely referred to it. In several recent candidates forums, Fenty has referred to written notes while he debated his opponent, even reading word for word from talking points as he attacks Gray's record....Rick Rosendall, the vice-president for political affairs for the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, wrote on GLAA's blog last night Gray pulled off 'a historic upset.' 'Fenty read from notes, while Gray spoke without notes,' Rosendall wrote. 'What probably put Gray over the top, though, was how well he sold himself as someone with a history of working with the community and was more collaborative than the aloof Fenty.'"

AFTER THE JUMP: :Evans doesn't approve of budget, District facing insurance problem, Fenty facing nasty fliers, Metro prepares to honor crash victims, and much, much more!

BUDGET APPROVED: The D.C. Council passed the District's budget by a 12-1 vote with Councilmember Jack Evans the lone dissenter. WBJ's Michael Neibauer reports: "Among its many provisions, the [Budget Support Act] hikes a raft of fees for all manner of services, reestablishes a vacant property tax of $5 per $100 of assessed value, implements a host of tax exemptions, opens the door to overhead streetcar wires on H Street NE and elsewhere, establishes new fees for intercity bus loading and unloading, assesses a 6 percent sales tax on soft drinks, carbonated beverages and medical marijuana, and allows the D.C. Department of Transportation to sell advertising on parking meters and meter receipts. Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans voted 'no' on the budget, citing the use of reserves to balance what he has described as out of control spending. The District's reserves funds will drop to about $600 million after 2011, $300 million short of a limit set by Mayor Adrian Fenty in meetings with Wall Street bond rating agencies.'Assurances were given we would not do that,' Evans said. 'We are taking this down to a level, at $600 million, that puts us in a position of not having any reserve funds at all to draw upon — I think a very dangerous situation.'"

Gray put out a press release on the vote: 'While the overall spending in this budget is comparable to that proposed by the Executive, the Council restored funding the Mayor had cut to address many important citywide priorities, including dollars to preserve our social safety net,' Gray said." Save Our Safety Net had a different response leading up to the vote. More coverage via WaPo.

DISTRICT OWES MILLIONS: The Examiner's Alan Suderman reports that the District is in the hole big time over unpaid insurance bills: "The cash-strapped District government will have to come up with as much as $6 million to cover the life insurance premiums the city collected from hundreds of disabled employees over seven years but didn't pass along to the insurance companies, officials said Tuesday. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Attorney General Peter Nickles said at a news conference that they had asked the city's independent inspector general to investigate what happened to the money that had been collected by the city's Office of Risk Management. The Washington Examiner first reported in May that members of the Fenty administration were scrambling to fix problems within Risk Management, which is charged with operating the city's workers' compensation claims, and that the FBI was asking questions about the agency's contracting practices.... Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh said the city should have acted much sooner, as word of problems at Risk Management have been around for 'some time.' Cheh asked for the city's auditor to investigate the department last month. 'My question is, where have they been?' Cheh said. 'They had early warning that something was amiss.'" More coverage via WaPo.

FENTY BIKE THEFT: A D.C. cop is apparently still being investigated for not leaving his guard post during the bike theft at the mayor's house. The Examiner's Bill Myers stays on this story: "A day after Mayor Adrian Fenty publicly cleared a police officer who was on duty when two bikes were stolen from his home, the officer was informed by superiors that he is the target of an internal investigation, The Washington Examiner has learned. Officer Wilson Liriano was told that he's facing discipline for negligence in a late Tuesday afternoon meeting at police headquarters, his union leader, Kris Baumann, said. Liriano was in a guard booth at Mayor Adrian Fenty's home when three young thieves made off with mountain bikes from the mayor's garage. Liriano saw the thieves on a closed-circuit television and alerted his superiors, but was unable to catch the thieves. On Monday, Fenty's spokeswoman issued a statement that Liriano 'followed proper protocol' in the incident."

NASTY POLITICS: D.C. Wire's Tim Craig reports on some tasteless fliers being passed around at mayoral campaign events: "For two consecutive weeks, people attending candidates forums in the D.C. mayor's race have been greeted with fliers urging them to 'slap' Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D). 'Slap This Brat,' states the flyer, which includes a photo-shopped image of Fenty's face attached to a baby sitting on a rocking horse. 'Elect Somebody. Anybody But Fenty.' Larger signs with the same image and message have also been posted on some city telephone poles. Many of the fliers and posters are in color while others are black-and-white. The flier and signs do not include any information about who paid for or is distributing them, a possible violation of city campaign finance rules requiring disclosure of electioneering activities. City election law states 'campaign literature must be identified by the words 'paid for by' followed by the name and address of the payer or the committee or other person and its treasurer,' according to the Office of Campaign Finance. The campaign of Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray has denied any involvement in creating or distributing the fliers, which D.C. Wire first noticed at the Ward 3 Democrats candidates' forum Thursday. The Fenty campaign had no comment on the fliers last week."

And then there's this little mystery involving WASHINGTON CITY PAPER: "Similar ads have also been appearing in the Washington City Paper. According to Washington Post reporter Mike DeBonis, those print ads state they are being paid for by 'electanyoneelse.com.' But electanyoneelse.com doesn't exist and there is no registered political committee with that name." WTF.

JULY 4: D.C. Council approved a measure that will allow liquor stores to sell booze on July . The holiday happens to fall on a Sunday this year. Meanwhile, bad news for drunks who may need a free ride home after the fireworks. The free taxi service for boozers may not be running on July 4 due to financial problems. AP reports: "A program that offers free cab rides home to people in the Washington region who have been drinking around certain holidays may not be available on Independence Day. The Washington Regional Alcohol Program's SoberRide program is in jeopardy due to declining contributions from private supporters. The program has been offering rides to people on St. Patrick's Day, July 4, Halloween and during the Christmas-New Year's period for 17 years. Kurt Erickson, president of the McLean, Va.-based organization, says funding has dropped because of the economic downturn. Erickson says there is a $31,000 gap between revenues and the cost of cab fares."

METRO CRASH MEMORIAL: WTOP via the AP reports that the ceremony has been set to honor the Metro crash victims: "A letter sent to the victims' families from Metro's interim general manager says the ceremony will be held at Fort Totten Park at 10 a.m. next Tuesday — exactly one year since the crash that killed nine people and injured 80. The letter from Richard Sarles says the service will include remarks from non-denominational clergy and dignitaries. A bronze plaque listing the names of the victims also will be unveiled. Last week, some of the victims' relatives complained that they had not been told about a memorial event."

VACANT PROPERTY AUCTION: The District is set to sell off some of its vacants, WBJ reports: "The properties currently sit in the Department of Housing and Community Development’s portfolio, which is coordinating an auction to dish out the buildings. It will be held June 30 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 2 p.m. and conducted by Alex Cooper Auctioneers Inc....Most of the properties sit in the Northwest and Northeast quadrants of the city, including the Columbia Heights and Deanwood neighborhoods." Property list can be found here.

MARYLAND COPS: Don't like it when you tape their traffic stops.

WASA R.I.P.: Introducing...D.C. Water.

REDSKINS: More Haynesworth headaches.

CLARK RAY NABS WILLIE WILSON ENDORSEMENT: Not sure if this is such a good thing. But the at-large council candidate thinks so. In a press release, he is quoted saying: "I look forward to working in partnership with Rev. Wilson to build bridges throughout all communities and neighborhoods as we heal and solve the problems of our City. I'm gratified that Rev. Wilson and others who toil daily in our neighborhoods, who are connected with people and their problems, have embraced my push for real transparency in education reform..." blah, blah, blah. You get the idea.

MAYOR'S SCHEDULE: No public events.

D.C. COUNCIL'S SCHEDULE:

11:30 a.m.
Committee on Housing and Workforce Development (Round Table)
Fiscal Year 2010 Summer Youth Employment Program
Location: John A. Wilson Building, Room 120

1:45 p.m.
Committee on Economic Development (Legislative)
Committee Mark-up B 18-0800; PR 18-0888; PR 18-0889
Location: John A. Wilson Building, Room 123

2 p.m.
Committee on Economic Development and Government Operations and the Environment (Round Table)
The Proposed Surplus and Disposition of the following District -owned properties: 4800 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave., N.E.; 335 8th St. S.E.; 1101 24th Street, N.W.; 2301 L ST, N.W.;2225 M St., N.W.; 3050 R St., N.W.; 27 O Street, N.W.
Location: John A. Wilson Building, Room 412

2:15 p.m.
Committee on Government Operations (Meeting)
PR 18-792
Location: John A. Wilson Building, Room 123

(Hold hate mail until you read all links, please.)