Good afternoon, Washington. Below the links, City Paper is pleased to announce winners in its 2009 Inauguration Reader's Choice Contest.

*Ben Smith touches on the New York Times-Politico spat; Greg Sargent, meanwhile, mediates between the rhetoric of NYT Exec. Editor Bill Keller and that of Politico's John Harris.

*Farm Fresh Meat, hoping to cure his blogger's block, escapes to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

Read More "Our Lunchtime Roundup: Bloggers, Booze, and Our Winners in the Readers’ Choice Photo Contest" »

AMENDMENT: City Paper's Ted Scheinman rightly points out that a serious crime occurred two hours before the All Hands on Deck effort was supposed to wrap up, and not two blocks from the MPD's Kennedy Street efforts: The burning of a car that may be a significant piece of evidence in the Chevy Chase murder. Whatever confidence the MPD's fliers inspired in Petworth residents has likely expired, although a case could be made that preventing car fires wasn't part of the plan.

The Politico's Ben Smith threw up the MPD's community outreach flier on his blog today, but made one huge mistake in his write-up:

The Washington, D.C. police department launched a new initiative with a familiar slogan today, hoping to bring the sense of national change to urban youth.

The "No Shots Fired" initatiative "encourages youth to have a peaceful gunfire-free weekend," according to the press release.

The "No Shots Fired" initiative began--and ended--this past weekend. And those fliers? They were handed out in Petworth on Friday and Saturday nights, at the MPD's questionable checkpoints on Kennedy Street (I have two at home, along with a sheet detailing recently-solved homicides, which MPD officers were handing out to drivers after they questioned them over unbuckled seatbelts and outstanding tickets). The press release for the initiative, part of phase IV of "All Hands on Deck," went out Friday afternoon.

Read More "The Politico’s Ben Smith Missed the Boat on Petworth Violence" »