* The Washington Post on the search for a Fairfax police officer who went missing in the waters of Pohick Bay on Tuesday. Second Lieutenant Francis J. Stecco "had volunteered to play the role of a "victim" during a training session for a helicopter water rescue, though he was not a member of the dive team."

* Attention Adobe Photoshop Elements 7: Do not fuck with Mr. T in D.C.

* Frozen Tropics updates you on recent homicide arrests North of Capitol Hill.

* Hookupmaps charts craigslist casual encounters on google maps. Logan Circle is bumpin'!

* And in this newspaper:

- Jason Cherkis on D.C.'s greatest unknown music legend, Mingering Mike. Check out Mike's special introduction and the making of a love-song collaboration between Jason and Mike.

- Mixtec's new Mexican-Italian take-out gets the Tim Carman treatment.

- Dave McKenna on why high-school homecoming is for nerds.

- In Loose Lips, at-large council candidate Michael Brown robo-calls the wrong guy.

- Why the death of Tony Hunter's remains "unofficial."

Photo by NCinDC.

WASHINGTON CITY PAPER FILES FOR CONTENT BANKRUPTCY, SEEKS INJUNCTIVE RELIEF FROM YOU, THE READER

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* Headline of Politico's VP debate preview makes me giggle. Plus: We watch for the crashes:

With all their potential for pitfalls and insta-classic moments, the pair has made the build up to the showdown, to take place here Thursday night at Washington University, feel more like a NASCAR race than a serious political forum: the audience may be tuning in as much in anticipation of cringe-inducing pile-ups as they are to watch the typical parry-and-thrust of debate.

* The Onion, on the other hand, makes me cringe.

* Financial bailout: U.S. Senate tries, tries again, this time with "higher tax breaks, FDIC limits," reports the Washington Post: "The Senate last night easily approved a massive plan to shore up the U.S. financial system, but the measure faces a tougher test tomorrow in the House, where leaders will try to reverse the stunning defeat the legislation suffered earlier this week."

* Some inside stuff: Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy, a veteran of City Paper owner Creative Loafing, lends some valuable insight into the inner workings of CL and CEO Ben Eason, who Fennessy calls "a tireless networker with a love of jargon." The piece details a history of the Eason empire and its plans for the future. I'll say this: Despite the bankruptcy crunch, Creative Loafing employees and alums have been producing some great work about Creative Loafing lately.

* Catch up on Wonkette's gchat interview with "Washington's Only Wasillan." Spoiler: She's a sarcastic liberal! She's also boring enough to have to block during daytime hours to prevent that incessant gmail "ding" from disrupting your office banter. Pay $25 tonight to hang out with her at an Obama fundraiser at James Hoban’s, 1 Dupont Circle NW.

* And in this newspaper (still here!):

- Delaney, Greenwood, Janssen, and Wemple gang up on the Washington Nationals: Take my ticket, please!

- In Loose Lips: the Nats' finances are fucked, too.

- Tricia Olszewski on Bill Maher's Religulous and teenage love adventure Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

- The debut of our new real estate column, Ruth Samuelson's Housing Complex.

Photo by Jeff Kubina

* In case you missed her: Washington Post's Howard Kurtz on Palin's Katie Couric interview. "Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in her third interview since joining the Republican presidential ticket, licked her finger and stuck it in the air, saying that Sen. Barack Obama might wait and "see what way the political wind's blowing" on the Wall Street rescue package," he writes.

* For those interested in competing in one of those high-stakes, emotionally wrenching reality television programs---and for those whose place of employment merely imitate them---Slate's Joanna Weiss has your guide to how not to be the first contestant kicked off a reality show.

* New Columbia Heights has updates on the proposed neighborhood farmer's market: At a recent ANC meeting, William Jordan proposed that the market be run by EMG Marketing Group and Change Inc. and be held three (!) times a week.

* Mr. T in D.C. bows respectfully to the employees of the Columbia Heights Subway sandwich shop:

I just wanted to thank them here today. By now, all the employees there recognize me, and know what kind of sandwich I usually get. . . . The two women who work there on weekday evenings are particularly helpful and pleasant. They recently told me they were from Eritrea; I wonder what their lives were like there? It's not very far from lawless, violent places like Darfur and Somalia.

And in this newspaper:

* Arthur Delaney on D.C. Jail disaster readiness, terrorist threats, and the power of Google.

* Tim Carman tries to make a bagel, lies to City Paper staff.

* Mike DeBonis on the Nat's stadium slush fund.

* ... and the debut of Orr Shtuhl's Beerspotter!

Image courtesy pingnews.

* Burning question! Why employ a "guest blogger"? Get your own blog! It's easy! Still, yesterday, Prince of Petworth debuted "The Restaurant," a new series by a guest-blogger called Julian: a writer, waiter, and master of the simile. Writes "Julian": "The staff, from what I noticed up front, was attractive and friendly, yet tightly knit–like a potato sack I desperately wanted to cut into with my personality and strong work ethic." Never have I more appreciated the subtle artistry of the "Door of the Day."

* Junior League harmonica player (and wheat-paster) Martin Thomas was ejected from China for protesting for a free Tibet during the Olympic ceremonies, BYT reports.

* Speaking of the Olympics: Despite my policy to ignore them at all costs, gymnastics events are better now, Slate says.

* Meanwhile, says WaPo, ping-pong gets the shaft!

* Local darlings U.S. Royalty have an inaugural video to go along with their inaugural EP.

* Tonight: If you don't wear shorts, they'll cut your pants off. Is that a promise?

Photo by S.³