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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT---"Barry, Staff Critical Of Ex-Girlfriend's Work", ""Pershing Park: Another Piece Of Evidence Goes Missing; One Cop Speaks Out," "Complaint No. 09-109484: Fenty's Traffic Accident Report," "More On The Fenty Accident Report."

Morning all. Let's get to it. FOIAs are starting to come back regarding Barry's suspicious contract work. WaPo provides a sweet overview of Barry's contracts. The upshot: Barry spent way more than his fellow councilmembers on contract work and the results of that work are ambiguous. It's like he operated a temp agency out of his office. WaPo writes: "Newly released documents show that from fiscal 2007 to 2009, Barry's office spent more than $252,000 on outside contracts, eclipsing the second-biggest spender, Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large), whose office spent $45,000....Barry (D-Ward 8) paid for a variety of consulting services, media relations assistance and temporary workers. Some of the work appears to have little connection to city business. One consultant hired to address poverty in Ward 8 lived in Ohio." WaPo also published a piece on the saga between Barry, his ex-girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt and Delonta Brighthaupt. This time the story is told via e-mails between Barry, his ex and her ex-husband. What you need to know: If you are a councilmember or are thinking about becoming a councilmember, do not hire your girlfriend. It should be noted that days before Barry was arrested on stalking charges, Watts-Brighthaupt had rejected the councilmember's latest contract offer.

CAR ACCIDENT CHRONICLES PART ONE: This past Sunday's fender bender is becoming a minor controversy for Mayor Fenty. WaPo notes that the police report not only contradicts Fenty and Co.'s public accounting of the crash but appears to show D.C. Police officers violating their own procedures. Weirdest detail: the report was taken by a member of Fenty's security detail and not a regular beat cop. Key graph: "Spokeswoman Mafara Hobson wrote in an e-mail Sunday that 'a vehicle ran a stop sign and pulled out in front of the Mayor's vehicle, causing a collision.' But the accident report indicates that Fenty's Lincoln Navigator was the "striking vehicle" in the crash with the Nissan Pathfinder, driven by James Utt Jr., 19." We have the police report/collector's item.

CAR ACCIDENT CHRONICLES PART TWO: News crews, Fenty and others were about to start a press conference at Penn and Alabama Avenues SE when two cars collided in a bad accident. Citizens and politicos rushed to the scene to help. NBC4 has footage, interviews with one of the drivers and a shocked looking Fenty. WJLA has more: "Fire officials say the two-car crash occurred around 4 p.m. when witnesses and people passing by became first responders. After the crash, people ran to a smoldering Cadillac and battled to get the two people trapped and injured inside to safety away from the vehicle." WaPo has an account as well; the mayor's press conference was canceled. Fox5 was there, too.

PRIVATE SECURITY LOSES DISTRICT CONTRACT: The Examiner's Michael Neibauer reports that Fenty is moving to cut out Hawk One from city contracts. Hawk One security guards are the ubiquitous greeters/wanders at various government buildings and public schools. Hawk One has lost one city contract and is expected to be out as the school security force as well. Key graphs: "The company has fared poorly since winning the job in 2005, District officials say. Employees in government buildings are poorly supervised, inadequately trained and armed, and ineffective at checking people, city officials say. In the schools, Hawk One personnel have struggled to contain violence and have a history of fraternizing with students. 'Their performance was just not up to standards,' one city leader said. 'They did themselves in.'"

AFTER THE JUMP---Jonetta on the hydrant problem, the WaPo editorial board weighs in on Pershing Park, and some serious fiscal policy.

Read More "The Marion Barry Temp Agency: Loose Lips Daily" »

The Washington Post has uncovered more of the twists and turns from the love-hate triangle between Councilmember Marion Barry, his ex-girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, and her ex-husband Delonta Brighthaupt. The newspaper has obtained e-mails from Barry and his staff that were critical of Watts-Brighthaupt's contract work. The Post writes:

"Barry's complaints included Watts-Brighthaupt's spelling, grammar, tendency to fall behind schedule and failure to be available during business hours. The e-mails appear to confirm that Barry and Watts-Brighthaupt traveled together to Las Vegas and Memphis. Though the city paid for Barry's airfare, the government did not foot the bill for Watts-Brighthaupt, and did not pay for a $736 spa visit at the Paris hotel during their May trip to Las Vegas, travel records show."

In early January, Delonta Brighthaupt stepped into the contract issue with Barry.

Read More "Barry, Staff Critical of Ex-Girlfriend’s Work" »

On June 30, Councilmember Marion Barry used his office to bounce his on-again-off-again girlfriend's ex-husband from the Wilson Building. At the time, he claimed that Delonta Brighthaupt had threatened him on the phone and in person.

Barry never got into detail with council staff. But it was enough for Brighthaupt to get barred that night from a Wilson Building event. At 10:30 that night, Barry left a voicemail on his ex-girlfriend's cellphone apologizing for his actions. He goes on to state that Delonta Brighthaupt was now free to go anywhere he wants.

This wasn't the end to this love-hate triangle between Barry, Donna Watts-Brighthaupt and Delonta Brighthaupt which we detail in this week's cover. On July 1, Barry wrote a letter to Donna apologizing further. Barry's staff provided the letter to Washington City Paper this week.

In the letter, Barry writes: "In an effort to resolve this situation in an amicable manner, I sincerely apologize to you, Brew and to Mr. Brighthaupt."

Full letter after the jump.

Read More "Marion Barry Apologized For Wilson Building Incident" »

You can call Councilmember Marion Barry a lot of things:  Civil Rights Leader, Mayor-for-Life, Addict, Male Slut. You can now add Incurable Optimist to the list. In his rocky relationship with Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, he endured one rejection after another. And the man kept coming back.

A Hotel spat in Denver where he threw her out of his room for refusing to give him a blowjob. A fight in Las Vegas. Pleadings over e-mail that involved a high-ranking staffer and public money.  Now we know there were plenty of intense moments closer to home between Barry, Donna, and Donna's ex-husband Delonta Brighthaupt.

In this week's cover, we detail the love triangle and pay particular attention to the councilmember using his office and authority in an attempt to get Delonta out of the picture.

Barry's move backfired. Within a few days, he would be arrested on stalking charges. The charges were later dismissed. But the police report surely shows a man in hot pursuit.

We'll post the police report tomorrow.

At a little after 9 p.m., Councilmember Marion Barry spokesperson Natalie Williams began another hastily scheduled press conference in front of the Wilson Building by thanking the U.S. Attorney's Office for dropping the stalking charge against the councilmember. Prosecutors had announced three hours earlier that they would not press on with the stalking case. "Our hearts are full tonight with thanks," Williams said. "We are grateful that the U.S. Attorney's Office has seen fit to not charge Mr. Barry."

Barry had been charged with stalking Donna Watts-Brighthaupt over the July 4 weekend. The arrest had since provoked a series of press conferences and embarrassing disclosures concerning Barry's troubled relationship with Watts-Brighthaupt. The disclosures included bizarre hotel fights and audio tapes showing how obsessed Barry had become with his ex-girlfriend. Yet to be clarified is how Barry came to secure lucrative contract work for Watts-Brighthaupt. 

Williams stated that Barry would answer questions about the the payments tomorrow. She also said that they would be able to provide the documents (contracts, e-mails, etc.) proving that the councilmember had acted properly. She insisted that the nothing Barry had done was illegal. 

Read More "Barry Press Conference: ‘Hearts Are Full’ Edition" »

Barry, drama, a hotel room. Sound familiar?

LL has the tape recordings (with transcripts) detailing the depths of Councilmember Marion Barry's obsessive relationship with former girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt. You will also find a the complex story of their on-again, off-again relationship. This involves:

• Barry kicking Watts-Brighthaupt out of his Denver hotel room during the Democratic National Convention after she refused to give him a blowjob.
• Barry leaving voicemail message after voicemail message, including one where he says, "I'm addicted to you."
• Barry promising her money.

Judge for yourself who the unstable parties are.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Marion Barry appeared in front of cameras this morning for the first time since his Saturday-night arrest, but that's about all he did. Longtime lawyer Fred Cooke did virtually all the talking, while Barry stood behind him in a gray suit, fedora, and paisley tie, remaining mute save for an occasional whisper in Cooke's ear.

In contrast to yesterday's presser, where spokesperson Natalie Williams spent most of the time attacking the credibility of the alleged stalkee and glorifying Barry's munificence, Cooke stuck mostly to the confines of the legal case against his client.

Read More "Marion Barry Arrest: Keeping Mum at Press Conference" »

Yesterday evening, in an interview with LL, Donna Watts-Brighthaupt---the woman Marion Barry is alleged to have stalked---said that the events leading to Barry's arrest began with a memo Barry had written Tuesday. That memo instructed D.C. Council secretary's office to bar her ex-husband, Delonta Brighthaupt, from a city hall event that night.

LL has obtained the memo.

"Delonte [sic] has threatened me by telephone and in person on last Sunday," the memo reads. "I am requesting that he not gain entry into the Wilson Building tonight for the screening because I feel threatened by him."

In response, Watts-Brighthaupt wrote back to Barry's scheduler, Donna Rouse. "Marion has literally lost his mind," she writes. "He has falsely accused Delonta and publicly embarrassed my daughter and me." She also refers to an incident where Barry, at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, "locked me out of his hotel room and canceled my flight." She refers also to "horrendous acts performed by Marion" witnessed by "neighbors, my family & friends and cameras in the Paris Hotel, Las Vegas."

Full e-mails after the jump.

Read More "Marion Barry Arrest: The Brighthaupt Memo" »