Dupont Circle, Feb. 2nd.  © 2012 Matt Dunn

Slideshow. 7th and H Street, NW. Jan. 29th.  © 2012 Matt Dunn

The Times reports that about $15 million in business tax revenue will probably go uncollected, because of a Councilmember Jack Evans-sponsored 2007 law that requires purchasers to only pay taxes on commercial property debt incurred since refinancing. The 2007 law conflicts with an earlier law that made commercial property purchasers pay taxes on all the debt the property has incurred, pre- and post-refinancing.

Apparently, the D.C. Council can't come to an agreement on how to make people (who thought they were paying the correct amount of money in taxes) pay the back taxes. And complicating the issue further is that some buyers have been getting around paying any taxes at all through loan modifications.

Meanwhile, Mary Ayers-Zander, the D.C. tax examiner who was accused of stealing more than 400,000 from the government has pleaded guilty, and will be expected to pay that money back as part of her sentence.

Though, with a felony on her record, it's hard to imagine Ayers-Zander will be able to find the kind of employment that would make it easy to return the money.

Photo by futureatlas.com via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.0 License

For Tickets, See Jack: District campaign finance law allows members of the D.C. Council to raise up to $80,000 a year for constituent service funds, outside of their tax-funded office budgets and their campaign accounts. The idea is supposed to be to use these to pay for things like electrical bills or heating costs that constituents can't afford; Ward 2's Jack Evans, however, seems to have spent about a third of the money he's raised in the last decade on sports tickets. (Evans says he gave most of the tickets away.) Maybe the theory is that without help from Evans, teams like the Wizards, the Nationals, or the Capitals wouldn't be able to pay for their own energy bills? -2

No Taxation Without 140 Characters: People who don't live in the District don't always appreciate the extent to which those of us who do live here are denied basic rights of democracy; when the rest of the nation looked on with bemused horror as the federal government threatened to shut down earlier this year, we were the only ones whose own local government was tied up in the mess. Now, at last, it's time to remedy the problem—with a virtual march. Mayor Vince Gray wants everyone to post a message to Facebook and Twitter at 8:28 a.m. tomorrow to protest our lack of representation. Considering how successful the Twitter-based attempts to show solidarity with Iranian democracy activists were, we hope to see the whole country changing their location to D.C. by 8:32 a.m.—but we're not actually expecting anything to change as a result of all this. -1

School's In: With all the paranoid coverage lately, we wouldn't be surprised if people saw hordes of kids streaming into schools this morning and thought it was another flash mob. It was, instead, the first day of school, even though Labor Day is still two weeks away. There were apparently no major glitches at any of the District's public or charter schools, several of which opened in new buildings. (Our interest was caught by one new charter school in Ward 7, the Richard Wright Public Charter School for Journalism and Media Arts, which will presumably serve middle schoolers who are eager to pursue a lifetime of low wages in a dying industry.) +2

MLK Memorial Officially Open for Making Memories: Getting a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall took almost as long as getting a federal holiday to honor him did. But the statue finally officially opened today near the World War II Memorial (and, as a bonus, unlike the World War II Memorial, the King memorial doesn't look like it was designed by Albert Speer). Tomorrow is D.C. residents' day; the actual dedication will be Aug. 28. +2

John Beck, We Take It All Back: On Friday, we mocked Redskins quarterback John Beck, who started that night's preseason game, on the grounds that he hadn't taken an NFL snap in years, but was poised to take over the job mostly because his competition was Rex "Sexy Rexy" Grossman. Then Beck wandered into Indianapolis and led the team to a 16-3 win over the Colts. If they keep winning these exhibition games, adjusting to the regular season and the inevitable losses is going to be a real shock. +1

Friday's Needle rating: 66 Today's score: +3 Today's Needle rating: 69

Fully Loaded Panniers: The days of luxury SUV leases for District government officials might be over—Capital Bikeshare now has a station set up outside the Wilson Building. The new station was part of a big expansion for the service. Mayor Vince Gray checked out one of the rides, but didn't actually go anywhere with it. Those of you inclined to write your own punchline there may feel free to do so; we're just glad to see more bikes available. +3

D.C. Survives Charlie Sheen Visit: A grave danger has passed us by; Charlie Sheen's tour has come and gone, and for the most part, the city escaped unscathed. The actor, better known here as the Gossip Columnist Full Employment Act of 2011, was late to his own show at DAR Constitution Hall, but arrived in plenty of time to join fellow self-promoter Donald Trump in indulging in ludicrous fantasies about President Barack Obama's birthplace. Remember, if you see signs Sheen is coming back to town, call 911 immediately. -1

Home Field Tax Advantage: Week in and week out during the baseball, hockey, and basketball seasons, well-paid athletes come through D.C. and earn big paychecks for their time playing here. (In soccer, the checks aren't quite as generous.) With a massive budget deficit, District officials would like to see some of that money, themselves—and not just from their city-owned luxury boxes. Councilmember Jack Evans wants to tax pro athletes on the income they earn while playing here, as other cities do (the tax would cover local teams' players who live outside the District, as well). It could generate $5 million, but since Congress bans any form of commuter tax, it'll be complicated to put together. Sort of like a winning season for the Nationals and the Wizards! +2

Pollen Peaks?: Economists and energy experts worry about when peak oil will arrive—the moment at which production starts declining until there's none left. D.C. area allergy sufferers, though, are likely to greet word that the pollen counts may be peaking with a little less trepidation than peak oil, which is typically discussed in apocalyptic terms. Now we have to get back to trying to breathe and gouging our eyes out. -2

Yesterday's Needle rating: 64 Today's score: +2 Today's Needle rating: 66

Councilmember Jack Evans announced today that he would be taking on a cause dear to, apparently, every D.C. fire fighter. No, this doesn't have anything to do with the hydrant issues or suspect arson investigations. This has to do with the new fire chief changing the department's logo. The chief wants to call his department "FEMS."

From a press release from Evans' office:

"The 'Fire and Emergency Services Logo Clarification Act of 2011' was co-sponsored by Councilmember [Marion] Barry and would provide that District firefighters may continue to wear the DCFD logo on their uniforms despite a controversial order from Chief Kenneth Ellerbe requiring all personnel to wear 'FEMS,' as well as to pay for certain changes to their uniforms."

Maybe one day we will come to view the Fire and Emergency Services Logo Clarification Act of 2011 as hallmark legislation. Probably not.

The new fire chief has wasted a lot of time and money with his logo change—not to mention he's given another opportunity to Examiner columnist Harry Jaffe to come off as vaguely sexist. Some fire fighters are pissed about the change.

But is this the kind of fight we want to the council to be taking up? Evans is the council's supposed budget guru. Not sure he needs to take on the role of branding expert.

Besides, one politician has endorsed the new FEMS branding: Mayor Vincent Gray. This afternoon, the mayor tweeted:

"Just had great tour at @DCFIREEMS training facility and proud that FEMS has earned high marks in fire-protection ratings"

File photo by Darrow Montgomery

There is Power in a Union: For months, workers have been protesting outside the Madison Hotel on 15th Street NW, clamoring about a labor dispute in which the hotel laid off workers and refused to recognize a contract with UNITE HERE Local 25. And, incidentally, making things rather noisy for executives at The Washington Post, whose offices are just across the street from the hotel. D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans has, apparently, helped persuade the union and the hotel to come to an agreement—evidently because many of his constituents nearby complained about the noise. Word is the contract may not be quite done, but the picketing still seems to have done exactly what it was supposed to do—get people to notice. +2

Tags Optional: That D.C. Councilmember Marion Barry is having trouble with something DMV-related isn't exactly a surprise; Barry's Jaguar was stolen last year, and he had traffic infractions years ago, and so word that he's driving now the Jaguar around without proper registration isn't entirely shocking. The good news, though, is that Barry's six-month stint without registering the car should provide a handy excuse to anyone else who's a little tardy taking care of car matters. Just tell the DMV you're only following the example of our elected officials, and surely you, too, can avoid any consequences. (Warning: You may still find yourself on the front page of the Metro section.) -1

Morning in Maryland: Were the nation's 40th president still alive, Ronald Reagan would have turned 100 on Feb. 6. Instead of birthday celebrations, various Reagan-loving freedom fighters around the country are trying, instead, to name everything that isn't nailed down after him. (Here in D.C., of course, our airport has already been given over to the cause, and Congress has been known to eye 16th Street NW for the same purpose.) As befits the Old Line State, Maryland has decided someone needs to draw a line; the state rejected a proposal to name Feb. 6 Ronald Reagan Day. Also failing to make the cut: "Young Heroes Day" and "Korean American Day." Maybe a young, Korean Ronald Reagan would have stood a better shot. +1

New Year, Same Nats: When the Washington Senators played here (before abandoning us for Minnesota, and then Texas), the rallying cry around Griffith Stadium and RFK Stadium was, "First in war, first in peace, last in the American League East." With the U.S. now involved in not one, not two, but three wars, we may not be "first in peace" again for a while—but the 2011 Washington Nationals appear ready to do all they can to live up to the old motto. The Nats lost to the Atlanta Braves 2-0 in Opening Day action presided over by Mayor Vince Gray (a former baseball standout himself). Oh well, there's always next year. -1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 59 Today's score: +1 Today's Needle rating: 60

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Jan. 2. © 2011 Matt Dunn

Those who didn't find the material riveting might have found it hard to score the 76% or above score they needed to pass the exam. But Carter says his guide isn't hard to absorb.

"I wouldn't say it was difficult at all," Carter says in an email, "It's a different way of managing resources and approaching crime control. Cops are use to dealing with crime: A crime occurs, they respond, investigate and hopefully catch the criminal.  Intelligence is all about identifying threats and stopping the threats from reaching fruition. The material is not difficult, but it is a different mindset."

Sources have told City Desk that the test MPD developed using Carter's guide is the test Assistant Chief Diane Groomes is accused of giving out answers to. The 44-year-old has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the allegation. But MPD has yet to confirm that, and there's a counter narrative floating around that it was actually  one of many National Incident Management System tests MPD takes.

One thing that could tie into the storyline is that sources say Groomes is very sharp and has a photographic memory. If  that's the case, she could have burned through the test, which was administered over several months, and then recounted the questions and answers from memory to some of those who hadn't taken it yet. But that's just a theory.

At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson told the Washington Post that Groomes gave answers to fellow command staffers who hadn't yet completed their exam and were up against a deadline.  That makes sense, as the test doesn't seem like something you could wing.

Accused of helping other police commanders cheat on a 50-question Intelligence Led Policing (ILP) exam, Groomes could end up facing harsh punishment. "If she's lucky," she'll get demoted, one high-ranking police MPD official tells City Desk on condition of anonymity. There's a chance Chief Cathy Lanier could fire Groomes, instead. (City Desk has an e-mail out to Groomes, but hasn't been able to reach her for comment yet.)

As both an assistant chief and, before that, a district commander, Groomes fostered a culture of accountability among her subordinates. One police source who worked under Groomes draws an interesting and contradictory picture of her. On the one hand—on a personal level—she'd do anything to aid a fellow officer: "She's a good hearted person," he says. "You could walk up to her and ask to borrow $200, and she'd give it to you." On the other, she reamed officers for even minor infractions, the source claims. "The discipline was just off the hook." He says Groomes has always been quick to "write-up" cops who strayed from high standards of conduct. Other MPD sources agree that Groomes is known as a task-master with little patience for disciplinary lapses.

Groomes then, may find herself on the working end of a culture she (understandably and justifiably) helped engender. In a department where disciplinary matters have come to be taken so seriously that a lost ID card means a 10-day suspension, lower-ranking officers are apt to cry foul if a higher-up gets off easy. That probably means if she turns out to have enabled cheating on the exam, Groomes' supporters should take aim at the demotion scenario—which would allow Groomes to stick around while, arguably, preserving morale.

As The Georgetown Dish recently reported, the Oct. 15 fall gala hosted by the Citizens Association of Georgetown, will take place within the safe confines of the Russian Embassy complex, one of the most austere and secure diplomatic compounds in the nation's capital.

Last year's fall gala at the Russian Embassy had a magical theme, A Night in Moscow! (A night in Moscow these days might involve breathing in radioactive smoke!) This year, the grand gala has a theme, To Russia, With Love—a clever play on the James Bond classic spy thriller From Russia With Love. No word if deported Russian spy Anna Chapman somehow fits into this year's theme! But there will be "dancing, traditional Russian performers, vodka & caviar, an elegant buffet, and a brief presentation to honor several outstanding Georgetowners."

Compared to last year—when Capitals hockey star Alex Ovechkin posed for photos with Mayor Adrian Fenty—the confirmed starring attractions are sort of thin thus far. Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel as an honorary co-chair? A sensible "Independent-thinking" choice, as the Dish put it, for sure. He was a maverick!

Maybe Davis Kennedy, the publisher of the Current newspapers, will be all dressed up like in previous years? Maybe Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans will shell out the extra bucks to rent a tux this year? The Dish declares: "Of course, it's Black Tie. Thank goodness." Yes, thank goodness.

At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown had a gigantic truck at the July 4 Palisades parade. (Photo by Michael Grass)

After leaving the post-parade festivities at Palisades Park, complete with free hot dogs and moon bounce, City Desk surveyed the remains of the parade along its MacArthur Boulevard route. Parts of it were quite malodorous. (Who wants to have some dinner on Kemble Tavern's patio?) But it wasn't necessarily trashed like last month’s Capital Pride Parade. And no unclaimed free condoms on the sidewalk, either!

All the candy that Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans and his supporters showered on parade-goers seemed to be snapped up. The children of Ward 3 certainly love their sugary treats! City Desk wonders if Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, fresh off her legislative victory to mandate healthy school lunches, will soon start a push for a Healthy Parades Act. Will someone not think of the children and their dental health?

Cheh, meanwhile, had her supporters pass out miniature copies of the U.S. Constitution, not particularly exciting as a freebie but quite fitting for a George Washington University professor specializing in constitutional law.

Some savvy politicians targeted parade-goers with implements to beat the heat. The campaign of D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray, who is challenging Mayor Adrian Fenty in the September Democratic primary, passed out miniature fans. Team Fenty, meanwhile distributed water bottles and green towels, to which DCist’s Martin Austermuhle remarked via Twitter: "Not very soft, like the candidate!" (When City Desk touched a Fenty towel, it was indeed quite abrasive—a mix between sandpaper, chamois and ratty gym towel. Did Hizzoner not test the hand-out on his bald head prior to distribution?)

Fenty and Gray "[b]oth did a good job keeping people cool," said Nate Bennett-Fleming, who is running for D.C. shadow representative and passed out around 1,000 Nate-branded bottles of water.

Campaigning has never been an especially environmentally friendly activity, with all the signs, stickers, Mardi Gras beads, pamphlets and the like that generally have a short life span before being trashed.

One resident of MacArthur Boulevard, hosting a July 4 parade-watching party on her front lawn, told City Desk that she wished Mayor Fenty’s Green Team would’ve been more green with the parade freebies.

"I support him on school reform. But these water bottles—look, they're everywhere!" The woman, who said she would be voting for Fenty, didn’t want to disclose her name. "I know not to criticize the mayor. He rides his bike up here."

The mayor, to his credit, did have his trusty Smart car at the parade, which was dwarfed by the monster truck At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown, who is running for D.C. Council chairman, had at the parade. City Desk was concerned that the gigantic vehicle would not be able to navigate some of the tight turns of the parade route, especially at Edmunds Place and Sherier Place where regular traffic jams developed as the parade snaked its way into Palisades Park.

The campaigns of Gray and former Ward 5 Councilmember Vincent Orange, who is running for D.C. Council chairman, did the best job at preemptively claiming all the good sign space along MacArthur Boulevard. (And on the lot in front of Palisades Park that once was home to the Jesse Baltimore House.) Four years ago, Fenty's mayoral campaign had the best ground game. This time, Gray bested the incumbent and had an excellent post-parade sign-collection operation. Two hours after the parade started, you would have had difficulty knowing that Gray was even at the event. (We pity the sign-collecting Gray campaign supporter that City Desk spotted walking all the way to his car parked out in front of the German Chancery on Reservoir Road, but not as much as the overheated Bolivian dancers who were weighed down by pounds of colorful costumes!)

Perhaps City Desk missed him, but we were hoping that Orange would be cruising MacArthur Boulevard on a Segway passing out candy and beads, just like he did during his ill-fated mayoral run four years ago. There were reports, however, that Orange was busy stumping for votes at an ice cream truck. Orange, known for his larger-than-life personality, seemed to be no match for Brown’s behemoth truck, which was a regular topic of conversation at the parade. (Orange, to his credit, had an aggressive signature-gathering operation.)

"This is the Washington, D.C., parade," said Patrick Mara, the school board candidate from Ward 1 who is better known for knocking off longtime At-Large Councilmember Carol Schwartz during the 2008 Republican primary, therefore depriving Palisades parade-goers of seeing Schwartz in her eye-popping yellow TransAm convertible. Even if Ward 3 voters—who form the core of the Palisades parade turnout—can't vote in your race, "you need to have a good showing here," said Mara, who had 20 supporters working the parade and post-parade party. "It says something about the strength of someone’s candidacy."

In that case, City Desk nominates the "Millwood Mob" for something, but we aren't sure what. Millwood Lane NW, a short street connecting Loughboro and Glenbrook roads, year after year fields a very organized showing at the parade, complete with its own queen. Imagine if the Millwood Mob would form its own political party! Watch out Mary Cheh!

Because of the hot weather, At-Large candidate Clark Ray, who was wearing a white sleeveless shirt, may have been the wisest person at the parade—though this writer’s recently deceased great aunt, a feisty, opinionated longtime Palisades resident, would have likely scoffed at any politician displaying bare shoulders.

But Team Ray was out in full force and was warmly received by the crowd, along with incumbent Phil Mendelson.

The one person who was missing was Don Peebles, the big-time developer and would-be mayoral candidate who kept political watchers on edge for months as he weighed a challenge to Fenty. (Through artfully crafted language, he decided not to run.) City Desk thinks Peebles should have teamed up with Matthew Lesko and his question-mark mobile—a perfect way to continue to toy with the populous!

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

So how many humans will it take to form a complete "human safety net" around city hall?

"We've calculated that it is 900 feet around the Wilson building, so with people and banners and nets we expect 200 people will wrap it up nicely," Podschun replied.

What would you say to Jack Evans and Vince Gray to get them to join your human chain? Podschun wrote:

"Jack Evans is just not going to be convinced on this issue. I don't know if he truly believes the preposterous notion that wealthy people will leave rather than pay a few hundred dollars more, but nobody else we've talked to believes it, even the people who object to our proposal because they think the Government should eliminate all waste before raising taxes. The latter is not a position we find to be especially reasonable or moral, but at least it has some sort of logic to it.

Vince Gray has worked in social services for most of his career — he has arguably done as much for our safety net as anyone on Council. In his campaign speeches, he likes to tout the revenue-generating measures that Council took last year — the cigarette and sales tax increases, which all disproportionately affected low- and middle-income DC residents. Here we're proposing to rescue the damaged safety net in a truly progressive way. This would hardly pinch a small portion of DC's population, but it's a major opportunity to demonstrate the leadership that Gray likes to say that DC needs."

How did you decide on a human safety net? Podschun wrote:

"We all benefit from a strong safety net, whether or not we use these services. This action features DC residents from all walks of life and all corners of the city, joining together to form a safety net around the building. It also creates a beautiful demonstration that Councilmembers can't avoid as they arrive for their meetings on the budget. Our city has some of the worst income disparity in the country, and reversing that begins here. So we'll join together to call upon Councilmembers to be smart, responsible, and courageous."

Jack Evans

Position: Ward 2 councilmember

Address: 3141 P St. NW (Georgetown)

Observations: Truly a wondrous job from the council's longest-serving member. The frontage in front of Evans' Georgetown home was meticulously cleared from the edge of the house itself nearly to the curb. No other person surveyed Sunday offered pedestrians such a wide berth—and on a sometimes tricky brick surface, no less. Plus, Evans did it all himself. "I'm from Pennsylvania," he said after answering his doorbell. "Of course I shoveled it myself!"

Grade: A+