IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Elites win the dawn
• Pizza delay
• The real reason LeBron went to Miami

Good morning sweet readers! Has anyone else seen the trailer for the new movie about Facebook "founder" Mark Zuckerberg? Creepy. Just watching that thing makes LL want to delete his account this instant. But first things first—the news:

Hit the Road, Marc: There's a new boss in town for the city's troubled juvenile justice system. Marc Schindler was shown the door yesterday; he was replaced by Robert Hildum, a top aide to Attorney General Peter Nickles.  "[H]is appointment took many people inside and outside DYRS by surprise and raised fears among some advocates that juvenile justice reform in the District could be set back," reports Henri Cauvin in the Post. Also gone: "Deputy director David Brown and head of internment David Muhammad resigned from the agency, citing uncertainty about its future, a source with knowledge of their decisions told The Washington Examiner," Freeman Klopott reports. Klopott says the move was a power grab by Nickles in a sidebar:  "Neither outgoing DYRS interim director Marc Schindler, nor his predecessor Vincent Schiraldi, reported to Nickles as other agency heads do, one source said. By placing Hildum at the top of DYRS, Fenty has added another agency to Nickles' zone of influence."  LL once visited Nickles' zone of influence. Nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.

AFTER THE JUMP: Gray's education plan panned; cash rules everything around Gandhi; more on Bullet Proof...

Been There, Done That: DCPS gives D.C. Council Chairman and mayoral candidate Vincent Gray a smackdown over his proposed education plan, reports the Examiner's Leah Fabel. "D.C. Council Chairman and mayoral candidate Vincent Gray's campaign promise of 'birth-to-24' public education is already under way and succeeding, according to school officials aligned with Gray's opponent, Mayor Adrian Fenty." It's hard to tell how much of the pushback from DCPS is the usual sort you'd expect from bureaucrats defending the system after Gray criticized it—and how much has something to do with schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's obvious preference for a Fenty win. LL prediction: Gray will keep pushing the education plan, even if DCPS says it's redundant; his camp knows he needs to demonstrate commitment to school reforms.

Love Letter:The Examiner's Harry Jaffe has the  news that CFO Natwar Gandhi is composing a letter to the mayor and the council about his recent visit to Wall Street and its bond rating agencies. "The good news is D.C. gets to keep its gold-plated rating for now; the bad news is that if our politicians add to the debt and keep dipping into the savings account, the ratings will go south and the cost of borrowing will go north and add millions more to the cost of government. Gandhi has tried to be a reliable 'Dr. No,' forcing the pols to spend within their means. He needs help now from the only council member to veto the budget: Jack Evans, chair of the finance committee. As a tag team, they might be able to rein in the pols freely spending our cash. Otherwise, the city goes broke—or we pay higher taxes."

Pay No Attention to What I Said Last Time: Speaking of Evans, on D.C. Wire, Nikita Stewart reports he pops up in the latest round of Fenty TV ads. "On Saturday, the Fenty campaign unveiled three new 15-second testimonials, including one in which Evans (D-Ward 2) addresses one of the criticisms of Fenty: 'Some people say that Adrian Fenty doesn't play well with others.' 'Some people' would include Evans. In November, he told The Washington Post that Fenty has always tended to 'operate alone.' In 2006, when Fenty successfully ran against then-Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp, who was endorsed by Evans, the Ward 2 council member made a number of unflattering statements about Fenty."

If You Build It, Pols Will Come: NBC 4's Tom Sherwood braved the heat to report on a library groundbreaking in Ward 8 yesterday.  Both Fenty and Gray are taking credit for the project. LL invites readers to check out the awkward bro-hug at the 10-second mark.

What's In a Name? The Post's Mike DeBonis has even more to share about Kwame Brown's boat, Bullet Proof:  "Brown insists the name is 'not about violence.' Rather, Brown said in interviews that his wife, Marcia, named the boat. He was somewhat fuzzy on the precise inspiration, but he said it was a reference to President Bill Clinton—'a comedy type of thing' involving either Chris Rock or Saturday Night Live. (Brown has worked in the federal Commerce Department during the Clinton administration.)"

Crash photos [NBC4]

Proposed pot site draws concern [NEWS 8]

Murder house for sale [FOXDC]

Mayor and the Council, no public schedule

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Tent city achievement
• Mr. Gray, tear down that fence
• Weaver's funky ad

Good morning sweet readers! Did anyone here what Prince had to say recently about our online age? "The Internet's completely over... All these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you." LL thinks the purple one has a point, but that won't stop him from filling your head with numbers, or in this case, words. Here goes:

Kwame Brown Loves Cars, Boats, Not Paying Credit Cards on Time: The Post's Mike DeBonis wins the weekend with this piece about Council Chairman candidate Kwame Brown's debt problems. DeBonis mines Kwameworld and comes up with these nuggets: 1) Brown estimates that his personal debt exceeds $700,000, much of it outside his mortgage. 2) If the Canyonero were real, Brown would likely own one. "As Brown's debt grew, he continued to project an image of affluence. Until earlier this year, Brown drove a 2000 Mercedes-Benz E350 for which he paid $19,000—one of three cars in the household. 'I like cars. There's no question that Kwame likes cars,' he said, reciting a list of used Mercedes-Benzes he has driven in years past. 'I try to get the best value I can for the dollar I spend on my car.' But Brown said he is cutting back. He sold the Benz earlier this year, he said, leaving him with a 2003 Lincoln Navigator SUV and a 1999 Ford F-250 pickup with custom wheels—both vehicles owned free and clear. But he regularly drives a 2008 Escalade ESV leased for $1,380 a month—including insurance for any driver—by his campaign, which raised more than $200,000 in its first two months, according to a June campaign finance report." (Two of LL's editors spotted the campaign Escalade parked outside City Paper's offices a couple weeks ago in what didn't look like a spot that matched the conventional understanding of legal parking. Also, note to Kwame: All three of your vehicles get horrendous gas mileage. Might wanna think about a nice Tercel.) 3) It's a bear market for 38-foot boats named Bullet Proof. "Brown said he regrets his nautical foray. He would like to list the boat for sale at $50,000, but he has had trouble finding a broker open to that price. Anything less, he said, will exacerbate his financial troubles. 'I can't afford to lose $30,000 on a purchase,' he said." 4) Vincent Orange, Brown's challenger, is happy. "Brown's opponent in the Democratic primary, former Ward 5 council member Vincent B. Orange Sr., has started to make Brown's credit-card debt a campaign issue by directly linking it to the city's fiscal health—the District is perilously close to a 12 percent debt ceiling that Brown voted to adhere to."

AFTER THE JUMP; Soft Landing; Whosit?; Fenty and Jetset...

We're Coming In For A Soft Landing!: The Post editorial board weighs in on Attorney General Peter Nickles' decision to settle with Banneker Ventures for $550,000, saying "he makes a plausible argument that it was in the city's interests to settle to avoid the risk of much greater liability as well as the possibility of ongoing construction projects getting stalled in the legal dispute." The editorial sounds off on the D.C. Council, saying it's "hard to imagine a worse way to elicit information than that employed by D.C. Council members, whose principal interest seems to be embarrassing the administration." What? The Council wants to embarass Fenty over questionable contracts going to his friends? Get out of town, WaPo, with your crazy conspiracy theories!

What's His Name Again?: Mayoral dark horse candidate Leo Alexander complains in D.C. Watch that the Post is ignoring him in their mayoral coverage.  The slight is by "design," Alexander says, to preserve the status quo. "In this town, if the Post doesn’t cover you then the voters don’t know you exist—so it’s difficult to raise money. This way nothing ever changes, except the names of the safe establishment candidates." Now the Washington Times, that's a different story. Deborah Simmons chats with Alexander about the need to fix families and stem illegal immigration.

Fenty Scores with Official Washington: Mayor Adrian Fenty is having a fundraiser held in his honor by the politically connected set on July 25, reports Politico's Patrick Gavin.  The co-hosts are: "Media Matters' David Brock, Hunter Biden (son of Joe), Nathan Daschle (son of Tom), consultants Shari Yost Gold and Jason Gold, lawyer Mary Streett, Elmendorf Strategies Shanti Stanton, Fortune Brands' Matt Stanton and consultant Kimball Stroud. The event costs $250 per family. There are also contribution levels at $500, $1,000 and $2,000."

Nickles to The Rescue: The Examiner's Freeman Klopott has the story of how the AG forced fixed to a Southeast apartment building described as a "deathtrap." "Last week, Nickles stepped into the fray and forced the tenants and management to the bargaining table. They reached an agreement in which Nickles will assume control of the $450,000 in the escrow account. He will release the cash only when the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs clears the building of hundreds of citations. 'If they screw around on this, they can expect trouble from me,' Nickles told The Washington Examiner, referring to the landlord. 'I'm not a bashful guy, and I will come down hard.'"

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me: From News 8: "Police say they operate a network of closed-circuit television cameras throughout the city to deter crime. Officials say businesses owners can register their surveillance cameras or video systems with police to help expand that network."

Realty Star: Here's a clip from the upcoming Marion Barry reality show, in which Barry visits a social services center in the Southeast. It appears from the video that Barry is not a home subscriber to the Washington Post.

Chat Time: WUSA 9 has a sit down with D.C. Council Chairman and mayoral candidate Vincent Gray, who says his administration would be more "mature" than Fenty's.

Crappy "friends" stick couple with huge electric bill [Post]

Dinner with Cathy Lainer [Post]

Jonetta Thinks the Council's Anti-Vote Buying Act is Self-Serving [Examiner]

Living Wage Rules Update [Neibauer]

Water Trees [WTOP]

Mayor's schedule: 10:45 a.m. Groundbreaking at Washington Highland Library, 115 Atlantic Street, SW

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Dan Snyder bragged his wealth came from diabetes and cancer victims?
• Feeding the homeless has never been so sexy
• Best Bond movie

Good morning D.C.! How about "The Bachelorette" last night? Crazy, right? Well, don’t spoil it for LL—who was stuck at a mayoral forum in Ward 6, hosted by the Public Interest Civic Association Forum. If LL had to guess who would have been sent home without a rose based on their performance at the forum, he'd pick Mayor Adrian Fenty. Why? Because Hizzoner didn’t show up. Or maybe he was there, maybe he’s everywhere, in our hearts, like somebody else we all know...

So is Vince Gray Buddha? Fenty pal, giver of firetrucks and quote machine Ron Moten compared Fenty to Jesus Saturday at a “Go-Go 4 Fenty” event held at in a parking lot at RFK stadium, reports Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post. Said Moten: "If you understand what they did to Jesus, on Monday, everybody was praising him. Wednesday, he went to court, and all the people who he helped, nobody came to court for him... On Friday, they crucified him... The reason why we're here today is to get the facts out to you so history don't repeat itself again." Just a tad over the top? LL can only imagine what history might look like if Peter Nickles had been Jesus’ attorney. DeBonis also explained why Anwan "Big G" Glover, of "The Wire" and Backyard fame, is such a strong Fenty supporter. “Glover explained that his ties to Fenty were bound after Fenty, as a councilmember, wrote a letter to a Superior Court judge ruling on a 2004 gun charge. If Glover, then nearing the height of his 'Wire' fame, had been jailed, it would have been a serious blow to his career. He ended up getting probation.” The whole post is a must-read, but one other tidbit LL found worth sharing is was Moten’s channeling of his inner Karl Rove when talking about Fenty challenger Vincent Gray: "He's a flip-flopper, y'all. He's gonna tell everybody what they need to hear."

Taxes Schmaxes: At-Large Councilmember Michael Brown owes owed Uncle Sam more than $50,000 in back taxes, according to Jim McElhatton of the Washington Times. “A copy of the lien filed against Mr. Brown at the D.C. Office of the Recorder of Deeds shows tax debts of $7,128.22 for 2004, $28,625.11 for 2005, $5,176.17 for 2007 and $11,951.18 for 2008. Mr. Brown said he is close to paying off the tax debts. He said he has been on a scheduled installment plan with the IRS for about two years and that he's never missed a payment. He said his last payment is scheduled for August. 'Nothing has been done wrong, zero,' he said, adding that his situation is no different from those of millions of Americans working to pay off taxes through installment plans with the IRS.” First Marion Barry, then Kwame Brown, and now Michael Brown. Memo to all councilmembers with money problems: there’s blood in the water, and the sharks are circling. It might be better to come clean now rather than let an enterprising reporter uncover your misdeeds. (Though LL's editors wouldn't mind if an enterprising City Paper reporter did the uncovering!) (NOTE: This item had the tense wrong originally; Brown has paid off much of the debt already.)

When at First You Don't Succeed: Remember last week when the Examiner's Billy Myers reported that Abdullahi Barrow, a key figured into the D.C. Council's investigation of how the Fenty administration awarded park contracts, failed the engineering licensing test seven times before a Fenty-approved board game him license anyway? Well, turns out, as Myers reports, the special investigator is now looking into that matter as well. "Veteran lawyer Robert Trout, who is leading the council's investigation, briefed members Monday morning. He told them he wants to know how Abdullahi Barrow obtained his license just months before his company was made a subcontractor in several parks and recreation contracts, multiple sources told The Examiner." What's even more interesting, on the political side of things: "Trout told council members Monday that his investigation is like 'peeling an onion,' and his report won't be finished until late September at the earliest—after this year's Democratic primaries."

AFTER THE JUMP: Metro bus shenanigans; Orange manifesto; H Street cash...

If Pretending to be a Metrobus Driver is Wrong, I Don’t Want to be Right: The Examiner’s Kytja Weir finds Metro is closing doors for would-be poseurs. “Metro says it is working to enhance security at its facilities, just days after a bus was stolen from a garage and reportedly driven on its regular route by a teen in a Metro uniform. The agency already has taken some action, according to Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel, but plans to increase security further this week, including adding security checks of employees entering and exiting each of its bus facilities. In the long term, the agency is considering adding more fencing, lighting and security cameras, plus new technology to verify driver identification and disable buses remotely, he said.” Forget disabling buses remotely; LL dreams of the day when Metro can un-disable them remotely.

Orange You Glad I Have a Plan: WaPo’s Ann Marimow breaks down D.C. Council chairman candidate Vincent Orange’s “manifesto.” "Orange's five-point plan calls for expanding pre-K programs for toddlers and vocational and employment training for young adults, reducing energy costs for residents and enforcing employment measures designed to ensure better wages and more jobs for District residents. But much of the document—replete with attractive photos and pull quotes—is repetitive, listing the elements of a sustainable energy initiative three times; the 13 highlights from his tenure on the council twice; and his compelling personal story several times. Orange draws on a theme from his unsuccessful 2006 mayoral bid, pointing to what he calls the 'connection between education, employment and economic development.'"

Bacon Spreading: WBJ’s Michael Neibauer reports that Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells is looking to spend some of the $25 million the council set aside for H Street in 2007. “Wells is expected to introduced legislation Tuesday that would allocate $5 million for small businesses on H Street NE and another $5 million for Guy Steuart's mixed-use project at Third and H."

Easy Work if You Can Get It: Neibauer also reports on an investigation of the Office of the Chief Technology Officer that finds plenty to be concerned about. "The District's technology office is overly reliant on contractors, too eager to award jobs to under-qualified local businesses and not nearly aggressive enough in its monitoring of their work, setting up a system that is easily defrauded and wastes piles of taxpayer dollars, a new report finds." ... "Of larger concern, perhaps, is the District's certified business enterprise program, which requires the government to direct 'significant amounts of procurement' to D.C. businesses. In the technology field, the report states, CBEs often do little more than find applicants to fill open jobs. The District pays the CBE, and the CBE pays the contractor."

I Got a Bad Feeling About This: Harry Jaffe’s take in the Examiner on the city’s latest purchase: “I was left with a queasy feeling when the hearing ended. The city got rooked—again—this time for more than $80 million. In the unraveling of the United Medical Center hospital deal, there is a loose string. Give it a tug and you can see the half-baked dreams, liberal guilt, bets on the come and the kind of funny money accounting that led the District to the financial control board and near bankruptcy 15 years ago.”

Speaking of hospitals, a potential buyer? [DeBonis]

Police brass and Council at odds over what to do with jailed illegal immigrants. [Examiner]

National Zoo vets headed to the Gulf to help nurse birds back to health. [WAMU]

Cindy Sheehan cleared. [AP]

Reagan statue maybe coming to Reagan Airport. [FOXDC]

Mayor's schedule: Remarks at Microsoft’s 2010 Worldwide Partner Conference, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Room 306, 3:30 p.m.

Council schedule: Legislative meeting, Wilson Building, Room 500, 10 a.m.

Morning all. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty: Everyone knows he's had a bad year. A slip on the firetruck thing, a stumble on the pool heater, and a general haughtiness that casts doubt on his image as a champion of the everyday D.C. resident.

But does all that hurt his chances for re-election next year?

The Examiner kinda-sorta suggests that it does. On the front page of today's editions, it is shouting the news that just 30 percent of respondents in a recent poll say that the incumbent "definitely" has their vote.

You listening, Vince Gray?

From Michael Neibauer's piece: "The new poll, commissioned by the business-backed Nation's Capital Committee for Good Government, implies the incumbent's popularity has waned. Only 30 percent of respondents said they would "definitely" vote for him again, while 13 percent said definitely not, and 46 percent said they would consider someone else."

Implies? What does that mean. The problem with this piece is that there's no comparison with a previous set of polling numbers. The poll gives Fenty a 68 percent favorable rating and a 25 percent unfavorable rating. So, OK, fine—but compared to what? That question goes unanswered. Other points about the poll: It covers only registered Democratic voters in Wards 1, 3, and 6, leaving out Fenty's home base in Ward 4. It was commissioned by the Nation's Capital Committee for Good Government, a front for "downtown business interests," according to Neibauer. Those folks have never been too big on the mayor.

In a companion piece, Neibauer explains the implications of the poll for council races. The upshot? Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham and Ward 3 Councilmember Tommy Wells all appear safe.

Who isn't safe? Well, it's the same guy who's never safe. The guy who every four years has a target on his back, who the entire political class insists is vulnerable, whose days on the council are numbered. Yeah, Mendo: "At-large Councilman Phil Mendelson has the toughest road ahead, if the poll numbers are to be believed. Mendelson, who soundly defeated lawyer A. Scott Bolden three years ago, had the definitive support of only 32 percent of those surveyed. Thirty-four percent would consider a challenger, 8 percent would oppose Mendelson and 25 percent were undecided."

Examiner commentator Harry Jaffe also spins a piece out of the poll. Here's the key part: "Next most popular city official [after Fenty]? Council Chair Vince Gray? At-large member Kwame Brown? No and no. Most favorable ratings after Fenty went to schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. The hard-charging school reformer got high favorables in Ward 3 (69 percent), Ward 6 (58 percent) and Ward 1 (57 percent)."

Jaffe also gets a laugh line out of the data: "Attorney General Peter Nickles might not want to enter any popularity contests. His fave rating was 17 percent."

Examiner's Nei-man also covers the aimless wanderings of the mayor's "blue shirts."

CHARLES COUNTY COURTHOUSE MADNESS UPDATE! OK, we advertise LL Daily as providing as much D.C. politics as "humanly possible," but recent events compel coverage of the hinterlands. Seems that a judge in Charles County may have gotten pissed enough about parking hierarchies that he allegedly deflated the tire of a car belonging to a courthouse cleaning staffer. This gem comes courtesy of the Washington Post's Ruben Castaneda: "Jean Washington, the owner of the Toyota, said in an interview that she had just entered the courthouse for her work shift when a sheriff's deputy alerted her, 'Jean, you need to move your car. Judge Nalley's going to let the air out of it.'"

Tattoo parlor entrepreneur who allegedly killed her husband will be held in jail, not in a halfway house, as her lawyer had requested.

GOOD POINT DEPARTMENT: Post editorial notes that even though Congress long ago lifted its ban on the District's paying for needle-exchange programs, language in pending legislation could have the exact same effect: "The House voted to end a 21-year-old ban and allow federal funding of needle exchange programs. It also voted to allow the District to use its own money for such a program. There's one catch: the programs cannot be located 'within 1,000 feet of a public or private day care center, elementary school, vocational school, secondary school, college, junior college, or university, or any public swimming pool, park, playground, video arcade, or youth center, or an event sponsored by any such entity.' This would render whole sections of cities off-limits."

Verizon Center not doing it for you? Well, the Washington Biz Journal is reporting that reps from Madison Square Garden LP are scouting the District for a new location. "The sports, entertainment and media company began contacting the office of Valerie Santos, deputy mayor for planning and economic development, and major landowners in early summer, according to Steve Moore, executive director of the Washington, D.C., Economic Partnership. 'They are shopping the District ... They're very interested. It's a question of finding the right spot,' Moore said."

Also on the development front: See breakdown from Washington City Paper's Ruth Samuelson on Fenty's unveiling of Northwest One, the Walker Jones Education Campus.

Here's a scoop from NC8: The District is preparing to close its Brentwood DMV facility. It'll cease operations at the end of the day Friday.

Lots of gunplay out there on a summer eve: Seven shot, one killed in less than nine hours in the District, according to WUSA-TV.

Fenty Today:

9:15 am: Remarks, Wheatley Elementary School Grand Opening
Location:Wheatley Education Complex, 1299 Neal Street, NE

10:15 am: Remarks, Chevy Chase Play Courts Ribbon Cutting
Location: Chevy Chase Playground, 5500 41st Street, NW

5:30 pm: Remarks, Convention Center HQ Hotel Bill Signing
Location: 9th and L Streets NW

Morning all. It's mid-August, which means that journalists are on vacation and there's not much in the way of news out there. But there's still a Metro page to fill, and that's all the explanation you need to know why the Washington Post's Paul Schwartzman went on and on and on this morning about the persistence of patronage politics in D.C.

In one untidy package, Schwartzman fit elements of investigative journalism, summer featurey sorta stuff, plus maybe a little news. A couple of snippets:

"So what's wrong with D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) using taxpayer money to hire his girlfriend as a consultant?

Absolutely nothing, [said contractor Robert] Adams. In fact, he expects government officials to take care of their friends and family, and he sees no harm as long as 'they aren't hurting nobody. It's all about who you know, whether you've got the experience or not,' said Adams, 53, sitting on his porch in Congress Heights. 'That's the way the world works.'"

And: "I tried to clean it up, and we made a lot of headway," said former mayor Anthony A. Williams (D), before volunteering that he engaged in the practice. "No one is without sin, and by no means has this been completely corrected. You have to constantly fight it."

Highlight of the story is its in-depth stuff: Schwartzman polled the D.C. Council, reaching 11 of its 13 members. All respondents said that they'd never hired personal friends for their offices. "Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), 48, said he had three aides he has known since his teens and early 20s. He hired them because they were qualified, he said."

Yet even Schwartzman can't compete with the Examiner when it comes to filling space. Check out this roach of a story in today's edition: "Ambassadors hit the streets to help tourists, clean sidewalks." Yes, it's a feature about all those Business Improvement District workers, the ones who clean up and help people with directions. Here's how the Examiner's lede comes off:

Most D.C. residents probably don't know much, if anything, about the brightly clad crews that cruise city sidewalks, cleaning, helping tourists and keeping an eye on the neighborhood.

They are the clean teams and ambassadors of Washington's business improvement districts, and they're here to help you.

"There's a pretty demanding set of skills [we look for]," said Rit Thompson, chief executive of the company that hires workers for the Golden Triangle BID. "There's a very high bar to become a member."

Note to Examiner: The BIDs have been around for more than a decade.

Michael E. Ruane, the Post's chronicler of the intersection between federal and local D.C., chooses a slow-moving topic for a summer Metro feature: a round of maintenance on D.C.'s various statues. This one packs it all, including cheezy lede: "The general sat motionless as the man with rubber gloves and tattooed legs gently brushed wax across his nose."

Elsewhere in the Post, a tepid story on the return of summer. Here's a little sample: "At a Baskin-Robbins ice cream store on Lee Highway in Arlington County, Sharon Cohen sat with her son, Gabriel, 3, and her father, George McLoone, who turns 64 Friday. Cohen said she took her son out for ice cream to celebrate his birthday, which was Saturday.

'We planned to meet for birthday ice cream,' she said. 'And turns out we had good timing, cause it is a great day for ice cream.'"

We got a fourth person charged in the bribery and kickback scam that went down in the D.C. government's technology office. WARNING TO LAX AND SHORT-ATTENTION-SPANNED READERS OF LL DAILY: This scam is different from the scam that rocked the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. The tax scam involved basically just stealing money from the city's coffers. The technology scan allegedly involves steering contracts to cronies and getting kickbacks and other favors in return. Important distinctions, there.

Metro is ordering safety training following the death of a track worker on Sunday night. WaTimes story on the matter. WaPo edit board asks whether absence of serious oversight is to blame for the system's woes. More Metro dysfunction: Worker who let train leave yard with too many cars tests positive for drugs. WTOP.

More madness from Peter Nickles: D.C. Wire tells us that the city is asking a federal court for a rehearing on the ruling that D.C. security checkpoints in Trinidad were unconstitutional. Attorney General Nickles had this to say in the request: "The panel decision holds that the Fourth Amendment prohibits law enforcement authorities in the District from ever stopping drivers at checkpoints in order to deter crime. Even assuming that general deterrence interests are insufficient to justify a suspicionless stop, the Court should hold that a properly tailored checkpoint may be reasonable, and hence constitutional, in at least some circumstances when federal or District authorities act in response to specific, credible threats of imminent violence." Examiner story on same. WTOP.

Play it again, WaTimes: Another piece on the District's sole gun transferer, Charles Sykes.

Dog thrown in trash manages to live. Might have been involved in dog fight. Perhaps Michael Vick needs to make one of his Humane Society appearances right here in the District.

Fenty's Schedule:

10:45 am: Remarks, Walker Jones Education Campus Ribbon Cutting
Location: New Jersey Avenue and Pierce Streets, NW