You think parking's bad in D.C. these days? Check out this photo, recently released by the National Archives, of cars wedged into just about every available inch near downtown during a bus strike in May 1974. (Thanks to The Atlantic for combing through the set and highlighting this photo.)

Photo by Jim Pickerell/NARA

What Will Keep United In D.C.?: Baltimore wasn't playing when it decided to make a bid for D.C. United, which isn't happy, or profitable, playing at RFK. (Fans, meanwhile, aren't happy with the team's inability to make the playoffs.) Major League Soccer has been surveying fans up I-95 about how they'd feel about a soccer team moving to the city, apparently to see whether a relocation would be viable. In response, United supporters here are circulating a petition to District officials and investors, saying the team should be able to build a stadium at Buzzard Point, near the Nationals ballpark in Southwest. The cynical prediction: No stadium for United, which is the only major D.C. team to win a championship in its league in the last decade, but the city does wind up dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into a Redskins practice complex. -1

Key Bridge, Don't Fall Down Now: The bridges in the D.C. area haven't gotten great reviews lately, but sometimes a politician needs a convenient prop. And so it was that President Barack Obama brought his campaign to invest in infrastructure to the Key Bridge, speaking with Rosslyn behind him about the manifold joys of public works projects. The recent Wilson Bridge reconstruction, the White House says, has cut bottlenecks dramatically. As for the Key Bridge, it's not in such great shape—Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood exhorted Congress to spend some money fixing it up soon, lest Obama give his next Georgetown speech in front of a pile of floating rubble. +1

You Don't Have To Go Home, But You Can't Stay Here: The last time bad weather settled in during a wintertime rush hour, the city hit levels of gridlock not seen again until the August earthquake. Theoretically, that'll change this winter. Instead of letting everyone go whenever they feel like leaving, the federal government will tell workers when to leave or tell them to stay until roads are clear. We still recommend tele-commuting the next time it snows, though. +2

Boots Off: Budget cuts have left city and state governments around the country trying to do—as the irritatingly chipper phrase has it—more with less, and D.C. is no exception. The latest round of cuts, though, may be good news to anyone who has a habit of parking illegally: The District Department of Public Works has laid off 30 people, cutting in half the number of parking enforcement officers devoted to booting cars. -1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 37 Today's score: +1 Today's Needle rating: 38

I Feel The Earth Move: Last summer, the D.C. area shook through a 3.6 magnitude earthquake. 2010: Consider yourself topped. A 5.8 magnitude quake centered 87 miles away (near Mineral, Va.) and about 4 miles underground rumbled this afternoon, forcing buildings to be evacuated, damaging some facilities, and generally freaking everyone the fuck out. The good news: There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or truly devastating damage. The bad news: There may also be a hurricane on the way. -7

Silly Rabbit, Fireworks Are For July: The annual Independence Day fireworks show draws a big crowd. Which may be why Glenn Neff planned to do his own, authorities say: As part of a protest against the banking industry, he was going to set off a bunch of explosives on the Mall. Neff, 27, of Stuart, Fla., was found sitting in his car in Cabin John Regional Park with fireworks, a turret, and tubes to launch them. The bankers, we presume, remain unconcerned. -2

Tickets R Us: In these troubled economic times, tax revenues are dropping, leaving city budgets around the country strapped. The District, though, has a backup plan. Last year, D.C. collected more than $80 million from parking tickets; this year, it had already picked up $50 million through May. That puts it on a pace ahead of Chicago, the third-biggest city in the nation (D.C. is only the 24th-biggest). The revenue may not solve all of D.C.'s financial woes, though: AAA claims 47 percent of tickets were dismissed when contested. +1

Fully Fed: Going to a food bank to feed your family is, by definition, a last resort for people who can't afford to buy groceries. So when the Capital Area Food Bank had to implement a 10 cent-per-pound fee to other food distribution centers to pay for fresh produce, it was a bad sign. But William Conway, managing director of the Carlyle Group, has stepped in with a $1 million donation to cover the costs the fee was going to pay for. Conway, one of the 400 richest people in the country, also gave $5 million to the food bank last year. +2

Yesterday's Needle rating: 69 Today's score: -6 Today's Needle rating: 63

No Free Parking: These days, municipal governments need to scramble to find every spare dollar they can. Which is why the District is extending its free research program as part of a parking ticket amnesty—the program, which was set to end today, has already brought in nearly $400,000 from scofflaws taking advantage of the chance to pay up with no penalty. City officials will look up in their records to see if you owe them money until Sept. 9; they expect to bring in $6.3 million by the time it's over. +3

This Is A Robbery And A Burgeoning Trend: If hysteria over teenagers in Gallery Place wasn't enough for you, just wait. Word comes today from Montgomery County that police believe as many as three dozen teens marched into a Germantown 7-Eleven, took snacks and drinks, and left without paying—which, probably because the term "flash mob" got way too much exposure a few years ago, is known as a flash mob robbery. Expect dire predictions of riots next. -2

How Do You Mend A Broken Art: When Susan Burns slashed a Paul Gaugin painting in April, it didn't take long to figure out the underlying cause; she told police she was "from the American CIA" and had a radio in her head, and she was taken for mental health screening after being arrested. Apparently whatever treatment she got wasn't enough, as Burns was arrested again late Friday for storming into the National Gallery again and smashing Henri Matisse's "The Plumed Hat" against the wall, damaging its frame. No word on whether the CIA is still involved. -2

Hail Victory: Winning a preseason game gets an NFL team about as far toward the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl trophy as signing an official flooring partner does, which is to say, not very. But we won't complain after the Washington Redskins managed to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers Friday night in their preseason debut, despite the fairly significant handicap of playing Rex Grossman as their starting QB. (Grossman may soon be benched for John Beck, who probably also counts as a detriment on paper.) Time to be optimistic, at least until next week. +1

Friday's Needle rating: 67 Today's score: 0 Today's Needle rating: 67

The Adams Morgan Bogeyman Succeeded: Unsurprisingly, ANC 2B voted against the liquor license application for a restaurant in the old post office building on 14th and T streets NW. Borderstan reports that a large mix of supporters and opponents turned out to the meeting, and that "the now famous fliers distributed on Tuesday — warning that T Street was going to become like Adams Morgan — were the work of the partner of the ANC Commissioner for Single Member District 2B09, Ramon Estrada. Roughly half the attendees left the meeting room after the presentation." One ANC 2B  commissioner comments on the post, writing "As one of the Commissioners that voted to support the protest, I appreciate this fair write up of the meeting last night. My vote was not because I object to this project; I think it is a great opportunity and will ultimately be successful. Rather, because of the location next to an apartment building. These residents deserve an opportunity to have issues such as noise and parking address. The VA process will allow this. The application actually does a great job adhering to our new public space guidelines, so that will likely not be controversial."

If You Can't Run With the Big Dogs: Penn Quarter Living writes about the challenges of small gun owners in D.C. (who go elsewhere—to Virginia—to play with their toys): "We know we’re in the minority as a shooter with our one complaint about these ranges, but here it goes:  as a person shooting a 22 rifle it can be a little distracting to stand next to people firing 50 caliber BMG’s, shotguns, and other high powered firearms.  We’re not suggesting these popular guns shouldn’t be allowed, but do wish there were a better way of assigning booths by caliber of firearm, rather than the seemingly random way they do now.  You can come out of the ranges feeling shell shocked after standing next to a shooter packing the same firepower as your average Call of Duty character." One commenter continues the gun chat, writing "Anything higher and a 22 is just friggin loud. Regarding carry across lines, as I remember, your purpose has to be for legit reasons like practice or sport. And logically it has to be unloaded, but if you took a DC approved firearms class this would have been covered. Other places don’t have the same hangups as DC does about guns, so the MD friends who introduced us to shooting, while we were vacationing in VA, had us drive over to WV to a free range. That’s about 3 states there. Anyway, when we got to the open air range in WV there was a guy there with a banana clipped gun and a pistol. Whenever he shot off that AK-47 looking thing I ducked, even though I was behind him. Scary, friggin, loud. Then I was given ear protection and all was well."

Performing for Parking: In response to a Greater Greater Washington post about performance parking and Circulator fares proposed by Councilmember Tommy Wells, his constituents in ANC 6A are highly supportive—and have a few more suggestions to add. On the ANC's email list, one member writes, "I would also like to see something done to residents that have 2, 3 and 4 vehicles and trying to park them all on the same one-way street taking parking spaces from other residents. You can only drive 1 vehicle at a time so they shouldn't be allowed to park all of them on their street. Also, something needs to be done with the folks who doesn't have a residential parking sticker or a visitor parking pass and on the 1500 Block of Queen Street NE, more people are parking and leaving their vehicles because they know they are not getting a ticket." Another adds, "The 2001 H Street Strategic Neighborhood Action Plan group was the first in the city to suggest graduated rates for parking permit fees. Since the spaces are worth a couple thousand dollars/year, it seems reasonable to charge more.  Toronto charges from $18-$50/month + tax. I've been writing about this for 5-6 years. This is one of the many subsidies of automobile use that most motor vehicle owners take for granted and believe is an entitlement—and then turn around and complain about 'subsidies' to transit and other forms of mobility."

No Longer Angry Birds: One member of the Brookland email list inquires, "Over the past week we have found several dead birds in our yard. Is anyone else encountering an excessive amount of dead birds?" They're not alone: Another adds, "I have recently seen a few dead birds around the neighborhood lately. Hopefully 5 years from now we won't find out that the air and water that we (along with the birds) breathe and drink is actually poisonous and toxic, not sure if you remember last year when hundreds of dead birds were found out West somewhere. The issue certainly deserves some research."

These Tulips Are Not For You: Inspired by a sign on a neighbor's garden asking passerby not to pick the flowers, Park View D.C. ponders whether guerilla floristry is becoming endemic: "Has anyone else had a problem with passersby helping themselves to the flowers in their garden?" One commenter believes so, writing, "My poor wife is so discouraged that someone keeps snipping her tulips on the 3600 block of Park Place. She keeps adding, they keep helping themselves. I’d love to catch them in the act."

Domestic Issues: River East Idealist reports that the issues surrounding the Brandywine Crossing Condominiums in Washington Highlands—whose property management company allegedly stole $100,000 from the condo association—are only getting worse: "There are 3 pressing issues affecting my condo association: the vacant building across the street, stolen funds by Esquire Federal City, and now structural problems (falling ceilings and mold)." Congress Heights on the Rise goes long on when bad developers happen to good people.

Apparently, Only Old People Drive—Ever: The debate over whether the forthcoming Babe's Billiards redevelopment will have parking—and whether Tenleytown residents will be severely effected if there isn't a lot—is still raging. It's also swiftly devolved into a muddled argument for and against aging in place. One residents writes in favor of the development, saying "Yes, the Babe's redevelopment will almost certainly have a negative impact on my parking situation on 42nd Street. I'll end up having to walk a little bit further from my car to my house when I come home from work. Is that the end of the world? The benefits of a brand new development on that corner, with all it can do for quality of life and property values in this neighborhood, FAR outweigh the minor inconvenience of an extra half-block walk." But another thinks that the lack of a parking lot is a direct hit to older residents in the neighborhood and ties less on-street parking to quality of life: "No question — poor parking means a neighborhood  that is going to have much younger demographics than a neighborhood with adequate parking...Is it to be our position that no elderly people should continue to live near the Tenleytown Metro, no matter what the area was like when they bought their homes years ago?  Is it to be DC policy that the elderly have no business living in a young persons haven?"

Give and Take: One member of the Takoma email list asks, "Does anyone know where I could purchase a stack of clean newsprint paper?" The only suggestion offered is, "How much? The art supply stores have newsprint pads. You might call Pearl Paint on Rockville Pike and ask. They might have large packs. Otherwise Google." But were they looking for dirt, they'd be in luck. Another list member offers, "We're renovation our house near Walter Reed and will have about 15 cubic yards of dirt to remove. Anybody need any fill dirt?"

Phone Takeover of Modern Life, Continued: Pay phones are already something of a relic. Now it seems parking meters could be another piece of ancient history for the next generation. D.C. government officials announced today you can now pay for parking using your smartphone. The parking app will not, alas, help free up available spots—or help you learn to parallel park better. +3

Ready, Aim, Fire: Emergency management officials have long urged citizens to have plans for what to do when they need to escape in a hurry. This morning, we all got to see who did and didn't have those plans in place, as enormous loud booms—sounding for all the world like the End of Days had arrived—began sounding around the District. Turns out there was no need to flee; Arlington National Cemetery was conducting training exercises that, apparently, involved explosions. (Once the training was done, presumably the cemetery could get back to burying veterans in the wrong place.) -2

Winning: For years, the fact that Two and a Half Men was among the top 20 rated TV shows in America was a reliable sign that the country had gone astray. Now we have a more alarming sign: Charlie Sheen's solo tour. It stops in D.C. tonight, and for some reason, hundreds of people bought tickets. (If you're one of them, this may help.) Sheen, who launched his tour with a disastrous show in Detroit, has already announced that he'll be an hour late tonight. Which, we can only assume, means the show will actually be sometime next week. -1

WiFree: Beginning in 2007, Reagan National and Dulles International airports offered WiFi to travelers for a fee. Beginning now, they'll offer WiFi free for everyone—though they'll also allow you to pay for Internet access if you want. Prediction: This will lead to a significant increase in Twitter complaints about the fact that you still have to take those shuttle things at Dulles to fly from certain gates. +1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 64 Today's score: +1 Today's Needle rating: 65

Tag, You're It: Park View D.C. looks at the prolific work of neighborhood tagger "nero"—with pictures!—intending to highlight why his graffiti is a blight on the neighborhood. But some commenters feel that publicly shaming the tagger isn't the best way to get him or her (or them?) to stop. Writes one commenter, "With all due respect for your blog, which I look at daily, you are only giving these guys the attention they want, need, and never had by posting this with pictures of their 'art' work. How about you challenge the city to pick up where Fenty and his team left off? They had a rapid response to this plague. How about the power of your blog pointing out the weaknesses in the DC graffiti clean up system (shame is powerful,) and give directions to those effected. Sorry but I hate this crap these lonely criminals spread around town, like a dog marking its territory." Then again, another says, "I disagree...I laughed at the thought of these thugs finding and reading this cerebral, cheery blog."

Yes, No, Maybe So: In light of the recent demonstration of civil disobedience for civil rights by D.C.'s councilmembers and mayor, The Hill is Home is polling readers on whether or not they want statehood for the District. At the time of this posting, 143 have voted yes, 62 no, and 12 have voted "other." However, many commenters took to the space to air why they wouldn't support statehood. One says, "I would vastly prefer the tax treatment afforded those who live in Puerto Rico, the USVI, Guam, etc to statehood. This is particularly true given the cast of clowns who make up DC’s political class (apologies to Tommy Wells), who would likely make an even bigger mockery of DC than they already have – I mean, Vince Gray as a governor? Fully Loaded as a, well, anything?!" Another is equally skeptical, asking "Explain for me the Constitutional basis you think DC can be a state. Is there ANY way that wouldn’t involve getting 75% of the states to agree to it? Does anyone seriously believe that 38 of 50 states will agree to DC Statehood?"

My Car Over You: The Tenleytown email list is in hot debate over whether or not the redevelopment of the old Babe's Billiards will include ample parking. The parcel, located near the Tenleytown Metro station and owned by Douglas Development, is slated for apartments with ground floor retail. But the structure isn't what's bothering residents. Rather, one list member writes, "I'd love to see a good use of the Babe's space. My only non-negotiable concern is that it should have ample parking, so that it's inhabitants/customers do not take neighborhood street parking. I noticed too late that there is virtually no parking at our new library. Which means that when someone gets too old to walk there, they will have to drive to the Bethesda Libraries. No welcome mat at the new library for people who are not hearty. It's not smart to pretend that cars can be wished into irrelevance in the name of 'smart growth." But one staunch defender of that most dreaded "smart growth" writes, "Ample parking, since this is one block from the Tenley metro station and will be served by two Circulator routes? More parking only encourages more driving."

Cleveland Park, ISO: With access to what's arguably the city's most active email list, Cleveland Park residents aren't shy about asking for nannies or babysitters fluent in languages other than English. Typically, French or German are preferred, but the most recent In Search Of is a bit unusual: "We are looking for a Dutch speaking baby sitter, 2 or 3 hours a day, during the month of July, to take care of our daughter, 5 years old. The best would even be 'Flemish Speaking', so to speak."

Experts Weigh In: The House is setting up a fight with the White House over school vouchers for low-income D.C. students, which the Obama administration is opposing on the theory that Congress really shouldn't be deciding who goes to which schools in the District. And like all issues, the future of D.C. education policy can be easily reduced to snappy soundbites from political operatives who have no stake in and know nothing about the situation! Just ask Georgia state Sen. Judson Hill, a Republican who bills himself as "the conservative leader who delivers," and muses to Politico: "Parents should have the say in their children's education before teachers or a union. Restricting parents control and supporting unions first only reinforces the fact that the president is not on the side of children." Pithy! Thanks for contributing your generic talking points to our local issues, Sen. Hill; it only, uh, "reinforces the fact" that D.C. should be run by Washingtonians. -1

Only Voters Pay Fines: When they're not writing legislation affecting a city they like to pretend they never even set foot in, members of Congress apparently like to spend their time parking illegally and running red lights. An investigation by Roll Call finds at least $15,000 in unpaid tickets pending against cars owned or driven by lawmakers (though some, like would-be New York Mayor Anthony Weiner, paid their tab when the paper called them). City law allows members of Congress to park without paying meters wherever they like as long as they're on official business—which seems like a decent provision to revisit in our time of budgetary crises. -2

There's Something About a Tweet That's Magic: Traveling between D.C. and points north by rail often means delays of uncertain causes and lengths. But now, thanks to the power of social networking, it will mean delays of uncertain causes and lengths with 140 character rationalizations—Amtrak has launched what it's calling a "pilot program" to tweet out status updates for major problems, using the catchy Twitter handle @AmtrakNEC (for Northeast Corridor). If all goes well, maybe next they'll start sending LinkedIn requests to Acela passengers. +1

Cars to Pedestrians, Cyclists—Drop Dead: Getting around the District without the protective cushioning of at least a ton of steel, plastic, glass, and a combustion engine is increasingly dangerous. Last year, the number of people hit by cars increased 25 percent over the year before; by now, three times a day, someone meets the business end of a vehicle. (Follow @StruckDC for a grisly tally.) Officials just kicked off a new campaign aimed at pedestrian and bike safety, which will include ticketing... pedestrians and cyclists. The good news: Once they're on the ground, they're very easy to hit with a ticket. -2

Yesterday's Needle rating: 63 Today's score: -4 Today's Needle rating: 59

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—"Defense Hounds Cops for Questioning Robert Wone's Sexuality," "Wone Investigators Found No Fingerprints On Fence"

Howdy. Today, the D.C. Council votes on the budget. Expect a lot of activity down at the Wilson Building. And a lot of political gamesmanship. WaPo's Tim Craig offers a solid think piece on the negotiations between Mayor Adrian Fenty and the D.C. Council. It certainly does not look good for the Fair Budget Coalition and the Save Our Safety Net folks who pressed for tax increases on the city's elite as a way of preventing millions in cuts to social services. Craig writes that the council and the mayor do not seem willing to make the really hard choices during an election year. "When the D.C. Council votes on the budget Wednesday, it will make some major changes to the city's 2011 spending plan, including a sales tax on carbonated sugar sodas and on medical marijuana. But members have tabled many proposals for fear that they — not the mayor — would be tagged as having increased taxes or made crippling cuts to social service programs. With Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray challenging Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's reelection bid this year, neither wants to be perceived as the bad guy, causing some to fear that District finances could collapse next year when the shadow of politics lifts from the city budget." Key quote: "'We are saying it's too onerous to do this year,' council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), the chairman of the Committee on Finance and Revenue, said recently about his colleagues' hesitance to discuss major spending reductions or tax increases. 'However, next year, at the same time, at this exact place, we are going to have to do it. . . . There is no savings account left.'" Meanwhile, WUSA9 looks at the possibility of a commuter tax. More coverage via WTOP, WJLA.

SODA TAX IS BACK: Late yesterday evening, WaPo's Tim Craig (again!) reports in the D.C. Wire that Council Chair Vincent Gray has revived the soda tax in a last-minute effort to shore up the budget. Craig writes: "Gray has included another form of beverage tax in his recommended fiscal year 2011 budget, the Washington Post has learned. The revised proposal, which comes despite fierce opposition from the beverage industry, would extend the city's 6 percent sales tax to sodas and other 'non-alcoholic beverages with natural or artificial sweeteners.' Such beverages currently are excluded from the sales tax because they are considered grocery items. The proposal, which will be voted on by the council Wednesday, would generate about $8 million in revenue. About $6.5 million would be used to fund Cheh's Healthy Schools initiative, which requires city schools serve more fresh fruits and vegetables to students. The remainder of the revenue would go into the general fund." The Blimpies Lobby totally failed on this one!

AFTER THE JUMP—housing and homeless services still taking hits, the death of the $3 per-hour parking meter, Save our Safety Net disrupts D.C. Council breakfast, Congress proposes aid to Metro, and much, much more!

SAFETY NET CUTS: The D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute reports that after all the protests and lobbying from nonprofit groups, the D.C. Council has not restored funding to several programs. It looks like housing assistance and homeless services are still taking big hits in this budget. [But let's make sure to keep on funding $400,000 dog parks]. Here is a breakdown provided by DCFPI:

"Rapid Housing: $1.1 million cut, eliminating the program
This program keeps kids with their parents when the risk of homelessness threatens to force children into the foster care system. It also supports children aging out of foster care who have nowhere to go. Every dollar invested in it saves four dollars in foster care costs that year. Eliminating this program, which helps 150 families per year, will push children into the foster care system.

Grandparent Caregiver: $2 million cut
This program keeps children out of foster care by giving grandparents financial support to take care of grandchildren. This $2 million cut means 250 grandparents will lose assistance. Also, assistance to grandparents could be cut as much as $380 per month. More children will be forced to enter the foster care system.

Emergency Rental Assistance: $1.3 million cut
This program helps low-income families stay in their homes and out of shelters by providing one-time assistance to pay overdue rent or a security deposit or first month’s rent.. The $1.3 million cut will put another 650 families at risk of homelessness.

Interim Disability Assistance: $6 million cut
IDA provides temporary cash assistance to poor adults with disabilities while they wait for months or even years for their application for federal Supplemental Security Income to be processed. For most recipients it is the only source of financial support they receive besides food stamps during that time. The Council has restored only $1 million to the IDA program, leaving a $6 million cut. Every $1 million restored would provide benefits for 300 low-income adults with disabilities.

Homeless Services: $4 million cut
Family homelessness increased 37 percent in two years. Last winter, 200 families were crammed into space suitable for only 135. This month, the Department of Human Services has turned away homeless families with children who have absolutely no other place to go. Yet the budget for homeless services was cut $4 million in 2010 and kept at that level for 2011.

Local Rent Supplement Program: $1 million cut
This program provides housing vouchers for very low income families. Many families that benefit from this program were homeless prior to participating in it. $2 million was cut from LSRP last year. The Council has restored $1 million. Restoring the remaining $1 million would help 75 families get safe and affordable housing."

BREAKFAST SLAM: This morning, Save Our Safety Net surprised the D.C. Council's morning breakfast meeting with a protest, D.C. Wire reports, in what amounts to a last-minute appeal to restore cuts to the District budget. It appears Councilmember Michael Brown has at least temporarily given up on his tax-increase proposal. WaPo's Tim Craig writes: "'D.C. deserves better than this,'" one woman began shouting. 'We want to know who is going to stand up today for a strong safety net.' The advocates are lobbying in support of a proposal by council member Michael Brown (I-At large) to increase taxes on the wealthy to spare some cuts to social service programs. Brown's proposal would impose income tax rates of 8.9 or 9.4 percent for top wage earners. But Brown said today he will not push for his proposal at today's meeting because he is comfortable that the council is already restoring funding for key social service programs. 'We are going to have to revisit this later this year, definitely next year,' Brown told the Washington Post's Mike DeBonis. 'I got [the cuts] restored in another way.' The crowd, which forced many members to flee their breakfast meeting while they awaited for the security guards to restore order, spent about 10 minutes shouting various chants. 'Can you guys leave so we can have our' meeting, Council member Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7) said one point."

$3 PARKING METERS: The Examiner's Alan Suderman has more on the budget negotiations. He reports that Gray has ruled out Fenty's proposed $3 per-hour rate on some parking meters: "What's not expected to change is the council's rejection of Mayor Adrian Fenty's proposal to raise parking meter rates, including charging $3 an hour — or 25 cents for five minutes — for so called 'premium demand' spots in downtown and Georgetown. Fenty proposed them as part of a way to bridge a more than $500 million budget gap. But the proposed meter rate increases created an uproar from restaurant owners and Fenty quickly said the $3-an-hour rates were negotiable. John Townsend, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said the rejection of the fees was a 'victory' for city residents. 'You cannot nickel and dime people to death with fees,' Townsend said. 'I think the council got the message.'"

METRO FARE HIKE NEWS: The Examiner's Kytja Weir reports that eight Democratic senators have introduced a $2 billion bill aimed at aiding transit agencies: "The Public Transportation Preservation Act of 2010 would help transit agencies nationwide help close funding gaps that have occurred amid the broader economic crisis. The bill arrived just two days before Metro's board of directors is slated to vote on a fare increase that would raise bus, rail and MetroAccess fares significantly, with the longest train rides potentially topping $5 per one-way trip. The transit agency is considering the increases as it stares down a record $189.2 million gap in its proposed $1.4 billion operating budget. 'We have a major budget problem, and anything we can do to solve that without taking money from somewhere else would make us happy,' Metro Board Chairman Peter Benjamin said when told of the bill. But he said he had questions about it, including the funding formula that dictates how much Metro could get, what strings would be attached and when it would arrive....Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., plus seven other senators, including Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced the bill. It calls for transit agencies to use the money to reduce fare increases and restore services that were cut after January 2009 — or to prevent future service cuts or fare increases through September 2011. Under those parameters, Metro could apply any money to backfill the current budget or the pending one."

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS: WaPo's Lena Sun profiles the work between the Children's Law Center and local doctors: "As part of a medical-legal partnership that began in 2002, lawyers work alongside doctors at four District clinics run by the hospital. Their shared goal is to overcome legal and social challenges that threaten the care of their patients — low-income children, predominantly African American, and virtually all covered by Medicaid."

TOURISM NEWS: WBJ's Michael Neibauer reports that DCRA is making it easier for tour guides to get city licenses: "Under existing law, tour guides must also not be epileptics. They must not be new Washington-area residents, or hard of hearing, or a drunkard or 'subject to vertigo.' But that will soon change, as the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has proposed easing the conditions for becoming a licensed tour guide. All applicants will still have to pass a test 'covering the applicant’s knowledge of buildings and points of historical and general interest in the District.' But under the new rules, gone is the mandate that a licensed sightseeing guide be a U.S. citizen who has lived in the Washington area for at least two years. Gone is the demand that an applicant 'read, write and speak English;' it is replaced with 'proficient in the English language.' No longer must an aspiring guide maintain a 'sound physique' with at least 20/40 eyesight and hearing in both ears, not live with epilepsy, vertigo or heart trouble, and be free from any contagious or infectious disease. And a 'drunkard,' according to the amended rules, is free to apply."

UNION'S FADING INFLUENCE: Examiner Columnist Jonetta Rose Barras thinks union endorsements are way overrated (see: Linda Cropp).

LOCAL MYSTERY: WaPo's J. Freedom du Lac tries to figure out what happened to Hattie McDaniel's Oscar. It had been given to Howard University's theater department and then vanished: "When she died of breast cancer in 1952, McDaniel bequeathed her Oscar to Howard's drama department, which had honored the pioneering actress with a luncheon after her win. (McDaniel had no academic affiliation with the school.) Howard archivists say there's no official record that the university ever received the award, which was a plaque, not one of the iconic Oscar statuettes. (Supporting actor and actress winners didn't get statuettes until 1943.) But former students vividly recall seeing it in the school's fine-arts building, Childers Hall. Charles "Buddy" Butler, a theater major who graduated from Howard in 1968, says he saw the plaque displayed in a glass-enclosed case in the Childers greenroom. The university's drama chairman at the time, Owen Dodson, 'was so proud of having it at Howard,' says Butler, who now teaches theater at San Jose State University in California. 'Dodson talked about it as something we, as African American students, could aspire to.' Sometime after Butler graduated, though, McDaniel's award vanished. Gone, as it were, with the wind. Was it taken by student protesters to repudiate the subservience of McDaniel's Mammy? The Wikipedia entry on McDaniel states as fact that her Oscar "disappeared during racial unrest [at Howard] in the late 1960s." (One version of that popular theory has students tossing the award into the Potomac.) Other theories abound: Maybe the plaque was moved for safekeeping during a period of black-power protest and never made it back to its display case. A professor might have walked away with it. Perhaps it was stolen, then sold to a collector. Any of this could have happened in 1968. Or was it 1973?"

POLICE CHASE: A police chase ends in crash; the suspect got away. D.C. Police make arrests in two cold case murders, NC8 reports.

ROBERT WONE: The latest from the trial in D.C. Superior Court.

ICE CREAM NEWS: The downtown Gifford's recently got shut down by the city's health department. DCist reports that the shop hopes to open soon.

MAYOR'S SCHEDULE: No public events are scheduled.

D.C. COUNCIL SCHEDULE: You know what they're doing.

This morning, Department of Public Works staffer Kevin Twine sent an email to several Northwest D.C. neighborhood listservs, informing residents of the ticketing snafu:

"To ease the parking burden created by the Nuclear Security Summit, the DC Department of Public Works issued a news release April 9, 2010 advising motorists that vehicles parked within the boundaries below, between April 12-14, would not be ticketed for residential street cleaning.  Some motorists did receive these tickets in error and the tickets will be voided automatically.

Streets within which street cleaning ticketing was suspended from April 12 to 14:

• Florida Avenue, NW (northern boundary).
• H Street, NW (southern boundary).
• 5^th Street, NW (eastern boundary).
• 15^th Street, NW (western boundary).

Please contact me directly if you have any problems.  I do apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.

 Regards,

Kevin"

Examiner's Michael Neibauer was first to report this morning that Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. got his car booted last week.

He had failed to pay four tickets incurred by his 2007 Audi Q7 SUV, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Audi was parked in a rush hour zone on Sept. 21; parked in a street-cleaning zone on Oct. 8; parked in a loading zone on Nov. 17; and parked in a bus stop on Dec. 15.

Thomas told Neibauer on Sunday that they were "not valid tickets," which comports with what he told LL on Friday afternoon. Actually, Thomas was somewhat more conciliatory: "I pay my tickets and pay my violations like any other citizen," he said. "I am law-abiding citizen. I follow the rules."

But Thomas was more interested in talking about how LL (and Neibauer) came to find out about his booting.

He pointed out how embarrassing stories have emerged about various foes of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, including Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray home-improvement troubles.

"I have been one of those adversaries," Thomas said. "'Conspiring against the councilmember' is what I'd say to you. That tells you what level it's gotten to...This is this administration trying to feed you stuff."

Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't; the photo above was e-mailed to LL from one "John Doe."

Moral of the story: Pay your parking tickets.

A Capitol Hill resident sent City Paper a pic of a sign she found on the 1200 block of I Street NE that threatens just that. Attached to a recycling container, the signage apparently is meant to reserve a snow-free parking spot the writer likely killed himself (like the rest of us) to dig out. "Park here and you better have a good spare. You'll need it! Promise," warns the text.

Though Snowmageddon is technically over, streets are still burdened with enough white stuff to make parking scarce. That's why some residents, like the signmaker, have resorted to staking out parking space with objects or signs or both. Of course, spot-marking isn't legal in D.C.  Answering a question about the practice on a Metropolitian Police Department listserv post, First District Commander David Kamperin lets residents know they should feel free to take their neighborhoods back from spot hogs.

"Items placed on public space should be moved. I hope residents can assist with this- if we [the police] do this we will have to likely seize items of value left on public space, do a report and place it on our property book. If necessary we will but instead of pulling officers off the street I would suggest residents put them up on curb space or call 311 and have DPW/DDOT pick up as abandoned."

Abandoned chairs! Abandoned garbage cans! Abandoned orange cones?

Contacted for followup, Kamperin makes clear the reports he's received of parking space monopolization don't really fall under MPD's purview: "All those complaints have been directed to contact DDOT and DPW as appropriate to enforce and remove abandoned property left on the street."

DPW spokesperson Nancee Lyons recognizes the city is up against a difficult situation: "I think this is becoming a big problem because people are threatening other people. They're doing it on my neighborhood listserv and folks have been bickering back and forth all week over people reserving parking spaces." Despite the growing tumult, though, Lyons says that she knows of no violations issued by DPW or DDOT to anyone for bogarting a parking space.

"I guess the assumption is that it is a short-term problem that we hope will quickly work itself out, " she says.

Van Buren Street NW, February 13