IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—"Defense Challenges Alleged 'Wipe Marks' On Victim Robert Wone In Cover Up Case," "Toxic D.C. Tap Water Tops Off Week of Gloomy Health News," "DHCD Releases Almost-Final Draft of Five-Year Plan"

Howdy. How do we not start things off with this story? WaPo's Tim Craig reports that D.C. high school students and college-age men have complained that the free condoms the city gives out are of poor quality and are too small. The story, as any story on government and sex ed must include, introduces us all to something called WrapMC. I'm guessing this is an Olympic-style mascot to teach kids sex-ed. Or maybe not. Craig reports: "High school students and college-age adults have been complaining to District officials that the free condoms the city has been offering are not of good enough quality and are too small and that getting them from school nurses is 'just like asking grandma or auntie.' So D.C. officials have decided to stock up on Trojan condoms, including the company's super-size Magnum variety, and they have begun to authorize teachers or counselors, preferably male, to distribute condoms to students if the teachers complete a 30-minute online training course called 'WrapMC' — for Master of Condoms. 'If people get what they don't want, they are just going to trash them,' said T. Squalls, 30, who attends the University of the District of Columbia. "So why not spend a few extra dollars and get what people want?'...Because Trojans are considered the better-known brand, city officials say, they are willing to spend an extra few thousand dollars a year to try to persuade sexually active teenagers to practice safer sex. The Durex condoms will still be offered." Trojan needs to do an entire ad campaign around this story. More coverage via The Examiner.

PRAYING OVER GUNS: D.C. Activists held a pray-in on the Hill to protest a bill that would gut the city's gun laws. D.C. Wire's Mike DeBonis reports: "The targeting of Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) was organized by D.C. Vote and featured three clergy members — the Rev. Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness, president of the Council of Churches of Greater Washington; the Rev. Mark A. Schaefer, a Methodist chaplain at American University; and Roger Burns of the Friends Meeting of Washington. They were joined by D.C. Vote Executive Director Ilir Zherka and Outreach Director Eugene D. Kinlow. The bill in question was co-introduced last month by Tester and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and would 'make it easier to buy guns and ammunition in the District and to repeal local registration and firearm storage requirements,' according to an article by The Post's Ann E. Marimow....The protesters arrived at Tester's offices in the Hart Senate Office Building shortly before 9:30 and waited in the lobby for about 30 minutes. The five stood in a circle, taking turns saying prayers as receptionists typed and answered calls. Once he arrived, Tester spoke outside with the activists for about 10 minutes." Key graph(s): "Tester was polite but noncommittal. 'I appreciate the perspective,' he told them. 'If I'm going to be right straight honest with you, we can agree to disagree. I get the local control stuff. I appreciate that. The 2nd Amendment stuff is a little more firm in my soul because of where it is in the Constitution.' Holness pressed Tester on whether or not he might decide to withdraw his support of the bill.
'Gosh, no, I can't,' the senator said." I get the local control stuff. Thanks, asshole.

AFTER THE JUMP—D.C. Council loves soda, reading scores are up, new bike lane troubles, Gray snags an important endorsement.

SODA TAX FALLS FLAT: The Examiner's Alan Suderman reports that Councilmember Mary Cheh's proposed tax on sodas is all but dead. And Cheh had Morgan Freeman making calls, lobbying! Suderman writes: "Several council members had a litany of complaints against Cheh's proposal, including that the tax applies too broadly, hurts lower-income families, and hadn't followed the typical procedural process. Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. said that Cheh's taxes would apply to sports drinks like Gatorade and Muscle Milk. He said he doesn't think residents should have to pay an extra 20 cents on a bottle of sports drink. Thomas said he'd received a call from the actor Morgan Freeman seeking support of Cheh's tax. 'Mr. Freeman I love you, but what about the Gatorade drinker,' Thomas said was his response." Yes, what about the Gatorade Drinker? For those non-exercise freaks, Muscle Milk may be as gross as it sounds. More coverage via D.C. Wire.

GOOD NEWS OUT OF DCPS: Reading scores are up in a sort of impressive way. WaPo's Nick Anderson reports: "A federal study of trends in 11 major urban school systems shows that only one has made significant gains in reading achievement since 2007 in fourth and eighth grades: D.C. Public Schools. The finding emerges from an analysis of 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress data made public Thursday....Despite the advances, the 44,500-student system continues to trail far behind schools in the suburbs, other big cities and the nation. It faces huge challenges to further improvement related to poverty in many parts of the nation's capital and troubles within its schools." More coverage via The Examiner.

WaPo's editorial board uses the scores to pen its millionth mash note to Michelle Rhee and make the case that she remain chancellor no matter the outcome in November: "Given the mounting evidence of positive movement, we continue to wonder why everyone in this city would not seek to ensure that Ms. Rhee stays in office. But we worry that progress could fall victim to the battle for mayor between Mr. Fenty and Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray. If reelected, Mr. Fenty would retain the chancellor; indeed, school reform is the centerpiece of his reelection bid. Mr. Gray's intentions are less clear; he says that he is open to the chancellor staying, but he also has criticized her leadership. On Thursday, Mr. Gray again reacted with ambivalence, welcoming the improvement in test scores while noting that 'real school reform is about more than test scores and cannot be the only barometer of achievement.' That's certainly true, but what other barometers is he examining, and what is he seeing there? If Mr. Gray doesn't think the city is making sufficient progress, we hope he will say so and explain what he would do differently."

COMMUTER TAX: WBJ's Michael Neibauer reports that the D.C. Council is considering the tax: "D.C. Council members said Thursday they would back budget language to implement a commuter income tax through an amendment to the Home Rule Charter. As the council’s second day of televised budget talks got under way, Councilman Harry Thomas, D-Ward 5, raised the issue that has long needled District leaders: A half-million people work in the nation’s capital but live elsewhere, and their income cannot be taxed at the source. Thomas proposed a Home Rule Charter amendment to 'impose any tax on the whole or any portion of the personal income either directly or at source thereof of any individual not a resident of the District.' His colleagues expressed their support. The charter explicitly bars the District from installing a commuter tax, which would raise upward of $500 million a year for the city’s treasury."

BIKE LANES NOT READY: The new bike lanes along Pennsylvania Avenue need work. WTOP's Adam Tuss reports: "While the D.C. Department of Transportation was hoping to officially open the lanes on Bike to Work Day this Friday — the lanes are not ready. 'I have some concerns actually about certain blocks,' Gabe Klein, director of the D.C. Department of Transportation tells WTOP. 'Overall, it is great, but there are certain blocks where the lanes are very wide, and I have seen cars actually enter the lanes because it looks like a car lane.' Klein would not talk about exact locations, but says some major and minor tweaks are needed to the bike lanes before he will be comfortable cutting a ribbon. 'I think we are talking about weeks,' Klein says. 'I question whether the design is perfect at this point, and I really want it to be perfect.' While the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes — running from 15th to 3rd streets in Northwest — are not officially open, bicyclists have already begun using them." More coverage via WUSA9, DCist.

RAPE-KIT BACKLOG: NC8 is reporting that the D.C. Police are making progress to address the backlog in processing rape kits: "In 2000, the department had 800 sexual assault kits that hadn't been tested. Today, it has 270. By 2012, the department hopes to have zero. 'So we're not different in any respect. I don't think as many of them will say they have a plan for eliminating it like we do,' said DC's Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham. District police used to rely on the FBI (web) to test sexual assault kits, but recently built its own crime lab. It's also building a much larger and more sophisticated lab, which should be up and running by fall of 2012."

CAFRITZ SORTA HEARTS GRAY: WaPo's Tim Craig reports that Council Chair Vincent Gray has won an important endorsement in his mayoral run: Peggy Cooper Cafritz. Still, Cafritz has some work to do if she wants to campaign for the man who'd unseat Fenty. Craig writes: "If you were one of the 250 people who attended the D.C. Appleseed dinner that night, you would have never known that Cafritz is rooting for Gray over Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in the September Democratic primary. D.C. Appleseed honored Cafritz with a community achievement award for her record of supporting public education. When Cafritz took the stage, she immediately began telling the crowd of lawyers and community leaders that they need to be 'very careful over the next few months' not to do anything to upset ongoing school reform efforts. 'In Washington D.C. we have the tendency to change one thing before we give it a chance to work,' said Cafritz, in what appeared to an endorsement of Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee....In an interview after the dinner, Cafritz cautioned her speech wasn't designed to try to influence in the mayor's race. In fact, she told the Washington Post she's willing to go public for the first time with her support for Gray. 'He is incredibly smart and he has really devoted his career to public service,' said Cafrtiz."

BOGUS DRUG STORY OF THE WEEK: WTOP reports: "The new drug on the streets is legal but it may not be safe. The herb, most commonly referred to as K-2 but also known as 'Spice' and 'Gold Spice,' is sprayed with a chemical that mimics the high of marijuana. It is being sold in some tobacco stores as well as some bait and tackle shops. Although K2 is marketed as incense and not for human smoking consumption, the product is being smoked by adults and kids. Barbara Carreno, a DEA Public Affairs Officer, says people who have gotten sick have had symptoms including agitation, seizures, hallucinations, and paranoia." The station fails to find a single person who has used the drug; D.C. Police is quoted as saying 'Gold Spice' hasn't turned up in the city.

ROBERT WONE: Paramedic testifies for second day.

LOST: The TV show gets the Hank Stuever treatment on A1: "America, it's so obvious: Millions of you loved 'Lost' because you feel lost."

FAREWELL: Congrats to DCist's Sommer Mathis who announced yesterday that she will be leaving the website for a new gig at TBD.com.

KOJO: On the Politics Hour: "Maryland elections officials wage war against fake political Facebook profiles and Twitter accounts. D.C. lawmakers standoff with the mayor over fee hikes and budget fixes. And Virginia politicians draw battle lines on off-shore drilling."

MAYOR'S SCHEDULE:

8 a.m. Remarks
Bike to Work Day
Location: Freedom Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

10:45 a.m. Remarks
Announcement of the Yes! Organic Market
Location: 2323 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

But non-working hydrants have also been a chronic problem. Back in 2007, after a fire at the Georgetown public library during which the two closest hydrants did not work, fire union officials said that nearly 10 percent of hydrants were out of service and that the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority was grossly underestimating the problem.

The latest: As of Friday, according to WASA spokeswoman Pamela Mooring, there were 155 out-of-service hydrants across the city, out of approximately 9,000. That's just under 2 percent.

Since 2007, WASA has provided real-time information, via Google Earth, on non-working hydrants, but now may be a good time to check on your neighborhood again.

Mooring said the "good news" is that the number of hydrants given out-of-service rings by D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services, which, along with WASA, inspects hydrants twice a year, has fallen in the last three inspections. WASA has five crews dedicated to repair and four contractor crews working on replacements.

Asked what message WASA has for anyone living near an unusable hydrant, Mooring said: "The out-of-service rings are placed on hydrants by both DC WASA and FEMS as a pre-caution for firefighters, not as a signal to the public. FEMS already has status information available before they even leave the firehouse. Additionally, FEMS has status information on laptops so that they have information available as they drive to the scene of an emergency."

More: "Adding the red out-of-service status ring is an extra precaution for firefighters who frequently make quick decisions to protect property and lives. The water distribution system is redundant so the firefighters have many other hydrants in the area available to them during an emergency and as they are arriving at the scene they can quickly eliminate those with out-of-service rings, and move on to other hydrants in the area."

Still, as one firefighter, Lt. L.A. Matthews of Engine Company 21 in Adams Morgan told City Paper way back in 2006, when there were around 100 hydrants out of service city-wide, by WASA's count: “Even one is too many, especially if it’s in front of my house.”

Morning all. Late last night, we published a piece on the latest mystery woman in Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry's life: Sharon Bowen. Bowen, who resides in Ohio, received $50,000 in contract work from the legendary politico to work on poverty issues in Ward 8. Bowen, our sources say, was also Barry's girlfriend at the time (June 2007 to May 2008). For the piece, we detail her work and interview key players including Barry and Bowen's daughter. Meanwhile, the Hill Rag's The Nose examines Barry's legislative record and finds it lacking in accomplishments. The upshot: many of Barry's bills go nowhere and his priorities seem misplaced.

TREY JOYNER: The U.S. Park Police shooting of Trey Joyner on June 8 is getting a serious look by law enforcement authorities. On that Monday night, four park police cops in plainclothes moved in on Joyner as he was getting out of a car. When the officers tried to arrest him, allegedly a struggle ensued and he was gunned down. Witnesses at the time stated that Joyner was shot in the back and that the officers did not announce themselves. Now, WaPo is reporting that a federal grand jury is getting deep into the case and has subpoenaed an amateur video showing the chaos in Trinidad after the shooting. The WaPo scoop includes an interview with the filmmaker and has the man's video. Fox-5 finds Eleanor Holmes Norton is still fuming over whether or not the U.S. Attorney's Office should be leading the investigation into the shooting. If only all suspicious police shootings got this much attention.

HOMELESS FAMILIES: District officials plan to expand the number of beds for homeless families by 10 percent. But there's a catch: the extra beds will only be available in the winter. WaPo reports that means 75 more beds (WUSA also has the story). Key graphs:

"Nassim Moshiree, a lawyer with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, said the officials who presented the plan seemed overconfident. 'This past spring, 88 families were living at the family shelter at D.C. General Hospital when the capacity was 75,' Moshiree said. 'Some had to stay in the cafeteria. They say they'll only need 75 beds there in the winter, when demand is high now. Where is their Plan B? They need a Plan B.'

Fred Swan, family services administrator for the Department of Human Services, said Moshiree voiced a common complaint. 'To a certain extent, we hear that every year,' Swan said. 'We'll make adjustments as needed.'

AFTER THE JUMP—Cathy Lanier dismisses the controversy over the "police" report in Fenty's car accident, Harry Jaffe continues to hammer away at the Pershing Park case, Fenty signs anti-crime bill, and much, much more.

NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT: D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier doesn't get why the press—and maybe a few readers—are concerned over how the police handled Mayor Fenty's fender bender. "I think there has been a lot of things made out of nothing here," Lanier tells WJLA. Nothing? WaPo has more from Lanier on the accident. Key quote: "'[Fenty] stayed on the scene. The [mayor's] children that were on the scene, were taken from the scene, but he stayed on the scene while the other driver didn't,' Lanier said. 'There are no procedures that were not followed. We thought that it was important to get the report taken and then file the supplemental report when we got the information. The important thing was to take the report, and it was taken, The photos were not taken because the other driver left the scene. The mayor stayed on the scene. He could have left because it was a minor fender-bender — if this was anybody else, they could have exchange information and left the scene.'

MORE TROUBLE FOR PETER NICKLES: The Examiner's Bill Myers is reporting that there's a big conflict brewing betweeen AG Nickles and City Auditor Deborah Nichols. Key graphs: "City Auditor Deborah Nichols says she wants a look at the last few years of books of the Anacostia Waterfront Commission and the National Capital Revitalization Corp. but that Nickles is invoking attorney-client privilege to prevent access to important records. 'It's quite clear that the [Attorney General's Office] is inexplicably attempting to subvert the auditor's authority,' Nichols wrote in a July 2 letter obtained by The Examiner. Nichols called the attorney general's conduct 'unconscionable and unacceptable.'" Nickles says his actions were "appropriate." Myers goes on to explain why Nichols is so interested: "According to a source familiar with Nichols' audit, she also is asking questions about tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees the revitalization corporation paid to Michelle Fenty in 2006 as Mayor Adrian Fenty, then a D.C. councilman, campaigned for the mayor's office. The mayor's wife focuses her practice on global technology transactions and does not appear to have a background in community development." Meanwhile, Harry Jaffe compares the problems in the Pershing Park case to Watergate.

CAFRITZ FIRE: Today, Mayor Fenty plans on announcing the preliminary findings in the city's investigation into the hydrant problems surrounding the Peggy Cooper Cafritz house fire. WaPo reports that WASA has written a letters to City Administrator Neil O. Albert in an apparent attempt to push some of the blame on the Fire Department. Fenty is expected to hold a news conference today near the Cafritz home. WUSA reports that the Fire Department is already taking measures—measures that were recommended in 2007—to prevent such hydrant issues from happening again.

BUDGET TALK: Elissa Silverman and Liz Williams get all ProPublica on the District as they report out what happened to the city's federal stimulus money in the Hill Rag. They find that without the fed's help the District would be in total budget meltdown mode: "The stimulus is helping DC in two key ways. Plummeting tax revenues combined with increased demands for health care and other human services have created gaping holes in state and local government budgets everywhere. The District is no exception. About a quarter of DC’s budget gap this year and next will be plugged by various pots of money made available from the stimulus. Without that critical influx of dollars, the city would have had to make even deeper spending cuts that would have led to more job losses and slowed down our economic recovery."

CRIME BILL: WaPo reports that Mayor Fenty signed the emergency crime bill (minus the tricky anti-gang initiative). Fenty and Lanier praised the bill's new anti-loitering provisions, etc. Fenty still played the spoilsport: the bill's author Councilmember Phil Mendelson did not attend the bill signing photo op. He was not invited. Wondering why? Mendo did not support the anti-gang initiative.

FENTY'S SCHEDULE:
9:00 a.m. Remarks
Chain Bridge Fire Report
Location: 3022 Chain Bridge Road, NW

10:00 a.m. Remarks
Summer School Graduation
Location: Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Ballroom AB Level III

11:45 a.m. Remarks
Potomac Avenue Triangle Park Groundbreaking
Location: Intersection of Potomac Avenue, 13th, and I Streets, SE

1:30 p.m. Remarks
Marvin Gaye Park Groundbreaking
Location: Intersection of Division Avenue and Foote Street, NE

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

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

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

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

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

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

PERSHING PARK: WaPo's editorial board gently nudges AG Peter Nickles to get to explain the problems in a Pershing Park case languishing in U.S. District Court. Last week, a federal judge slammed the OAG's inadequate response to discovery and promised painful sanctions. By our count, this is the third time a federal judge has recently taken OAG to task. Judges have rebuked Nickles and Co. in the CFSA case as well as a Special Ed attorney case. This case stems from the September 27, 2002 mass arrests in Pershing Park. Key newsy graph: "Mr. Nickles told us that he is taking the judge's admonition to heart. He has blamed the city's inability to properly manage records during discovery on a chronic lack of resources, but he said he is reserving judgment on exactly what went wrong in this case until he knows all the facts. It's encouraging that he enlisted former federal judge Stanley Sporkin, who is offering his considerable expertise on a pro bono basis, to advise him." The editorial board suggests Fenty settle the case, and if the the problems aren't cleared up by Nickles, it states that the court should get involved—not the D.C. Council. The editorial states that the D.C. Council isn't fit to investigate since many have already "prejudged the outcome."

HYDRANTS: The Examiner's Jonetta Rose Barras believes Peggy Cooper Cafritz and her neighbors should sue over the faulty hydrants. It's the only way to get some straight answers on the matter.  Key graph: "What's there to investigate about the fire that destroyed the home of former D.C. Board of Education President Peggy Cooper Cafritz on Chain Bridge Road? Either fire hydrants worked or they didn't. Either the water pressure was adequate or it wasn't. It's just that simple. But the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority and fire department are doing the butt-covering dance."

D.C. BUDGET: The DC Fiscal Policy Institute provides a great overview on the District budget and the D.C. Council's moves to make up for the revenue shortfalls. Key graph: "On the positive side, the Council saved programs crucial to the city’s safety net from the chopping block and avoided even deeper funding cuts by raising revenue. Yet some of the tax increases are regressive, meaning they will have a greater financial impact on moderate and low income DC residents."

WHEN SNAKES ATTACK: WJLA/News Channel 8 are reporting that two Southeast residents have been bitten by poisonous copperhead snakes! Key graph: "Forty-eight-year-old Angela Bradford was walking her dog last week when something brushed against her shoe. She bent down to see what it was, and a snake bit her finger. Bradford took a picture of the snake with her cell phone, and doctors determined it was a copperhead. She underwent anti-venom therapy."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—"Jack Evans Says He Still Supports Peter Nickles," "Councilmember Alexander Raises Concerns Over AG Nickles."

Morning all. Last night may have been National Night Out but for Mayor Fenty, it's Greek Week. WaPo breaks the stunning news that the District government actually paid the $37,000 tab for his Kappa Alpha Psi's welcoming party. The bash was held on Monday night and featured an open bar, crab cakes, red velvet cupcakes, and jazz bands tooting on two floors. The Post makes no mention of beer bongs and togas. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development had put out the dough via a grant. AG Peter Nickles apparently has forced Fenty and Co. to reimburse the city for the shindig. But Nickles swears Fenty knew nothing about the city's involvement. Key graphs:

"Attorney General Peter J. Nickles said he looked into the matter Tuesday morning at the request of the mayor. 'I concluded immediately that this was not proper,' said Nickles, who said the society reimbursed the money that morning.

Although the mayor attended the affair and was on stage as fraternity members thanked him for paying for the event, 'he didn't put two and two together that this was money that had come from the city,' Nickles said."

SEX ED NEWS: The District plans to expand its STD testing program into all public high schools. WaPo has the full story on this progressive move. There are plenty of reasons to do this. Key graphs: "The program conducted last year at eight high schools found that 13 percent of about 3,000 students tested positive for an STD, mostly gonorrhea or chlamydia, according to the D.C. Department of Health. The expansion places D.C. public schools in the vanguard of a growing number of urban school districts that test adolescents for STDs. About 12,000 students attend public high schools in the District." The news came within hours of DC Appleseed releasing its report card on how the District is dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis (for public education, the District received a C+). WaPo covers the DC Appleseed's findings noting the overall positive scores: "But the report took Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) to task for failing to give the disease more visibility. 'While Mayor Fenty and his administration deserve recognition for the continued support of . . . numerous HAA initiatives, his public appearances and statements about the epidemic have fallen short of his enthusiasm for action inside the government,' it said."

THE NEW YORK TIMES IS ON OUR SIDE: The paper's editorial board comes down hard against Congress and its attempts to meddle in our needle exchange program. The editorial dubbed the meddling an "outrage."

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT: As we mentioned above, National Night Out happened. This meant another All-Hands-On-Deck effort from the D.C. Police Department. Police visibility was high! But News Channel 8 reports that the District still endured at least one violent incident. Three people were injured during a shooting in Southeast shortly after 10 p.m. News Channel 8 reports: "Fire officials say two 38-year-old women and a 17-year-old boy have each been shot in the leg."

AFTER THE JUMP: A power outage, more Metro news, Harry Jaffe pens a quick profile of the judge in the Pershing Park case, and much, much more.

Fox5 covers a power outage that left one Northeast neighborhood without electricity for most of yesterday. Three utility poles had crashed to the ground. Key graph: "The downed lines were a health hazard for some. One 7 month old who suffers from a heart condition was taken from his apartment complex, which had no electricity for hours."

METRO: Yesterday, Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. begged a Senate subcommittee for more money. WaPo reports: "Metro, the only major transit agency without a source of dedicated funding, says it needs more than $7 billion for capital projects over the next 10 years to offer safe and reliable service." Catoe stated that without additional funding, safety as well as service would decline. Bonus graph: "Catoe used a question from Menendez about what lessons he has learned from the crash to sharpen his request for more money. He noted that the oldest Series 1000 train cars are less crashworthy than the newer cars, which he said "did not cause the accident but had an impact on the amount of damage that can be done." All six of the cars on the train that struck the one ahead of it were from the old series."

FBI RAID: Yesterday, the feds raided a health clinic in SE as well as a medical supply company. The agents are looking into allegations of medicaid fraud. WUSA9 reported that a number of patients had to be turned away while the agents did their work.

STaTter 911 raises some good points over the on-going issues with the hydrants:

"Councilmember Jim Graham announced Friday he will hold a hearing on September 16 to determine what went wrong at the fire last Wednesday night at the Chain Bridge Road mansion of former DC Board of Education president Peggy Cooper Cafritz. The Ward 1 councilmember is trying to determine why it took the DC Fire & EMS Department almost two hours to establish a reliable water supply to combat the fire.

Mayor Adrian Fenty has asked the fire chief and the DC Water & Sewer Authority (WASA) for reports this week on what happened and how to correct the issues.

If this sounds familiar, it should. In late 2007, Councilmember Graham held a series of hearings looking at the serious water supply issues that became apparent during a four-alarm fire that destroyed an apartment building in Adams Morgan on October 1 of that year. The Fenty administration also ordered an investigative report into the problems that occurred during that fire.

So what happened to the report?"

YOU DON'T MESS WITH U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE EMMET SULLIVAN: That's the gist of Harry Jaffe's new column in the Examiner. Judge Sullivan is presiding over the controversial Pershing Park case and has called on the D.C. Council to investigate possible wrongdoing in which evidence has either been lost or destroyed or messed with. Key graph: "Three different presidents put Sullivan into three different judgeships: Ronald Reagan appointed him to Superior Court; George Bush (41) moved him up to the federal court of appeals; Bill Clinton nominated him to the federal district court in 1994. From the streets of his home town to the federal bench, friends and lawyers have learned one thing: 'Don't cross the dude.'"

FENTY'S SCHEDULE:

10:00 a.m.
Remarks Savoy Playground Installation Kick-off
Location: Savoy Elementary School
2400 Shannon Place, SE

3:45 pm Remarks
Appleseed HIV/AIDS Report Card Announcement
Location: J’s Barber Shop 3845 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE