Your U.S. Senate At Work: Maybe it's best D.C. doesn't have any members in the Senate, after all. Because if we did, they'd probably do embarrassing things like what Pennsylvania's Democratic Sen. Bob Casey did today, which was whine on Twitter about the Nationals' plan to sell advance tickets to a May homestand against the Philadelphia Phillies only to people whose credit cards match addresses in the D.C. region. "I'm calling on the @Nationals to reverse course on a reported plan to block @Phillies fans from buying tickets to games at Nationals Park," Casey blurted. ".@Phillies have some of the best fans in the world. They shouldn’t be left out in the cold because the Nats want a stronger home field adv." Of course, it's not like the people in the Senate have anything better to worry about than how many fans of their baseball team get to travel to another city to be obnoxious in person, right? -1

Brick City: On the eastern side of the District, transportation workers have been installing streetcar tracks for some time now. And on the western end, they'll soon be ripping them up—and then putting them back in—all for looks. An $11 million Georgetown streetscaping project will involve replacing brick streets with new, more historically accurate bricks, and regrading, but keeping, long-unused tracks. The first fully finished block opened this morning. +2

Free Money Here: This morning's Washington Post seemed thicker than usual, especially for a paper without a propaganda insert from China or Russia in it. Turned out there were 35 extra pages of agate type listing thousands of people and institutions with unclaimed assets that the District government is now trying to track down. Among the names on the list: Democratic powerbroker Harold Ickes (and also my younger brother, who is finally collecting his winnings from a sports bet he placed in Las Vegas several years ago). To see if there's a windfall coming your way, click here. +3

Type This Way: When word came that the District was switching the typeface on its street signs as it replaced broken ones, it seemed like good news. But now it seems the new design isn't quite as clean as it was advertised to be. The signs, which use mixed-case letters instead of ALL UPPERCASE as the old ones do, sometimes use mixed-case letters for quadrants, too, identifying streets as being in "Nw" or "Se" instead of NW or SE. And it turns out some of them also use different fonts within the same sign. So if you spot a sign that looks wrong, no, you don't have to rush out to buy new glasses. -1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 34 Today's score: +3 Today's Needle rating: 37

Washington Business Journal

Apparently another bidder, the Inekon Group, asserted that the contract was improperly issued:

Inekon built the District's first two streetcars. It offered to build the next two, slated to run on the H Street/Benning Road line, for $9.5 million. While its bid was higher than United Streetcar's, Inekon argued in its protest that the winning contractor's low technical score should have ruled it ineligible for the award.

This might not mean the end of the streetcar plan. But it does make DDOT look a bit like a player in amateur hour, especially if they decide they have to start the process all over again because their scoring was off—which could certainly delay things more.

UPDATE: DDOT spokesperson John Lisle tells us over email: "The solicitation continues and we are determining our course of action."

We'll update with more information as it becomes available.

Photo via D.C. Streetcar

Now Not Boarding: Tram enthusiasts of America got tragic news today—the H Street NE streetcars almost certainly won't launch in 2012, as originally planned, but rather late 2013. That's a second delay, after the initial launch was pushed back from next spring to next fall. Part of the problem? There aren't enough cars. Construction may not start until early next year. At this rate, chances are you'll be able to take the streetcar from Metro's Silver Line to Metro's Purple Line by the time it opens. -3

Tombstone Blues: That Arlington National Cemetery had lost track of buried veterans was already an embarrassment. Now the FBI is looking to see if it was a crime, too, in the latest expansion of an investigation that's already got the Army, the Defense Department Inspector General, and Congress poking around (not to mention The Washington Post and Time, where Mark Benjamin, who broke the story for Salon.com, now writes). Might tourists flocking to the cemetery get to see some arrests? -1

Steady Diet of Shaolin: Mashups were all the rage early in the last decade, and DJs quickly ran through most of the clever ideas and moved on to bad ones. But now, singlehandedly, a group out of Minnesota may have revived the genre, with Wugazi, a project that mixes Fugazi with the Wu-Tang Clan. We suspect the actual Wu-Tang Clan might not endorse D.C. hardcore's old straight edge ethos—it's hard to imagine Method Man singing Ian MacKaye's pre-Fugazi Minor Threat refrain, "Don't smoke/don't drink/don't fuck" without a heavy dollop of irony—but listening to Wugazi's first track, it sounds like they were made for each other. +2

BYOV: Thanks to relaxed gun laws, chances are the patrons in Virginia restaurants may already be bringing weapons into dinner with them. Now they can bring wine, too; a new corkage law takes effect Friday, allowing diners to BYOB if restaurants allow them. The previous ban on the practice may have been mostly honored in the breach, but now it's not only winked at, it's also legal. Which should make the concealed weapons more exciting. +1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 47 Today's score: -1 Today's Needle rating: 46

No Beer Here: New Columbia Heights ruminates that the empty lot at 14th and W streets NW, which is slated to be redeveloped as condos, would make an excellent beer garden: "That said, wouldn't it make an awesome place for a beer garden? You could keep the small building as the kitchen and maybe a bar, like Standard down at 14th and S, and make the rest outdoor tables and umbrellas. But unfortunately, it looks like that isn't going to happen. It's currently owned by local developer Douglas Jemal (oddly, the LLC he set up for it is called Jemal's Hookers LLC) and they're looking for retail tenants already." Commenters dissent, however; one writes, "With Bicycle Stations around the corner having moved out, it would be a great place for a bike shop. Beer garden next to a school? No thanks. That's the last thing we need," while another offers, "The perfect place for a beer garden would be 14th and Clifton (where the Duron paint store is)."

Why Choose? Ward 3 DC synthesizes the lengthy debate that has been occurring on the Tenleytown email list regarding possible streetcar alignments for upper Northwest. The armchair urban planners on the email list have argued vigorously for and against the District Department of Transportation's proposed Wisconsin Avenue NW line, and an ANC commissioner has suggested that Connecticut Avenue NW be considered instead. But as the blog points out, "Both streets had streetcar lines in previous eras (see map for post consolidation era layout). Connecticut Avenue was developed by the Chevy Chase Land Company, and the development patterns on that road were created specifically for the Streetcar. Ms. Sherman is correct that connecting downtown to Chevy Chase Circle and beyond by Streetcar is a good idea. However, this should not be done instead of Wisconsin Avenue, but in addition. Connecting Rosslyn and Georgetown to Tenleytown, Friendship Heights, and extending up to NIH and Rockville was part of a system in the 20th Century. Similarly, connecting downtown to Chevy Chase and Chevy Chase Lake and beyond via Connecticut Avenue is a good idea. There is no reason why these shouldn’t be part of the long term plans for the region." If only DDOT had access to unlimited funds and faced no opposition!

Catch Me If You'd Like: The Palisades email list is in surprisingly strong support of more oversight from speed cameras on MacArthur Boulevard NW—to catch the non-neighbors unawares. One member writes, "Where we are on MacArthur the drivers have long since memorized where the camera is.  Locals are rarely caught and as soon as they have glided past the camera they hit the accelerator.  Woe betide the dog walker crossing at that point. In my daughter's neighborhood in Baltimore, and others around it, they use a  moveable camera installation.  No car.  It's some sort of a box on a concrete  pad, and it can be transported from neighborhood to neighborhood without  notice.  Seems to work well indeed." Other list members rally; one writes, "A movable speed camera! Now, that is a terrific idea! Can we get it implemented here on this avenue that has become a freeway?" while another suggests something similar might also have a place on Arizona Avenue NW.

Brookland, ISO: A member of the Brookland email list asks, "Does anyone know where I can rent an IBM typewriter for one day?  Alternatively, I have an old one that needs some work." At present, a response has yet to be elicited from the electronic, web-based group.

The Early Brunch Catches the Worm: A leisurely weekend morning spent guzzling mimosas and bloody Marys typically wouldn't get started until nearly noon; after all, the Venn diagram intersection of "people up early on a Sunday" and "people who want to drink on Sunday mornings" isn't usually very large. But the city's coffers need a boost, and so booze service at brunch could soon start at 8 a.m., instead of 10 a.m., which would bring in more alcohol tax revenue. We've got a civic duty here, folks. Drink up. +2

Big Republican Brother is Watching: Bad enough Congress decided to dictate what the District could do with its own local revenues—now lawmakers have decided to get snippy about it. A large group of Republicans sent Mayor Vince Gray a letter recently, demanding answers about how much money the city spent on abortions last year. Particularly galling to the GOP: District officials are likelier to cooperate with The Washington Post than with Congress on requests for information! Finally, an area where we at Washington City Paper can find common ground with Michele Bachmann. -2

Blast-ed: First they came for Four Loko, and we did not speak up, because we did not drink Four Loko (mostly because we are not 19 years old). Now Maryland authorities are after Pabst Brewing Company's "Blast by Colt 45" fruit-flavored alcohol bombs, calling the 23.5-ounce drinks a "binge in a can." Again, we will not speak up, because, frankly, the stuff sounds kind of gross. At any rate, you can still buy it in D.C., even if Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler has his way in the Old Line State. +1

A Streetcar Named Delay: Streetcars were initially supposed to be running along the District's roads by next spring. And if you believed that, you'll believe anything. The official launch has now been pushed back to next fall, instead. So far, funding for the H Street-Benning Road line is secure. But if you believe it'll stay that way, you might also have believed the line would open on the original schedule. -2

Yesterday's Needle rating: 66 Today's score: -1 Today's Needle rating: 65

The Metro system, once a reliable point of pride for D.C.'s boosters, has had a rough few years: Safety problems, escalator outages, and rising prices have made the subway a regular subject of local griping. At times, it can be hard to keep up with the torrent of unflattering Metro-related scoops. As a public service,

This week:

-People continue to criticize Metro's idea of cutting late-night service on weekends (sometimes with charming graphs!)

-A former WMATA chairman (and current board member) says he’s stepping down

-House Republicans just killed a bill which would have restored $150 million to WMATA’s coffers for safety measures.

-This video, posted on the blog Unsuck DC Metro, shows two guys fighting on the Orange Line train.

-A report released by Mayor Vince Gray’s office this week accuses D.C.'s transportation department of having skimmed money off the funds the city is supposed to provide to Metro. The money allegedly paid for things like the Circulator bus instead.

-The report also said the city's streetcar plan—not part of Metro, but feeding the system—had fouled up in a variety of ways, including purchasing three streetcars it won't be able to use because they don't meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

Looking for a silver lining, City Desk called WMATA today, seeing if there was any chance Metrorail trains could ever get free wi-fi, like the kind Amtrak’s planning to extend to all its trains later this year. In response, Metro sent along a press release announcing cell phone service was being extended to Metro’s 20 busiest stations.

The press release was dated 2009. Though, to be fair, people were  very  happy about the change when it happened.

Illustration by Brooke Hatfield

Ho, Ho, Ho: Now you can do your holiday shopping on your way to watch a Georgetown Hoyas basketball game—the downtown holiday market opened up again today. Vendors, including crafters and local restaurants, will be out from noon to 8 p.m. until Dec. 23. (A few generations ago, of course, going shopping along 7th Street NW wouldn't have seemed novel, nor have been a seasonal treat.) Remember: It is your patriotic duty to spend more money than seems reasonable, what with unemployment at 9.8 percent nationally. +3

Oh, Donna: Galileo only recently reopened, but prices at the Italian restaurant may be going up soon. Why? Because a federal judge ruled today that owner Roberto Donna must pay $527,000 to 11 former employees who alleged he didn't pay them enough at the original Galileo and at Bebo Trattoria. Finding half a million in back wages to pay out means selling an awful lot of braised stuffed artichokes. -1

Streetcar Named Desire to Cut the Budget: By now, everyone in the District has formed a consensus that life in the city simply cannot continue much longer unless streetcars begin running along H Street NE. Unfortunately, everyone in the District has also formed a consensus that the city's budget is seriously out of whack. Which is why Almost Mayor Vince Gray is reported to be considering cutting some of the funds allocated to getting the streetcars going. We're sure they'll be operating, and paid for, by some reasonable date, maybe, oh, 2037 or so. -2

All Inventory Must Go!: Back in the boom days before the economy fell apart, navigating the real estate market might have seemed like war. But only now have military psy ops tactics come into the housing game. That's the only plausible explanation for why the most expensive house for sale in D.C. just raised its price by $500,000. If you want to live at 18th and R streets NW, it can be yours for only $15.5 million. Or you could probably live around the corner for about $2,000 a month. +1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 50 Today's score: +1 Friday bonus: +2 Today's Needle rating: 53

Rally to Restore Porta Potties: This whole Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert thing may be all about irony. But that doesn't mean Comedy Central can't still pull together and get some actual results when it matters. A burgeoning toilet crisis has been averted, and anti-protest protesters will be able to go the bathroom even though the Marine Corps Marathon had called dibs on most Porta Potties in the area. Could Glenn Beck manage such a feat of logistics? +3

H Street NE Streetcars Named Desire: The future is March 2012, as far as District transit geeks are concerned. That's when city officials claim the H Street/Benning Road and Anacostia Initial Line Segment branches of the new municipal monorail streetcars will begin rolling. The fare will be $1. One car will run the Anacostia line; four or five will cover H Street. Sure, the city only owns three for now, and of course, chances are all this will take more time and money than planned, but still—streetcars, people! Streetcars! +3

Cardinal Numbers: The District may not get a vote on things like who the next Senate majority leader or speaker of the House is. But we will be represented when the time comes to pick a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican announced today that Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl was being elevated to cardinal, effective next month. Which puts D.C. in the same league as other major cities whose Catholic leaders are cardinals, like Minsk, Belarus; Riga, Latvia; and Baltimore. Hmm. +1

I-66, Where Are You?: Plenty of area drivers avoid Interstate 66; it's often congested, driving on it—like all highways—can produce intense feelings of suburban anomie, and besides, who needs to go anywhere in Virginia? Now it seems Google Maps has decided to erase the road altogether, giving directions as if it was never constructed in the first place. Hey, it worked for Stalin—traffic problems solved! +1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 32 Today's score: +8 Today's Needle rating: 40

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• City Paper exclusive on MPD's go-go report.
• Wanted: One mayor for mayoral forum
• Sweeperscam now even more expensive

Good morning sweet readers! Did anyone manage to watch all 27 hours of the D.C. Council session yesterday? If you missed any, LL TiVo-ed it and is having a viewing party this weekend at the parking lot of RFK Stadium. (Just pretend you're at the old 'HFS-tival!) On with the news:

2+2=5?: The foundation of Mayor Adrian Fenty's re-election campaign is the progress made in D.C.'s schools, right? Duh. So yesterday's news that new standardized test scores show a four to five point drop for elementary school students probably wasn't exactly what Hizzoner wanted to hear. Both the Post's Bill Turque, and the Examiner's Leah Fabel said the results come at an "inopportune" time for Fenty (teacher, someone is copying my use of the word inopportune!) Turque: "The elementary-school decline also represents a blow for [Chancellor Michelle] Rhee, who has made test score growth an integral part of the cultural change in schools she has pursued since becoming chancellor in 2007. Handpicked principals have established academic 'war rooms' to chart the progress of each student, tailoring instruction to address weaknesses that emerge on interim tests. Through winter and spring, schools are fully mobilized to prepare for the April tests in grades 3 through 8 and in grade 10. Field trips are canceled, and classes spend more time on test preparation. Selected schools offer 'Saturday academies' to help students. And this year's scores for the first time will determine half of the annual evaluation of some D.C. teachers. Last week, Rhee confirmed that she intended to expand standardized testing to cover all grades." Fabel: "[Fenty] appeared somewhat perplexed when asked by a parent why his office doesn't do more to communicate the school system's results. 'I grew up in D.C. when people, all they did was talk and talk. I like to do,' he said. 'People can look around and see the progress.' Not that it was all bad news, scores for middle and high school students rose, and overall 'officials said the three-year record of double-digit growth in secondary schools' test scores — an average gain of 14 percentage points in the reading pass rate and 17 points in the math rate — surpasses the norm for big urban school districts.'" Freeman Klopott has more on what the "mixed bag" of test results mean for Fenty in the Examiner.

AFTER THE JUMP: Trolley cars and hospitals; Immunity!; Mendelson and Stein...

A Little Ditty, About Two Guys Running For Mayor: WaPo's Tim Craig and Nikita Stewart tag-team the current state of the mayoral race two months out and air some criticism of both campaigns. Here's the low down on Fenty: "But the campaign has at times appeared rudderless, and sources close to the campaign say Fenty has been reluctant to heed advice and slow to grasp that he faces a far different election than he did in 2006 (not a fresh-faced council member known for his constituent service, but an incumbent mayor defending his record). For instance, Fenty overruled campaign advisers who urged him to hold off on the TV ads until a more comprehensive strategy was put together, two sources close to the mayor said. And Fenty's style has hampered his ability to build and nurture an electoral coalition. Despite his business-friendly agenda, Fenty lost the D.C. Chamber of Commerce endorsement to Gray." And on Gray: "The more immediate concern of those who support Gray—known for relishing the details of governing—is that he is too slow to make some campaign decisions. A dozen advisers helped Gray develop the education plan he rolled out two weeks ago, for instance. Before it was released, however, Gray and his staff vetted it before nearly 100 government officials, teachers, school administrators, labor leaders, parents and other stake-holders, campaign sources said. Gray is using a similar formula in developing proposals on crime, economic development and job creation and fiscal responsibility." LL regularly consults with nearly 100 people when deciding what to have for lunch. The consensus today: bacon. Unless the polling comes back and suggests empanadas.

Council Roundup: WaPo's Ann Marimow catches us up with two issues. Trolley Cars: "The D.C. Council made way for the first leg of a 37-mile trolley system Tuesday, passing legislation to allow the use of overhead wires along Benning Road and H Street NE. The debate over the use of the electrical wires for streetcars has centered on whether the lines violate a long-standing ban intended to preserve the appearance of the federal city. The temporary legislation approved unanimously Tuesday specifically prohibits overhead wires around the National Mall and creates a public process for determining whether the wires can be used in other parts of the city." And the hospital: "With some reservations, the council also gave final approval Tuesday to the creation of a nonprofit to run United Medical Center, the city's only hospital east of the Anacostia River."

Loophole!: WAMU's Patrick Madden reports on a big old campaign finance loophole that allows corporations to give lots more than the $2k limit to their candidate. "Some of the names sound generic: Acme Atlantic Leasing Company LLC or Gotham Investors LLC. Others sound a little more specific: Round Hill Investors LLC or FGV Investors LLC. There are 11 companies in all. They all gave the $2,000 maximum to Mayor Adrian Fenty’s campaign and all are listed at the same address: the 8th floor at 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard in Rockville, Maryland. That turns out to be the headquarters for Lerner Enterprises, the area's largest real estate developer. Tax records show the resident agent for most of them is a vice president at the company." LL notes that the same practice has been going on for years in Maryland. Possibly involving some of the same companies!

File Under Gross: A MetroAccess driver has been accused of sexually assaulting a disabled rider while transporting her home from adult day care in at least the third sexual assault case involving the agency's paratransit service so far this year, according to the Examiner's resident sex assault expert, Kytja Weir.

Where does he keep his immunity idol?: Clinton LaSuere's lawsuit against Fenty, alleging he stiffed him on $5,000 in unpaid campaign work for Fenty's Ward 4 successor, Muriel Bowser, was denied yesterday, Keith Alexander of the Post reports. "At a hearing Tuesday, Judge Michael J. McCarthy did not rule on the merits of LeSueur's claim. Rather, in dismissing the case, he cited a District law that provides immunity for elected officials." LL would like to point out that he also has immunity. From chicken pox!

Gerty for Mendo: The city's gay activists vote to support At-Large Councilman Phil Mendelson over challenger Clark Ray, Mike DeBonis reports. "Incumbent Phil Mendelson offered a simple pitch: 'I delivered the marriage equality bill,' he said in his opening remarks, a statement that hinted at years of legislative efforts that laid the groundwork for last year's climactic marriage vote. Challenger Clark Ray, the former city parks and recreation director, has had to sell gay activists on a different proposition—I'd be just as good on the issues, and, hey, I'm also gay."

You Kids Driving Me Crazy: Jonetta Rose Barras says in the Examiner that the D.C. Council needs parental control.

"Chat with Ward One School Board Candidate, Patrick Mara" [Examiner]

Prison Guards for Gray [Post]

Pierre L'Enfant, Frederick Douglas Statues to the capitol? [Post]

Mayor's schedule: Ribbon cutting at United Medical Center's New Pediatric ER unit, 10:45

Council hearings: Breathalyzer problems, election reform

Breaking news today for D.C. teachers: yesterday, the D.C. Council officially ended 2 ½ years of political jostling by approving a contract with the Washington Teachers’ Union that will significantly raise teachers’ salaries, according to WaPo’s Bill Turque. The contract is said to increase the average salaries of D.C. educators from $67,000 to an estimated $81,000, and creates a pay system based on performance in the classroom rather than seniority.  This comes as a huge victory for DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee, who has a somewhat tenuous relationship with the WTU and its parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers.

In case you missed it, the infamous Robert Wone trial has come to an uneasy close. The three housemates Joe Price, Dylan Ward and Victor Zaborsky, who were accused of covering up the stabbing of the D.C. attorney, have been exonerated from all charges. D.C. Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz said that the prosecution was unable to provide enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt for a conviction. The forensic teams never found the one-armed man after all. For a comprehensive history of the trial, check out Rend Smith’s coverage for City Paper.

If you saw police carrying excessively large automatic rifles in the Metro yesterday, you probably stumbled across an anti-terrorism drill. Metro Transit Police inspected trains and stations on the Red and Green lines for about four hours while staging the drill. Around 150 officers from local, state and federal levels participated. (Maybe next, Metro will work on anti-escalator outage drills.)

In other transportation news, the D.C. Council finally approved legislation to allow overhead wires for streetcars on H Street. The bill may give streetcar advocates some hope; a 120-year-old federal law banning overhead wires in the District has hindered the city's plan to provide more public transportation.

Photo by Iris Harris/U.S. Department of Commerce

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—"Would-Be Burglars Ruin Vincent Gray's Ice Cream Interview," "Council Showdown This Afternoon On Overhead Wires," "Is Metro Safer? Reporters disagree."

Morning All. Your fence jokes are welcome in the comments: Vincent Gray was the victim of an attempted burglary of his Hillcrest home yesterday, telling City Desk's Michael Grass that the would-be perps did not reach any valuables (like keepsakes from his time in Sharon Pratt's administration or first-edition tomes on government process): "They probably heard the alarm and I guess they took off. ... They never got in. I don't know who did this this, but I don't put aside any possibility to tell you the truth." First, thieves rob bikes from Mayor Fenty's home and now this. Leo Alexander should think about upgrading his home security system.

INSURANCE FUND PROBE: The Examiner's Bill Myers files another important story in the growing insurance-fund issue which is now being investigated by the F.B.I. and other lawmen. Myers reports that Fenty and Co. knew about the problems with the fund three years ago: "The Fenty administration was warned three years ago that there were problems in a city workers' compensation fund that is now the center of at least four investigations, The Washington Examiner has learned. Last week, Fenty and his attorney general, Peter Nickles, conceded that workers had been paying for insurance but the city's Office of Risk Management wasn't forwarding the money on to insurance companies. The pair asked Inspector General Charles Willoughby to investigate. Nickles and Fenty claimed at the news conference that they discovered the problem last month. 'So we started, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, since that point in late May to look into this matter,' Nickles said."

Nickles is either wrong or confused or lying. Myers reports: "In April 2007, Willoughby sent a report to Fenty and city leaders. He warned Fenty that Risk Management and its insurance contractor 'lacked procedures to account for claimant's health and/or life insurance benefits.' 'As a result,' Willoughby's report states, 'claimants had no assurance that their health and/or life insurance benefits were properly accounted for or whether their health and/or life insurance coverage was active or lapsed.' The findings were part of a larger probe that found Risk Management was 'at risk for significant fraud, waste and abuse.' Willoughby attributed the insurance problems 'to a lack of policies and effective procedures,' but his audit foreshadowed problems that are now the focus of investigations by the FBI, the D.C. auditor, the finance office's integrity unit and, once again, Willoughby's agency."

AFTER THE JUMP—MARC HELL, Fenty is tardy to Metro memorial ceremony, Health agency misconduct alleged, interesting stats on city employers, homeless now join a waiting list to get into family shelter, and much, much more!

MARC TRAIN HELL: Every Transpo agency wants in on investigating what the hell happened on Monday's MARC train that left 900 passengers hot, bothered, and stranded. WaPo's Katherine Shaver reports: "Ralign Wells, head of the Maryland Transit Administration, said the investigation will seek to determine why the electric locomotive broke down and why its brakes jammed, making it impossible for another locomotive to pull the train back to Union Station relatively quickly. Passengers, including some who reported trouble breathing, used emergency handles to remove the train's windows as outside temperatures hovered at 90 degrees and the train's air conditioning shut down. The Federal Railroad Administration will determine whether the train's crew properly carried out emergency preparedness plans required for passenger trains, spokesman Warren Flatau said. One of the agency's safety specialists happened to be commuting home on the stranded train, 'so we have some firsthand knowledge,' Flatau said. The Prince George's County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department began getting 911 calls from stranded passengers at 7:50 p.m., after train 538 on the Penn Line had come to a stop near New Carrollton at 6:23 p.m., officials said. About 10 people were treated at the scene for heat-related problems, including profuse sweating, nausea and dizziness, said fire department spokesman Mark Brady. Three of those passengers, including one having an asthma attack, were taken to a hospital, Brady said. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) called the incident on the state's commuter rail line 'utterly unacceptable.' MARC needs a better system for getting passengers off broken trains more quickly, O'Malley told reporters after an unrelated event in Baltimore." More coverage via NBC4, WTOP.

Meanwhile, the Examiner's Kytja Weir reports that MARC is trying to reach out to those 900 passengers who had the commute from hell: "Maryland Transit Administrator Ralign T. Wells said he planned to ride the 538 train to talk to its regular riders about what went wrong Monday evening. 'This circumstance was unacceptable, and on behalf of all MTA employees, I apologize for the inconvenience and discomfort you experienced,' Wells wrote in a message to riders."

MORE MARC TROUBLES: NC8 reports MARC suffered another breakdown yesterday due to the heat: "MARC 428 on the Penn Line was departing from Union Station around 4:15 p.m. when there was a problem with the locomotive. About a half an hour later, MARC sent out word that there was a power outage in Washington. The scorching heat has taken its toll on MARC trains and their riders this week. Passenger James Sims told us, 'Right now I'm not sure what the temperature is in here...well above a hundred.' For a second straight day, the transit system literally shutdown under the intense high temperatures. Hundreds of people were once again stranded and confused in the midst of the sweltering heat. 'It's probably 103 in here... I want to get home to my boys,' stated Elizabeth Garvey, a passenger. It's not confirmed, but Amtrak officials tell us it appears the unforgiving heat wave has overwhelmed the electrical traction system this week which supplies power to most Marc Trains."

METRO STILL HAS WORK TO DO: The families of the Metro crash victims marked the one-year anniversary of the tragedy yesterday. WaPo's Ann Scott Tyson reports from the scene that many of the families are disappointed in Metro's response in the crash's aftermath: "Metro 'has never acknowledged: 'We've made a mistake. We're sorry,' ' said Kenneth Hawkins, whose brother, Dennis Hawkins, was killed in the crash. Tawanda Brown, mother of LaVonda "Nikki" King, 23, who died in the crash, accused Metro of shirking its responsibility and failing to resolve the underlying technical issues that contributed to the accident. 'They are responsible for our loved one's death,' Brown said. 'But they aren't even answering the 100 problems identified by the NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board], and we're still getting on the trains.'...Last month, Metro filed a petition in U.S. District Court to dismiss a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit filed by most of the families against the transit agency. On Tuesday, attorneys for the families were in court filing opposition to the petition, Kenneth Hawkins said. Metro's legal stance 'makes this day of remembrance disingenuous to say the least,' Hawkins said. The petition 'demonstrates the cynicism and blatant contempt [Metro] has toward the victims, families, and justice.' The motion to dismiss was 'partial' and 'a routine step in such a lawsuit,' Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein wrote in an e-mail." More coverage via WUSA9, WTOP, NC8. Safety still remains a top concern among Metro riders, NC8 reports in a subsequent piece.

FENTY LATE TO METRO MEMORIAL: Doesn't this guy listen at all to his critics? WaPo's Mike DeBonis reports that the mayor was 45 minutes late to the memorial service, and quickly left after a plaque was unveiled honoring the crash victims: "The ceremony started at 10 a.m. According to Post reporters on the scene, a phalanx of elected officials — including Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) — were seated well before the start. Fenty arrived after 10:45, after almost all of the family members had already spoken. He delivered short remarks, sat down with the rest of the officials on the dais, then left after a memorial plaque was unveiled. He did not stay for the retiring of the colors by a Metro police honor guard." LL advises that you should read DeBonis' full post on this episode.

HOMELESS FAMILIES: There now appears to be a waiting list to get into D.C. General's emergency shelter.

HIRING MISCONDUCT IN D.C. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CARE FINANCE ALLEGED: WaPo's Tim Craig reports: "Candice Young, who worked as a human resources adviser for the agency from June 2008 until January, said she was forced to alter dozens of documents so that Director Julie Hudman could legally place friends and allies in top-level jobs within the agency. 'I had to lie,' said Young, who resigned in January. 'They said, 'I want this person,' and I would have to go change things, but eventually I said, 'I am not going to do this anymore.' Hudman, who took over the agency in October 2008 after working as an adviser to then-City Administrator Dan Tangherlini, countered in an e-mailed statement that Young's 'allegations are untrue and without merit.' 'Miss Young's claims were investigated by the District's Department of Human Resources Compliance and Investigations Unit and they did not substantiate any of these claims,' Hudman said in the e-mail. 'Although we cannot comment further on personnel matters, we will continue to comply with any additional investigations.' The allegations emerged as part of D.C. Council member Marion Barry's investigation into hiring practices at the agency, which was created in 2008 to oversee Medicaid and other government-sponsored health insurance programs. Barry (D-Ward 8), who sits on the Health Committee, is upset that, according to records obtained by him, only four of the top 20 jobs in the newly created agency are held by African Americans."

OPEN-SOURCE VOTING: BOEE will debut open-source, Internet voting for oversees residents.

FUN STATS: WBJ's Michael Neibauer digs into some awesome stats found in the District's 180-page Comprehensive Annual Financial Report: "All but three of the city's top 14 principal employers in 2008 were education- or health-related. Number one was Howard University, up from number four in 2000. The three non-health or education employers were Fannie Mae (standing firm at number six), The Washington Post Co. (dropping from 8th to 14th) and Admiral Security Services (up from 64th to 15th). The top 14 employed 7.4 percent of all D.C. workers. The number of volumes owned by the D.C. Public Library in 2009, 2.52 million, was its fewest since 2005 and second fewest in a decade. In 2007, the library held 3.03 million volumes — the only time it topped the 3 million mark."

VOUCHERS: WaPo editorial board continues its crusade in support of school voucher program.

NICKLES VS. NICKLES: The Examiner's Bill Myers points out a little irony regarding New Beginnings juvenile facility.

NO MORE SUGAR MILK: WaPo's Mike DeBonis amplifies an earlier story in which the District finally will halt serving students flavored-milk and sugary cereals. LL didn't even known there was a flavored milk option: "And this fall, further changes may be in order. DCPS spokeswoman Jennifer Calloway says the system's 'goal for this upcoming school year is to serve cereals with six grams of sugar or less. We will be taste testing low-sugar cereals, as well as other nutritious breakfast and lunch items, this summer to determine which breakfast options are both healthy and appetizing to serve to our students,' she writes in an e-mail. The changes are part of a first wave of reforms heralding a new awareness of the poor quality of school lunches here. Ed [Bruske], for one, has done yeoman's work via his 'Tales From a D.C. School Kitchen' series at The Slow Cook in showing just how lousy the food we give kids is. DCPS took a big step toward healthier lunches by hiring Jeff Mills, a ex-restaurant chef ex-restaurateur who has pledged to increase the quality of school meals. The heavy lifting is yet to come: It's one thing to take away patently unhealthy choices from schoolkids."

VA VS. WMATA: McDonnell stands by pledge to withhold funds if he doesn't get his way.

STREETCARS: NC8 covers the council debate on overhead wires.

NEW BEGINNINGS: Officials say the incident at the juvenile facility last weekend was not a riot.

JULY 4: Concert lineup includes Gladys Knight and some "American Idol" runner-up.

ROBERT WONE: An account of Day 20 in the conspiracy trial.

MAYOR'S SCHEDULE: No public events are planned.

D.C. COUNCIL'S SCHEDULE:

10 a.m. Committee of the Whole (Hearing)
Bill 18-612; Bill 18-700; Bill 18-719; Bill 18-805; Bill 18-808; Bill 18-811
Location: John A. Wilson Building, Room 500

1 p.m.
Committee on Housing and Workforce Development (Round Table)
The Workforce Investment Council and the District's One Stops
Location: John A. Wilson Building, Room 412

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: "Travis Childers For D.C. Council? Stick To Mississippi, Activists Say," "D.C.'s Guardian Angels Are Broke," "Jaffe Tried To Kill Police Complaints Office With Errors," "Defense: Here's How You Scale An 'Impossible' Fence," "With NCPC Ruling, Gray Takes Aim At Fenty's Jock Base," "Roberto Donna Pleads Guilty To Felony Embezzlement"

Howdy. WaPo flooded the zone yesterday with thinky takeaways from Wednesday's mayoral forum in which Mayor Adrian Fenty tapped away at his BlackBerry, answered his critics who say he doesn't do enough on affordable housing, and vigorously fought Vincent Gray over the proposed elected AG position. Tim Craig, reporting in D.C. Wire, noted that Fenty came out against the D.C. Council-endorsed elected AG position: "Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) said Wednesday night that he has concerns about creating an elected attorney general position because, he said, it would force the city to hire two sets of attorneys – one for the mayor and the government and another for the public– at a significant cost to taxpayers. On Wednesday, the D.C. Council authorized a referendum for the November ballot asking voters if they want the attorney general to be elected. Some council members are pushing for the change because they fear appointed attorney generals in general – and Attorney General Peter Nickles specifically – have been too cozy with the mayors that appoint them. Key Quote: "You are essentially creating two different sets of attorney generals," Fenty said. "Ones that are elected and then we will have to have a whole separate budget for ones that are appointed." LL thought the attorney general represented the city's interests—not the mayor's interests. Hmmm.

Gray then cornered Fenty after the debate. Craig has the awesome details:

"Gray noted that the office of the Chief Financial Officer stated an elected attorney general would not result in more costs for taxpayers. In Virginia, for example, the attorney general's office represents the governor during lawsuits.

After Fenty gave his statement on the issue, the mayoral candidates forum ended. Gray immediately walked up to Fenty and appeared whisper off-mic, 'It's not true.' Fenty responded with a grin, 'Alright, have a good a night.' In an interview later, Gray said he didn't tell Fenty that he wasn't truthful. 'My statement to him was why don't you go research that Mr. Mayor and check the fiscal impact statement,' Gray said."

Check the fiscal impact statement. Is this the campaign zinger we'll remember?

AFTER THE JUMP: A review of last night's mayoral debate, Metro checks its vital signs, a tragedy in Northeast, the Potomac River is a draw for immigrant communities, Barry stars in another controversy, and much, much more!

THURSDAY'S MAYORAL DEBATE: WaPo's Tim Craig dissects last night's debate. Fenty outlined what will surely be his talking points throughout the campaign. The mayor attacked Gray on two fronts: 1) He emphasized Gray's connection to the Sharon Pratt administration, and 2) suggested that a vote for Gray is a vote for Michelle Rhee's resignation. Craig reports: "In a side of the mayor that few have seen before in public, Fenty warned Gray cannot be trusted to oversee schools, crime or the budget because the council chairman was part of former mayor Sharon Pratt's administration in the early 1990s. 'I don't know what city you are looking at, but to me, this is a city where management is getting things done,' Fenty said at a candidates forum in Northwest. 'It certainly is not the city of the early 1990s when the homicide rate was at 500 people or the schools were plummeting down, and we were the worst in everything and no one in the executive branch or the legislative branch did anything about it...This is a city that is getting things done and I think its time we continue it for another four years.'.... Gray, who was hampered by a moderator who kept to a strict two-minute time limit for candidate responses to questions, appeared unprepared for Fenty's attack on his record as the director of human services during the Pratt administration. Gray instead spoke extensively about his record as council chairman while warning that overspending by the Fenty administration risks the city's financial future. Gray also accused Fenty of engaging in "one of the worst examples of cronyism" when he awarded city contracts to several of his fraternity brothers. 'The first thing I would do (as mayor) is bring fiscal discipline back to the District of Columbia,' said Gray, noting the mayor has relied heavily on the city's reserve funds to balance recent budgets. 'Unless we restore fiscal order back to the District of Columbia, we are not going to be able to do anything.'" More coverage via DCist.

LANIER ON IMMIGRATION: On WTOP's Ask the Chief program, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says she supported the Secure Communities program: "The new immigration law in Arizona is having a ripple effect across the country, and the debate over how authorities report the immigration status of suspects has now come to the D.C. area. Police departments across the country are joining a program called 'Secure Communities,' where the fingerprints of everyone arrested are shared with immigration officials. Speaking on WTOP's Ask the Chief program on Thursday, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says Secure Communities is a good program. 'Secure Communities is so very different than what happened in Arizona,' Lanier says. 'This is not civil immigration enforcement.' Under the program, when a suspect is arrested – whether they are convicted or not – police will take their fingerprints and put them into the FBI database. Secure Communities allows Immigration and Custom Enforcement's database to link with the FBI database in order to identify level one criminals – those involved in homicides, sexual assaults and more serious felony offenses." More coverage via AP.

METRO'S VITAL SIGNS: The Examiner's Kytja Weir reviews the first report or "vital signs" issued by interim General Manager Richard Sarles: "The 23-page report outlines key areas such as on-time performance, customer and employee injury rates, elevator system reliability and the system's crime rate. The agency has tracked such data in the past but it has been buried in sporadic reports to board of directors' committees instead of as a single monthly report. The report shows that on-time performance for Metrobus hit 73.8 percent in April, meaning one of four buses showed up "late:" More than two minutes earlier than scheduled or seven minutes later. Metrorail was on time 90.3 percent of the time, below the 95 percent target. The Blue Line had the worst record with 88.9 percent on-time service."

STREETCARS: So what are the political consequences of Gray's apparent flip-flop on streetcars? WaPo's Mike DeBonis reports out the timeline of events—from Gray cutting funding at 2 a.m. to restoring funding for the project some 12 hours later—and gets react from the Council Chairman and streetcar activists. The surprise: Gray comes out of this looking not-so-terrible: "The good news: Gray actually came out of this pretty well. Leaders on both sides of the issue say the mayoral wannabe managed not to completely squander their goodwill. Meg Maguire, a leader on streetcar issues for the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, which has opposed overhead wires in certain historic areas, says she's pleased that Gray's compromise included a requirement for more comprehensive planning. 'It seems to be moving in a direction that is going to end up with a reasonable set of policies," she said.'" This substitute LL thinks that he was way too harsh on Gray over this issue.

But WBJ Michael Neibauer points out in his own streetcar piece: "The last-minute restoration of $47 million in streetcar funding that D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray had slashed from next year’s budget will end up depleting by one-third the debt service capacity available for other, yet-to-be-financed projects in the city. The District is limited by a statutory 12 percent debt cap, meaning its annual debt service payments must not exceed 12 percent of its general fund expenses. Having borrowed billions of dollars for all manner of projects, the government is right up against the cap today and will come even closer in each of the next five years. Before it adopted the budget, the city was expected to be about $14.5 million under the debt cap in 2014 — the last year of the five-year budget plan. Then came the May 26 legislative session, during which the council agreed to borrow $47 million for streetcars to replace the money Gray had removed hours earlier. That decision depleted the available below-cap money by $4 million a year, leaving virtually no wiggle room for other projects going forward."

BARRY NONSENSE: Marion Barry + accusation of political favors= LL's bread and butter. D.C. Wire reports on the latest Barry-related controversy this time coming from the Council Chairman race: Former council member Vincent Orange this week accused his rival, council member Kwame Brown (D-At Large), of trading a prominent committee chairmanship for an endorsement. Orange said late Thursday that he'd heard rumors for weeks that Brown had promised Barry the Economic Development Committee post in exchange for his endorsement, an assertion Brown called 'absolutely ludicrous.' Orange approached Barry Tuesday night at an event in Ward 5, and the two have different accounts of what happened next. Orange said he 'put it to him point blank,' asking Barry about the committee chairman's spot and expressing disappointment that Barry was supporting Brown. In response, he says Barry told him, 'it's about self-preservation.' A Barry confidant told the Wire that the former mayor had personally shared word of the alleged deal and that it was common knowledge around the Wilson building. But Barry had a different account of his encounter with Orange. He said the topic never came up. 'I'm pissed at Vincent Orange for mischaracterizing the conversation,' Barry said."

DVORAK POETRY CORNER: WaPo columnist Petula Dvorak wades into the apparent mother-daughter drowning in the Potomac during Memorial Day weekend to wax poetic about the summer: "When it gets hot and dog's-breath humid, we are drawn to the water's edge. For some, that means the cold, chlorine water and soundtrack of screams, splashes and the lifeguard's frantic whistle at the pool. Or it's the salty air of the ocean beach, gulls caw-cawing, the skin on your back and shoulders tight from the sunburn after a day of building sand castles and chasing crabs. But when you're broke and you've worked all week and you get just one day to cool off, summer usually means the muddy, grassy riverside. Swimming holes. Foam coolers. Bug repellent." Key graph: "And for about 15 years, the National Park Service and Maryland rescuers saw a trend that sent them plunging into the lethal waters again and again on rescue missions. It was consistently a recent immigrant, usually Latino or Vietnamese. In 2005, the National Park Service put up signs in Vietnamese and Spanish all over the Potomac Gorge area, on the Maryland and Virginia sides of the river. They warned of the current, the undertow, the rocky bottom. And for five years, the deaths stopped. Until last year, when six people drowned." WaPo reports that two as-yet identified bodies have been pulled from the Potomac.

TRAGEDY IN NORTHEAST: WUSA9 reports: "A four-year-old boy chased his basketball onto the the 1600 block of Montello Avenue,NE Thursday evening, was struck by a car, and killed. Police have not publicly identified the child. Neighbors say the incident happened at about seven o'clock near the intersection of Raum Street. 'We do have the driver at this time and indications do not reveal any foul play, or any charges against the driver,' said Assistant Police Chief Diane Groomes of the Metropolitan Police Department. 'I saw that car cruising up the street but he want going fast,' said neighbor Joe Robinson. 'He was nice, he was a nice little, boy you know. Whatever his mother tell him to do he would do...He always was happy when i saw him. He would run up to me and hug me, you know, and say "Hi" all the time,' said neighbor Arnetta Moses."

SPELLING BEE CONTROVERSY: Wow, even the Spelling Bee draws a protest (NC8)

NEW YORK AVENUE: The water main break has been repaired.

MOCO SCHOOLS: Students get to learn about substantial layoffs.

ROBERT WONE: A review of Day 12 at the conspiracy trial.

WEEKEND MUST-READ: Vanity Fair's profile of Sally Quinn.

KOJO: His guests: Metro board chairman Peter Benjamin and Congressman Gerry Connolly.

MAYOR'S SCHEDULE: Fenty has no public events today.

D.C. COUNCIL'S SCHEDULE:

10:30 a.m.
Committee on Finance and Revenue (Hearing)
B18-749, the "King Towers Residential Housing Real Property Tax Exemption Act of 2010"
Location: John A. Wilson Building, Room 500

11:30 a.m.
Committee on Finance and Revenue and Economic Development (Hearing)
B 18-806, the "Center Leg Freeway (Interstate 395) PILOT and Air Rights Disposition Act of 2010"
Location: John A. Wilson Building, Room 500

Noon:
Committee on Economic Development (Hearing)
B 18-0800; PR 18-0888; PR 18-0889
Location: John A. Wilson Building, Room 500

Prosecutors are scrambling for an answer in the Robert Wone murder trial, now pointing their clumsy judicial finger at Wone’s brother, Michael Price. But according to WaPo, U.S. attorney Glenn Kirschner claims that the prosecution does not have enough evidence to charge the brother – or anyone else – with Wone’s stabbing. Even horse blood and pork loin can’t solve this case.

In other news, Pocahontas chained herself to the White House fence yesterday. Q'orianka Kilcher, the actress known for playing the Native American diva in the 2005 film “The New World,” was chained near the White House gate with the help of her mother, who assisted by pouring black paint over her daughter’s body. A showing of Native American solidarity? Nay. The two women were allegedly protesting Peruvian President Alan Garcia’s visit with President Obama on Tuesday. Garcia is moving to sell large swaths of indigenous land to oil companies and other foreign investors. Maybe Kilcher could’ve just sang a song about it.

D.C. residents are still moaning about the aesthetics of streetcar wires, but D.C. Councilmember Tommy Wells has come to save the complicated transit plan. Wells introduced a bill yesterday that would modify the antiquated ban on overhead wires in the District.

City Paper all-star alum Mike DeBonis started his new blog today at WaPo. For those unfamiliar with Mike’s work as WCP's Loose Lips columnist, you’re in for a treat. Congrats, Mike!

Photo by alotofmillion/Wikimedia Commons

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—"Suspect: I Watched Project Runway During Wone Murder," "Budget Vote: Seniors Stage Protest," "Budget Silver Lining: Another Million For Bruce Monroe, Etc.," "Jim Graham Campaign Sign Scandal!"

BUDGET CLUSTERF**K 2010: Unfortunately, yesterday wasn't dominated by thought-provoking answers on how the District government could restore funds to services that address its most vulnerable residents. Yesterday was all about streetcar drama. It began at midnight with Gray's decision to cut streetcar funds. He argued that the cuts would have gone a long way toward closing the budget gap. Then....all hell broke loose. Here's a timeline:

*At Noon: D.C. Wire reported that the D.C. Council voted to strip funding for the streetcar project: "The D.C. Council Wednesday approved stripping funds designated to bring streetcar service back to the city in an effort to close a $550 million budget gap. The vote effectively delays the launch of the streetcars. The council still must vote on the change when it votes on the full budget later today. The council voted to take $49 million for street car system and distribute it among other projects. Gabe Klein, director of the District Department of Transportation, was lobbying furiously to save the funds from being redistributed. 'It will essentially kill the program,' he said. 'If they kill it, basically, it goes on ice.'"

*At 1:10 p.m.: Council Chairman Vincent Gray released a statement affirming the decision to kill streetcar funding: "I am firmly committed to a new streetcar system in the District. But we owe it ourselves to have a well thought out planning process. We can't afford the mayor's approach of 'build now and plan later', which only results in poor outcomes and much higher costs in the end."

Here's more from the Gray statement:

“But we owe it to ourselves to have a well thought out planning process. We can’t afford to adopt the Mayor’s approach of “build now and plan later,” which only results in poor outcomes and much higher costs in the end. Comprehensive planning, transportation and engineering work needs to be done, and the Council has allocated $5 million to complete the planning process necessary to give us the most efficient use of our dollars. I have every intention of moving forward with streetcars however, we need to use some of the dollars for more immediate projects, like renovation of middle schools.

This approach, which was passed today by the Council by a vote of 11-2 in the Committee of the Whole, will allow for better collaboration and cooperation with residents, business owners, and other stakeholders, and result in a much better streetcar system in the end.”

D.C. Councilmember Tommy Wells' streetcar defense—and the back and forth—hit Twitter:

"I believe this will kill this project for another generation" — Tommy Wells.

Tommy Wells: "Are you aware we may lose $100-197M in stimulus funding?" Gray: "Yes."

*At 3:10 p.m.: WaPo's Nikita Stewart reports that streetcar funding may be resurrected: "Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) is expected to announce Wednesday that the city has found enough money to restore funding for street car service in the District. Earlier Wednesday, the council approved taking $49 million from the streetcars to use to balance city's budget and help fund other projects. That vote effectively delayed the launch of the streetcars by two years."

*At 3:35: D.C. Wire's Nikita Stewart reports that the streetcar project has been saved. "Gray spokeswoman Doxie McCoy said $10 million would be made available immediately to purchase streetcars in fiscal 2011. Another $37 million would be place in reserve pending an operations and funding proposal from Mayor Adrian Fenty. The council would then have to approve the proposal. The decision to restore funding came just hours after the council decided to pull money from the streetcars to fund other services. But within moments of the decision, the council was inundated with calls."

*At 8:22 p.m.: Gray Spokesperson Doxie McCoy sent out an e-mail declaring that the press had gotten it all wrong about the Council Chairman killing streetcars. The statement is as wonky and deliberative as you can imagine. It's also amazingly lame damage control [strong use of bold and Ital all McCoy's]:

"Streetcars were never dead. Earlier today, the Chairman got the Council to slow them down to allow proper planning, which is still required after the vote on the Fiscal year 10 and 11 budgets today. Since the statement below from earlier this afternoon, during the break between the Committee of the Whole and the legislative session, Gray consulted with the CFO’s office to look for alternatives to move forward given plans on H Street and Benning Road, NE already underway. And here is what they came up with: identified $10M in capital funds to be borrowed in FY to purchase three cars for H and Benning that had been in the works….plus $37M in capital funding to be borrowed. However, the $37 M will not be released until the executive presents a planning and financing plan to the Council for approval. In real dollars, the District will have to pay $4 M in FY 10 and 11 to cover the debt created by the borrowing and the CFO says that amount is available in the debt service reserves fund and will not affect any other projects or programs."

I can't wait to see Gray debate his waffling on streetcars. The Council Chairman makes a good point, one echoed by policy wonks—that the street car project may need a more rigorous plan. Still, he had given zero indication—at least publicly—that streetcar funds were on the chopping block. He just looked silly slaughtering the streetcar funds at the last minute. Did yesterday's scene remind you of Linda Cropp's waffling on baseball? First she was for it. Then she was against it. Then who the hell remembers?

AFTER THE JUMP—More streetcars, more budget winners and losers.

STREETCAR FALLOUT: WaPo's Tim Craig and Nikita Stewart provide excellent coverage of yesterday's fight over streetcars. D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray needs to position himself as the champion of those left out of Fenty's dog-park love, rec center ribbon cuttings, and well, improving schools and decreases in crime. But he also can't alienate the yuppies and/or nostalgic old-timers who embraced streetcars. Craig and Stewart write:

"After a backlash from at least one member of Congress and hundreds of residents who jammed government phone lines, community e-mail groups and Gray's Web site — the late-night maneuver had been scrapped. By midday Wednesday, Gray was back at the council dais, telling his colleagues that he and city finance officials had found $50 million to keep the streetcar program on track.

The saga of the streetcars is emblematic of one of the central tensions between the campaigns of Gray and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) as well as the voters they're targeting. Fenty has been criticized for favoring newcomers over more established Washingtonians and for using scarce resources to build dog parks, recreation centers and streetcar lines instead of bolstering more traditional social services.

Gray has sought to capitalize on that sentiment by establishing himself as a champion of those who feel left out, but he must do so without turning off voters who value the new services.

In the days leading up to Wednesday's budget vote, Gray had sought to navigate political land mines surrounding proposals to establish a soda tax, increase taxes on the wealthy and restore millions in proposed cuts to social service programs.

Touting himself as the candidate in the September Democratic primary who can unite the city, Gray tried to fashion an election-year budget that would keep him from making enemies in a city often divided by class and race."

Gray did himself no favors by appearing to be a little too cute with the budget. He waited till the 11th hour to cut the streetcar funding. And he never provided a real alternative to the proposed tax increase on the city's wealthy elites. Instead, he looked like he was playing politics. More streetcar coverage via The Examiner, NC8, WBJ.

TAX PLAN FAILS: Despite Save Our Safety Net's Wilson Building protest this morning (NBC4), the D.C. Council ruled out a tax increase on the District's top wage earners as a way to restore funds to social services. The Examiner reports: "The D.C. Council voted down a proposed tax increase for residents making more than $350,000 a year Wednesday while initially approving next fiscal year's budget, which expands sales taxes to soda drinks but avoids raising parking meter fees to as much as $3 an hour. The income tax increase, proposed by Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham, would have raised the income taxes for wealthy residents from 8.5 percent to 8.9 percent. The measure, which failed 8-5, received vocal support from a number of social service groups present at the council hearing. Graham said the measure would raise $77 million over four years and would be 'paid for by those who can most afford to pay this.' The extra revenue would have been used to pay for services such as assistance for the disabled and grandparents raising children. Mayor Adrian Fenty proposed a number of cuts to social services as part of his effort to bridge a more than $500 million budget gap. But opponents of the tax increase said it would lead to the 4,000 residents who would be hit with the tax to simply change their primary residences to their second homes in more tax-friendly states."

In a WBJ story on the taxes, Councilmember Yvette Alexander explains why she voted against the tax increase: “Let’s be fair. You can’t just depend on the resources of a few for the masses. You just can’t do that.” A real profile in courage. And a complete misreading of the tax-increase proposal. The proposal would have actually leveled the playing field since the tax rate currently places too much burden on middle-class and lower-middle-class earners. More coverage via DCist, D.C. Wire, WJLA.

The D.C. Council may have settled on something more sensible—and something all residents could get behind—the commuter tax. Too bad it will never happen. WBJ's Michael Neibauer writes: "The budget also includes a tax on the incomes of D.C. government employees who live outside the city and are paid with local revenues. If enacted, the tax would generate upward of $105 million, said Councilman Harry Thomas Jr., D-Ward 5. But because the Home Rule Charter bars the District from taxing the incomes of people who work in D.C. but live elsewhere, the change will require Congressional approval — and that’s very unlikely."

SODA TAX: Who's sick of the soda tax? It passed.

MAYOR'S SCHEDULE:
4 p.m. Remarks: Demolition for new Minn Ave/Benning Road Development
Location: 4004 Minnesota Avenue NE

"So it boils down to this: Michelle Rhee intentionally and illegally fabricated a budget shortfall in order to fire teachers. Around the time of the RIF she blamed the City Council for the lack of funds, but all this shows that there was room and time for DCPS to make adjustments (not hiring 900 new folks?) to the system before a RIF became necessary."

Dee Does the District has their own reaction to Rhee's testimony:

"I don't know whether to throw my laptop off my balcony or weep. I think instead I'll just go to bed, speechless."

Barry Farm (Re)mixed calls for Mary Cuthbert to step down from her post as ANC Commissioner. The blogger posts a letter from Commissioner William Ellis outlining why Cuthbert should go. He She writes:

"It is not me that is failing our people! Under Commissioner Cuthbert’s leadership as Chair, she has failed us countless times. In 2004 she forfeited 14,000 dollars of our tax payer’s money by not filing Quarter Reports, money that could have been used to lift up this community. In 2007 she forfeited 5,000, and in 2008 another 5,000 for not filing Quarterly Reports. Up to this very day, she still blatantly disregards the wishes of the Auditor by not answering the Audit Request or wanting to approve a yearly budget. As a result, the audit will take 24,000 for unauthorized rent payments, from our next audit [if] something is not done immediately."

Frozen Tropics highlights a newish soul food restaurant on West Virginia Ave.

Greater Greater Washington thinks DDOT should consider one change to its streetcar system.