High Heeled Sneakers: When it first began 25 years ago, the Dupont Circle High Heel Race must have been shocking indeed—a group of drag queens running down 17th Street, taking shots along the way, at a time when the nation barely wanted to acknowledge that gay culture even existed. These days, the race has gone mainstream—Mayor Vince Gray will preside, and starting next year, it'll be run by Historic Dupont Circle Main Street—but it's still a street party, and who doesn't like an excuse for public drinking? +4

Licensed to Drive: It's been a tough year transportation-wise for Sulaimon Brown, the former mayoral candidate who claims the venom he directed toward then-Mayor Adrian Fenty last summer was prompted by Vince Gray aides. First his bike was stolen outside the FBI building while he was being interviewed in connection with his allegations; now he's facing possible jail time if he doesn't swap his Maryland driver's license for a District one. But at least he keeps finding ways to get his name in headlines. -1

Beer, Bear, What's The Difference?: Driving into the C & O Canal to avoid hitting a bear sounds like the best of bad options; sure, submerging the car is bad, but hitting the bear could be worse, right? Unless, that is, there is no bear, and you've just driven your car into the canal because you're drunk. Which is what police say happened last night near Foxhall and Canal roads NW. The man driving the car was charged with DWI. No word on whether his defense lawyer has already set out bear traps. -1

SNOWTOBER: Apparently the D.C. area is thinking of going as Reykjavik for Halloween. Some weather models show the possibility of heavy snow on Saturday, which would make for some of the earliest-ever runs on grocery stores (though it would also get Pat Collins back in primetime TV). Chances are those models, which seem to be run on the same European computer programs that determined it would be a good idea to lend massive amounts of Euros to Greece, are incorrect. But just in case, everybody panic! -2

Yesterday's Needle rating: 61 Today's score: 0 Today's Needle rating: 61

The criminal probe began after onetime mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown alleged in March that he was paid by the Gray campaign to disparage then-Mayor Adrian M. Fenty during last year’s Democratic primary. Brown also claims that the Gray campaign promised him a city job in return for his political attacks on Fenty.

In addition to Brown’s allegations, investigators are examining possible irregularities in money-order donations to Gray’s campaign, some of which appear to have violated city campaign regulations, the sources said.

The mayor and senior campaign staff members have denied any wrongdoing related to either Brown’s allegations or the money-order donations.

Still, the Post devotes many more inches to describing federal activities and questions about the Gray campaign's story.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Unsafe At Any Speed: The Post has been covering Twitter reaction to the story of the Beltway driver who allegedly hit a taxi while having having drunken sex and cruising along at 85 mph since the trial got underway. So it was probably inevitable that the defendant would wind up tweeting, too. But that defendant, Salem Trad, should probably find a way to make money on Twitter—a Fairfax County jury ordered him to pay $22,000 to plaintiff Abdu Omar. +1

Delusions of Grandeur?: The accusations Sulaimon Brown has made against Mayor Vince Gray and his former campaign aides might be easier to take seriously if Brown didn't pull stunts like testifying before the D.C. Council wearing sunglasses. But apparently federal officials have been able to look past the shades long enough to get a grand jury to look into what Brown's saying. Which isn't good news for anyone who hopes Brown's 15 minutes of local news fame will soon be over. -2

Greed, For Lack Of A Better Word, Is Good: It's been a good year for Gannett CEO Craig Dubow, who runs one of the D.C. area's high-profile national corporations, based in McLean. In March, the world learned he got a $1.25 million bonus and his pay doubled—even as the recession crushes what's left of the media business he works in. Today, Gannett announced 700 layoffs around the company, which amounts to about 2 percent of its workers. Presumably, the annual salary of those 700 people adds up to about... $1.25 million? -2

Powerless: Managing expectations is always important in business. Pepco's CEO, Joe Rigby, seems to have figured that out; he told the Montgomery County Council that the utility is "not even shooting for average" performance over the next few years. Which won't come as a surprise to anyone who wondered each night last summer whether they'd be able to keep the lights on. Rigby claims his comment was taken out of context, but it sounds more like a classic Michael Kinsley-style gaffe. -3

Yesterday's Needle rating: 64 Today's score: -6 Today's Needle rating: 58

Still, the shades did convey a certain insouciance that some other folks around D.C., past and present, might benefit from.

If Thomas Jefferson was wearing sunglasses at his memorial, for instance, he wouldn’t have minded if people danced there—in fact, he might have joined them.

Wearing mirrored Sulaimon specs, maybe New York Rep. Anthony Weiner wouldn’t have felt the need to send photos of his shaved chest and stuffed briefs to women he didn’t know.

And if former Mayor Adrian Fenty had strolled around the city wearing sunglasses, would voters have even noticed that he didn’t seem to like talking to them?

We’ve also provided a handy set of Brown-inspired specs in case you find yourself in need of some sangfroid while out and about. Print, clip, and save!

Photos by Tolka Rover via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0; U.S. House of Representatives; Darrow Montgomery. Illustrations by Brooke Hatfield

Wilson Building Whirlwind: The summer is usually a little slow for political news. Today wasn't. First, D.C. officials announced that the city was suing Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. for allegedly using earmarks to buy himself an Audi. Thomas says he's done nothing wrong, but the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office were already investigating him before D.C. Attorney General Irv Nathan referred the matter to them. No sooner was the Thomas story done for the day then Sulaimon Brown took the witness stand at the Wilson Building, wearing sunglasses he refused to take off and getting into snippy arguments with members of the D.C. Council. The best exchange came late in the day, when Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry was arguing with Brown. Brown told Barry, "You know, you were locked up by the same FBI I've been talking to," prompting Barry to reply, "You out of your goddamn mind." Aren't we all! -6

End of the Line: When Metrobuses are delayed, it's usually because of traffic, not because they smashed into each other. But this afternoon, near Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and W Street SE, that's precisely what happened. At least six people were injured, apparently none seriously. And yes, traffic, for anyone on a bus passing through the same area, was backed up. -3

Tommymandered?: Walk out on the street right now, stop the first five people you see, and ask them what ward they live in if they're D.C. residents. It's unlikely they'd all get it right, which makes the uproar over D.C. Council redistricting seem like a typical low stakes, high emotions local politics fight. This time, though, the most emotive people seem to have won. A final redistricting map will keep Hill East residents who had wanted to stay in Ward 6 there and represented by Tommy Wells, instead of moving them to Yvette Alexander's Ward 7 territory. Look for another fight over almost identical issues in ten years. +1

Thou Shall Not Steal: The best time to commit burglary is, obviously enough, when no one's going to be in whatever building you're planning to steal from. Or, if you're breaking into a church, when they're all busy praying. That was the strategy police say Stephen Ernest Wing Jr. and Andrew Phillip Conteh used yesterday morning, when they snuck in a back door of the Christ is Lord Ministry in Woodbridge, Va., flashed guns at the parishioners counting money collected during the service, and ran off. They were identified not long afterward and arrested—which the Old Testament could probably have predicted. -1

Friday's Needle rating: 63 Today's score: -9 Today's Needle rating: 54

Adult Edu-tainment: There's finally an anchor tenant for the Southwest Waterfront development complex—Graduate School USA, the institution formerly known as the U.S. Department of Agriculture grad school. (There's also a new name for the complex—"The Wharf on the Southwest Waterfront," which makes us expect to see Elia Kazan guest-lecturing on filmmaking.) So far, the other major tenant in the area is the Washington Kastles stadium. Maybe the Graduate School can offer courses explaining what, exactly, team tennis is? +3

Sulaimon Sings!: Everybody's favorite minor mayoral candidate is reportedly talking to the FBI. Sulaimon Brown, who scored 209 votes in last year's election, has been the talk of D.C. politics ever since he claimed he was given cash payments, and later offered a job, as part of a political quid pro quo for his campaign-trail attacks on former mayor Adrian Fenty. After weeks of worry that Brown's appointment was a sign that the District was backsliding towards its lawless 1980s past, the feds' interest should signal that Uncle Sam won't let that happen. On the other hand, evidence to the contrary: Brown claims his bike was stolen off the street while he was in a federal office chatting with the G-Men. -1

The Social Network City: And now for another installment of "Completely Meaningless Quasi-Scientific Rankings by National Magazines." Today's edition comes to you via Men's Health, which has declared the District to be "America's Most Socially Networked City," because we're "a city where staying connected can get out the vote, and virtual handshakes help shape our nation." Last on the list: El Paso, Texas. There's a paragraph full of nonsense explaining the rankings, which involved getting ad network Chikita to "analyze" traffic generated on other social networks, but do you really care? +1

Blue is the New Yellow. In a move that will surely inspire hours of conversation by transit geeks everywhere, Metro has unveiled its long-awaited Blue Line/Yellow Line switcheroo: Starting next June, a third of the Blue Line trains coming out of Franconia will start heading into D.C. via the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac, thereby skipping the long detour through Rosslyn. Shocking! To compensate the underserved Rosslynites, the system will add an extra three Orange Line trains per hour. But what about those poor schlubs who want nothing more than a quick trip to Arlington National Cemetery? +3

Yesterday's Needle rating: 44 Today's score: +6 Today's Needle rating: 50

No Meat Suit for D.C. Council: Behold, the awesome power of sunlight and transparency! Just days ago, D.C. Council members were whining to each other about how they couldn't get free tickets to their luxury suite at the Verizon Center. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for the city, some of them also whined to The Washington Post about it. And as a result, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham won't be attending tonight's Lady Gaga concert, after all. Instead, he's donating his two tickets to the Sitar Arts Center, presumably so Ward 1 kids can learn about how outré fashion choices can lead to big record deals. We applaud Graham for coming to his senses instead of demanding free tickets, and we'll politely ignore the fact it took a newspaper story to prompt him to do the right thing. (Er, maybe we won't entirely ignore it.) If only such sanity were contagious among his colleagues. +2

Sulaimon Showdown: The day in D.C. politics, summarized: 1) Washington City Paper reports former mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown has been escorted from his office with the D.C. government, where he has a $110,000-a-year job; 2) Reporters attempt to get answers from Mayor Vince Gray about Brown's job status; 3) Security in the Wilson Building appears to contemplate removing reporters from the building—or worse; 4) Brown shows up at Gray's press conference about, uh, Brown, and starts crying. He'll keep his job for another 15 days, earning $4,500 from the government in the process. Anyway, if you'll excuse us, we have to go write a reality TV show pitch up. -5

Semen Sprayer Sentencing: Finally, the world has learned just what the proper punishment is for assaulting women in the particularly perverted way that Michael Wayne Edwards Jr. preferred: Spraying them with semen as they shopped in Gaithersburg grocery and craft stores. Edwards, who pleaded guilty in November, was sentenced to three years on probation. No word on whether the judge's order included any instructions to stay away from his criminal substance of choice. -1

All Wrong for Wright: For four years, point guard Chris Wright has been the heart of the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team. Sure, sometimes he made rash decisions in the middle of a fast break—but more often than not, when Wright plays well, the Hoyas win. Which is why any basketball fans watching last night's game had to be sad to see Wright leave the team's upset loss to Cincinnati with a broken left hand, in the penultimate home game of his college career. With the Big East and NCAA tournaments coming up, Georgetown's in a tough spot now. But losing Wright would hurt them at any time in any year. Some hopeful news: Early reports are that he may be back before "One Shining Moment" plays. -3

Yesterday's Needle rating: 37 Today's score: -7 Today's Needle rating: 30

Why? Dark horse mayoral candidate Alexander was the first to show at the Public Interest Civic Association's candidate forum, held in the basement of Brown AME church on Capitol Hill. Alexander had the forum all to himself for a while, before D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray showed up. He was followed by Kwame Brown, who is running for chair, and dark horse No. 2 for mayor, Sulaimon Brown.

Not there? Mayor Adrian Fenty, who has been scarce at forums lately.

Robert Vinson Brannum, the moderator of last night's event and a strong critic of schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee—and by extension Fenty—said it was his understanding that Fenty had confirmed that he would come.

"Mayor Fenty’s habit of reneging at the last minute and failing to show to community forums in certain wards is a continuing demonstration of his arrogance, notwithstanding his current political ads," Brannum said in an email to LL.

Ouch—no wonder Fenty didn't want to come by.

To be sure, last night's forum was not one of the must-see-TV forums of the campaign. But LL asked asked William Lightfoot, who heads Hizonner's re-election campaign, what gives anyway.

Lightfoot didn't know the specifics of last night's event, but had this to say in general:

"He tries to go as many as he can, but he can't go to them all, he will miss some, but that's the nature of office. When he misses he'll be criticized, when he goes he'll get some credit and he'll be criticized for his performance. It comes with the territory."

When a question about the District's juvenile justice system was asked, for example, Fenty took the opportunity to remind the crowd that Gray had served as the Director of Health and Human Services under Sharon Pratt Kelly, "when the courts took over," the mayor said. While New Beginnings and the rest of the juvenile justice system may have problems currently, Fenty added, "we have gotten results."

Fenty approached budget issues in a similar way, touting his budget balancing skills while claiming "the number one agency that had a deficit in the early '90s was Health and Human Services."

After multiple mentions of his tenure under Pratt Kelly, though, Gray had enough. "Mr. Mayor, you keep coming back to my record at the Department of Health and Human Services ... I'll put my record against yours any day," he said. "You want to talk about my record? Let's get it on!"

While Fenty seemed intent on harping on Gray's record from decades' past, there were plenty of recent decisions on the mayor's own watch for Gray and the three other challengers to attack. Gray, for one, promised that "this council chair is not going to put three developers on the zoning commission" and called the Fenty administration "one of the most opaque" he had ever worked with.

Leo Alexander, the premiere second-tier candidate, decried declining SAT scores, a widening achievement gap, and the suspicious contracts given to Fenty's fraternity brothers. But Alexander was also eager to group the two front-runners together, referring at times to the "Fenty/Gray administration" and promising that neither would "do anything different."

The other candidates at the debate, Sulaimon Brown and Ernest Johnson, spent a good deal of time talking about their major issues—fiscal responsibility and providing services to low-income residents, respectively—but they largely served as comic relief.

After a heated sparring match between Fenty and Gray, Johnson quipped, "You can see from the back and forth why we haven't gotten anything done in the past three years." Later, when asked about the issues of D.C. statehood and home rule, Johnson said he was in favor of statehood but was also a realist—"we just got permission from Congress to pass out condoms," he noted.

Brown, for his part, ended the evening by imploring the audience to "vote for any color—Brown, Gray–just please don't vote for Fenty."

Mayor

• Incumbent Adrian M. Fenty—Duh. Dude's got at least $2 million in the bank.
• Sulaimon Brown—D.C. Wire had the scoop on this 38-year-old former Fenty volunteer's challenge. He established his committee on May 5. His Web site fronts a pic with him and Barack Obama where Barack Obama does not seem to be acknowledging his existence.
• Faith, the exotic dancer turned trumpet-tooting, horse-riding perennial candidate, filed her papers on May 1.

Ward 3

• Incumbent Mary Cheh, as of May 15, is officially running for re-election.

Ward 6

• Incumbent Tommy Wells is in. He filed his papers on June 11.

At-Large Council

• Democrat-turned-independent Anthony Motley, who in March said he wanted to "explore the possibilities" of running, is in for real as of June 3. LL ran into the erstwhile minister and Marion Barry confidante at Monday's meeting of the Missionary Baptist Ministers Conference, where he was handing out fliers for his campaign kickoff—to be held a week from Saturday at Tony's Gym and Fitness Club in Ward 8. His Web site has details on that event, and his new slogan: "Lets Make It Happen!" We'll be making it happen without apostrophes, apparently.

  Also of note: Because Motley had to leave the Democratic party, he had to resign his elected seat to the Democratic state committee. On Saturday, the Ward 8 Democrats will be electing a replacement. The candidates are Darrell Gaston and Charles Wilson, both of whom ran against Barry for Ward 8 councilmember last year, plus Ward 8 Business Council President James Bunn and advisory neighborhood commissioner and Bluetooth-earpiece aficionado Anthony Muhammad. Motley says he's endorsing Muhammad.