CB2, the slightly cheaper Crate & Barrel brand store that's aimed at younger, urban customers is looking for a location in D.C., the Washington Business Journal reports. The chain has reportedly been talking to Jeffrey Schonberger, the real estate developer who owns the Central Union Mission building at 1350 R Street NW, at the corner of 14th and R Streets. Central Union has long been in talks with the city to relocate elsewhere, with most recent negotiations focusing on the empty Gales School at 65 Massachusetts Ave. NW. CB2 has also reportedly been looking at other properties, but should it move into the 14th and R space, it would join the forthcoming Room & Board at 14th and T along with existing furniture stores like Vastu, Muleh and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, creating a sort of furniture corridor along that stretch of 14th.

>>Vocalist Diana Rodriguez is a relative new comer to the local scene, but this NYU grad shows promise. She will be playing Twins Jazz tonight in a guitar/bass/vocal trio. Call. 202-234-0072 for set time and cover information.

Good morning, Washington. The Michael Jackson memorial service so thoroughly dominated the national news yesterday that there's precious little else to read about this morning - so thank goodness Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry and his ex-girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt appear to be intent on drawing out the strange spectacle of their post-romance meltdown for all to see. After news broke in the Post Tuesday afternoon that Barry had paid Watts-Brighthaupt $10,000 in consulting fees (which the City Paper says is really $20,000), Barry's spokesperson, Natalie Williams, called a press conference to address the story. The best defense Williams could offer was this: "It is not unusual, nor is it illegal, for councilmembers to award contracts to supporters or family members who qualify or can provide the services that are required," she said. Pretty weak sauce, but OK. That statement actually came after the bigger story of the press conference, though - that Watts-Brighthaupt actually showed up in person and made a spectacle of herself, attempting to shout down Williams from the podium before eventually getting into her car (and briefly talking with reporters -- see the video for more) and driving off. Yeesh. Remind us never to break up with either of them.

• Rockies 5, Nationals 4: One day after being but the eighth team to ever be shutout at Coors Field, at least the Nationals scored last night in Denver -- Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham both went deep. But poor pitching and fundamentals were back again: starter Jordan Zimmermann lasted but four innings, laboring and forcing bad breaking balls over 96 pitches. It was always going to be tough for this Nats bullpen to get through five full innings. Jason Bergmann and Sean Burnett got through three innings unscathed; but Julian Tavarez (3-7) walked two in the bottom of the eighth, and then Joe Biemel turned a sure double-play dribbler to the mound into an awful overthrow, loading the bases -- a sacrifice fly later and it was yet another late-game disappointment. Huston Street overwhelmed the top of the Nats' order in the ninth for his 21st save and Colorado reliever Alan Embree (2-2) recorded the victory without throwing a single pitch.
• United 2, Harrisburg City Islanders 1: D.C. United sure likes to make these Open Cup games against teams from lower divisions interesting, now don't they? The Black-and-Red grabbed a two-goal lead after eighteen minutes through strikes from Boyzzz Khumalo and Andrew Jacobsen, and it appeared as if the rout was on. But even though Harrisburg had midfielder Mo Odour sent off shortly after the restart and United was dominant in possession throughout, the Islanders pulled one back -- a poor clearance by Greg Janicki gave Islanders rookie Nicki Paterson a one-on-one with keeper Milos Kocic, which he calmly converted to cut the lead in half. Harrisburg desperately pushed for an equalizer -- even hitting the bar late on -- but United held on for the win. They'll take on yet another lower-division side, the Rochester Rhinos, in the semifinals of the Cup on July 21, again at the Soccerplex.
• Lynx 96, Mystics 94: The Mystics blew a nine-point fourth quarter lead and lost an absolute heartbreaker to Minnesota. With eight seconds left in overtime, Marissa Coleman was fouled attempting a three-pointer, but missed her final shot which would have tied the game. Amazingly, the Lynx again fouled a three-point shooter seven seconds later -- and again, former Lynx guard Lindsey Harding missed the third free throw which would have forced a second OT, maligning what was an otherwise fantastic 27 point effort. Nicky Anosike led Minnesota with 21 points.

• Bad news for soccer fans attending tomorrow night's CONCACAF Gold Cup matches at RFK Stadium -- Metro won't be staying open past midnight, even if the game ends later.
• Hot tip: If you're arrested for DUI, don't get arrested for it again just a few hours later.
• Frozen Tropics reports a tricky situation of neighbors being forced to contend with the lingering smell of a dead body that wasn't discovered for some time before it was removed.

WJLA/ABC7 reports that an unidentified Metrorail operator was suspended for five days without pay after a Metro rider posted a YouTube video of the driver that appears to show him using a cell phone to send an SMS while operating a Blue Line train.

Do you have enough reusable bags? Mayor Adrian Fenty signed into law today the bill that will establish a 5 cent fee charged to consumers for every disposable plastic or paper bag they take from a retailer. The mayor's action means the 5 cent fee will go into effect in January (unless of course Congress intervenes, but we kinda doubt that'll happen on this one). Four out of every five cents charged will then go into the newly established Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund (with the remaining cent for the retailer, for their trouble).

If you so choose, here's some video of Al Franken being sworn in to the U.S. Senate by Vice President Joe Biden this afternoon, courtesy The Hill. Franken reportedly took the oath on a Bible that belonged to the family of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.). The AP noted that 'the former Saturday Night Live performer and satirist offered no jokes, just a promise that he is "ready get to work."' After months and months of waiting, the new junior senator from the state of Minnesota officially gives the Democratic Party a crucial 60-seat Senate majority.

A Capitol Hill institution, Trover Books, announced yesterday that it will be shutting its doors. Hill residents of the long-term and less permanent kind have long relied on the shop at 221 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, for political books, congressional directories, non-Washington newspapers, and candy and cigars. Joe and Anne Shuman founded their family store in 1958, passing the business on to their three sons. One of them, Andy Shuman, told DCist today that "business has been bad the last couple years and getting steadily worse," a decline that accelerated "as the economy has fallen apart." During a visit to the shop this morning, employees pointed to the postman who came in to deliver the mail: he also had some Amazon packages under his arm.

The recently reinstated 2009 edition of Screen on the Green, now a joint production of HBO, Comcast, and the Trust for the National Mall, has announced the programming for the remainder of the summer's dates. When it was revealed that the series had been rescued from extinction earlier this summer, organizers only announced the first title on the schedule, a July 20 screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Titles for the remaining three dates — SotG was shortened to only four weeks this year from the normal five due to the last minute planning — were released this morning.

Flickr contributor m hoek encapsulates the urban bicyclist's experience with this dramatic image shot from a unique perspective. We can only hope that he was wearing a helmet. (No EXIF data -- it's on film.)