Good morning, Washington. Your intrepid correspondent hasn’t yet ventured out this morning (admittedly undercutting his claim of intrepidity), but things were looking pretty nasty last night. Conditions seemed to be orienting themselves toward maximum slipperiness, and, in a particularly dire sign, my dashboard weather icon changed from a cartoon of rain to a cartoon of sleet. Perhaps more convincingly, WTOP’s list of closings and delays is looking formidable this morning: nearly every area school system is closed today, with the exception of D.C. schools, which are opening two hours late. And it’s not even over yet: a winter storm warning is in effect until noon.

D.C. Child Welfare Faces Federal Takeover: Word of additional trouble for the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency probably comes as no surprise. The agency has faced steadily mounting problems ever since Banita Jacks’ daughters were found dead last year. In fact, the only remarkable thing about today’s Post story detailing the agency’s latest woes is how far back their origins go. The agency has been working with a court-appointed monitor as a result of a lawsuit filed in 1989. On Monday night they acted to sidestep this arrangement by filing a reform plan without the monitor’s approval — a step that everyone seems to agree is inviting additional legal complications. The ultimate result could be a complete federal takeover of the agency or, as the city seems to hope, a return to self-determination for an agency already struggling with many impediments to turning itself around.

Icy Conditions Lead to Accidents: Given how laughably alarmed we all get when flakes start falling, it’s easy to forget that it really is dangerous out there. Fox 5 rounds up the worst accidents, which include a number of fatalities near Charlottesville and a firetruck that slid off the road in Fairfax. There was a fatal accident on Rt. 15 in Frederick, too, but it’s not clear if the snow was to blame: WJLA says it was, while the Washington Times says the weather conditions weren’t a factor.

Inaugural Program for Students Criticized: Purple ticketholders’ problems aside, the inauguration seems to have mostly been a logistical success. Tales of woe continue to trickle out, however, and today’s Post has the latest one. Vienna-based Envision EMI’s Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference charged as much as $2,900 for students to stay in town and participate in inauguration-related events, but the number of students participating and the size of the celebration seem to have overwhelmed organizers. Parents are understandably upset over what sounds like a predictable series of failures stemming from transit delays and crowding.

Briefly Noted: Former city official gets home detention for corruption connected to Jemal prosecution… Loudoun freezes teacher salaries… Montgomery County Council supports building Purple Line as light rail…

This Day In DCist: One year ago we noted NoVa’s appetite for romance novels.

Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user spectreman