Photo by JLK1979

Good morning, D.C. We’ve been wondering whether it’s just us being overly sensitive and whiny thinking that the “spring” weather this week has left a little to be desired. It’s been sunny, which is great, and definitely a bit warmer, but still cold enough overnight that you need a real coat. Capital Weather Gang’s Matt Rogers kindly confirms our suspicions: “Our normal temperature in DC in late March is near 60 degrees,” he writes, noting that we’ll only reach the lower 50s still for the next few days, and continue to dip below freezing at night (plus, rain!).

Metro Crime Highest in Six Years: Pair of stories from the Examiner’s Kytja Weir on increasing crime rates for both the Metrorail and Metrobus systems. “Serious crimes increased more than 15 percent in 2008 over the previous year,” according a report Weir previews. “Riders can take some solace that reported assaults declined somewhat. There were no rapes or homicides.” Umm, we guess that makes us feel better? Also, assaults on bus drivers went up to 70 in 2008, versus 55 in 2007. WTOP notes that every single Metro board member says they have confidence in General Manager John Catoe.

Even More Budget Sifting Stories: Mayor Fenty and his top lieutenants appeared before the D.C. Council yesterday to defend their budget proposal, and there’s a lot to digest. David Nakamura reports that the administration plans to freeze all District workers’ salaries. The city’s workforce investment fund would be zeroed out in the next year’s budget, something that surely won’t go over well with the unions. Meanwhile Michael Neibauer enumerates all the cuts in services the city is facing: “The Department of Health will pare plans to increase the number of schools with nurses, saving $500,000. School crossing guards under the Department of Transportation will work three-hour shifts instead of the current four, saving $527,000. The Department of Employment Services will reduce apprenticeship and training subsidies by $300,000.” And so on.

Briefly Noted: Suspect in triple murder, Joseph Mays, ordered held without bail … H Street businesses struggling with construction … Christine Sarbanes, wife of former U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes, passed away … Still unidentified man injured in Northeast apartment fire dies.

This Day in DCist: One year ago, we were terrified by the White House Easter bunnies, and the Washington Post resurrected its D.C. Wire blog (congrats on a full year of blogging, WaPo City desk!).