Photo by philliefan99.

Good morning, Washington. The trial of Brittany Norwood, the woman who stands accused of brutally murdering her coworker inside a Bethesda Lululemon Athletica store earlier this year, will begin today. Jury selection in the trial is expected to start at 9:30 a.m. The prosecution is expected to pursue a sentence of life without parole if Norwood is convicted of the murder; the defense, meanwhile, has tried to keep its options open in the lead up to the trial.

The Old Guard: Some interesting reporting from Jeffrey Anderson, who digs into the connection between Walmart and D.C. political insider David Wilmot. Anderson finds that Wilmot had a sizable stake in the plot of land along New Jersey Avenue where the retail chain now plans to build a store. Wilmot, reports Anderson, was part of a group that allowed the lot to sit vacant for 21 years, renting it out as a parking lot for 18 of them and earning tax-free rent, which unnamed city officials blamed on “faulty land-use policies and the exploitation of a dysfunctional city bureaucracy.”

Metrobus Crashes Up: Metrobuses have been involved in crashes with a greater frequency so far in 2011 than in any of the previous three years, reports the Examiner. Through August, Metrobuses had been involved in more than 200 crashes per month, on average — and Metro estimates that 41 percent of the accidents could have been prevented by drivers, also a high mark compared to years past. Kytja Weir reports that the transit agency attempts to encourage safe driving with small cash bonuses, among other incentives.

Time To Start Watching The Homicide Numbers: A pair of weekend shootings — including one near the campus of Howard University during homecoming festivities — has the District once again teetering on the edge of the century mark in homicides. Despite a recent rash of killings — eight in the past seven days — the city is still on pace to record fewer murders than last year.

Briefly Noted: WaPo argues that D.C. “seems distressingly disinterested in promoting a knowledge-based economy”…WiFi on Metro? We’re not holding our breath…Take your big cats to Virginia…Well, this could have been much worse…Your feel-good story of the weekend…Noted cowbell enthusiast Will Farrell awarded Kennedy Center’s Twain Prize.

This Day in DCist: Last year, we looked back at the Metropolitan AME Church; in 2008, we figured that there had to be a better temporary use for a prominent K Street lot than a bunch of parking spaces.