MLK Day Parade Canceled: The AP, via the Post, reports that the 27th annual Martin Luther King Day parade in Ward 8 has been canceled because of the cold temperatures. Apparently, the health of Ward 8’s councilmember, former Mayor Marion Barry, had been speculated to have been partly to blame for the cancellation, enough so that the AP in the second paragraph flatly said that is wasn’t to blame. (But perhaps we’re just reading too far into things.) Barry had been hospitalized with the flu. A spokeswoman for the former mayor says that he “is more worried about children getting sick because of the cold weather.”

NOAA Fights for ‘Threatened’ Status for Native Oysters: It’s unlikely to happen anytime soon, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is trying to get native Chesapeake Bay oysters declared “threatened” or “endangered,” the AP, via the W.Times, reports. If such a designation were granted, it would likely mean that Chesapeake oysters would be banned from being harvested. (Oyster image at right from Wikipedia)

Post Columnist Dies at 47: The Post’s accomplished and authoritative columnist, political profiler and reporter, Marjorie Williams, died of cancer over the weekend. From the Post’s obituary:

A portrait by Ms. Williams was seen as a ritual signifying that a person had reached the center of the political universe. First came the charm, then the withering scalp-to-toenails examination under her all-seeing eye. Her conclusions were published for millions to read in keen and crystal prose.

Briefly Noted: New signs of regional housing crunch: Bald eagles are roosting next to Woodrow Wilson bridge construction site … Paired with ATA, Southwest gains access to DCA … Did Kwame Brown pay a friend’s consulting firm for campaign work? The Post says yes … Yikes! Glass fragments removed from eye of metrobus driver whose bus was struck by brick thrown by youths …