Good morning, Washington. We start with this photo on Flickr of L Street posted by Burnt Pixel, aka Keith Jenkins, the photo editor of The Washington Post Magazine. From the streetscape, we think that it was taken outside the Post’s main office. Speaking of the Post, congrats to Steve Coll, who was the only person from the news organization to score a Pulitzer yesterday. As FishbowlDC puts it, the Post “got shut out” although Coll’s book “got a nod” for best general nonfiction for “Ghost Wars.” Although those in the newsroom may be peeved over the lack of wins this year, a Pulitzer is a Pulitzer, and congratulations are due to Mr. Coll.

Nats Lose Season Opener in Philly. We’ll have more on this later, but the Washington Nationals lost their season opener to Philadelphia.

If They Get Council Nod, Renters Will Get a Boost in Rights: So-called 95-5 transactions that apartment building owners use often to skirt the renters’ rights of first refusal in building sales look like they’re about to be eliminated, blostering the rights of tenants in the District. The Post reports that the D.C. Council has two important pieces of legislation before it: First, the elimination of the 95-5 loophole, where building owners can sell 95 percent of a building, later to transfer the last 5 percent, thus outflanking tenants who may want to buy their unit. Second, D.C.’s tough rent control laws would receive a five-year extension.

Who Doesn’t Like the Car Tax? The W.Times is reporting that a gubernatorial hopeful in Virginia, George Fitch, is vowing to end the much-hated car tax in the commonwealth. The Republican mayor of Warrenton says he has a plan that would “eliminate the tax ‘within two years’ and would cost the state an additional $470 million to $580 million annually,” the W.Times reports. “The tax already costs the state more than $900 million per year.”

Briefly Noted: Preliminary stats show 16 percent decline in D.C. crime rate … Hunters Brooke arson suspects get new charges … Lodged cigarettes may have caused small fire at MCI Center …

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