Good morning, Washington. As if the Christmas lights and plastic santas weren’t enough to satiate our holiday decorating needs, now we’re getting word of an abundance of nativity scenes with live animals — camels to be exact. As cute as this sounds, something about your lawn ornaments spitting on you just doesn’t seem like a good idea. And aren’t camels desert-roaming beasts? With the beginning of winter behind us and Christmas and Hanukkah fastly approaching, let us take a look at today’s happenings in and around the Beltway:
Recount Certifies McDonnell VA Attorney General Race: It’s official; Virginia Republican Robert McDonnell is the winner of the Virginia attorney general’s race, reports the Post. With the recount having come to a close, McDonnell ended up with a 360 vote lead over Virginia Democratic challenger Creigh Deeds. The recount widened McDonnell’s lead by 37 votes. The race goes down in the history books as the closest statewide election in modern-day Virginia history.
GSA Eyes Walter Reed: For those wondering what exactly is to become of the District’s Walter Reed Hospital after its slated closing by the BRAC Commission, the General Services Administration seems to be sizing up the site. According to WJLA, the ample amount of space in upper Northwest is being looked at to house a variety of federal agencies. Most services that are currently offered at Walter Reed are being relocated to Bethesda and Fort Belvoir, with around 9,000 jobs being relocated, too.
More Tickets, Expanded Viewing Hours for Butterstick: With supply inching closer to meeting demand, the National Zoo has made 29,000 more Butterstick cuteness-viewing tickets available, notes the Post. The viewing times for the ‘stick will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily, starting on January 3. Ticket-viewers can also see the cub from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. daily, except Wednesdays and Sundays. For folks who can make it over to the zoo extra early, your 8 a.m. option to go by the booth near the Panda House to snag one of the 60 same-day tickets to see the cub still exists. We have to warn you, though — Butterstick is not a morning panda.
Briefly Noted: New research center to focus on biological threats … Google claims five percent stake in Dulles-based America Online … Greenbelt woman finds stolen thesis in dumpster … Redskins’ Moss and Samuels named to Pro Bowl.
Picture snapped by ohad.
