News today has it that the U.S. Capitol Police seemed to have forgotten about the First Amendment on Tuesday night, when they arrested anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and Beverly Young, the wife of a Republican representative, at the State of the Union address for wearing “expressive t-shirts.” Ironically, Young’s shirt was pro-military: “Support the Troops — Defending Our Freedom.” Capitol Police Terrance Gainer issued an apology and dropped the charges against the two.

District Claims Surplus…and Spends It: The District ended 2005 with a $370 million budget surplus, all of which was promptly spent along with $236 million in reserves, writes the Post. District CFO Natwar Gandhi yesterday spoke of a ninth consecutive year of a balanced budget for the city, with more than $1 billion remaining in reserves and residential and commercial property markets remaining strong.

Maryland Looks to Prohibit ‘Upskirting’: If you have a thing for slyly angling your camera under a women’s skirt or above her blouse and taking a picture, beware — Maryland is cracking down on the phenomenon known as “upskirting,” reports NBC 4. Two dozen states have so far passed legislation banning the practice, as has the federal government on its property. Should the legislation take effect in Maryland, offenders could face up to $2,500 in fines and one year in prison.

Alexandria Woman Makes Region Proud: A 100-pound Alexandria woman showed competition in New York what was what, eating 26 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes, notes WTOP. Sonya Thomas won $8,000 for the distinction, claimed she gained 10 pounds doing so, and promptly jumped on a train so she could get back to her job managing a Burger King on Andrews Air Force Base. Thomas adds this win to a fast-growing belt of awards — 46 dozen oysters in 10 minutes, 11 pounds of cheesecake in 9 minutes, 48 chicken tacos in 11 minutes, 37 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes and 56 hamburgers in 8 minutes.

Briefly Noted: District schools to cut space by 2007 … Private financing for stadium cut in new lease … Cherry Blossoms won’t be blooming early … Condo glut develops in Washington area … West End seeks Business Improvement District.

Picture snapped by michaelstarghill.

Filed Under: air force, andrews air force base, andrewsairforcebase, Beverly, Briefly Noted, burger king, Business and Development, Business Improvement District, capitol police, CFO Natwar Gandhi, cherry blossoms, cherryblossoms, chicken, Cindy Sheehan, district, District CFO Natwar Gandhi, dogs, first amendment, firstamendment, government, grilled cheese, hot dogs, legislation, Maryland, metro, military, natwar gandhi, nbc, new york, news, photos, police, Republican, sandwiches, schools, t-shirts, the city, The District, train, washington, west end,