Thankfully, Mother Nature will be going easier on us this week than she did on Saturday, which saw record rainfall for the dry region. Our friends at Capital Weather are telling us that spare Tuesday and Sunday, it should be a great spring week.

New D.C. Public Library Likely: Though many District activists continue to push for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library to be salvaged, the Post reported yesterday that a new central public library will likely be built as part of a larger plan to save the city’s troubled library system. D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams claimed at a townhall meeting on Saturday that building a new $180 million central library would represent “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Churches Protest Parking Enforcement: Church-goers in the District protested the planned enforcement of city parking laws yesterday in Logan Circle, reports NBC 4. We’ll have our own first-hand account of the demonstration later this morning.

Cropp Faces Difficulties in Campaigning: Mayoral candidate Linda Cropp has faced troubles on the campaign trail in response to the role she played in pushing through the lease for the new stadium, notes the Post. Cropp, who as council chair played a key role in securing the votes on a frantic final night of debate, has had to respond to voters who see the $611 million stadium as a bad investment in a city struggling to save its libraries and school and rebuild its health infrastructure. Her main competitor, Adrian Fenty, remained steadfast against the stadium during the year-and-a-half-long debate.

Gas Prices on Rise in Region: Hinting at a long and expensive driving season this summer, gas prices in the region are fast on the rise, writes WJLA. Prices have exceeded three dollars a gallon in the District, while they have remained just under that in both Maryland and Virginia.

Briefly Noted: Single arrest at IMF/World Bank protests … Shenandoah River listed as one of the country’s most endangered … 12-year-old boy charged in double murder … MoCo rural roads to be widened.

Picture snapped by epmd