Good morning, Washington. It’s still pretty dry out there at the moment, but don’t take that as a guarantee: those gloomy skies may be opening up intermittently throughout the day. It’s a shame — this time of year, with the city’s non-touristy areas relatively empty, it’s great to walk through the beautiful summer weather and feel like the city’s solely yours. Well, today might not be a great day for that. On the bright side, odds are decent that your boss is one of those who have already fled. Two hour lunch break, anyone?
Mohawka? Seriously?: It appears that George Allen has gotten himself into trouble. The Virginia Senator and 2008 presidential hopeful was making a campaign appearance when he singled out S.R. Sidarth, who was videotaping Allen on behalf of opponent James Webb’s campaign. Allen called Sidarth “macaca,” and welcomed him to America (Sidarth, a U.S. citizen, was born in Fairfax). The campaign initially claimed that Allen said “mohawka,” a reference to Sidarth’s non-existent mohawk. But, faced with videotape (and compelling hairstyle-based evidence), they’re now saying that Allen simply wasn’t aware of the term’s racist connotations.
Fenty Put On Defensive: Linda Cropp has been going after Adrian Fenty with gusto for the past few days, repeatedly directing attention to two controversies surrounding Fenty’s legal practice. Yesterday the candidate responded… sort of. Fenty repeated his previous admission to the first, previously-disclosed incident. However, the newer allegation, which involves the foreclosure of a house belonging to one of Fenty’s clients, has yet to garner a direct acknowledgement from the candidate.
Area Now Home to 1+ Million Immigrants: The Post reports on the latest numbers from the Census Bureau. The Washington region now officially has over one million immigrant residents — a distinction that puts us in the company of only eight other cities. The article also notes that the D.C. metro area’s immigrant population is more highly educated and ethnically varied than those in other cities. Good for us! We have to say, though, that we’re a little surprised not to see any coverage of this story yet from the normally immigrant-obsessed Washington Times. Perhaps they’re still busy hyperventilating into a paper bag.
Briefly Noted: D.C.-resident reporter kidnapped in Gaza… 60% of D.C. parking meters need repairs… Portis officially out for rest of preseason… Janey calls for moratorium on charter schools… Mendelson looks into delayed firehouse relocation… Arenas will miss championship game… Softshells in short supply…
This Day In DCist: One year ago we ruminated on blogs effect on the media, watched a blogger make the move to Washingtonian, and daydreamed about a big payday. Attention, gullible web 2.0 investors: keep dialing if you don’t get through the first time.
Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user eteel
