Vincent Orange, fighting Kwame Brown for Gray’s seat, went with a smaller Cadillac SUV than his competitor. What, he couldn’t afford an orange paint job?

UPDATE: WTOP is reporting that part of a building under construction in Rosslyn has collapsed, and that there are reported injuries, but at this point they don’t know how severe. The building is at the corner of North Lynn Street and 19th Street. We’ll update again when we learn more. MORE: “Arlington Police spokesman John Lisle says a slab of wet concrete partially collapsed on the 24th floor of the building on North Lynn Street.” There are 2 or 3 workers believed to be trapped in the building, the extent of their injuries still unknown. WTOP Traffic reports access to the Key Bridge from Rosslyn is closed, along with Fort Myer Drive. MORE: Looks like a total of 16 workers were injured in the collapse, with three now in critical condition. Full story here.

Whew, it’s cold and windy out there, eh Washington? At least it’s Friday, and we’re pleased to report it should be a pretty spectacular weekend, with sunny skies, less wind, and highs reaching up to the lower 50s on Sunday. So have a great time at the various holiday parties you’ll no doubt be attending, and take solace in the mild weather, and the fact that your partying ways (and how you’re paying for them) aren’t being scrutinized by the Washington Post.

Eastern High School Principal Fired: Back in October we told you about Eastern High School’s principal Shawn Hearn, and the allegations against him that he had physically assaulted several students and a parent. This morning we read in the WaPo that an investigation by D.C. Schools has resulted in him being fired. We hope the students at Eastern are able to move on quickly and finish the school year with a new principal who’s the source of less drama.

Speaking of Schools: Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty, along with 10 members of the incoming D.C. City Council, are in New York City for the day on a field trip to meet with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Public Schools chancellor Joel Klein and check out how some of the city’s school reform policies have taken effect first hand. This is the second time Fenty has met with Bloomberg about schools, and the new mayor is widely expected to pattern his own school reform plan after Bloomberg’s — which includes taking personal control over the school system. Also in the WTOP report — apparently Fenty and the Council have agreed to a challenge from members of media to play a game of basketball. Which has us thinking: could the DCist team successfully challenge the Council to a game of say, dodgeball?

Briefly Noted: Rock Creek Parkway open again after deadly accident … Second Metro worker dies from injuries after being hit by train … CFO Gandhi blames Carolyn Graham for scandal.

This Day in DCist: In 2005 we started the cheering section for the Nationals’ move to acquire Alfonso Soriano, and in 2004 we anticipated the opening of IndeBleu.

Photo by DottieboBottie.

Filed Under: adrian fenty, Alfonso Soriano, basketball, bloomberg, Briefly Noted, city, City Council, construction, dcist, eastern high school, high school, holiday, Joel Klein, key bridge, mayor, Mayor Michael, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, media, metro, michael bloomberg, nationals, new york, new york city, news, photos, police, public schools, rock, rock creek, rock creek parkway, schools, the city, This Day, traffic, train, washington, washington post,