Welcome to May, Washington. It’s beautiful outside and will stay that way throughout the week. In fact, checking WUSA’s weather forecast this morning, we smiled at all the pretty suns and mild temperatures. The clearest meteorological message, though, is the helpful “Warm” and “Nice” written neatly across the image. Not too shabby. It’s also nice weather for balloting. Today, voters in Wards Four and Seven head to the polls to elect new D.C. council members. Residents of Wards Three and Four also have a chance to chose a new school board representative, a job which Mayor Fenty is rapidly making meaningless.
Georgetown Library Fire Damages Historic Treasures: Library officials and archivists are expected to search the fire-damaged Georgetown Public Library to find priceless Civil War era maps, as well as portraits of slaves and other documents. The fire, which started about 12:30 p.m. Monday, caused portions of the roof to collapse and took firefighters five hours to fully extinguish. Thankfully, no one was injured. District fire officials have said their efforts were hindered by low water pressure in the area. Two hydrants near the library were not working and there was also a water main break in the area.
Kaine Closes Gun Loophole: Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine approved an executive order yesterday banning the sale of guns to people involuntarily forced into care for mental illness. The move came two weeks after Cho Seung Hui killed 32 people, and himself, at Virginia Tech. Cho had been involuntarily ordered to seek treatment in the years before the shootings, but Virginia did not enter his name into its “no sell” database because he was not hospitalized. Virginia’s previous policy was not in line with existing federal laws.
Briefly Noted: Mayor Fenty says he supports rebuilding Eastern Market… Crackdown on bootlegged music and movies in the District…
This Day in DCist: Last year we really missed D.C.’s immigrant population during a protest against immigration reform. Two years ago DCist road tripped in Indiana.
Photo by Flickr user randomduck.
