>> In case you missed this story in the Washington Post this morning, it seems another one of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton’s favorite long-term projects, expanding the District’s Home Rule Charter to give the District budget and legislative autonomy, is actually getting some play up on the Hill. We can’t even count how many times she’s introduced bills like the two currently before the House, but it’s been at least 15 years since Congress has ever paid them any mind. Yesterday, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee heard testimony from Del. Norton, Mayor Fenty, CFO Natwar Gandhi, and general counsel Brian Flowers about the delays and needless bureaucratic hoopla created by the current Home Rule Charter. The committee looks set to vote on the measures on June 21. [WaPo]
>> The city has opened up seven public swimming pools this afternoon to help residents beat the sweltering temperatures outside. The following pools opened today at 4 p.m. and will stay open until 7. East Potomac Park, Randall, Upshur, Kenilworth-Parkside, Francis, Georgetown, and Oxon Run. [NBC 4]
>> Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) pleaded not guilty to bribery, racketeering and money-laundering charges this morning in a federal courtroom in Alexandria. [WaPo]
>> Not even a diapered astronaut scandal, union strikes, or a bizarre Florida hailstorm will keep NASA from its goals. Tonight the space shuttle Atlantis, whose launch was delayed in February when hail damaged the fuel tank and a wing, will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center at 7:38 p.m. with equipment for the International Space Station and a crew member to relieve one of the astronauts who’s been orbiting Earth for the last six months. Wish them luck as they blast off. [CNN]
>> Have a great Capital Pride Weekend!
Heather Goss contributed. Photo by cornflakegirl
