Good morning, Washington. For the first time in almost 30 years, the Senate will take up a measure considering D.C. voting rights this afternoon, though as we explained yesterday, today’s action is really just a vote to consider giving us the vote in the House, not the actual vote to give us the vote. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who will take public transportation all day today in honor of Car Free D.C. Day, announced he will take advantage of his Congressional floor privileges and show up to lobby senators before the vote today, which is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. We’re looking forward to picking out his distinctively shiny head on C-SPAN2.
D.C. Courthouse Violations Put Lives at Risk: The Examiner digs into a report by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General, which blasts the D.C. Courthouse for health and safety violations related to overcrowding and overall poor conditions at the jail inside the building. The H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse space used by the U.S. Marshals Service processes twice as many prisoners for which it was designed, and the facility itself is in need of serious repair and maintenance attention — conditions which the report blamed for at least one death.
Protests Outside Fun Fair: Neighborhood blog Life in Mount Vernon Square has been keeping us posted on the movement to shut down adult video store Fun Fair, which culminated in a protest outside the business Monday evening. Located at 919 5th Street NW, neighbors complain that Fun Fair is operating an illegal, arcade-style adult business, where customers pay to watch videos on site in booths, despite previous efforts of the DCRA and other city agencies to revoke its licenses. Neighbors have also complained of routine drug activity and prostitution surrounding Fun Fair. The Post and the Times have stories as well today.
Briefly Noted: D.C. Council set to vote on payday lending limits … Md. to check mental health records of gun buyers … 14-year-old shot and killed in police altercation in Southeast … Car crashes into Southeast cemetery … D.C. Police complain to Council about department policies.
This Day in DCist: In 2006 we noted another lockdown of the Capitol after an air hammer was mistaken for gun fire and took a listen to an Israeli rap outfit visiting the District.
Photo by LaTur
