Friday has arrived at last, Washington. Despite the federal holiday on Monday, it’s been a rather long week for many of us – though of course, we couldn’t hold a candle to the week that D.C. CFO Natwar Gandhi has had. The Post writes about yesterday’s lengthy D.C. Council hearing into the tax office scandal, which lasted until 9 p.m. and where it was apparently revealed late in the evening that authorities are investigating the possibility that Harriette Walters actually gave personal loans to some of her superiors. The City Paper also mentions that Gandhi said he had no plans to resign, but that if the council and the mayor were to ask him to, he would then do so.

D.C. Students Improve Math and Reading Scores: D.C. 4th and 8th graders performed better in math and reading tests than they did two years ago, according to scores released Thursday in The Nation’s Report Card. That’s great news, but The Examiner points out that our students continue to lag behind the national average and most other urban U.S. school districts, since they were so far behind to begin with. D.C. also excluded a greater percentage of students with disabilities or language barriers from the tests than they used to because of a recent rule change, which likely contributed to the increase.

MoCo Police Increase Patrols Due to Gangs: Police in nearby areas of Montgomery County are stepping up their patrols in response to a rash of gang-related violence in the county. Three recent stabbings are thought to be linked to a feud between members of the Bloods and the Crips, as is Monday’s night’s shooting outside the Shady Grove Metro station.

Briefly Noted: Two people hospitalized at George Mason University after a chemical spill … A woman is in critical condition after being hit by a car Thursday evening on Connecticut Avenue NW … NORAD will conduct a series of training flights today over the D.C. region.

This Day in DCist: In 2006 then-Mayor-elect Fenty got his above-ground parking plan for the new Nationals stadium approved, and in 2005 we watched as mayoral candidates on the D.C. Council jockeyed for position with each other.

Photo by Leica Mark

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