Good morning, Washington. Not that you could have missed the fact that it’s awfully windy this morning after yesterday’s late fall rainstorm, but the National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the metro area, effective through 1 a.m. Tuesday morning — this wind will consistently be 25-30 mph until late tonight, with gusts over 46 mph expected. If you drive an SUV or another type of high profile vehicle, you’re asked to use extra caution, and don’t be surprised if you experience a power outage today. NBC4 is predicting the first possible snow of the season on Wednesday.
New Fraud Tally at $44 Million: The ratcheting up of the total amount that may have been stolen from the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue is starting to feel routine. On Sunday the Washington Post estimated the figure upwards one more time, to approximately $44 million. The paper identified 160 checks since June 1999 that lacked the court orders that are required for legitimate refunds, though that doesn’t necessarily mean all 160 of those checks were successfully cashed, explains the Examiner in a follow-up this morning. Also noteworthy: computerized records from the tax office only exist from May 1999. Federal investigators are still trying to determine how far back the fraudulent checks go. Prosecutors have also given co-defendant Diane Gustus a single day of immunity in the hopes that she can help track down the money trail.
Fenty Vs. Council, Round 2: The tension between the D.C. Council and Mayor Adrian Fenty over the mayor’s school closures plan is apparently serious enough for the Post to run a B1 follow-up story detailing every blow this morning. Some things we hadn’t heard before: Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry evidently cursed the mayor after he cut him off at the same breakfast meeting that saw Fenty and Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham publicly disagree for the first time we can remember.
Briefly Noted: … Oxon Hill woman killed in hit-and-run in Southeast … Mayflower Hotel offering amnesty to thieves … Woman murdered with samurai sword in martial arts academy.
Photo by krisetya
