Good morning, Washington. Did you get a chance to see the total lunar eclipse last night? Last night’s storm seemed to disappear just in time to provide a crystal clear view, and from a vantage point in Logan Circle, it was indeed an impressive sight. We felt compelled to remind passersby on the street to look up and take it in, as we saw an awful a lot of folks walking around seemingly unaware of what was happening in the sky. There are a great many other images of the eclipse in the DCist Flickr pool.

Debating the Efficacy of Crime Cameras: The Metropolitan Police Department has released a new report that claims the use of so-called “crime cameras” in D.C. since 2006 has lowered violent crime in some areas and helped police to identify suspects. The Post gets in to the details of report, and offers some counterargument from surveillance skeptics, including Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), who think crime may just be being pushed to different intersections that don’t have cameras. The report may back up those doubts: it shows that violent crime increased about 1 percent overall in the District last year, even though it decreased 19 percent within 250 feet of each of the cameras.

Fraud Suspected in D.C. Healthcare Alliance: The Examiner reports on a new audit that may reveal some fraud in the District’s low-income health care program, D.C. Healthcare Alliance. Auditors believe some ineligible enrollees may be using certain addresses to gain access to the program. Eleven District addresses, not including homeless shelters, accounted for 271 Alliance members, and another 216 addresses accounted for 1,866 members.

Briefly Noted: Va. deports immigrants convicted of sex crimes … D.C. police officer pleads guilty to seeking sex with underage teen … Md. transgender discrimination bill appears headed for a vote.

This Day in DCist: In 2007, we told you about a stinky delay on I-395, and in 2006, we thought it was pretty cute that Butterstick had finally just discovered his dad.

Photo by philliefan99