Good morning, Washington. Well, it looks like we haven’t escaped the interminable primary season just yet. Senator Clinton pulled out a decisive win in Ohio and a squeaker in Texas, thereby consigning us all to yet more tedious primary hell — almost two months’ worth, judging by the date of the Pennsylvania primary, which many consider to be the next potentially-decisive contest. Things were a bit more decisive for the Republicans: Mike Huckabee dropped out of the race, handing the presumptive nomination to John McCain.
City Council Passes Sick Leave Legislation: The D.C. council has unanimously approved a bill mandating sick leave for the city’s workers, the Post reports. Employees will gain between 3 and 7 days of paid sick leave, depending on the size of their employing business. There are caveats, though: waitstaff, healthcare workers and employees who have been on the job less than a year will not be eligible, thanks to amendments supported by the business community. Mayor Fenty still needs to sign the bill, and Congress will have ninety days to review it.
Convicted Ex-Cop Stashed Handcuff Key: Keith Washington, the former P.G. County police officer convicted last month of involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from the shooting of two delivery men in his Accokeek home, was carrying a handcuff skeleton key immediately after his conviction, according to The Examiner. Washington refused to surrender his shirt as officers strip-searched him during the period between conviction and sentencing. When the shirt was eventually wrested from him the key, which can open any set of handcuffs, was found in the shirt’s pocket. Washington claimed he had picked up the key hours before.
Md. Avoids Foie Gras Ban: If you want to make a dish more delicious you can add butter, bacon or cruelty to it. With apologies to veal fans, there’s no better example of the latter than foie gras, the fatty livers obtained by force-feeding geese prior to slaughter. As WTOP reports, a bill in the Maryland legislature would have led the state to join California and Chicago in banning the ingredient, but its sponsor now says that she’s likely to withdraw the measure. You still might want to avoid the stuff, though: it’s been implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s and other disorders.
Briefly Noted: Magna Carta back at National Archives… Guns, dogs, dogfighting supplies found in Silver Spring… Body found in Northwest… Md. Text Message ban reconsidered… Fewer applications for D.C. private schools… Overnight fire in Fairfax claims one life…
This Day In DCist: One year ago we examined the Pulaski Monument and considered Chief Lanier’s chances of being confirmed. Two years ago the MCI Center went gently into that good night.
Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user andertho.
