Good morning, Washington. Yesterday’s storm left some 259,000 homes and businesses without electricity and royally screwed up commutes for thousands. In many suburban counties, schools are actually closed today, with some graduation ceremonies even canceled or postponed due to power outages. Both Pepco and Dominion Virginia Power have said it might be until the weekend before some customers see their electricity return. There is a chance for a few isolated showers today, but it should be nothing like Wednesday’s wild storm.

Fallout for Safety Zone Plan Rolls In: Yesterday we were stunned by an Examiner story and subsequent MPD announcement about a new plan that would give police the authority to create checkpoints in certain neighborhoods and refuse admittance to anyone without a “legitimate” reason to be there. As we learn more about the MPD’s plan for the first of such efforts, to begin in Trinidad on Saturday, we find ourselves equally stunned by how silly this plan appears to be. First of all, there will only be one checkpoint, in the 1400 block of Montello Avenue NE. There will not be a perimeter set up around the entire neighborhood, and since everyone knows where the checkpoint will be, anyone who chooses to can just go around it. Second, police will only be stopping people driving in cars, meaning pedestrians and those on bicycles will presumably be able to enter Trinidad to commit crimes with no problem. Third, the Examiner follows up with comments from plenty of constitutional scholars who are concerned about the legality of such an effort. The local ACLU branch has said they are watching closely and will likely file a lawsuit.

Another Guilty Plea in Walters Case: Connie Alexander, a close friend of accused D.C. tax embezzlement ringleader Harriette Walters, is expected to plead guilty in federal court in Greenbelt this morning for crimes related to her role in the scam. Alexander has agreed to surrender more than $3.1 million in cash, a home in Bowie and a number of luxury items, including a Mercedes-Benz and eight fur coats.

Briefly Noted: Man handcuffed, shot by men dressed as cable techs … Amber Alert issued for missing boy … Man with rifle arrested in Rock Creek Park.

This Day in DCist: Last year Scooter Libby was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, and the year before that we were following a crime wave in the Third District.

Photo by philliefan99