Photo by Karon

Good morning, Washington, and thanks for not burning the place down behaving yourselves while your faithful editrix was away on vacation. An even bigger thanks goes to the guest editors who filled in while I was out, especially Heather Goss, Angela Valdez, Martin Austermuhle, and Aaron Morrissey. Having spent my Sunday catching up on the spectacular DCist coverage that was, looks like there were an awful lot of embarrassing stories for the District government during what’s typically a slow, post-national holiday week. But nothing, not even a $75,000 pool heater, can top this morning’s top headline…

Inmate Escapes from New Juvenile Detention Center: It really takes the breath away, doesn’t it? The brand spanking new New Beginnings Youth Center, which opened, that’s right, on Friday, complete with mayoral fanfare, as the official replacement to the troubled Oak Hill youth detention center, saw its first successful escape late Saturday night, reports the Post. “As of last night, the youth had not been found.” You’ll recall that much was made about the lack of razor wire atop the fence at New Beginnings; the Post story says that since Saturday night’s escape, razor wire has been added to the fence. So much for the “the anti-prison.”

Council to Consider Emergency Summer Curfew: The D.C. Council may not be ready to vote on Mayor Fenty’s emergency crime package on Tuesday, but it will consider a curfew-only bill introduced by Ward 5 Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells, reports the Examiner. The bill would set a temporary curfew of 10 p.m. weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends for youth 15 and under during the summer only; normally, kids 17 and under must be off the streets by 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends. The last time the city saw a special summer curfew was during 2006’s “crime emergency.” Notably, then-Ward 4 Council member Adrian Fenty was the only councilmember to oppose that legislation.

Briefly Noted: Fenty kills crime lab contract after appeals ruling … Two women fatally struck by vehicles in the District over the weekend … Suspect injured in officer-involved shooting in Southeast … 14th Street lane shifts begin.

This Day in DCist: In 2007, Columbia Heights was rocked by a 9 a.m. shooting at a crowded bus stop, and in 2005, we honored the first of the month by looking at the history of Javins v. First National Realty Company, the 1970 case that established the rule that landlords have to pay to maintain their buildings, as opposed to tenants.