Photo by *tinadelarosa

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to the return of sweater weather! Last night, we felt downright chilly for the first time since spring. Also scheduled to be left out in the cold this week: an unknown number of DCPS teachers and staff. D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee had previously announced that layoffs due to an expected $40 million budget shortfall would be handed down by today, but as FOX 5 points out, there still has been no announcement. Students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts were the first out of the gate with a “save our teachers” rally on Tuesday. We’re hearing the pink slips probably won’t be handed out until the end of this week now.

Mendelson Smoking Bill Got Help From Phillip Morris: At-large D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson worked with a lobbyist for Altria, the parent company of tobacco giant Phillip Morris, before he proposed his recent anti-smoking legislation, the Examiner reports. See, it turns out that the provision that would ban the sale of single cigars, which is being championed by both Mendelson and Ward 7 Council member Yvette Alexander as a way of clamping down on the sale of drug paraphernalia, would actually benefit Phillip Morris, since the company’s inexpensive Black and Mild cigars are already sold in packs of five. Oh, then there’s this fun little nugget: “the day he introduced the bill, Mendelson received a $500 campaign contribution” from the same Altria lobbyist. Ain’t politics grand?

Penn. Ave. Suspicious Package Was Petri Dishes: If the response to yesterday’s first suspicious package scare, in the 800 block of Pennsylvania Ave. NW, seemed rather large, the Post has the answer why: some genius put several sealed petri dishes in the overnight deposit box at the Wachovia bank branch across the street from the FBI. The petri dishes turned out to be harmless, but you can understand why bank employees called 911 for something like that.

Briefly Noted: D.C. Schools security contractor appears in financial trouble … Driver, aide injured in D.C. school bus fire … Hyattsville police officer accused of pistol-whipping a man last year … Police-involved shooting in Seat Pleasant … Smithsonian Institution facing buyouts … Metro sues developer over Orange Line damage.

This Day in DCist: In 2008, there was a bad dog attack in Petworth, and in 2005, the 9:30 Club raised the cost of its drinks by $1.