Photo by Kevin H.

It’s been two days since the City Paper posted a pretty damning story on Ted Loza, the recently arrested chief of staff of Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1). No, the story doesn’t shed light on any of the bribery accusations he faces, rather, it details some sordid personal details that might explain why Loza might have taken bribes to begin with. Additionally, it offers a direct insight into what was a very close relationship between Graham and Loza. For Graham, the timing couldn’t have been worse. As he has fought rumors that he’s a target of the federal investigation that ensnared Loza (some outlets like WUSA have said yes, the Post has said no), the City Paper’s article has made it much harder for Graham to claim total ignorance on Loza’s activities. And as WJLA reports this morning, that may not bode well for the council member who has otherwise enjoyed wide support in Ward 1. (Anti-Graham flyers have gone up in Adams Morgan already.) Whether or not he is a target of the investigation, Graham is probably fighting to shore up his political support. The 2010 race won’t likely be pretty.

Public Schools Fight Piglet Flu: If you’ve got a school-age child in Maryland, Virginia or the District, chances are that they’ll be getting first shot at a vaccine for swine flu. WTOP’s got all the details. The Washington Times reports that health care and emergency workers in Virginia will get first crack at an initial shipment of vaccines early next week. The rest of us, well, we’ll be left to fight each other off for what remaining vaccine stocks are left. Or we’ll become swine flu zombies and achieve immortality. Either way.

McDonnell Goes on the Attack: The Post is reporting that Virginia Republican gubernatorial contender Robert McDonnell has gone on the offensive and is outspending challenger Creigh Deeds by a margin of 3 to 1 on TV ads for the November election. Many of the new ads come courtesy of the Republican Governors Association and a $1.7 million investment in what has become a tight race, with many polls showing the Republican ahead, but only slightly. Democrats are lagging behind, having spent much of their money early on in the contest.

Redskins Super Fan Gets Help: The unofficial mascot of the Washington Redskins, who’s actually just a guy that loves the team and goes by the name Chief Zee, has landed on some tough economic times. But as NBC4 reports, he hasn’t been left to handle the challenges alone. After losing his job and having been denied unemployment assistance, former and current Redskins players joined together on Thursday night to hold a fundraiser for Chief Zee, who during the day is known as Zema Williams.

Briefly Noted: Car hits Glover Park Whole Foods … Virginia candidates fight for military votes … Sunday’s Army Ten-Miler likely to tie up traffic … Government sues NoVA Best Western for only hiring Hispanic maids.

This Day in DCist: On this day last year, why.i.hate.dc went through some sudden personnel changes and we wondered why the District’s Democratic primary went as badly as it did. In 2007, Eastern Market was voted the city best neighborhood and city trashcans started sported pro-voting rights messages.