Photo by Matt.Dunn

Good morning, Washington. So, how ’bout that Top Chef finale? I never thought that one guy would have beaten that, uh, other one! OK, I’ll confess, I don’t actually watch the show, and didn’t tune in last night, either. But if the frequent Twitter updates I saw are any indication, it sounds like there was some kind of upset or surprise twist ending? I’ll leave it up to the actual foodies on staff to break it down for you at some later, not-too-spoilery time, and am told we’ll have some other Voltaggio-related news for you very soon. In the meantime, let’s see if we can’t find something I actually know anything about. Ah, here we go, the Washington Post asks whether office workers in D.C. can get away with having obvious tattoos. The answer, unsurprisingly, seems to be not so much. I’ve only got one, fairly small tattoo myself, and it’s not in a spot where it can be seen very easily, but I can’t imagine going out for job interviews in this city and showing off body art. Unless you were interviewing at say, the Black Cat.

So Can We All Smoke Pot Now? News broke yesterday that the spending ban on medical marijuana (and abortion and needle exchange programs) had finally been removed from D.C.’s appropriations bill, but what happens next? Can we all start growing medical pot behind our rowhouses? The Washington Times’ David Lipscomb asked a few D.C. officials what they were planning to do, and predictably, they’re putting on the brakes. Responses ranged from “it’s a complex issue” to “it’s too early to say what will happen” to “I don’t know what the next steps should be.” So, don’t start inhaling any time soon.

Outrage on New York Ave.! DDOT has just put in a pedestrian signal at New York Ave. and Bladensburg Rd. That’s a good thing, considering crossing that stretch of New York Ave. on foot is about as scary a thing as you can do. But WTOP says that the new traffic pattern has since been thrown into chaos, with cars backed up from “where the BWI Parkway and Route 50 merge before the Anacostia River.” DDOT says they are working on adjusting the signal timing, but they’re not backing down on the need for a pedestrian signal there. We’re looking forward to a frustrated screed on WTOP’s car-first reporting on this issue from Greater Greater Washington.

Briefly Noted: D.C.-area men jailed for terror ties in Pakistan … Barry proposes removing Santos from Housing Authority board … Metro to upgrade terror-detection system … Police say Northern Virginia Community College student’s rifle jammed … Apartment fire at 16th & Monroe NW.

This Day in DCist: In 2008, we pondered the awesome stench of the ginkgo fruit, and in 2007, we revisited the Edmund Burke monument.