Photo by Rukasu1

Good morning, Washington. Before we get to the real news, I have some grief with the Post. I understand that it broke the whole Salahi State Dinner-crashing scandal wide open, exposing not only the infraction itself but also digging into the Salahi’s personal and financial dealings and finding many a juicy morsels. But maybe the Post has gone too far. Yesterday it reported that a $15,000 watch offered up by Tareq Salahi in lieu of payment to a landscaper was a fake, likely worth no more than $100. We’ve long had all the evidence we need to know that the Salahi’s are attention-seeking socialites with more image than substance. The Post’s first investigative articles on the couple raised a number of relevant issues; now it just seems petty. We’ve all thoroughly done our job judging the couple and making those 15 minutes of fame nothing short of mercilessly painful, so how about our esteemed newspaper of record give it a rest? Thanks.

Contracting Scandal Continues: The D.C. parks and rec contracting scandal rolled on yesterday as the D.C. Council held its fifth hearing on what they claim was an illegal funneling of $86 million worth of contracts through the D.C. Housing Authority and to firms run by friends of Mayor Adrian Fenty. Yesterday the three men accused of being the fortunate recipients of the contracts appeared before the council to testify, writes the Post. Omar Karim, head of Banneker Ventures, claimed that he received the contracts fairly, but admitted that he had contact with city employees during the bidding process. In related news, the current contracting mess and an ongoing feud between Fenty and Gray may put $800 million worth of pending contracts at risk. According to the Examiner, the council seeks to review roughly 90 option year contracts, but D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles says that they shouldn’t have to and that any delays could stop needed city services. (On the plus side, if this isn’t resolved by January 20, the firm that processes parking and moving violation tickets won’t receive city funds to continue its work.)

White’s Ferry Gets Stuck: A ferry crossing the Potomac got stuck on floating debris yesterday, leaving 30 passengers stuck in the middle of the river for three hours, writes WJLA. White’s Ferry crosses from Poolesville, Md. to Leesburg, Va., the only remaining ferry of its kind along the river. (For a little comic relief, check the stock ferry picture used by WJLA. Sure, it’s a ferry, but anyone who’s been on White’s Ferry knows that it’s not much more than a floating flat-bed truck.)

Is that a Target in Georgetown?: Yes. Well, kind of. The Post reports that a “pop-up” Target has appeared in an empty storefront in the heart of Georgetown, where it will remain until Sunday. The “pop-up” stores offer limited selection of Target’s usual fare and are used to bring attention to the popular retailer, which has a location in the District.

Briefly Noted: Driver on I-66 gets nabbed for fourth HOV violation, gets $1,000 ticket … No surprise here: the D.C. area has very congested roads … House passes spending bill lifting restrictions on medicinal marijuana, needle-exchanges in District.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2008, local partiers organized to make sure that bars would stay open for longer during the presidential inauguration. In 2007, the Examiner entered the running for the “Worst Headline of the Year” contest.