Photo by dr_kim_veis [”o ]Good morning, Washington. Voting has begun in Massachusetts, where the eyes of all politics junkies will be today. We can’t say we would have guessed even a few weeks ago that there was a good chance the Senate seat occupied by Ted Kennedy could end up belonging to a Republican. Looks like it’s all down to get-out-the-vote efforts at this point, and the weather in Boston could end up factoring in there: “Intermittent light snow showers – and some rain -are expected throughout the day and into the early evening,” the Boston Globe reports.
Back here in D.C., local media watchers have been patiently waiting for The New Republic to post Gabriel Sherman’s new cover story, about the current state of The Washington Post, online, and it’s finally here. Opening with last year’s “salon” controversy and looking back at a number of the other embarrassing stories that have come out of the paper’s newsroom, Sherman spoke with about 50 current and former Posties for the story, and ultimately determined that it is “a paper suffering an identity crisis.” And that crisis is unique even among other flailing newspapers: “The New York Times is doubling down on journalism in the belief that it can persevere online as the global newspaper of record; The Wall Street Journal remains the country’s definitive chronicler of business; other large papers have tried to distinguish themselves by burrowing into local issues. But the Post seems to be paralyzed-and trapped. It can’t go completely local because the local news in Washington is, in many respects, national; and its status as the paper of record for national politics is under assault from numerous competitors–competitors it isn’t clear the Post can defeat,” he writes.
D.C. Service Centers are Overwhelmed: “Service centers that process welfare and other aid applications in the District are understaffed and overwhelmed with needy residents, forcing some to essentially camp out for days to try to get assistance,” Tim Craig writes in the Post today. The news comes as the national recession continues, and less than a year after Mayor Fenty shut down two out of seven of the city’s Income Maintenance Administration service centers in an effort to save only $1 million. Here’s the response from Fenty’s office: “The D.C. Department of Human Services is currently working to install new self service computer kiosks, hire 20 new staffers and finalize redesign plans with [the Department of Real Estate Services] that improve the flow and layout of the center.”
Barry Vows to Raise $100,000 for Haiti: Ward 8 D.C. Council member Marion Barry would like you to dig deep and help him personally raise $100,000 to send to Haiti relief efforts, D.C. Wire reports. “The situation in Haiti has touched my heart so that it has compelled me to personally donate $1,000 of my personal funds to the relief effort,” Barry said, dubbing his effort, “DC Delivers: Help for Haiti.” Barry’s wages, of course, continue to be garnished due to his failure to pay income taxes for so many years. We’re guessing any Barry-led fundraising effort won’t appear on those lists of credible charities.
Briefly Noted: As Catoe leaves, Graham must also exit as Metro board chairman … Traffic light shooting injures woman … Montgomery firefighters battle two early morning blazes … Wyclef Jean answers questions about his charity, which last night’s 9:30 Club concert benefited.
This Day in DCist: Last year, we chatted with celebrity chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain.
