Photo by Mr T in DC

From the look of it, nothing much came of the wintry mix we were warned to expect. Even Davy DCist is unimpressed: a text message from our favorite high-strung weather-wary stick-figure Washingtonian said simply, “Lame. Even rented Twilight movies thinking I’d be stuck in the house with nothing to do. Team Jacob all the way!” There’s still a chance for some rain that turns to sleet through the morning, but nothing to panic about.

Proposals for Dupont Underground Move Forward: Over the years there have been plenty of ideas of how best to use the abandoned trolley tunnels under Dupont Circle, but the one getting real traction is to use the space for art exhibits. The Post reports that members of the Arts Coalition for Dupont Underground toured the space with city officials yesterday; the District plans to put out a formal request for proposals on what to do with the tunnels stretching along Connecticut Avenue and around the circle next month. The idea of an underground arts district has drawn support from the local ANC and Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), and activists estimate it would cost $500,000 to clean the tunnels and $5 million to prep them for use.

Safety Zones Criticized: The Examiner is reporting that civil liberties advocates are criticizing legislation before the D.C. Council that would create safety zones around transit stops and schools. They say the zones — 50 feet around transit stops and 1,000 feet around schools, in which penalties from crimes would be higher than usual — would be unconstitutional and have a questionable impact on improving citizen and student safety.

Ellington to Stay in Georgetown: After news that D.C. school officials were thinking of moving the Duke Ellington School of the Arts from its longtime home in Georgetown to a smaller locale on Capitol Hill provoked a bit of an uproar, Chancellor Michelle Rhee yesterday said that Ellington wouldn’t move — at least not just yet. The Post writes that Rhee will keep the famed arts school in its current location, but that at some point it still might have to move to a better, more modern location. A brand new building, which would cost between $75 and $85 million, has been ruled out.

McDonnell to Respond to SOTU: Republicans have chosen Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell to respond to next week’s State of the Union address. (We want Sen. Scott Brown!) The party chose the new governor as a way to show off their new, more moderate winning face, sources say. Warning to McDonnell: if you have any national ambitions, just look at what happened to Gov. Bobby Jindal after he gave the Republican response to Obama’s quasi-SOTU last year. Yeah, Richmond might be as high as you get unless you nail this one.

Briefly Noted: Commander Salamander in Georgetown to close … Police officer charged with “sexting” girl … Virginia kills tax increases proposed by former Gov. Tim Kaine.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2009, we asked whether President Obama had used “Taxation without Representation” plates on inauguration day (he didn’t) and saw a star of The Wire get smacked down by D.C. police. In 2008, we were reminded that the cap on spending for the new baseball stadium was no real cap at all.