Photo by geoff.greene

Well, it was a good run while it lasted, but today our beloved Butterstick will get overnighted to his new home in China. (Don’t worry, we’ve got word that they got delivery confirmation and insurance.) The Post has got a handy guide detailing the process of getting Butterstick to the airport, and yes, it even includes a police motorcade. Our own Sommer Mathis is live-tweeting the whole thing. Safe travels, ‘stick. China might have you now, but we know you’ll find your way home again.

Storm Watchers Looking for Name: While Snowpocalypse will always have a place in our hearts, it’s just so December 2009. The storm watchers over at the Capital Weather Gang are looking for a new name for this weekend’s winter walloping. And while they’ve got some worthy ideas (Snowbliteration is nice, Tai Shan’s Big Dump is topical), we’re sticking with SnOMGasm.

Maryland Committee Turns Down Anti Same-Sex Marriage Bill: A Maryland House of Delegates committee voted down legislation that would have prohibited the state from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, reports WTOP. While legalizing same-sex marriages is still a ways off in our northern neighbor, the move seems to ensure that Maryland could eventually move towards recognizing out-of-state gay marriages (like those performed in the District) as a step towards fully legalizing the practice.

Mail-Order Bride Kills Two: Natalia Wilson, a mail-order bride from Russia, allegedly killed her husband’s eight-year-old son and ex-wife in Dale City, Virginia earlier this week, writes the Post. Wilson and Arlington real estate agent Lester Wilson had been married for a year. Police have not yet established a motive for the killings.

Former D.C. Official Blamed for Escape of Juvenile: Vincent Schiraldi, the District’s former director of the city’s juvenile justice system, may have decamped to New York just in time. The Post is reporting on an internal report that blames Schiraldi for the May 2008 escape of a 17-year-old inmate. According to the report, Schiraldi broke a number of rules when he had a group of inmates over to his Columbia Heights home for a cook-out, from where the inmate escaped. He was eventually tracked down the following year and charged with distribution of cocaine.

Briefly Noted: Big Chair Coffee in Anacostia welcomed by the neighbors … GWU Medical School off probation … Forget the toilet paper, get your shovels and rock salt NOW.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2009, Donald Rumsfeld found out that the 42 buses are often crowded. In 2008, we prepared for the District’s presidential primary and spotted the coolest coffee table ever.