Photo by philliefan99

Good morning, Washington. It’s April 1, the day when we’re forced to wade through countless unfunny internet pranks while at the same time endeavoring not to fall victim to any of them. (Although to be honest, even Google’s entry seems weak this year). In other words, this is the worst day of the year to be editing a news blog. So kindly bear with us as we once again navigate these mundane yet somehow still treacherous waters. We’ll do our best not to link to any really stupid shit — that’s the DCist Guarantee™!

It’s Also Budget Day: D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is scheduled to unveil his 2011 budget proposal on the steps of the John A. Wilson Building at 10:30 a.m. this morning. The Post’s Nikita Stewart offers a short preview of the departmental slashing to come: “About 350 District government jobs could be eliminated, workers’ pay will be frozen across the board and health-care and human-services programs could be scaled back… .” The FY2011 budget gap right now is estimated at $555 million, so we also expect to see some bigger, more creative solutions, like the elimination or at least combination of some agencies. Fenty still says he’s sticking to his no tax hikes promise, but as in previous years under this mayor, there will be plenty of new fees that might as well be taxes.

More on South Capitol Shooting: Fenty returned to town Wednesday night and finally held a press conference on Tuesday’s horrific mass shooting that left four dead and five injured. WAMU’s Patrick Madden covers the presser, noting that the crowd that greeted the mayor was understandably “emotional – and at times – angry… .” Over at the Post, Clarence Williams, Keith Alexander and Paul Duggan file a big story on what we know about the crime so far, which does indeed appear to have stemmed from some idiotic beef over a missing bracelet. We now also know the names of those who died: Brishell Jones, 16; DaVaughn Boyd, 18; William Jones III, 19; and Tavon Nelson, 17.

Briefly Noted: Paramedics cleared after man mistakenly declared dead … WAMU covers last night’s Metro budget hearing in Arlington … Detroit businessman offers scholarships to D.C. students … Local kids help First Lady replant the White House vegetable garden … Convicted killer accused of sexually assaulting cellmate.

This Day in DCist: In 2009, Frank Gehry was selected to design the Eisenhower Memorial, and in 2008, the Nationals were still working out the kinks of the new parking rules around the ballpark.