Photo by jim_darling.Good morning, Washington. So, did everyone enjoy the Ron Moten-Marion Barry “debate” last night? It was everything we hoped for and more, including money quotes from Moten (“Adrian Fenty has made some mistakes, just like Marion Barry’s made some mistakes.”) and Barry (“What we have here is a situation where the voters, the majority of the voters, are disgusted.”). We’ll dive a little further into the talking points later today. Frankly, we’re just impressed that the whole thing went down on time, within the time constraints and without a go-go concert breaking out or something.
Two Men Barricade Themselves In Homes In Separate Incidents: Washington police have responded to two separate incidents of men barricading themselves in homes over the last 12 hours. The most recent, occurring near the 1300 block of Canal Street SW, involved a person who was allegedly holding another individual inside a residence. The man was arrested around 8:30 this morning without incident, though several roads were blocked. Last night, another man barricaded himself inside his apartment on the 300 block of 56th Street NE. He eventually set the residence on fire, suffering severe burns. Fortunately, no other apartments in the building were affected.
One More Round of the Money Game: Last night was the last chance to get a snapshot of candidate’s bank accounts with just a few days left before the Democratic primaries. Vince Gray continued to raise money at an impressive clip, once again beating Mayor Adrian Fenty in the reporting period, raising $461,585 since August 11. The Mayor raised $229,916, significantly less than Gray over the period; but Fenty still has nearly a two-to-one advantage in cash on hand, $809,574 to $443,935. Gray got over 70 maximum contributions from across the board, while Mayor Fenty certainly won the glamour war, getting $2,000 from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. Perhaps the most telling statistic here: in the last three weeks, Fenty has spent 1.3 million bucks, Gray just a little over $700,000 — over the course of the campaign, Fenty has outspent Gray by an amazing $2.8 million.
In Case You Forgot How Important Michelle Rhee Is: It’s old hat around these parts, but the national media is here to remind you that, yes, Michelle Rhee is very important to Mayor Fenty’s reelection chances. See both The New Republic and GOOD Magazine for examples; if you missed our candid interview with the Chancellor yesterday, check that out too.
Briefly Noted: FIFA officials hit Washington this morning on a whirlwind tour of the United States as part of our bids for the 2018/2022 World Cup…Pedestrian struck at H and 2nd Street NW…16-inch water main break on Eastern Avenue NE caused traffic issues this morning…No, really, there were snakes on the plane…What if Donovan McNabb played for the Redskins last year?…Prince George’s police officer arrested on assault charges…Cyclist struck on 1900 block of 14th Street NW during afternoon rush hour…I knew it! Men’s pant sizes are totally bunk.
This Day in DCist: Last year, the first yard signs for this year’s election made their appearance, and in 2008, we went to the Renaissance Festival.
