Photo by zachstern

Good morning, Washington. The Post is back with another round of local endorsements, this time for the D.C. Council. Strangely, it seems like this city’s newspaper of record is still licking its wounds over the loss of Mayor Adrian Fenty, whom it enthusiastically backed. In the Ward 3 race for the D.C. Council, it backs Republican challenger Dave Hedgepeth over incumbent Mary Cheh, spending twice the amount of words arguing against Cheh than advocating for Hedgepeth. It basically boils down to what has been the heart of Hedgepeth’s campaign — Cheh simply wasn’t pro-Fenty enough. And as much as Cheh might want to dismiss the editorial, she has reason to be worried: the Post endorsed Vincent Orange in his bid for council chair, and he narrowly carried Ward 3. In the two open At-Large seats, the Post chooses only to endorse David Catania for re-election, bypassing Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), another Fenty critic. In Ward 1, Councilmember Jim Graham gets the Post’s seal of approval, in Ward 6 it goes to Councilmember Tommy Wells and in Ward 5, Republican Tim Day gets the nod over incumbent Harry Thomas, Jr., and not just for being more pro-Fenty than the incumbent.

Fraud in D.C. Summer Jobs Program Alleged: WUSA9 breaks the story that Councilmember Michael A. Brown (I-At-Large) will likely ask the D.C. Auditor to look into an alleged case of embezzlement of funds from the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program. According to Brown, a number of people — a few kids and one adult — may have gotten into the payroll records of the Department of Employment Services, which runs the program, and altered them to increase payments that were then diverted to a bank in North Carolina.

Arena Stage Re-Opens Tomorrow: The new and dramatic Arena Stage along the Southwest Waterfront opens up tomorrow after a remodeling that took two-and-a-half years. TBD has got pictures and video of the new facility, which is already helping spruce up the otherwise drab waterfront area. The Examiner also, ummmm, examines the role that Arena Stage could play in the area’s redevelopment.

Lots on D.C Politics Today: Call it our roundup within a roundup, but there’s a lot of local politics in the news today. (On that note, check back later today for our take on last night’s Ward 8 town hall with Vince Gray.) Councilmember Ron Moten (D-Ward 7)? Maybe!…Contributions to presumptive Mayor-elect Vince Gray’s transition will be capped at $25,000 and disclosed…Vincent Orange claims he’s got the votes to secure an appointment to Kwame Brown’s soon-to-be empty At-Large council seat…Mendo wants synthetic marijuana to be illegal…Does Harry Jaffe really think it was the bike lanes that lost Fenty his bid for re-election?

Briefly Noted: College Park’s Thirsty Turtle might be shut down for good…Video in Brian Betts murder investigation not going to make it into courtroom…More troubles with D.C. juvenile justice system…Jury selection in Chandra Levy trial expected to end today.

This Day in DCist: On this day last year, Sweet Honey and the Rock turned 35 and a number of taxicab drivers pleaded ignorance in a bribery scandal that felled Councilmember Jim Graham’s chief of staff. In 2008, the pants lawsuit returned to court and a pro-life pharmacy opened in Chantilly.