Photo by dracisk.

Good morning, Washington. If the prospect of being stuck in crowds or traffic this weekend is scary enough, don’t read the Examiner the morning. Reporter Scott McCabe leads off with an article noting that the weekend’s rallies, Halloween celebrations and Howard’s homecoming are the “perfect brew for some serious Halloween havoc.” In response, local police agencies are putting pretty much everyone they have on duty. Interestingly, McCabe cites a Ward 3 tradition I’ve never heard of, but that we should all be aware of — animal rights activists wearing masks and yelling taunts like “You should die!” at targeted homes in Upper Northwest on Halloween night. Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) says of them: “They’re not a minor problem. In their own way, they’re like terrorists.” Yes, if you consider yelling at someone the same as planting a bomb in a crowded public space, then of course, they’re exactly like terrorists. Sheesh.

More on the D.C. GOP: Today, the Post once again delves into the travails and hopes of the District’s small Republican Party, which this year has opted for an interesting political strategy — running as ward-based mini-Adrian Fentys. The D.C. GOP’s best chance seems to be in Ward 3, where challenger Dave Hedgepeth has managed to make the race against Councilmember Mary Cheh less about issues and more about who likes Fenty more. And in a total non-coincidence, the Post’s editorial page has come out with another odd editorial, this one lauding the Republican candidates for running in a overwhelmingly Democratic city. Much like an editorial last week in which the Post endorsed Hedgepeth and Tim Day for Ward 5, today’s stamp of approval for the Republican candidates is basically bereft of actual substance.

Foggy Bottom Metro Station Exit to Remain a Bottleneck: The Examiner reports that while one Metro station across the Potomac is adding a second entrance/exit to ease overcrowding, a station on the District’s side that could really use one too, isn’t. Neither the city nor officials at George Washington University have opted to pony up the money it would take to build a second entrance/exit for the Foggy Bottom Metro station, already the eighth busiest in the system and likely to get busier as a new development off of Washington Circle is completed. Rosslyn, a lesser-used station, is moving ahead on a second entrance/exit, to the tune of over $32 million. The proposed second Foggy Bottom entrance/exit would be located at 22nd and I streets and likely cost $22 million.

Hear More of Keith Fimian’s Views on D.C. Voting Rights: Yesterday, we highlighted the not-so-educated opinions of Virginia Republican congressional candidate Keith Fimian on D.C. voting rights. Well, if you didn’t get enough of that, today Fimian will square off against incumbent Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) at 10 a.m. on WTOP and at noon on WAMU’s The Kojo Nnamdi Show. TBD’s Bruce DePuyt has a nice wrap-up of the tight race; the Examiner reports on how social issues are being injected into the race.

Barry and Thomas Linked in Shady Earmark: This can’t look good for Councilmember Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5) — he and colleague Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) are apparently linked in a shady earmark to the D.C. Historical Society, reports the Post. A lot of twists and turns in this one, so give it a good read.

Briefly Noted: Need any more evidence that TBD is seeking to be the one-stop news outlet for all things related to this weekend’s Rally to Restore Sanity? They’re dedicating an entire Twitter account to it… Two shot in SE overnight…Security just got tighter for the Marine Corps Marathon…Two 18-year-olds seek seats on Prince George’s County School Board.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2009, the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue targeted restaurants and bars for not paying taxes and we spoke to Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large). In 2008, we saw candidates for office show up at the High Heel Race and we warned people to be careful if they refused to have their bags searched on Metro.