Photo by dr_kim_veis [”o ].

Good morning, Washington. King Chaffetz won’t be reigning over D.C. after all. Indeed, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) was deemed far too important by Republican leadership to deal with the District (which had been predicted by some) and will oversee the Department of Homeland Security. In his place, we get Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) — who, of course, has his own issues with District autonomy. According to Housing Complex, Bilbray has voted to ban both needle exchanges and medical marijuana in the District, and is a known opponent of gun control. But all you really need to know about how Bilbray views our city is found in some remarks he made in September: “[The District was] chosen to be a no man’s land from political influences from the outside or from within, much like we do with our military reservations.” Sounds delightful.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Kills D.C. Man: One man was killed and two women were injured after a malfunctioning furnace in a Warder Street NW rowhouse basement leaked fatal levels of carbon monoxide into the home. Carbon monoxide was not found to have leaked into any other homes.

Hearing In La Casa Lawsuit: A group of homeless individuals are suing Mayor Adrian Fenty and the city over the closure of La Casa, a shelter which was located on Irving Street in Columbia Heights. A hearing regarding the legal action is scheduled for this afternoon at 3 p.m. You can read the filing here.

Robbery Claims Life: A Brookland convenience store owner was shot and killed as his wife and son watched on Saturday — the Post has all the details on the death of Raj Patel, which are sure to infuriate anyone with a pulse. Police are still looking for the two men who shot Patel.

Briefly Noted: Sick customer at McPherson Square causes delays on Orange and Blue Lines this morning…Caps win snaps city-wide 17-game losing streak…Chantilly home destroyed after gas explosion…Reckless Frederick driver strikes 18 cars, a traffic sign, two gates and a tree…Not even Santa is immune from the economic downturn.

This Day in DCist: Last year, we were digging out from under a Snowpocalypse, while the mainstream media was piling on for Snowball-gate.