Photo by ep_jhu.

Good morning, Washington. Positive news for those of you who will be looking to get back into town this weekend, negative news for those of you hoping for a white Christmas: most forecasting models say that D.C. will likely not be buried under snow during the Christmas weekend. There is still a “50-50 chance” that a good amount of snow could hit the area overnight on Sunday, and one forecast is predicting “celestial truckloads of snow” — just enough to maintain our fear that the commute back into town will be terrible.

Very Sneaky, Mr. Fenty: It’s traditional for Washington’s outgoing Mayor to offer his or her staff “separation pay,” something to thank them for their service and tide them over while they look for new jobs. Of course, now isn’t the best time for the Mayor to be handing out cash, what with there being a multi-million dollar budget gap and a hiring freeze in place. Not a problem for Mayor Adrian Fenty, though, who simply diverted $495,000 in funds designated for adult job programs to give to his departing staff — the Council only needs to approve any such movement of funds over $500,000. As you can imagine, the Council isn’t too pleased about the maneuver.

Biddle Gaining Momentum?: The “race” to win the D.C. State Democratic Committee’s Council appointment is heating up, with upstart Ward 4 Board of Education member Sekou Biddle appearing to have earned a key endorsement in his battle against Vincent Orange. The Committee has to appoint a Councilmember to temporarily take the place of Council Chair-elect Kwame Brown until a city-wide special election can take place, and Orange has been running as the heavy favorite so far, despite some divisive politics. But yesterday, Biddle picked up the kinda-sorta endorsement of Brown, who lodged a comfortable victory over Orange for Chairman in September. The Committee will vote on the appointment on January 6.

Briefly Noted: Man who threatened Metro bombing on Facebook denied bond…Streetcar work closes 7th Street NE between H and G Streets today…Pair behind Arlington County government reform indicted on voter fraud charges…Brentwood man charged with murder…Loose Lips has more speculation on Council committee assignments.

This Day in DCist: Last year, we were debating whether or not one could save a parking spot in the snow, and the Redskins performed one of the worst plays in NFL history.