And it’s Sekou Biddle, who will fill the seat vacated by D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown until the special election set for April 26. Last night, the Ward 4 member of the State Board of Education defeated former Ward 5 Councilmember Vincent Orange in a tight contest that spanned three rounds of voting. In the first round, Biddle picked up 35 votes to Orange’s 31 and eight for Stanley Mays, not enough to claim a majority of the 74 members of the D.C. Democratic State Committee that were present and casting ballots. A brief but intense period of lobbying led to a second round 37-37 split between Biddle and Orange, and only in the third and final round did Biddle emerge victorious 40-31. It was insider politics at its best and worst, and I’ll have more thoughts later this morning, including a video of how and where votes were negotiated between rounds.

Woohoo! Snow!: But really, very little of it is likely.

Lone Wolf Suspected in Mailroom Flare-Ups: The Post and WTOP have more on yesterday’s mailroom flare-ups in Maryland that left two workers slightly injured and shut down mailrooms throughout the region as a precaution. Based on a note found with one of the packages, which flashed and smoked when opened, investigators don’t believe any links to terrorism exist, but rather than a “lone wolf” suspect disgruntled with state government was behind the incident.

D.C. On Shaky Financial Ground: The Washington Business Journal reports that the District’s financial reputation is in question after a December 2010 report by Standard & Poor’s found that the city’s use of its reserves during the recession could negatively affect its bond rating — and, consequently, how much it costs to service the District’s debt. Basically, we were just told our credit score might go down. The report noted that the District has to limit spending during the downturn, even more so because the city cannot tax large amounts of property (around 40 percent of D.C. land is owned by the feds, foreign governments or other non-profit entities) and cannot tax money made in the city by non-residents. Should the District’s bond rating fall, interest payments on the the city’s $6 billion debt would likely rise, meaning that the $10,000 each and every resident is on the hook for now would go up. Yikes.

Possible Dulles Metro Station Location Scrapped: One possible location for the eventual Metro station at Dulles was scrapped this week due to concerns over cost and historical preservation, writes the Post. The above-ground station would have been located along the arrivals section of the airport, where a road now runs. Beyond unspecified concerns over costs, officials were worried that the station would block views of the airport’s main terminal, raising the ire of historic preservation officials that see the terminal’s architecture as a good to be protected. Three other options remain on the table, one above-ground and two underground.

Briefly Noted: Man who hit couple on Mall found not guilty for negligent homicide … Did they really have to kill that emu? … Three Virginia lawmakers propose tax hike on corporations to cover transportation costs.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2010, the Secret Service apprehended a jogger who was running nude through the Ellipse and we found that Chocolate City was becoming something of a Mocha Metropolis. In 2009, a parking meter hike was approved and the D.C. Council debated making the “Taxation Without Representation” license plates mandatory.