Photo by yonas1.

Good morning, Washington. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to a well-financed bully. But the Washington City Paper is doing a pretty good job of it so far. Bolstered by the support of about 500 people who have donated more than $18,000 to their legal defense fund, the newspaper landed the most telling punch in the ordeal to date: this Mike Madden story about how Snyder, when sued for defamation in 2000, successfully got the case dropped when his lawyers argued that “the Constitution provides a sanctuary for truth.” During the case, Snyder’s lawyers also argued that it is “entirely fair to use hyperbole or exaggerated language to criticize someone.” So who’s up for another round of #snyderlibel?

Rhee Says DCPS Will Appeal Teacher Reinstatement: D.C. Public Schools will appeal the ruling of an independent arbitrator that 75 teachers fired in 2008 must be offered reinstatement and back pay — at least that’s what former chancellor Michelle Rhee is telling the AP. On the other hand, Kaya Henderson — who is, you know, the person who is actually in charge of the District’s schools these days — hasn’t confirmed that DCPS will appeal. Rhee told the AP that DCPS is “very, very confident in their legal standing and are confident that it will be overturned.” While Rhee was busy speaking for the school system she no longer runs, her education initiative was slapping down bloggers.

Largest D.C. Needle Exchange To Close: PreventionWorks, the city’s largest provider of clean needles in the city, will be closing its doors on February 25, reports the Post. Leadership at the exchange citing a lack of private donations, cuts in city funding and management turnover as the primary reasons for the shutdown. For many years until Congress overturned a restriction on needle exchange funding in 2007, PreventionWorks was the city’s only such provider — they provided 100,000 clean needles in 2010. It’s a big blow for the city’s HIV/AIDS prevention corps, who will now have to scramble to fill the void.

Briefly Noted: D.C. Public Service Commission to grill Pepco brass today…Ever wonder how the paper version of the Washington Post is produced?…Former DYRS head Robert Hildum sticking around Attorney General’s office… Virginia’s first black chief justice dies…Neighbors like Vince Gray’s fence, added security…ICC path now fully visible on Google satellite imagery…Kneel before Snowmelter!

This Day in DCist: Last year, everyone was pretty much stuck indoors, as D.C. broke its 111-year-old record for seasonal snow accumulation.