Photo by Bsivad.

Good morning, Washington. Everyone ready for the annual glut of basketball and brackets that will lead to a sudden uptick in sick days, long lunches and lost productivity later this week? The NCAA announced its field of 68 for the tournament last night, and while fans of George Mason and Georgetown will have to travel and empty their wallets to watch their teams in person, fans of the Big East (like yours truly) won’t have to go any further than the Verizon Center to get their fill of March Madness — powerhouses Pittsburgh and Connecticut were assigned to the Phone Booth for the first weekend. Maryland fans, though, are free to tune out: the Terps missed out on invites to both the NCAA and the consolation NIT for the first time in 18 years.

More Money Troubles For The Chairman: The Post uncovers the latest financial issue for D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown — according to information accidentally posted on the Office of Campaign Finance website, Brown failed to disclose $272,194 in campaign contributions and expenditures during his 2008 campaign for an at-large Council seat. The figures are the result of an audit into Brown’s fundraising and spending initiated when questions were raised during Brown’s campaign for Chairman last year. Brown has previously admitted that there were errors made in his 2008 filings; an OCF spokesperson said that the erroneously posted figures were “preliminary” and the audit is “still inconclusive.”

Another Health Job Questioned…In Prince George’s: Turns out the District isn’t the only local government that’s been mighty kind to its leaders’ children. The son of former Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson was given a job in the county’s health department during his father’s last weeks in office. The Post reports that, despite a hiring freeze, Jack Johnson Jr. was employed as a $71,483 per year analyst late last year. The current administration wasn’t willing to hand over the younger Johnson’s resume, but while the Post notes that no one is claiming that he’s unqualified, he did beat out 45 other “rated” candidates for the position and was hired in about two months, even though the process usually takes about 150 days. There is also some missing documentation related to Johnson’s hire, like a waiver which would have permitted him to make more than $20,000 per year over an entry level salary.

Good News, Bad News: According to the Examiner, Washington has “made a full recovery from the recession and has recovered nearly all the jobs it lost in the downturn.” The down side? The real estate market is still lagging.

Briefly Noted: D.C. spends tens of thousands to house homeless at the Comfort Inn on New York Avenue NE…Massive public hearing with Mayor Gray on D.C. Public Schools scheduled for this evening…Maryland union demonstration expected to draw thousands…Suspicious package temporarily closes Eastern Market last night…Fairfax rescue team heading to Japan to assist in search and rescue operations…D.C. sends clippings of original cherry trees back to Japan to preserve their lineage.

This Day in DCist: Last year, DCRA unveiled a new resource for D.C. basement apartment landlords and we remembered the Pearl.