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Good morning, Washington. It’s Friday the 13th, and that could mean only one thing: yet another hearing in the D.C. Council on Mayor Vincent Gray’s hiring practices. But today is when it should get really exciting — not only is former Gray transition chair and confidante Lorraine Green slated to testify, but the committee will have a whole lot more material to question her about. The Post has yet another day of reporting on 800 internal transition emails, including ones that show that Green was intimately involved in hiring decisions and others that show former transition HR director making disparaging comments about applicants. (The City Paper has a juicy tidbit about a background check done on Gray’s then-girlfriend, who was being considered for a job.) Sadly, Sulaimon Brown, the minor mayoral contender and one high-paid Gray administration staffer that largely sparked this whole mess, still refuses to show up and speak his piece, even though he has been subpoenaed to do so. But the Post’s Mike DeBonis makes a good point — probably the worst part is that even after today’s hearing (likely the last), there won’t really be much closure to the entire affair.

More On Issa’s Proposal for D.C. Budget Autonomy: Yesterday we reported on a hearing on Capitol Hill at which Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) put forth a plan that would give the District additional budget autonomy. The City Paper, Post, Washington Times, and Fox 5 have additional reports.

Capital Bikeshare Use Up, But Not Helmet Use: Fox 5 reports that while city officials are excited about Capital Bikeshare’s overwhelming success, they’re less excited that so few users choose to wear helmets while using the bikes. Of course, there’s not much the city can do — wearing a helmet isn’t required by law — but officials are thinking of working with local hotels so that tourists looking to borrow a bike can have a helmet on while they do so. (Full disclosure: On my commuter bike, I always wear a helmet. On Bikeshare, which I use a few times a week to go a few blocks, I’m way less likely to put one on.)

A Number of D.C. Taxes Increased in New Budget: The Washington Times has a useful article detailing the broad number of tax increases that are being considered in the District’s 2012 budget. The taxes, which range from an increase in income taxes for the city’s highest earners to taxes on theater tickets, would raise $127 million over the course of the year. Obviously, Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who chairs the Committee on Finance and Revenue, isn’t having any of it — he’s proposed cutting pretty much every tax hike out of the budget, including combined reporting, which would affect only large corporations.

Briefly Noted: 1999 killing of Joyce Chiang resolved, announcement coming today … Three shot in Bloomingdale overnight … Cabs for wheelchairs now available … D.C. United really wants a new home … Spike Mendelsohn, defended.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2010, one of the District’s few smoking bars closed and opponents to a D.C. soda tax got organized. In 2009, Arlington put a book that was 31 years overdue on display and the District got closer to razing a really ugly church.