Photo by Lauren PM.

Good morning, Washington. Lots of updates from the fast-moving Hurricane Irene over the last 12 hours, but first, let’s put this out there — we’re lucky we’re not any of the states with a proper shoreline. (To see how New York is preparing, check out our sister site Gothamist.) The big news of the morning is that, much like everything else this weekend, the inauguration of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was postponed yesterday for what has been upgraded to a tropical storm warning for the District from Saturday into Sunday. District officials have urged all residents to be prepared for possible power outages from the heavy winds we might get; the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency has plenty of information on what you should stock up on just in case. (But please don’t rush off to the grocery store all at once and clean the place out — we’re talking heavy rain here, not a once-in-a-generation blizzard.) Starting at noon today, the District’s Department of Public Works will be distributing five sandbags per household at its New Jersey Avenue and K Street SE location.

How Much Trouble Can Charlie Sheen Cause?: Plenty. The troubled actor and comedian comes to D.C. for a performance, and an ill-advised police escort from Dulles gets everyone in a tizzy. The D.C. Council holds a hearing where a commander in charge of the unit that provides police escorts goes to battle with D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier; next thing you know, he’s demoted from his position. Now Hilton Burton is challenging his punishment, saying that he won’t accept any form of discipline since he claims he was doing what police always had always done — including what Lanier herself oversaw when she was in charge of the Special Operations Division.

Catholic University Welcomes Students Back to Same-Sex Dorms: As part of a transition away from co-ed dorms, all incoming freshmen that arrived at Catholic University yesterday were segregated into same-sex dorms, reports WTOP. According to university officials, the new policy will help reduce binge drinking and hook ups. But according to personal experience, my 10-story all-male dorm in college (Pinchot Hall represent!) may well have been a prison block; a few floors of women couldn’t have made that place any worse than it was.

Can Term Limits Save D.C.?: It’s a fascinating question for sure, and one we’ve tackled before. But today, the Post’s Mike DeBonis takes a broad look at the issue of limiting how long the District’s officials can serve in office, and seems to come down on the side of it being a good idea. He makes a point that’s worth considering — there are only a handful of powerful elected positions in the District, and that small number has made for a rather stagnated local political culture. By allowing elected officials to stay in office as long as they please — Marion Barry and Jack Evans, you’re both on notice! — less fresh blood and fewer new ideas get worked through the system. A must-read for the day.

Briefly Noted: Less than five percent of East Coast homeowners have earthquake insurance, which means they’ll be paying out of pocket for any damage from recent temblors … Roof of Department of Human Services center in Southeast collapses … Virginia to release regulations for abortion clinics … Sulaimon Brown is allegedly a squatter … P.G. County schools to re-open today.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2010, we found out that rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg was likely done for the season and rumors of the death of the Anacostia streetcar were greatly exaggerated. In 2009, there was a daytime shooting at 16th and Spring Streets NW and a fatal stabbing near Truxton Circle.