Photo by Rachel Carrier.

Good morning, Washington. Here’s what we learned last night: D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown really likes chicken wings. He even made a “fully loaded” reference! (We would have gone with “fully Buffaloaded,” but hey, whatever.)

Ethics Reform Starts At Home: Of course, something of greater importance than the Chair’s affinity for bar food is his intention to enforce stricter ethics regulations on the legislative body. Patrick Madden reports this morning that such a crusade will certainly be made tougher, given that a nonprofit who hired Brown’s wife received city funding in 2010 from an agency which Brown oversees. The Director of the H Street Community Development Corporation denies that there was any “influence peddling” to get the money. But the fact that Councilmembers are not required to disclose if their spouses work for firms receiving city funds if those firms are non-profits appears like a good place for Brown to start his ethics reform campaign.

Alexandria Power Plant To Close: Alexandria officials announced yesterday that the Potomac River Generating Station, a controversial coal-burning power plant, will close next year. The city will pay $32 million to shutter the plant, a sudden reversal of position which will cost 120 people their jobs. The plant has been fined several times over environmental violations and was recently determined to be unnecessary for local energy demands. The elimination of short-term pollution concerns and the site’s potential for long-term redevelopment has many heralding the closure as a positive development.

Why Was Barry Driving That Beat-Up Car?: Because it was just fine before he got it washed yesterday, that’s why. Barry tells the Post’s Tim Craig that, despite his insurance refusing to pay for the damage to his Jaguar, he went and got his bumper reattached with screws; Barry claimed that it was a trip through a car wash that must have knocked the screws loose. “I just get [upset] with so many other things to report on, my car becomes the issue,” said Barry. (Would you rather us focus on the u-turn you made through a bike lane, Councilmember?)

Briefly Noted: Barricade situation in Potomac resolved peacefully…D.C. teenager arrested in murder of other teen on Monday night…D.C. puts “decaying brick hulk” of Alexander Crummell School up for auction…Stealing from veterans is mighty low…Four Courts in Arlington to reopen today after grease fire…“too early to say” whether tropical storm Katia will affect East Coast…Ace Hardware coming to Brightwood…Care for an ottoman with those Nationals tickets?

This Day in DCist: Here’s the hurricane that didn’t hit us last year, along with some interesting discussions about reporting assaults, detaining people on Metro and, uh, lion cubs.