Good morning, Washington. If you were hoping for a brighter weekend, you’ll be sorely disappointed. A thick fog at dawn gives way to a sticky, damp Saturday. While rain isn’t certain, prepare for another couple of gray days.
>> The Washington Post reports that only days after the D.C. Council voted to raise taxes on the city’s wealthiest residents, $2,300 in taxpayer-funded furniture was delivered to the office of Councilmember Michael A. Brown. A Post reporter — at the right place at the right time — saw the delivery man wheeling an olive couch and chair into Brown’s office. Brown said the furniture was “used,” but the Post reported that the “couch smelled like and looked like it was new.” Brown insisted the furniture was from Cort, but he was not immediately available to turn over a receipt.
>> Two elected officials in Maryland were indicted Friday, accused of stealing money from their campaign finance funds for personal use. Delegate Tiffany Alston, probably best-known for sponsoring marriage-equality legislation but later voting against it, is accused of taking more than $3,500 from the “Friends of Tiffany Alston” campaign fund and using the money to pay for her wedding. Former Capitol Heights Mayor Darrell A. Miller was also indicted and accused of stealing more than $1,000 from his campaign for the Prince George’s County Council last year. Miller did not win the race.
>> In the Washington Post today, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham schools us on the nuances and legality of bribes.
>> Two weeks after flooding washed away much of a mobile home park in Woodbridge, Va., a shelter for the displaced families has closed. The American Red Cross said that every family has been placed in either temporary or permanent housing.
>> Ben Seisler donated sperm in the D.C. area for a three-year period a decade ago and recently discovered he is the father to more than 70 children. Seisler donated at the Fairfax Cryobank and told his story in the documentary ‘Sperm Donor.’ Ben has decided to meet some of his biological children, but it sounds like his fiancee isn’t too pumped.
>> Prince George’s County police arrested Stephan Pittman of Fort Washington on D.C. felony fraud charges for impersonating Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Vince Young. Pitman is a registered sex offender who Young accused of posing as him in nightclubs and public appearances and in at least one hospital visit with a sick fan.
>> A fire station on U Street NW was taken out of service for about two hours Thursday after the fire chief found a case of beer in the fridge (reportedly a gift from some residents). Chief Kenneth Ellerbe said he ordered Engine 9 out of service and had 15 firefighters and EMTs undergo alcohol testing. They all tested negative and have been allowed to return to duty, but the incident remains under investigation.”There will be some consequences for this.” Ellerbe said. “We want to send a strong message we take public safety very seriously.”
>> Prince of Petworth flags that Lost Society will open for brunch this Sunday, featuring dishes like banana french toast, roasted pork with fried eggs and hanger steak with hash browns.
>> It was a tough start for Steven Strasburg Friday night, with the pitcher giving up three runs in the first inning. The Braves beat the Nats 7-4.
>> Former NoMa BID president Liz Price shares a bit of gossip about the Uline Arena.
>> The Baltimore Sun prepares to erect a paywall.
>> Look what you can do under the overpass.
>> “Reading another person’s mind is impossible. But it is now possible to see what’s going on in there visually, thanks to scientists at the University of California-Berkeley, who on Thursday announced they had managed to decode the brain signals of three individuals into watchable movies. YouTube movies, to be exact.”
