Good morning, Washington. Happy October, and happy new fiscal year. A noticeable drop in temperature this weekend reminds us it’s not too long before we’ll witness a noticeable shift in hues. Some may mourn the loss of warmer days but nearly all of us can look forward to approaching shades of autumn. What the new fiscal year will bring is far less certain.
This weekend we’re looking at temperatures in the mid-50s to near 60, and 40 degrees overnight. Both Saturday and Sunday are going to be cloudy, with biting winds and showers likely.
>> Don’t let the weather be too dissuasive, though. Today is Crafty Bastards, the annual arts and crafts fair in Adams Morgan, and City Paper has a map to guide your afternoon. The fair is from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and admission is free.
>> MTV’s “Real World” is holding an open casting call at Town Tavern today for the show’s 27th season. If you’re at least 20 years old, and look like you’re between 20 and 24, bring a photo ID and a recent photo of yourself that MTV can keep.
>> The Wells Fargo bank on 18th and Columbia was robbed Friday afternoon, and apparently City Paper staffer Jeff Boswell was in the building making a deposit. City Paper’s Shani Hilton reports that a man with a gun quietly demanded money from a teller, took it and then exited the building. Boswell didn’t even know anything had happened until the teller hurried out from behind the counter to lock the door.
>> Engineers are still assessing damage to the Washington Monument after the August earthquake, and they continue to find loose stones and more cracks. Friday afternoon’s exploration proved a bit precarious when gusty winds blew engineer Erik Sohn from the west side of the building to the south side, with his family watching from down below.
>> A luxurious D.C. hotel is getting into composting. Omni Shoreham Corp. has agreed to compost its food waste, a penalty for violating the city’s air quality regulations in 2009. The D.C. Department of the Environment will collect $15,000, and the hotel will implement an off-site food composting project for one year.
>> D.C. Chief Tenant Advocate Johanna Shreve spoke with WTOP about “skyrocketing” rent levels in D.C., and in a related topic, Greater Greater Washington explores rent challenges for D.C. businesses after a slew of recent closings.
>> The Washington Post reports that Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Democratic lawmakers are secretly negotiating congressional redistricting options that could unseat both of the state’s Republican congressmen.
>> At the Falls Church mosque where Anwar al-Awlaki once preached, few mourned his death, but the AP reports that some found the way he was killed to be un-American.
>> “Her motivation for helping convicted murderers, rapists and armed robbers has always been simple: She believes reading is a fundamental right that can soften and enlighten the hardest of souls.”
>> A team from the University of Maryland was awarded first place in the architecture category at the Solar Decathlon. The overall winner will be announced in West Potomac Park today.
>> We made the list.
>> At last.
