Photo by Vileinist

Good morning, Washington. I’m not sure if it’s a shared cultural celebration or an indication of how far we’ve fallen, but today is yet another day in which people line up at area Apple stores starting at ungodly hours to get themselves the newest iteration of the iPhone, this time the 4S. The Post Mike Rosenwald has been camped out at the Bethesda Apple store, and reported that at least 100 people had joined him by 7:15 a.m. (Phones go on sale at 8.) I, for one, remain firmly planted in the group of Apple consumers that always remains a generation behind the newest products, effectively saving me from standing in line for hours on end and probably keeping my wallet just a little bit healthier than usual.

Occupy D.C. Provokes Health and Hygiene Concerns: It’s been almost two weeks, and the Occupy D.C. protesters seem to wearing down their welcome with downtown businesses and building owners around McPherson Square. The Post reports that the Downtown Business Improvement District is wondering just how temporary the protesters’ encampment will be, and is asking the National Park Service to more closely monitor their activities due to concerns over health, hygiene, safety and maintenance of the square. In related news, a scheduled clean-up of the park occupied by protesters in New York was postponed at the last minute this morning, while police started clearing a tent camp in Denver earlier this morning.

Metro Sacrifices Just Like Us: After enjoying sumptuous lunches that were consequently fodder for media reports, Metro’s Board of Directors joined the collective sacrifice and opted instead for cold sandwiches during meetings, writes the Examiner. During yesterday’s executive session, board members noshed on Corner Bakery fare, a dramatic change from the red snapper, prime rib and salmon they had previously enjoyed. The changed dropped the per-person cost from $20 to $9.

Piringer Did His Job Too Well, It Seems: Yesterday we reported that long-time D.C. Fire/EMS spokesperson and official myopic little twit Pete Piringer had been transferred over to the Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia, where he will be undertaking vital tasks such as, ummm, bestowing keys to the city. WTOP’s Mark Segraves landed all of the juicy details last night, including one of the very sad reasons Piringer may have been moved — he was actually good at what he did. “Piringer was prolific in his tweeting of breaking news and information, but sources inside the mayor’s office say there was blowback from other agencies that Piringer’s tweets were making them look slow and unresponsive,” wrote Segraves.

Briefly Noted: Husband arrested in killing of Germantown woman, but 11-year-old son still missing … In case of zombie attack, stay put please … Residents of District shelter won’t have at attend religious services, according to resolved lawsuit … Mayor Vince Gray to lead D.C. voting rights protest tomorrow … Purple Line railyard in Silver Spring to be reconsidered.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2010, we answered questions about bed bugs and reported on the new Hipster Express (U Street to Brooklyn via WiFi-enabled bus). In 2009, we said goodbye to The Real World D.C. and Michelle Rhee was dubbed an educational Braveheart.