Good morning, Washington. Physical discomfort is part of the Halloween ritual. A masked night out entails harsh fabric, pore-suffocating face paint and limited mobility. It does not usually involve the raw ache of near freezing temperatures. But on this Halloween weekend, the Washington area was cold and white, met with an early season storm that covered the region in a mix of sleet and snow. Today we can expect to see some sun as we struggle to hit 50 degrees. Rumor has it we could see another storm on Halloween night.
>> The Marine Corps Marathon kicked off this morning at 8:00 am, and the weather is not ideal. Cold temperatures can take their toll on joints, and runners will likely feel the pain. We’ll have the road closures up in a moment, and if you’re driving today, be careful.
>> Thousands of people throughout the region lost power due to Saturday’s snowstorm.
>> The Washington Post reports that changing economic realities in Montgomery County have led the generally progressive Montgomery to warm toward Wal-Mart in ways it may have resisted in the past. County officials are struggling with how to limit the retailer and whether or not to require big-box stores to meet with community groups.
>> A second journalist has been fired for her participation in the Occupy Wall Street movement. Caitlin Curran is a freelance journalist in New York who was fired from the New York public radio program “The Takeaway” after she was snapped holding a sign at Occupy Wall Street. Freelance opera host Lisa Simeone was fired this month from “Soundprint,” which runs on NPR affiliates, for her involvement with Occupy D.C.
>> Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has made his second request for FEMA aid after being denied funds to repair damage caused by the August earthquake. McDonnell wrote President Barack Obama a 13-page letter and submitted 34 pages of documentation with his request. He also submitted a two-page letter in which both of Virginia’s U.S. senators and all 11 U.S. House members — including Eric Cantor — joined in the request.
>> In sports, the Vancouver Canucks beat the Washington Capitals 7-4 Saturday night. This was the Capitals’ second loss after opening the season with seven consecutive wins for the first time in the team’s history.
>> Hundreds of people who didn’t find the snow and cold too dissasuive participated in the annual AIDS Walk in downtown D.C. Saturday. AIDS and HIV are at epidemic levels in D.C.
>> If you’re a registered sex offender in Loudoun County, you can’t answer the door for trick-or-treaters. However, you do have to answer the door when the police show up on Halloween night for a random home visit.
>> From Kenneth T. Cuccinelli’s op-ed in the Washington Post: “When there are not enough people in Washington willing or able to keep the federal government within the boundaries of the Constitution and the law, state attorneys general must step in. They must take on the role of protecting the Constitution from an overreaching federal government that threatens the very liberty that has been so critical to American exceptionalism. As an attorney general, my oath of office demands no less.”
>> The 25 Greatest DC Graffiti Writers.
>> I know it’s a rat, but it’s kind of cute.
