Photo by ajay77

Good morning Washington. Brrr, we’re waking up to below-freezing temperatures today. On top of that, we’re still buzzing about the departure of Dave McKenna from the City Paper. (More on that right after the roundup.)

Fake Pot Alert!: Spice, a mixture of chemical-doused herbs that, when smoked, mimic the effects of marijuana, is making a comeback in Virginia, despite the fact that it’s technically illegal there, the Post reports. Except the ban Virginia instituted in March applies to the chemicals, so manufacturers have simply changed the recipe to use ingredients not listed in the statute.

Waterfront Livin’: Georgetown, Anacostia, Alexandria (well, maybe)—the region’s on a bit of a waterfront development kick, finally catching up with an urban-renewal trend seen elsewhere around the country over the past couple decades, the Examiner’s Liz Farmer writes today. The area around Nationals Park, for instance, “is expected to take on the look that other cities like Baltimore and Pittsburgh achieved with their ballparks.” Alexandria is still hung up on its colonialist appearance, and back in the district, Southwest Waterfront is coming up next.

Briefly Noted: Black students suspended or expelled several times more often than white pupils … Police union says more shifts spent on Occupy means more crime elsewhere … Major shakeup at Arena Stage … One death in Metrobus crash in Bethesda … Cupcake bombs, and I’m not talking about the calories … all of Wale’s sneakers.

This Day in DCist: In 2010, Virginia buys some seriously bad history textbooks, and New York’s Congressional delegation can’t back up their shit-talking about D.C.’s snow preparedness. In 2009, the end of free parking on Saturdays, and a fake gunman alert on Capitol Hill.