Photo by LaTur
Good morning, D.C. The fog is lifting and the sun is poking through.
Incentive-Based Classroom: The D.C. Council is weighing a new education bill they hope would attract better teachers to D.C. Public Schools by adding a series of incentives, including bonuses of as much as $10,000 for remaining in troubled schools, WAMU reports. Officials say raising teacher quality is their top priority in improving overall results, and the Council’s bill has the backing of DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, who says she got on board because Council Chairman Kwame Brown “worked with her regarding the specifics before introducing the measure.”
‘Two Towns Over’: You know when you’re getting acquainted with everyone at college and they all seem to be from New Jersey? Here’s why: “The state is packed with applicants who have high SAT scores and well-off parents, but it has a relatively lean higher education system. More than half of New Jersey high school graduates who enroll at four-year colleges choose one that’s out of state,” the Post reports. George Washington University has a recruiting office in the Garden State, and Catholic University has even offered its Jersey-born students trips to the nearest Wawa during finals week. (Even though Wawa is a Pennsylvania thing.)
Cow Kicker: Under a provision in its new agricultural trade program, Virginia is set to begin shipping cows to Russia, the Associated Press report. There’s a Yakov Smirnoff joke in here somewhere. A Richmond-area farm will send fewer than 50 bulls to Novorossiysk, a port city on the Black Sea. The business of sending cows to Russia isn’t exactly new, it’s been going on since 2008, growing into a $10 million business. Virginia is just the latest state to get in on it.
Briefly Noted: Andrew Beaujon is the new Romenesko, makes Jeff Sonderman joke … Michelle Obama as role model for black women … Jaffe says DCPS doesn’t need that $25 million … But says jerk son-in-law needs a good talking-to … Bruins’ Tea Party goalie skips out on White House visit … Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) shows up, busted face and all … Hinkley browsed Reagan volumes at Williamsburg, Va. bookstore … All things considered, Billy Cundiff is doing just fine … We are stuck with cupcakes for-freaking-ever.
This Day in DCist: Last year, Mayor Vince Gray’s hire as LGBT liaison was no friend of the mayor-for-life’s, and the Library of Congress just couldn’t catch that hawk. In 2010, WMATA talked about linking SmarTrip cards to credit cards, and we got a first whiff of Capital City Diner.
