Photo by sosico

Good morning, Washington. In a follow-up to yesterday’s surprising news that longtime WTOP political commentator and D.C. voting rights advocate Mark Plotkin was fired from his job at WTOP, the Post reports that it was his temper that did him in. He was apparently dismissed after sounding off on a fellow employee, one in a string of incidents where his passion got the best of him.

Little Movement on Mt. Pleasant Building That Burned Down Four Years Ago: It was four years ago that the Deauville, an 85-unit building in the heart of Mt. Pleasant, all but burned to the ground, displacing hundreds of low-income residents. But as the Post reports, the building’s burned-out shell remains, and residents remain impatient over the lack of forward movement on rebuilding it. Though tenants purchased the building two years ago, the recession made it hard to find $10 million worth of financing to begin construction. In the meantime, they’ve been relying on rental subsidies from the District, but those have slowly been cut off.

Maryland Could Start Taxing Downloads: The Examiner digs up quite the little nugget from a budget proposed by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley — the state is looking to impose a six percent sales tax on downloads ranging from music and books to apps and ring tones. The proposal was included among a number of potential tax and fee increases to help close a $1.1 billion budget gap; Republicans and business leaders aren’t amused by the idea.

Lululemon Killer to be Sentenced: Brittany Norwood, the woman accused of killing her co-worker at a Lululemon store in Bethesda, is scheduled to be sentenced today in a Montgomery County court. WJLA reports that Norwood, who was convicted of first-degree murder, could face life in prison without a chance of parole. The Washington Times reports that the family of victim Jayna Murray have submitted a statement in which they ask a judge to forbid Norwood or her family from selling their story.

Briefly Noted: Armed D.C. man shot by police after fleeing traffic stop … Volunteers count D.C. homeless … Former PG County corrections officer charged in relation to death of Ronnie White … Is a D.C. summit really needed? … Loudoun County police investigate pot brownies brought to school … Virginia House gives preliminary approval to repeal of HPV vaccine mandate.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2011, Mayor Vince Gray’s house lost power, drivers reflected on one of the worst commutes the region had ever seen and we put together a little retrospective on Davy DCist. In 2010, we reviewed the first month of the District five-cent bag fee and another group pushed for a vote on same-sex marriage.