Photo by Jeff Gamble
Good morning, Washington. It’s going to be a cloudy, potentially rainy Valentine’s Day.
Over-Texted: The Justice Department’s prosecution of individuals accused of bribing foreign officials might not have won a single conviction because of text messages revealed in the District’s federal court that showed FBI agents and an informant exchanging ribald messages and inappropriate jokes, the Post reports. While defense attorneys for the accused indicted the informant, Richard Bistrong, as an unreliable authority, they also were able to impeach the credibility of law enforcement in the case.
Unsuck White House Budget: With a budget of $1.6 billion, Metro losing $15 million doesn’t seem like much, except when it’s a line-item reduction in a presidential budget. TBD’s John Hendel notes that the White House’s proposed budget for the 2013 fiscal year released yesterday would cut $15 million from Metro’s federal funding. Seems like small potatoes, but with pressure to raise fares and the amount the agency spends on contractors, Hendel writes, “the loss of more D.C. Metro revenue is the last thing anyone needs these days.
Waiting for “Jor-El”: D.C. trails only New Orleans in the percentage of its school-aged children enrolled in charter schools rather than the public school system, the Examiner reports. Forty-one percent of kids in Washington go to a charter school, and D.C. Public Schools enrollment is down 1 percent from the last school year. “Parents are choosing charter schools because they have confidence in the overall performance of the sector,” Scott Pearson, the executive director of the D.C. Public Charter School Board, tells the Examiner.
Briefly Noted: Arrest made in Prince George’s vigil shooting … African-American preacher bucks trend and backs Maryland same-sex marriage bill … No surprises here: Federal cutbacks are bad news for District … Free coffee right now at invading California café chain … Hooray for retrofitted buildings … McDonnell knocks Santorum on comments about women in combat roles.
This Day in DCist: Last year, Albert Haynesworth was accused of sexual assault, and Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) chided Marion Barry for making staffing demands of the Department of Employment Services. Two years ago, go shovel out that fire hydrant; also: more snow!
