Photo by nevermindtheend

Good morning, Washington. Another bright, balmy winter day ahead, with temperatures set to hit the high 60s and low 70s before a cold front tonight takes some of the warmth off.

Tregoning’s Town: This week’s dead-tree edition of the City Paper leads with Lydia DePillis’ long profile of planning director Harriet Tregoning. She might not be the best driver, but Tregoning, DePillis writes, is doing changing the look and feel of D.C. “more than anyone else in city government.” Of course, Tregoning’s “smart growth” strategy isn’t universally received. To some, it’s made her “the embodiment of a shift in the Washingtonian lifestyle that hasn’t yet been unanimously embraced.” But among her allies is the JBG Companies, the CEO of which says the company is much more in line with Tregoning’s push for more pedestrian, cycling and public transit options than its retail partners might be.

Virginia Is for Lockouts: July 1 stil feels like a long time from now, but the date is looming ever larger for the Virginia General Assembly as state senate Democrats defeated the last remaining budget proposal. With the legislature set to adjourn on March 10, Gov. Bob McDonnell could make a last-ditch effort to introduce a new budget plan, but a partial government shutdown is looking like a real possibility, the Post reports. McDonnell slammed senate Democrats in a statement, saying “they have put political goals of 20 individuals ahead of the collective policy needs of 8 million Virginians.” But senate Democrats seem to have real leverage here, so long as all 20 of them present a united front. Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who cast many tie-breaking votes on policy matters in the evenly split senate, cannot vote on budget matters.

Dept. of Statistics: A Metro study finds that one-third of people who attempt suicide by jumping in front of oncoming Metrorail trains survive, the Examiner reports. A 37-year-old woman who jumped in front of a train at a Yellow Line station over the weekend had to have her foot amputated but otherwise survived the attempt. Sixty people have tried suicide-by-Metro since 2005; of those, 68 percent succeeded. There are no real demographic trends among the 60, the Examiner reports, other than a common history of depression.

Briefly Noted: Former soldier indicted for attempt to help Somali terror group … O’Malley considering commuting life sentences for two inmates … George Mason students held at gunpoint in home invasion … Wheaton woman killed by street-racing, police suspect … Hoyas beat University of Pittsburgh in Big East tournament … Wizards overcome 21-point deficit to beat the Lakers.

This Day in DCist: In 2011, cops arrested and city vehicles ticketed. In 2010, teacher layoffs and more billboards in Chinatown.