Photo by Other Think

Good morning, Washington. Brr! It’s 32 degrees as I write this. Who said seasonably appropriate morning temperatures were acceptable? No matter, it’ll be in the mid- to high-50s by midday.

Quitness: Jeffrey Thompson, the man at the center of the political fundraising controversy that has enveloped Mayor Vince Gray and nearly every member of the D.C. Council, resigned from his accounting firm last week, according to a letter obtained by WAMU. Thompson, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing and whose home and office were raided by the FBI last month, is stepping aside from Thompson Cobb Bazilio and Associates.

Sea Sells: A court hearing beginning later this week in Fairfax County will delve into whether a popular Asian supermarket is violating a wildlife protection law by selling live specimens including bullfrogs, crayfish, swamp eels and red-eared slider turtles from its seafood counter, the Post reports. The managers of the Great Wall Supermarket in Falls Church are being charged violating a Virginia statute that seeks to prevent the poaching of native species for meat and pelts. But the store managers insist all the specimens they sold were farm-raised. The case is pitting conservationists against Asian immigrants for whom the aforementioned species are important parts of their diets.

When the Dealings Done: Maryland legislators moved one step closer to widely expanding casino gambling in the state with a bill yesterday that won the preliminary support of the state senate, the Examiner reports. The legislation would tip the split of slots revenue more favorably in casino owners’ favor and legalize table games. It would also allow slots operators to own two casino licenses, which some opponents saw as a gateway for Penn National Gaming to open a casino at Rosecroft Raceway in Prince George’s County, rather than at National Harbor which some see as a more appropriate location for a casino.

Briefly Noted: Springsteen interview is required reading in O’Malley’s office … Gun threat written in graffiti at Prince William County school … Pink deer being deployed to stave off Lyme disease … “Blonde Bandit” to plead guilty … “Poster King” Scott Bishop Jr. is back in the news … NASA launches Virginia rockets.

This Day in DCist: Last year, Metrorail turned 35. In 2010, Metrorail turned 34. Guess what kind of post is coming later today?