Photo by tdr28

>> Harry Thomas Jr. may well end up serving his three-year term in a federal prison in Alabama or Florida. According to the Post, a judge agreed with Thomas’ request that he head south for his sentence; the former Ward 5 councilmember specifically requested two federal prisons known for being the most comfortable in the country.

>> A D.C. Council committee voted to approve legislation that would limit the city’s cooperation in detaining undocumented immigrants, writes the Examiner. Under the law, D.C. would only hold immigrants wanted for serious crimes within the last 10 years, and even then only hold them for 24 hours and with the expectation of being reimbursed by the federal government. The move comes ahead of the implementation of the federal Secure Communities program, which involves local police forces more closely in the enforcement of immigration laws.

>> Though some of the country’s richest counties are in Northern Virginia, the area’s poor haven’t escaped the effects of the recession. According to an analysis by the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, the number of people seeking food assistance in Northern Virginia has doubled since 2007, writes the Post. Additionally, NoVA will have to create 100,000 new jobs in order to return to pre-recession employment levels.

Briefly Noted: D.C. to partner with HUD on housing grants programs … Yoga in D.C. becomes cutthroat business … Compromise over health care for undocumented immigrants in D.C. getting close … Rolling Thunder sues counterfeiters … Patients struggling with delays in D.C. medical marijuana program … Not enough D.C. youth getting mental health services they need.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2011, the HFStival rolled out quite the random lineup and Mayor Gray and the D.C. Council disagreed over the budget.