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>> Same-sex couples in Maryland will be able to start getting marriage licenses as early as next week, even though they won’t be legally valid until January 1, writes the Washington Times. State Attorney General Doug Gansler said in a legal opinion that county clerks can start issuing the licenses as soon as the November 6 election results are certified, allowing couples to become legally wed on New Year’s Day. Other states that passed same-sex marriage referendums won’t allow the licenses until later in January, while Washington state will start offering them as soon as December.

>> A new report from the D.C. Inspector General has found that two D.C. government employees improperly used handicapped placards to take advantage of free parking and designated spaces, writes the Examiner. In one of the cases, an employee obtained the placard in Maryland and used it in D.C.; he was monitored over the course of 13 months, and continued to abuse the parking privileges even after he promised to stop.

>> Here’s to journalistic integrity! Local news broadcaster WUSA 9 cut a planned story on another Lindsay Lohan mishap after viewers on Twitter said they were sick of hearing of the troublesome starlet, reports the City Paper. We here at DCist promise you no Lindsay Lohan news, unless she rides a giant panda into the Potomac River after a long and strange night of local revelry, of course.

Briefly Noted: Food stamp enrollment doubles in region … Leaf collection in Montgomery County costing $600,000 in overtime … Proposal for lower speed camera fines for D.C. could sunset after one year … Operating the Silver Line may cost Metro more than expected … Army demolishes American University home on top of toxic weapons munitions site.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2011, D.C. found that Catholic University’s single-sex dorms were not discriminatory and we learned that we have a local professional lacrosse team. In 2010, Jack Evans said he really doesn’t like FedEx Field.