Photo by John Sonderman

>> The trial of one of the men accused in a savage Capitol Hill beating last summer that left the victim with permanent brain damage began yesterday in D.C. Superior Court. Tommy Branch, 22, is accused of assaulting Thomas C. Maslin with an aluminum baseball bat in an Aug. 22 incident in which Maslin was assaulted while walking home from a bar. In court yesterday, prosecutors told jurors Branch led the attack against Maslin, The Washington Post reports.

>> Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) is running for mayor, but the first step in that is introducing herself to the rest of the city. Turns out, Washington City Paper reports, that’s more difficult than her campaign originally planned. Her first trip through the city was so dull, her advisers sent her back around.

>> Virginia officials are forming a plan to build a 45-mile highway that would run north-south adjacent to Dulles International Airport. The corridor, which would be to the west of the airport, would carry cars and buses as the region’s population continues to expand, WAMU reports. Construction is still years away, but already the project carries a projected price tag of a cool $1 billion.

Briefly Noted: What now for D.C.’s Republicans? … Cupcakes go to Qatar … Giant mulch blaze continues in Prince George’s County … Formerly lousy Capitals clinch division.

This Day in DCist: Last year, Tareq Salahi announced he would run for governor of Virginia.