City Administrator Allen Lew said D.C. will “exercise eminent domain to acquire any pieces we can’t acquire.”

D.C. City Administrator Allen Lew today dismissed Christophe Tulou, the director of the D.C. Department of Environment.

The Washington Nationals want D.C. to cover the costs of keeping Metro open late should the team reach the playoffs, but D.C. says that’s unlikely.

Long a symbol of both the potential and the pitfalls of the District’s public school system, Cardozo High School will soon undergo a massive renovation and modernization.

Come April 1, the District will start discussing what’s sure to be a controversial topic — the 2012 budget. Despite optimistic forecasts that reduced the budget deficit to $322 million, down from close to $600 million, there’s little doubt that Mayor Vince Gray, the D.C. Council, interest and advocacy groups, and residents will fight over what gets cut and what gets spared during the two months of deliberations leading up to the budget’s final approval. The fights will likely be even testier than usual, seeing as various social service advocacy groups are pushing for tax hikes as an alternative to more painful cuts that were undertaken in recent years.

Mayor Vince Gray faced a locked and loaded local press corps in his weekly press conference this afternoon, fielding questions on a number of the scandals that have dominated local news since the weekend. After the jump, our bullet-pointed summary.

Good Morning, Washington. In an apparent attempt to rule the D.C. media landscape through terror and intimidation, the Washington Post has published the scariest local news story we’ve ever read this morning: apparently, these disgusting-looking creatures called camel crickets are infesting area basements due to the lack of moisture in the ground thanks to the region’s rather serious drought. Described as “a mix between a spider and a cricket” and accompanied by disturbing photographic…

Good morning, Washington. Buried at the bottom on the Post’s updated story this morning on the controversy surrounding Monday’s Adams Morgan fire, which has caused Mayor Fenty and Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham to start foaming at the mouth to take WASA to task for not replacing inadequate water mains fast enough, is a little human interest nugget. Apparently fire fighters managed to recover an engagement ring left behind by one of the building’s…

Good morning, Washington. It’s only the end of September, but if drug store candy aisles are any indication, many of you are probably already thinking ahead just a little bit to the holiday season. What will you be for Halloween? Will you stay in town for Thanksgiving? What kind of Christmas bonus will you be getting this year? For some D.C. government employees, the answer to that last question is now up in the air….

The D.C. Council is meeting for the final day of its summer session as we speak, and as we mentioned in this morning’s roundup, a confirmation vote for deputy mayor for education Victor Reinoso has been postponed until at least September. But other key Fenty school takeover appointments are expected to be confirmed today, including Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Allen Lew, acting director of the new Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization. Yesterday, Lew…