Good morning, Washington. We pestered you yesterday about your Memorial Day plans. Today, a word of warning: make sure they don’t include flip-flops. As FOX5 helpfully warns us, the sandals can lead to sprains, broken bones or even the dreaded Flipflop-Induced Foot Failure Syndrome (aka FIFFS). We had no idea we were in such peril. Bad Day For Bobb: Yesterday the U.S. Senate unanimously approved Mayor Fenty’s school takeover plan. Rest assured, we’ll have…

>> More than 302 vehicles, most of them with Maryland or Virginia registration, currently have 26 or more outstanding parking tickets in the District that add up to more than $1.1 million in fines. A testament to the inefficiency of the city’s ability to collect, or the aggressive nature of our parking laws? [WashTimes] >> A judge dismissed a lawsuit by Robert Steinbuch (he of Jessica Cutler/Washingtonienne fame) against former Wonkette editor and current…

>> After a wet, gray day, we’re happy to report the sun is peeking through and you can probably skip the “standing at the front door and debating whether to bring an umbrella” part of the evening. Enjoy! >> Apparently, being a crime scene investigator in Washington isn’t all about having shiny shiny hair and zipping around town in a Hummer H-2. The city can’t seem to hold on to their crime lab techs….

Courtesy of our friends over at Fishbowl DC, today we discovered that Time had quietly launched a new blog on national politics. Called Swampland and featuring the online musings of Ana Marie Cox, Joe Klein, Karen Tumulty, and Jay Carney, there really isn’t anything about this blog that sets it apart from the many other notable blogs on national politics, either independent or MSM-run. Except the name. Oh, the name. We thought the myth…

Yesterday was the day that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams took his annual cannonball plunge into a local public swimming pool, marking the start of summer and the last time he will participate in a tradition he started during his first year in office. But much like everything else this election year, Williams managed to turn the cannonball into a matter of politics. According to WJLA, Williams challenged his successor to continue the tradition, forcing…

Yesterday morning at Mount Vernon, the cornerstone for a new George Washington museum was laid. The Post takes us through the Masonic rituals involved in the process:At yesterday’s consecration, members of the Alexandria-Washington Masonic Lodge No. 22, dressed in tuxedos and white aprons, poured corn kernels and cruets of canola oil and red wine over the cornerstone. An architect and other officials inspected the rock. Then prayers were read aloud. Number 22 was the first…

Looks like Butterstick has some competition right around the corner — formerly confined to the indoors, today the National Zoo will unleash their four-and-a-half month old sloth bear cub into natural sunlight, according to WTOP. We see some joint merchandising opportunities arising, like Butterstick and Baby Sloth Bear visors, water bottles, and stuffed animals. Network of Animal Hospitals to Help Detect Bioterrorism: How will you know if a bioterrorism attack is occurring? Look for…

TUESDAY Tonight: a major opportunity for baseball buffs. Join Lawrence D. Hogan, author of the new National Geographic book Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball, for a lecture with Hall of Famer Monte Irvin and current Negro League Baseball Players Association President Stanley Glenn. At the Grosvenor Auditorium of the National Geographic Society, 1600 M Street, NW. For tickets and pricing, head here. For literary snooty-pants types, two highfalutin…

MONDAY We’re guessing that our readers probably have at least a passing familiarity with Ana Marie Cox and at least one of her two millennium straddling web-based glories: Suck and Wonkette. Well, Cox is leaving it all behind for content that won’t be found in your RSS feed: her debut novel, Dog Days, is out and she will be dishing and signing tonight at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW., 7 p.m. TUESDAY You…

Good morning, Washington. As you’ve probably heard, a commuter train derailed yesterday in Prince William County. Impressively, VRE says that its trains will return to a full schedule today. Riders were initially warned to expect delays as long as forty minutes, but it now looks like things are more or less back to normal. Agreement Reached On Howard Hospital: Mayor Williams and Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert have reached an agreement surrounding the…