>> D.C. police will spend $3 million in the 3rd Police District on an anti-gang initiative. [WaPo] >> Montgomery County Del. Jane Lawton, 63, died of an apparent heart attack this morning, collapsing after giving a speech in downtown Washington. Lawton also served as a four-term mayor of Chevy Chase. [Md. Moment] >> If you have an elderly relative living at either Carolyn Boone Lewis Health Care Center in D.C. or Ruxton Health of…

>> Maryland police apprehended the prisoner who stole an officer’s gun and escaped from custody from a Laurel hospital. [WTOP] >> Shortly after abandoning his run for the White House, Stephen Colbert ended up in a three-way tie for a seat on the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District Board in Williamsburg. Sadly, he won’t be able to serve if selected by a hat draw (seriously), because he’s not a registered voter in the…

In their coverage of the Capital Pride Festival, which kicked off yesterday and will culminate in a parade and street festival this weekend, the Post gives an account of a town hall meeting on GLBT issues last night at Studio Theatre where Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) said he plans to introduce a bill legalizing gay marriage in the District within the next two years. Graham appeared on the panel with several other openly…

Good morning, Washington. We know how it is, the week before a major holiday when you’ve probably got travel plans — Friday can’t come soon enough. There’s only two full work days left to go before you get to walk out that office door and do a little dance of joy, but in the meantime, we’ll do our best to distract you from that increasingly nagging feeling that you might soon completely lose your…

Several hundred citizens turned out on Monday evening in support of the effort to quickly rebuild Eastern Market, and to share their feelings on a temporary location for the displaced vendors. Mayor Adrian Fenty, At-large council members David Catania and Phil Mendelson, Ward 6 council member Tommy Wells, city administrator Dan Tangherlini, and District 3 School Board member Lisa Raymond turned out to show their support too, as well as to canvass the opinions of…

Ever since legislation was introduced in the D.C. Council that would mandate vaccinations for the HPV virus, the issue has moved to the forefront of the public health debate around the country. With an increasing number of states considering a mandatory vaccine — at least 20 to date — debate has raged between advocates that believe that a vaccine could prevent a serious public health crisis, opponents who claim that it infringes upon the rights…

Hey Washington, are you suddenly feeling cheerier than usual this morning, without knowing for sure why? Well check it out: Congressional Democrats have gone ahead and returned to a rules change that allows nonstate representatives to vote on amendments. The nonstates included in the rule, which was also in place from 1993-1995, are American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Now it’s on to getting full voting rights!…

>> Yeah, you. You need to stay late tonight to make up for the crazy amount of time you’re about to have off. That’s right, those of us who do not work for the Federal Government are currently glaring up a storm at those of you who do, because the word from on high is now official: President Bush has declared January 2 as the official day of mourning for President Ford, which means Federal…

Mayor-Elect Adrian Fenty’s most celebrated quality is his rigor for getting the small things done. Ward 4 supporters tell tales of the Councilman as Blackberry-brandishing musketeer, sweeping in to remedy urgent street repairs and the like. By contrast, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams’ supporters have always heralded his ability to dream big. Details be damned, he’s the guy with the grand vision: a growing, vibrant city; attractive to businesses and middle class residents, and with enough…

>> As exciting as all the congressional politics were yesterday, there was also a whole bunch of local fun going on. The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics has full results of the races, including those for ANC, for your viewing pleasure (in a PDF format). [DCBOEE] >> Hey, who needs political representation when you get to file your taxes a whole extra day later? Something for us to look forward to come April….