Good morning, Washington. Not too upset about the coming Metro fare hike, are we? WJLA is reporting that only four people showed up to last night’s hearing on the measure. Of course, the meeting was held way out in Reston and was only the first of six opportunities that Metro riders will have to voice their opinion on the price increase. Maybe you’re just biding your time. Tax Scandal Grows Even Bigger: This is…

Harry Jaffe: As the fallout from the shooting of 14-year-old DeOnté Rawlings continues, it’s now Mayor Adrian Fenty taking some of the heat. According to Jaffe, Fenty’s decision to pay for Rawlings’ funeral and invite his sisters to speak at a press conference has soured some police officers on the young mayor, who saw the moves as an indication of where Fenty’s allegiances were. “How can Fenty rebuild trust with the police?” asks Jaffe. “’Let…

>> Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools chancellor Michelle Rhee will reportedly ask city officials for an extra $81 million to fix D.C. Schools’ totally screwed up special education system. Expect D.C. Council chair Vincent Gray to totally lose his shit tomorrow. [Examiner] >> Amazon begins offering same-day local delivery to D.C. [DC Metblogs] >> 6 reasons the Maryland Renaissance Festival did not suck. [Arjewtino] >> Police are investigating an apparent murder on the grounds…

>> Michael Vick pleaded guilty today for his role in a dog-fighting operation, while Jaime Foxx has yet to explain how fighting and killing pit-bulls is a “cultural” thing. [NYT and Access Hollywood] >> Yes, your Mac can survive a Coke spill. [Home Improvement Ninja] >> Fat bastards. No, seriously. We’re apparently a bunch of fat bastards. According to a report published by the Trust for America’s Health, 22.8 percent of the District’s children…

Today tens of thousands of District children return to school, leaving behind the late-morning starts, extended curfews and breaks at the public swimming pool that summer afforded them. And though the year will proceed as it usually does, they will be part of a school system that has seen drastic changes over the last few months. Now under mayoral control and led by new chancellor Michelle Rhee, the District’s public schools have entered a new…

Just this week, GQ published their annual “50 Most Powerful People in D.C.” list. Populated by the likes of Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Karl Rove and Tim Russert, the list better describes the movers and shakers in “Washington”, but not the District. And since we’re snobs about local news and happenings, we threw together a little list of the people who really exercise influence in or over the lives of people who live and work…

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…

Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. Over the past few weeks, events have conspired to place race squarely at the center of the debate over public education in the District of Columbia. After appointing Michelle Rhee the first ever Chancellor of District Schools, Mayor Fenty found himself faced with a barrage of criticism and innuendo from the Washington Post drawing attention to the fact that she was not…

As is usually the case on this day in D.C., there is very little news to roundup, thus our rather loose definition of ‘morning’ today. We certainly hope you’re having a relaxing and fun holiday so far. As you gather up beer and meat (or faux-meat) and head to your respective barbecues, take care. We’ve mentioned it before, but the entire city will be under added security measures today in the wake of the attempted…

Welcome back to work, Washington. We know many of our regular readers are off celebrating Independence Day already, taking vacation time for a few days to make this upcoming middle-of-the-week holiday less of an inconvenience. For those of you still at your desks, we salute your dedication to the American work ethic. For those of you who’ll be heading to the airport some time this week, we were going to beg to be stuffed in…