Last week, the Fenty administration announced an aggressive plan calling for the closure of 24 schools within the District of Columbia Public Schools system. Parents and concerned members of the community are now being invited to attend a series of public meetings where they can raise concerns directly with Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso. We’ve posted the full schedule below. Wards 1, 2 & 6: *Monday, Dec. 10 from…

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…

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…

>> D.C. looks to be trapped in the middle of a presidential endorsement face-off, with Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine already firmly in the Sen. Barack Obama camp (the first governor to endorse the candidate), and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley declaring his support for Sen. Hillary Clinton. Will D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty step into the fray with an endorsement of his own? >> Police have arrested a 12-year-old boy in connection to the “pins in the…

>> Students at George Washington Middle School in Alexandria have been locked inside the school since around 2:30 p.m. today, after some students said they may have seen another student with a BB gun, school officials said. [WaPo] >> If you use the Wilson Bridge to get home, it’s time to think about alternate routes. Two southbound lanes of the Beltway are closed after a sinkhole opened around noon. Crews working on the Virginia side…

The Capital Fringe Festival gets started in earnest today, with offerings all over town. Highlights include sci-fi dating, middle school antics, Canadian exports, songs for the deaf, a day-long performance piece, and spoonbending. It could be a little overwhelming if DCist weren’t here to guide you through it, no? So before we get into it, let us first introduce OUR AWESOME FRINGE FESTIVAL MAP, which details the locations of all Fringe venues, by date. Special…

Enjoying your grey and drizzly morning, Washington? Well you’re in luck. Our current perfectly reasonable precipitation is predicted to turn into an ill-tempered thunderstorm by this afternoon. If only we could prescribe psychotropic drugs and anger management classes for the weather. Alas. We’ll just have to settle for some slightly upsetting headlines. Police Find More Guns In Shooter’s Home: The Post brings us the latest developments in the investigation of Monday’s shooting at the Sully…

Too often, the words “Washington, D.C.” and “public schools” are the precursor to another bout of bad press for the District. Not today – for the first time in the contest’s history, a teacher from the District of Columbia has been named Teacher of the Year. The lucky winner is Jason Kamras, 31, math teacher at John Phillip Sousa Middle School. Kamras received his Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University and his Master’s from Harvard. His…

Ooops, Did I Do Thaaaaaaat?: Can Steve Urkel from “Family Matters” and Franz Kafka be used in the same post? Why yes, they can. In what the Post describes as a “series of Kafkaesque legal arguments,” the District government is trying to deny any wrong doing in accidentally tearing down a Marshall Heights apartment building that was supposed to be renovated for affordable housing. Ooops! The owner of the building wants $1.9 million to replace…