>> Experts warn of lightning-strike injuries with iPods [AP via CNN.com] >> “The District has awarded a contract for managing its troubled Medicaid transportation program to a St. Louis-area company that the Missouri governor’s office called ‘scurrilous’ after the company paid millions of dollars to resolve a fraud investigation.” [WashTimes] >> “In the lingo of anti-smoking zealots, smoke flow from dwelling to dwelling is called “seepage” and for now, it seems, there’s nothing a renter…

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…

Good Morning, Washington. It looks like we survived the full moon, a night of Georgetown-less championship basketball and visit by Yoko Ono. It was worth it to enjoy another day of idyllic weather before it all goes to hell. By Friday the region will be back in the 40’s with cloudy skies. As the National Park Service pleads with visitors not to touch, climb or even taunt the Cherry Blossoms, let’s hope the expensive…

No, when rising in the wee hours of the morning to we didn’t suffer a sudden wave of nostalgia for bad perms, The Bangles and “Mr. Belvedere”. We were confronted by all four networks confirming that temps are hitting eighty degrees today. Awesome. This mild weather was welcome news for the hundreds of Georgetown students who camped out in line to get their hands on one of the 1,000 tickets made available around 9:00…

It’s here! As of 8:07 last night, spring has officially sprung. Today’s going to be a little chilly, but by the end of the week we’ll have almost cracked 70 degrees. Woohoo! Pedestrian Safety Initiative Kicks Off: The Post reports on the pedestrian safety program that regional governments launched yesterday morning from a press event at Thomas Circle. What will this mean for you? Perhaps some new traffic lights, and definitely some additional enforcement…

Have you been dying to get a few minutes to ask D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty questions about his controversial plan to take over the District’s public schools? Washingtonpost.com will give you a chance this afternoon at 1 p.m., when they moderate an online chat with the Mayor about his proposal. You can submit your own questions for the Mayor here. We’d really like to know what the Mayor thinks about Colby King’s idea to…

Well D.C., if you’re reading this it means you’re not one of the 3000 or so people in our area currently without power. NBC4 reported the outage in Foggy Bottom last night, although they focused on the problems for four ritzy hotels, rather than the 790 other folks left in the dark. D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Court of Appeals are also closed today due to the lack of power. Then, there’s the massive…

Better late than never, right? That seems to be the philosophy guiding D.C. Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey and School Board President Robert Bobb, who this week kick off a $75 million repair blitz in 70 of the city’s 142 schools. Writes the Examiner on the campaign: Systems to be repaired include bathrooms, water fountains and lighting — all issues that have been identified as having the greatest impact on the students’ and teachers’ quality of…

Good morning, Washington. Well, it was great while it lasted. But while it’s true that last night’s rains may have added to the treacherous icepack, and although WTTG has made a yeoman’s effort at convincing us that icy death could plummet onto us from above at any moment, we still can’t help but feel like the golden age of this winter’s weather paranoia may be drawing to a close. That’s Barely $2M Per Seat!:…

A cheery morning to you all, D.C.; it may still hover in the low 30’s today, but it’ll be nice and sunny outside your window, making your daydreams of warm afternoons that much easier. That heater you have blasting probably helps, and that’s a lot more than some D.C. area schoolchildren can say. Four schools remain closed entirely while many others struggle to heat more than just a few classrooms with dilapidated systems. WTOP reports…