Patrick Mara and Bryan Weaver after a cupcake-eating contest. Photo by squidpants on Flickr.

Weaver running for at-large, Klein passes

Former DDOT Director Gabe Klein announced yesterday he will not enter the race for the DC Council at-large special election. Bryan Weaver, on the other hand, did announce he will run following a campaign to draft him into the race. There are now 17 candidates for the seat. (Post, City Paper, WTOP)  

Special election polling places not so convenient?

The DC BOEE proposes running just 16 polling places for the special election to save money. However, relatively few are Metro-accessible, and both of Ward 2’s are on the west side (Foggy Bottom and Georgetown), spurring a petition asking for one on the eastern side of the ward.  

Who’s responsible for local schools?

In Cathedral Heights on Tuesday, Sidwell Friends Academy’s sidewalks were cleared and salted, while DCPS’s Hearst Elementary’s were an icy mess. A large system with central control can muddle responsibilities and often even preclude affected local people from taking action, posits a Hearst parent. (TBD)  

Is Congress Heights really in?

After the Post Style section declared H Street NE “out” and Congress Heights “in,” UrbanTurf profiled the Southeast neighborhood.  Given the details available, they fear the Homeland Security development at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital campus will bring little to the area. (Congress Heights)  

Get involved in Purple Line planning

The Maryland Transit Administration is beginning station area planning for the Purple Line. Richard Layman laments that the MTA isn’t going to the same lengths as they have with Baltimore’s red line but encourages readers to get involved with a variety of resources. (RPUS)  

New Tenleytown library opens Monday

The new Tenley-Friendship library will open next week after five years in development. The new building is a multimedia center, designed to accommodate the changing role of the city’s libraries. DCPL has rebuilt or renovated more than half of its libraries in the past two years. (DCMud)  

Washington traffic tied for worst in US

According to the Texas Transportation Institute, Washington, DC tied with Chicago for the worst congestion and traffic in the country. Still traffic levels are down significantly since 2007, due most likely to the recession. (WUSA)  

An art truck?

Several people angered by the Smithsonian’s censorship of a current exhibition in response to complaints from a Catholic organization applied to DDOT for a public space permit and have set up perhaps the city’s first curbside art gallery, the “Museum of Censored Art,” on the sidewalk outside the Portrait Gallery. (RPUS)  

And…

New residences and offices on 14th Street have been filling, but the ground-floor retail has remained mostly empty. (New Columbia Heights) … The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has launched a new blog, called The HUDdle. … WMATA is already looking forward to the closure of Smithsonian and Federal Triangle over President’s Day Weekend in February. (TBD)