SYMHM: The Weekend Round-Up

From Mike Kohn. Got a news tip for Mike? Send him an email.

D.C. Council Race: Dickson in, what about Weaver?

The April 26 special election to fill an At-Large D.C. Council seat is getting more interesting. Logan Circle resident and realtor Wayne Dickson told The Washington Post last week that he is definitely in the race (14th & You has more on Dickson and his entry). We happened upon Dickson Sunday at the Q Street entrance to the Dupont Circle Metro stop. He told Borderstan that he has 15 people out collecting petitions; you need 3,000 valid voter signatures to get on the ballot.

Meanwhile, Ward 1’s Bryan Weaver is considering running for the seat and may make an announcement by Tuesday. Weaver lost a three-way primary race in September to incumbent Jim Graham (D-Ward 1). U Street Girl has the story on local blogger-writer Dave Stroup’s Draft Weaver for D.C. Council effort. Stroup and group are trying to raise $2,000 for Weaver: “We realize that $2000 isn’t much of a fundraising goal for a citywide campaign, however we are simply trying to demonstrate that there are people who are willing to chip in and stand up for something they believe in. This will get the ball rolling. We’ll have a few months to raise more money, we just need enough to show we are viable.”

Celebrating a hero

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday that honors the life of the civil rights icon. First observed in 1986, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the holiday’s establishment. In recent history, the day has been one of service, so if you want to fulfill King’s dream, check out some of the projects in your local area on the Serve DC website. And be sure to stop by the wreath-laying ceremony at 10:30 am at the African American Civil War Memorial, U Street and Vermont Avenue NW.

Wave that rainbow flag high!

Apparently The Advocate has named us the 8th gayest city in the country. Something worth celebrating, right? Well, DCist gives us a little more of the story behind their “scientific” metrics, one of which is the number of Tegan and Sara performances over the past five years. I’m with them though — still something to be proud of.

Sticks and stones may break my bones — but names will make me a state?

Those District activists who are pulling for statehood are getting desperate. Not satisfied with the (lack of) progress they’ve made so far, their latest brilliant idea is to rename the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue as something that sends the message of political dissatisfaction. Washington City Paper has the full scoop on this notion of cartographic sabotage.

There is a such thing as bad press after all…

Tom Knott, the co-owner of the Black Squirrel in Adams Morgan and a former writer for The Washington Times, learned the power of social media when an old blog post of his was discovered and sent around the neighborhood, leading to a boycott of his establishment. TBD writes how Knott waxed on about illegal immigrants in the United States, pointing a finger at Stephen Colbert, claiming the comedian was being insensitive to Chandra Levy in his testimony before Congress; Levy was killed at the hands of an illegal immigrant. Apparently people aren’t so thrilled to hear such strong views from their bartenders…