Lunchline: Speed cameras or cash cows?

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Today is my kid sister Asha's birthday. I remember when she was born; she's one heck of a funny little lady. I'm sure she's doing it up big at school. We have slightly different views on birthday celebrations as it turns out. Apparently, Vincent Gray is determined to make every dollar he can with speed cameras. The D.C. mayor has plans to flood the streets with cameras, claiming he wants to make the streets safer. AAA Mid-Atlantic's Mahlon G. "Lon" Anderson isn't buying. He says Gray is trying to use motorists as a cash cow --a strategy I contend is perfectly fair, even if Gray won't admit it. Would you prefer tolls? The Post's Tim Craig reports on how red-light cameras may feed the District's budget. It's not unusual for defendants to clean up their act before going to court. Personally, I can recall images of various rappers suddenly donning trim suits and short haircuts when facing charges. But the latest trend in the D.C. court system is driving prosecutors nuts. The non-prescription wide-framed glasses that hipsters, athletes and celebrities have popularized are the latest trend in courtroom fashion and some folks are calling foul, according to The Post's Keith L. Alexander. When you hear the words "sexy diplomat" you probably think of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. No? Alas. Well there's another foreign service officer that's irking people with her less-than-demure antics and her name is Jennifer Santiago. But the government isn't the one offended, it's a co-worker who claims that he's getting fired for his blog, while Santiago isn't. In The Loop's Al Kamen explains this oddball story. It's pretty scary to think that the guy cooking for the governor of Virginia was hired without a background check. I'm fairly certain that the person controlling what the chief executive of the commonwealth eats is a pretty important job that you shouldn't just hand out. But, it seems that in the flurry of activity that proceeded Robert McDonnell's election, Todd Schneider was hired, even though he'd previously been convicted of embezzlement. The Post's Anita Kumar reports on the oversight. Dale Hunter took a gamble last night and lost. The Capitals coach played the hot hand and started goalie Braden Holtby last night after his first career shutout Sunday, and it backfired. After giving up 3 goals to the Sabres in barely more than a period, Holtby was pulled in favor of Michael Neuvirth who gave up two more tallies. The Caps are now outside of the playoff picture looking in. The Post's Katie Carrera has the gamer. To be clear, the panic button is officially pressed. Extra Bites • On Friday, the District will be naming who'll get rights to grow and distribute medical marijuana in the city. Needless to say, cottage industry businesses are already cropping up. Express' Vicky Hallett chronicles a new store called weGrow. • Mega Millions has reached $476 million. That is an absurd amount of money on every level. • This video is totally stupid, but it made me laugh. Check out my Facebook fan page, my Twitter feed, or e-mail me at clinton.yates@wpost.com Get The Washington Post, your way. Want to stay on top of the latest news, features, commentary and more? Here's how: Mobile: Alerts: Social Media: Applications Web site E-mail SMS RSS Feeds Facebook Twitter SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 ©2012 The Washington Post Privacy Policy