Lunchline: Ward 5 holds special election

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Yesterday, I read one of the most inspirational stories about journalism I've ever seen. After a small-town paper totally ripped off Duane Lester's blog post, he confronted them about it. The resulting video is absolutely amazing and a must-watch for journos. Ward 5 heads to the polls today in a special election to replace Harry Thomas Jr., who stepped down in January. He's no longer in office because he stole money destined for kid's sports programs. And the guy who initially sussed out the sketchy finances of the legacy pol is actually on the ballot himself, and his name is Tim Day. The Post endorses him for various reasons, but I'll say that unseating Thomas alone is reason enough to elect him. But there are 11 others up for election, Mike DeBonis reports. High on the list of first-world problems is cellphone battery life. As in, way high. It's extremely annoying when I'm in the middle of live-tweeting some random outing and have to bail midway because I can't sacrifice any more power. As a result, the race is definitely on to find the battery technology that will revolutionize the industry. Eric Niiler reports for The Post that big jumps in battery life are much further off than improvements we've seen in mobile memory and speed recently. When someone gives you the advice to "sleep on it," they typically don't mean, "make a decision upon waking up." But that's exactly what an American University graduate did when it came to asking his longtime girlfriend to marry him. His parents told him to wait until after graduation, so he went with the full down-on-one-knee treatment AT THE COMMENCEMENT. Campus Overload's Jenna Johnson reports on the ceremony that was more exciting than usual. Howard Stern made his debut on "America's Got Talent" last night, but I failed to watch. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't because I can't imagine that seeing some awful guy rap on stage about Baba Booey would have been worth my time (I heard that on the radio.) But I did read Hank Steuver's review of the show in The Post, which is flat-out hilarious. Give it a spin. It'll likely be the funniest thing you read all day. If you're wondering what I think about Dale Hunter's exit from the Caps, my answer is simple: not much. He was a .500 coach who didn't advance any further than his predecessor in the playoffs. I like the guy, but I'm not going to get crazy or emotional about his departure. More importantly, Bryce Harper hit his first career dinger at Nats Park last night and it was a no-doubter. The Post's Adam Kilgore has the gamer from another one that Henry Rodriguez almost botched. Extra Bites • Jay-Z came out in support of gay marriage in an interview with CNN. More specifically, he said that people against are holding the country back. This comes after President Obama's support, which honestly, might resonate less with some people than Jay. • You know the drill by now: A new Banksy piece spotted in London means I will be sharing it. This one even includes bonus props in the form of flags! • Since it was a miserable morning, here's a video of puppies on a skateboard. Here's how to get at me. There's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and you can 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