DCentric

Flickr: Jessica Wilson

Pink! Hearts! Candy! On a Monday? On a Monday.

Good morning, DCentric readers! Will you be our Valentine? No? Well, we love you, anyway!

Labor of love becomes gathering for community in Anacostia A new restaurant has Ward 8 excited: “For many old-timers and newcomers alike, it has become a symbol of their community’s potential to become a neighborhood with the same services and amenities found in more affluent areas of the city.” (The Washington Post)

Brandon Banks stabbed: Did the incident start with a joke? Even after you make it, your friends might get you in trouble. Over wearing white after Labor Day: “Banks’ agent James Gould said in a statement that the player was injured “while coming to the aid of a life-long friend, who was attacked by an assailant who was wielding a knife,” and that “Brandon was not involved in any wrongdoing and was not implicated in any way.” (tbd.com)

Rhee’s five big missteps A new book looks at them all: “Her actions at Hardy turned middle-class black families against her. She left the impression that she wanted them to stop driving their kids to Hardy from distant neighborhoods so there would be room for more white Georgetown families. That helped lose the election.” (The Washington Post)

Owning My S— | fly black chick The woman who blew up quondam Congressman Chris Lee’s spot is African-American…and under fire (cached version because her site keeps crashing): “Since all anonymity is lost, and I’m the “bad” guy, might as well say my piece on my own site. Sure, I received photos, yes I sent them to Gawker…no, I didn’t reach out to The Washington Post to “give” them my story.” (ebcache.googleusercontent.com)

Tell us how you met: Valentine’s Day sweetheart stories Because it’s V-Day (and the story involves functioning Metro escalators! Woo!): Kim Brent & Andre Martin, Washington: “I stopped seeing him and said to myself, Oh well, missed out on that one. Then, one morning in late fall of 2009, I was running late for work…as I approached the escalator down to the subway platform, he was standing right there.” (tbd.com)

Arts Roundup: ‘Grammy Afterthoughts’ Edition No love for D.C.’s music: “Alas, ’twas a heartbreaking Grammy night for most D.C. nominees. Local legend Chuck Brown couldn’t beat Sade for best non-solo R&B performance; Raheem Devaughn failed to upset John Legend and the Roots for best R&B album; and Cee-Lo, dressed as some sort of Dr. Suess-jacking peafowl, proved too formidable for upwardly mobile newcomer Carolyn Malachi.” (Washington City Paper)

New Moms Hold Nurse-In At Smithsonian Museum Last month, Noriko Aita was asked to either stop nursing or use the bathroom to do it: “Mrs. Aita participated in the nurse-in with her daughter Elaine. She expressed gratitude for the large number of supporters who turned out, and also said she hoped the nurse-in would help educate people about the rights of nursing mothers.” (myfoxdc.com)