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Good Tuesday afternoon, D.C. Yesterday was Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but there are still plenty of ways to celebrate Native people all year long. Here’s some news you might have missed while you were drinking beer at the Snallygaster festival (or reading about the mythical creature’s racist roots). 

Insults to Injury

Not only did the Commanders lose to the Ravens on Sunday (snapping a four-game win streak), but now we have to declare a “Baltimore Club Music Day” on Mayor Brandon Scott’s next birthday. The Ravens beat the Commanders 30-23 at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, and Mayor Muriel Bowser lost a bet to Scott that also involved crab cakes and half-smokes. 

After the game, a man in a Lamar Jackson jersey was caught on video attacking two guys in Commanders gear. “I don’t lose!” the Ravens fan yells into the camera. Internet sleuths think they’ve identified the man as an employee of a Baltimore-based insurance company. Baltimore Police are investigating the assault.

Jesus Was (probably?) Gay

Tens of thousands of Christian nationalists gathered on the National Mall on Saturday for a rally dubbed “Esther Call on the Mall.” The event was organized by leaders in the New Apostolic Reformation, a network of far-right evangelical Christians who want to establish a government (and a larger society) dominated by Christians. Many of its adherents believe God speaks to them in dreams and that Donald Trump has been chosen by God to be president.

“Many people may not agree with his character, but if you look at [the Old Testament king] David, he was a murderer and an adulterer,” Linda Ilias, who had traveled from Florida, told Mother Jones reporter Kiera Butler. “But God saw his potential. God saw that he was [the] true king, and he … called his potential out of him, and he became the king of Israel. And so Donald Trump, I believe the Lord chose him.”

Speakers at the event included a who’s who of batty conservative leaders from the anti-LGBTQIA “apostle” Jenny Donnelly and to pastor Lou Engle, also an outspoken opponent of queer and trans rights and abortion, to Lance Wallnau, another self-proclaimed “apostle” who has claimed that Kamala Harris practices witchcraft and represents “the spirit of Jezebel.”

And Runnin Runnin’ and Runnin’ Runnin’

Washingtonian is out with a comprehensive guide to running in the D.C. area, including lists of the best trails, road races, and clubs. Catch up on some tips from a pro. Read some reflections on “the People’s Marathon,” including from the guy who juggles while he runs. And find out why some people aren’t happy about the new fad of replacing dating apps with run clubs.

Pot Shot

The Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration is continuing its enforcement against unlicensed cannabis shops. This month, ABCA and D.C. police officers shut down Dreams Smoke Shop and In the Cut. Officers found a handgun and ammo at In the Cut, leading to the arrest of Rodney Marshall.

Cannabis regulators also suspended the alcohol license for Power Night Club on Bladensburg Road NE after investigators found 62 pounds of cannabis, 111 jars of THC waxes, 308 edibles, and three firearms in the club, according to the Outlaw Report.

—Mitch Ryals (tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Two giant pandas arrived in D.C. today from China. Qing Bao and Bao Li, both 3 years old, will live at the National Zoo, replacing the three pandas who returned to China last fall. Bao Li, the new male panda, is the son of Bao Bao, who was born in D.C. in 2013. It’ll be about 30 days before the public can see them. [NPR, Post, NBC Washington]
• D.C. has increased homeless encampment clearings this year following a Supreme Court ruling that allows cities to criminalize sleeping outside. Data shows that there have been an average of eight “encampment engagements” per month since July, up from 6.8 such actions per month last year. [Axios]
• Four Capital Bikeshare stations now have solar canopies as part of a pilot program to charge e-bikes. [WTOP]
• Shuttered developer Neighborhood Development Company has handed over its rights to develop Parcel 13 on St. Elizabeths East to Buwa Binitie’s firm, Dantes Partners. The politically connected Binitie started his real estate career with Neighborhood Development Company under its CEO, Adrian Washington. It’s unclear if the project as planned, which included a 421-unit apartment building and ground floor retail, will remain the same. [WBJ, Bisnow]

By City Paper Staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• The D.C. Council will take up legislation Tuesday aimed at avoiding future budget cuts to the District’s pay equity fund for early childhood educators. A task force working on the issue forwarded recommendations to make the fund more sustainable moving forward, reducing some minimum salaries for daycare workers. [WUSA9, WJLA]
• A former official in the D.C. Office of Contracting and Procurement won a $3.4 million judgment from a jury after claiming she was fired for blowing the whistle on improper practices. Maureen Hill has been fighting the case since her 2017 termination, arguing that the Department of Health illegally split up big contracts to avoid sending them to the Council for review. [Post]
• Longtime Ward 8 activist and top Initiative 83 booster Philip Pannell argues that the D.C. Democratic Party “needs to stop operating as if it were a fraternity, gang or segregated country club” and drop its opposition to independents voting in party primaries. [EOTR News]

By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Kau Kau, a takeout-only ghost kitchen from the TaKorean team, is serving up Hawaiian comfort food. Dishes include bulgogi, hoisin-caramelized tofu,  and loco moco, a hamburger steak with brown gravy and fried egg. All plates come with creamy mac salad, two scoops of white rice, and iceberg lettuce salad. [Washingtonian]
• Louisiana-based chicken finger chain Raising Cane’s is planning to open a location in Chinatown in the fall of 2025. [WBJ]
• The annual Chefs for Equity event will benefit the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s efforts to promote LGBTQIA equality. The Oct. 21 event will feature 150 chefs, bakers, mixologists, sommeliers, and restaurateurs.  [Blade]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)