Morning Roundup: Bike to Work Day Edition

Happy Bike to Work Day! Thankfully the torrential downpours have passed just in time for the area's cyclists to head to work, stopping at designated pit stops along the way for free food, coffee, and camaraderie.

Fenty Wants Crime Bill Passed: The warming weather and school's letting out usually means one thing -- a spike in crime. In preparation for the usual summer crime wave, Mayor Adrian Fenty is asking the D.C. Council to pass a new crime bill by June 2 on an emergency basis so that it can go into effect more quickly, writes the Post. The bill would increase penalties for gang activity, illegal gun use and, in response to last year's killings in Trinidad, using a stolen vehicle to commit a crime. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), who chairs the council's Public Safety committee, doesn't see the need for a rush, arguing that he has been discussing many of these issues for months and that the bill contains too many provisions to be passed without full debate. The City Paper's Mike DeBonis covered the Fenty presser yesterday.

Preakness is On: You may not be able to bring your own booze anymore and the race may now be the sole property of the State of Maryland, but the Preakness Stakes is still set to kick off tomorrow at Pimlico Field in Baltimore, writes the Examiner. If you're not into the horse-racing thing, you can instead head up to Patterson Park in Baltimore on Sunday for BikeJam/Kelly Cup and watch some of the country's best cyclists go head to head.

Local Chrysler Dealers Shutting Down: The Times and the Post are reporting that over a dozen local dealers will be losing their Chrysler stock as the automaker slashes operations in hopes of staying afloat. Local dealers to be affected included those in Washington, Fairfax, Manassas and Laurel.

Briefly Noted: Charter school for teen mothers to close ... Virginia gubernatorial candidates agree on one thing -- where Guantanamo Bay inmates shouldn't go ... Metro committee gives initial go-ahead to plan to allow commuters to pay for rides directly with credit cards ... Man shot near Washington Convention Center.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2008, we wondered why not all construction sites had covered walkways as mandated by the District. In 2007, D.C. drivers ranked fifth in a national survey of road rage and U Street saw a new "sheriff" appear.

Picture snapped by Mr. T in DC