POST Local

Would you wear a life jacket to work? (Chris Helgren - Reuters) National Bike to Work Day might be getting all the attention today, but in Maryland, it’s also Wear a Life Jacket to Work Day.

In an effort to increase boating safety awareness, Maryland’s Natural Resources Police are encouraging people to swap their suit jackets for flotation devices.

Officials note that people aren’t limited to wearing their life jackets to work; other non-typical settings are fair game for a fashion statement on Friday.

Here are our picks for the top local stories to start your day:

A cyclist in downtown D.C. (Linda Davidson - THE WASHINGTON POST) The ‘dirty sport’ of bike commuting. Friday is National Bike to Work Day. Try it, writes columnist Petula Dvorak, and you’ll see how quickly you, too, will loathe cars.

Help wanted: Marion Barry is hiring a communications director. Following a series of gaffes, including allegedly racist remarks about Filipino nurses and “dirty Asian shops,” the D.C. council member tells potential applicants, “You’ve got to be courageous.”

D.C. delegate silenced at abortion bill hearing. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District’s lone, nonvoting member of the House of Representatives, is kept out of the Congressional debate over a bill restricting abortion in the capital.

Snakehead caught in Virginia might have been a record — before it became dinner. The 18-pound, 4-ounce fish would easily beat world record, but proper measurements weren’t taken.

Does any player torment the Redskins more than than the Philadelphia Eagles’ DeSean Jackson? (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post) (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post) DMVReads is a feature designed to help readers share the best local stories with one another. Share your favorite local story of the day with the hashtag #DMVReads, and we’ll feature the best in our lunchtime blog post.

Try it with this Twitter button.

Vegetarians have some good, affordable options when trying to select a food truck for lunch. (The 42 Bus)

Remembering Chuck Brown: The gravelly-voiced “Godfather of Go-Go” capitalized on funk’s percussive pulse to create go-go, the genre of music that has soundtracked life in black Washington for more than three decades.

‘Blitz build’ creates safe haven for homeless youth. More than 100 volunteers bearing hammers and hard hats help renovate a dilapidated Marshall Heights home.

Former Beauvoir teacher on FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. Indicted on child porn charges, Eric Toth is described as a crafty fugitive who won’t stop until he is arrested.

Marine killing called ‘a hate crime.’ The lead prosecutor says a Marine stabbed another Marine on Capitol Hill’s Barracks Row after yelling a slur against homosexuals.

Kenyan McDuffie was elected to DC Council Ward 5 on Tuesday. He is holding daughter Jozi, 2. (HO - Tony Ponds/Courtesy of Kenyan McDuffie campaign) DMVReads is a feature designed to help readers share the best local stories with one another. Share your favorite local story of the day with the hashtag #DMVReads, and we’ll feature the best in our lunchtime blog post.

Try it with this Twitter button.

What last night’s election of Kenyan McDuffie to D.C. City Council means for Ward 5. (Frozen Tropics)