Washington Area’s Asian Population Grows By 60 Percent; Smart’s Captor Sentenced to Life in Prison: Morning Links

Washington Region's Asian Population Grows by 60 Percent: Analysis of census data by the Washington Post shows that the region's Asian population has grown significantly since 2000. Some think the surge is due to the high number of job opportunities in the area. Indians are by far the biggest subgroup of Asians in the region, with Koreans making up the largest group in Virginia.

Sentencing in Elizabeth Smart Case: Elizabeth Smart's captor, David Mitchell, was sentenced to life in prison yesterday. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the 23-year-old Smart  "gazed unflinchingly at the man who held her captive and raped her daily for nine months in 2002" at the sentencing.

DC Has a Budget . . . And a Projected Deficit: The DC Council managed to pass a 2012 budget on the first vote yesterday without the controversial proposed tax hike on the cities wealthiest residents. The result is a projected $23.4-million deficit, but as DCist's Martin Austermuhle wrote, "One interesting element of the budget is that it sets spending goals for money the District doesn't yet have—but might get if the economy improves." Cross your fingers, District residents.

Jiffy Lube Live Is Just the Worst: Many of you expressed disdain at the Jiffy Lube Live venue when they recently announced their decision to cut off tailgating on their property, which some say is a move designed to improve concession stand sales. Tom Jackman at the Washington Post is likewise displeased with the venue, and, well, if you've ever wondered what it's like to read an 890-word rant detailing exactly how horrible Jiffy Lube Live is, Jackman's got you covered.

The Taxi Medallion Fantasy: City Paper's Loose Lips has a detailed rundown of the proposed taxi medallion idea—what it is, the good things some say it could do, and the bad things it probably will do. New York City adopted such a system long ago, and medallions that once sold for $10 during the Great Depression sold for $766,000 in 2009.

Climategate Continues: A Prince William County judge ruled that academics at the University of Virginia had to release documents related to climate change research, which have been subject to the controversy over climate change science known as "Climategate." The Washington Examiner reported that a conservative group said they will post the documents online, which prompted Virginia's attorney general Ken Cuccinelli to say that will likely caue him to drop own legal pressures to compel the university to release the documents. If you're curious about Cuccinelli's other political hobby horses, you should really check out our recent profile of him.

Freedom Isn't Free: City Paper mocks the Washington Examiner's recent advertisements with the tagline, "Freedom Isn't Free."

Pricey Georgetown Professors: The Georgetown Dish notices that a salary database posted by The Chronicle of Higher Education reveals Georgetown University professors are the highest paid in the area. Full professors at Georgetown rake in $158,900, and its assistant professors earn $88,900. American University comes in second; George Washington University comes in third.

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Kay Steiger