Given the failing grades among lawmakers on Capitol Hill, one can't expect children in the neighborhood to perform any better.

And so it is that a majority of students in the District's public schools have failed miserably to meet proficiency levels in mathematics and reading, while their two major standardized test scores (SAT and ACT) have stagnated, according to a new report by the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Fifty states and the District were ranked from one to 51. Minnesota placed first, the District dead last.

NEW HAUGHTLINE

"Today is March 5. It's 'Multiple Personality Day.' Wonder if there will be a special observance in Washington for two-faced politicians?" writes veteran newspaperman and author Bob Haught, who didn't stay retired for long.

The longtime "Potomac Junction" columnist for the Oklahoman this week launched the online magazine "Haughtline Dweethly," at www.haughtline.net.

"It's my response to the decline of print journalism," Mr. Haught explains.

DEATH OF NEWS?

According to the Columbia Journalism Review, the number of journalists who have lost their jobs since January 2007: 12,000.

The question now, say editors of the magazine: "Will somebody come up with a way to support serious reporting in a digital age?"