Meanwhile, Saturday's WashTimes goes with: "Council meets with mediator": "Members of the D.C. Council met yesterday with the mediator selected to help end a dispute over the lease for the Washington Nationals' new ballpark in Southeast, and council chairman Linda Cropp followed by providing Mayor Anthony Williams a revised proposal that she said will ensure a positive council vote." What does the letter say? "Cropp outlined 12 provisions requested by council members, who said they will not vote in favor of the stadium lease until the changes are made. The new proposal is similar to one presented last week, in that it calls for a cap on how much the city will contribute to the ballpark. The new letter clarifies that the city should pay no more than the $535 million being borrowed for the project, plus a $20 million contribution from Major League Baseball, $37 million raised from baseball activities in 2005 and $39 million in interest and bond premium. The new letter requests more community benefits, including a new baseball academy in the District, and more appearances by players. It also calls for assurances that the Nationals cannot terminate the lease simply by refusing to pay rent." The story also has some back-and-forth about whether the council should have been included in the lease negotiations from the beginning.

The Washington Blade reports in "Gay groups debate future of O Street gay night clubs" on responses within the gay community to a bill introduced by Jim Graham that "amends the Alcohol Beverage Control Board's licensing regulations to allow nude-dancing permit holders in the stadium's wake a one-time zoning transfer to any commercial zone. Current zoning laws allow the permit-holders only to move to the central business district." The bill will be the subject of a council roundtable on Tuesday, Jan. 31.