Searching for a surplus

D.C.’s chief financial officer, Natwar M. Gandhi, chided Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee this week after she proposed using a $34 million surplus from the school system’s budget for teacher raises. Gandhi says the surplus does not exist. In a letter to Rhee, he questions why she did not consult with him directly before making her presentation to the D.C. Council April 13 on the proposed contract with the Washington Teachers’ Union. The Washington Post has more details on the confusion over the funding.

Two-thirds of D.C. residents turn in Census forms

The deadline to turn in Census forms was officially Friday, and so far 66 percent of D.C. residents have submitted their forms. The counting will continue, though, as only one in three Americans turned in their forms. Census workers will soon go door-to-door tracking down those who are not counted yet. To check out participation across the country, check out the U.S. Census Bureau’s response rate map.

It’s a girl

On Thursday the National Zoo confirmed that the kiwi chick born March 30 is, well, a chick. The birth of a female brown kiwi is significant because there are over twice as many male brown kiwis outside their native New Zealand as females. The birds are flightless and are successfully bred in only a few zoos outside New Zealand. The kiwi chick–yet to be named–can be seen on the National Zoo’s kiwicam.