Strange twist in D.C.’s emancipation; D.C. building height limits may be relaxed; Md. couple accused of misusing $1 million in HIV funds (A.M. Buzz)

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

View Photo Gallery: With the approach of Emancipation Day, the National Archives displayed documents that detail how many slaves were freed as part of the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, how many owners applied for compensation and how much each slave was deemed to be worth.

Emancipation’s bottom line. Monday is the 150th anniversary of emancipation in the District, but the freedom of 3,100 slaves in 1862 came with a price.

D.C. building height limits may be relaxed. Attempts to alter the restrictions, which some say hamper economic growth, have been shot down in the past by Congress and the community.

Md. couple accused of misusing $1 million in HIV funds. The couple made “extensive” improvements to home and bought a Cadillac and Mercedes, prosecutors say.

A mystery on a Capitol Hill sidewalk. It looked like a steel Parthenon standing sentinel on a corner, but no one seemed to know what it was.

Coming up on PostLocal:

— Live tweets from the Metro board meeting starting at 9 a.m., when budget and fare-increase issues are expected to be discussed.

— Planning your weekend: Options include the Cherry Blossom parade and other festival events; Filmfest D.C., which opens Thursday; and more. The Going Out Gurus break down other ideas during their live chat at 1 p.m.

View Photo Gallery: The annual D.C. film festival, which opens Thursday, includes a fair share of buzzy movies and highlights comedies and films from and about the Caribbean.

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