Buzz: Snowstorm, tweeps, and misfit gifts

It missed us by that much! The White Christmas-turned-massive snowstorm that came up the East Coast yesterday mostly missed the Washington region. But travelers from the Carolinas to Boston dealt with cancellations by plane, train, and bus. For those who stayed home, we got a mere dusting. So yes, federal employees, there is work today.

Your commute could be icy, windy, or filled with road debris today. Even a dusting impacts your commute. Check Dr. Gridlock for details for your area.

Need to know:

Nearly 2,000 students in Fairfax are homeless. Fairfax is one of only two counties in the nation with median household incomes above $100,000, yet it has nearly 2,000 homeless students in its school division, reflecting the faltering economy. Yet school districts like Fairfax are now taking aggressive measures to ensure their students are not only taught and fed but also housed.

Business brace for change in 2011. Despite the Washington region's economy emerging as one of the strongest in the country after the recession, there are certainly new rules shaping business here, including the use of a fix-priced structure at the Defense Department, the federal government's management of its information technology projects, new regulations as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act are being put into place, and more. Also, Capital Business has released our annual ranking of the biggest businesses in the area.

Want to know:

Amazon has come up with a way to return misfit gifts, before you get them. It used to be that the boxful of ugly socks sent by Aunt Mildred had to either be worn or hastily returned.  But now, online retailer Amazon is quietly patenting a way for people to return gifts before they receive them. A user can even specify that they never want to see a gift from a certain person, saying their tastes don't match up. Expect more on this from us later.

Voting for D.C.'s top tweeps starts today! You've nominated your favorite Washington, D.C. area social media tweeps. At noon today, you can vote on your favorites.

In short. A woman dies in NW apartment fire; a publisher want young readers' ideas; cuts to contractor spending are smaller than advertised; 2 killed in crash on B-W Parkway.

That's it for now. Be sure to check with us for more news and headlines, and the latest on the roads and weather.