A Controversial Birthday Cake for George Washington | Patch PM

Stories worth talking about tonight:

‘Birthday Cake for George Washington’ Book Cooks Up Controversy

A book called “A Birthday Cake for George Washington” is cooking up controversy. Published Jan. 5 by Scholastic, the book was pulled Sunday by the publisher after questions were raised about how slaves are depicted in the picture book.

The book was intended to “serve up a slice of history in a picture book narrative that will surely satisfy,” Scholastic said on its Web site before the controversy.

But scathing reviews of “A Birthday Cake for George Washington” on Amazon.com say it was disingenuous to portray slaves as being “happy.” >>>read more.

Latest Winter Storm Forecast: Timeline, Accumulation

The National Weather Service has increased its winter storm alert to the highest level in advance of heavy snow expected in the area Friday evening and Saturday.

Calling it a “high impact storm,” the weather service warns there may be life-threatening conditions, with significant travel delays and closures. Residents are encouraged to plan ahead.

Forecasters are holding back on firm estimates for snow totals, but there is the potential for far more than a foot of snow in parts of the region. >>>read more.

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Vienna Gets a Mention on ‘Saturday Night Live’

• A story about a heroic Vienna teen caught the attention of SNL’s “Weekend Update.”

Brewing Community Mourns Loss of Friend Kerri Rose

• Kerri Rose helped start Forge Brew Works with her husband Matt; the two recently welcomed a new baby to the family.

Reviews Are In for PBS’ ‘Mercy Street’

• Six-part series based on Civil War life in Alexandria debuted Sunday. Here’s what critics have to say.

Patch PM shares a few of the day’s must-read items from our Virginia and D.C. network. The Patch community platform covers 31 communities across the region.