Obamas to head for DC next week

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- President-elect Barack Obama and his family are packing up their Chicago home and will be heading for Washington next week, members of his transition team said.

Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, told the Chicago Tribune that Obama's two daughters are due to begin school at the exclusive Sidwell Friends private school next week.

The new president won't be moving into the White House until his Jan. 20 inauguration, so he and his family will likely stay in a hotel until the 15th and then transfer to the Blair House where "visiting" dignitaries are billeted, the Tribune said.

The newspaper also said Obama was unlikely to spend too much time unpacking once he moves into the White House. Axelrod said the new president would probably hit the road quickly to pitch his economic stimulus plan.