Good morning, Washington. We hope you've been enjoying the stunningly beautiful weather we've been having this week. Our friends over at Capital Weather Gang say it's likely to continue through the weekend, though with a small chance of some more of those pop up afternoon and evening thunderstorms we grew so accustomed to in June. Still, for this time of year, we're grateful for as many eat-your-lunch-outside days as we can get.
Rockies 10, Nationals 4: So much for trying to salvage something from a miserable Rocky Mountain adventure -- Colorado pounded out eight extra base hits en route to a win and a sweep over the hapless Nats. For the second straight game, Washington's starter couldn't get out of the fourth inning -- yesterday, it was Ross Detwiler's turn. The 23-year-old lefty pitched adequately enough until the fifth inning, when the wheels abruptly fell off. Detwiler's rotten fifth: single, single, walk, base-clearing triple, and an early shower -- four runs, three hits, no outs recorded. Yuck. And somehow, the relief pitching and fielding were even worse than yesterday's debacle -- Adam Dunn committed two errors filling in for Nick Johnson at first, and Julian Tavarez and Ron Villone combined to allow four runs in the last three innings. Nyjer Morgan was the lone bright spot of the day: the speedy center fielder continued his hot streak with a three-for-four day. The Nats now head to Houston for a five-game set -- including a game that will start in the 11th inning -- and their last chance to grab something positive before the All-Star break.
First out of the gate to grandstand over the recent news that a Metro operator was suspended without pay for five days after being caught on video sending a text message while driving a Blue Line train: Kwame Brown (D-At large)! "I am shocked that an operator would be callous enough to risk the safety of passengers by texting on a cell phone," Brown said in a statement today. "Metro didn’t go far enough in the disciplinary action against the individual. The operator should be fired and anyone caught in the future should face the same consequences." Brown is a member of the D.C. Council's Committee on Public Works and Transportation, which has oversight over WMATA.
The Washington Kastles, the local World Team Tennis franchise, played their 2009 home opener last night. Sadly, their 23-16 loss to the 1-2 Philadelphia Freedoms (whose star player Venus Williams was the big draw of the evening), pushed their record back to 0-3 overall. But World Team Tennis is not entirely about what's going on on the court or trivial things like win-loss records. In fact, we'd like to dub World Team Tennis as something more appropriate. Moving forward, we'll call it what it is: Party Tennis.
Some happy news from the part of Washington that is so Catholic it used to be called Little Rome. With the exception of papal visits to Washington, the concerns of the American Federal City and the Eternal City do not overlap all that often, but one long-time Washingtonian is about to assume the reigns of a powerful curial office in Rome. Fr. J. Augustine Di Noia, a Dominican priest and influential theologian, has been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as Secretary of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
MUSIC: Held in conjunction with the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, some of D.C.'s finest hip-hop artists will be at Liv tonight to celebrate the life and musical legacy of Detroit-born emcee/producer James "J. Dilla" Yancey, who died from complications of Lupus. Slated to appear are Kev Brown, Kaimbr, and Three Stars alum Wayna, among others. Phife from A Tribe Called Quest and Grap Luva (Pete Rock's brother) will play host while J. Dilla's mother (Maureen Yancey) and younger brother (Illa J) will be in attendance. Free (donation to Maureen Yancey Fund suggested), 9 p.m.
Yesterday, we mentioned in the Morning Roundup that our DCist_Updates Twitter feed is officially one year old this week. We're not exactly gunning for Ashton Kutcher-like numbers here, but we are pleased to note that just today we reached 5,000 followers. Thanks so much to all of you who already follow and retweet us on a regular basis! For those of you who don't yet, know that DCist doesn't blast every post we write onto our Twitter feed. Instead, we try to keep you updated when breaking news hits or when especially interesting or popular posts go up (you don't want to miss Overheard in D.C., do you?). Twitter accounts are free, and you can follow DCist_Updates here.
If you didn't already spend your lunch hour, like we did, listening to the series of voicemail recordings, leaked to the Washington City Paper, that Marion Barry left for ex-girlfriend and alleged "stalkee" Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, we can verify that they make for fairly fascinating listening. The tapes (and the Loose Lips column that goes with them) have even started to become a bit of an internet sensation, if the WCP's Twitter feed is any judge: "Marion Barry killed our web server :'( ... we're working on bringing it back to life," they updated earlier this afternoon. The web site and the tapes are both back up now though, so take a gander, or if you can't listen in your office, they're also offering some typed up partial transcripts.
Earlier this year we pointed out that DaVinci Code author Dan Brown's newest book, The Lost Symbol, is set here in Washington, concerns itself with the mysteries of the Masons, and is due out in September. Now via The New York Times' Arts Beat blog, we finally get a look at the cover of the book, which depicts "a shadowy skyline of the Capitol."
WJLA reports that two people were seriously injured this morning after a motorcyclist struck a pedestrian near 18th and I Streets NW. Police will investigate the crash, D.C. Deputy Fire Chief Ken Crosswhite told the news station, which happened around 9:30 a.m. and sent both people to the hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries. It's so far unclear whether the pedestrian was in a crosswalk or not.
A lot of you have been asking us when the Red Line will start running its normal number of trains and at regular speeds during rush hour, and today Metro offered an answer of sorts: it's going to be another 10 days, at a minimum. WMATA says Red Line riders should expect the same packed trains through July 19, thanks to ongoing reduced rush hour service during the NTSB investigation of the June 22 crash. Between now and July 19, Red Line trains will continue to move one at a time at a reduced speed between Takoma and Fort Totten, which is the source of most of the current Red Line troubles -- fewer trains can move along the line due to the change, and trains can more easily become backed up. The Takoma station will also continue to close at 10 p.m. for at least the next 10 nights as investigators continue their work. There's no guarantee in this Metro announcement that July 19 will be the last of it, either. Merely, word is that July 19 is the best case scenario.
Summer: A time for walking along the Mall, enjoying our national monuments, eating, drinking, and generally having a good time. At the end of the day, tired and laden with all our trash, we seek out one of the few trash cans on the Mall. And, being good citizens, we proceed to stack our styrofoam containers and patriotic cups as high as they'll go. Yospyn captured the scene with a trusty Mamiya RZ67 Pro II. That's film, kids, so no EXIF.
Last season, we were excited to see our hometown gal Carla Hall make it to the top three on Bravo's Top Chef. This year, we have three chefs with local ties to cheer for. First, we get some sibling rivalry between brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio. Will they pair up to take down the others or fight it out from the very start? Bryan is the chef-owner of Volt in Frederick, and was formerly at Charlie Palmer Steak. Michael now serves at the chef de cuisine at Jose Andres' Bazaar in Los Angeles. Rounding out the three is Mike Isabella, who is the executive chef at Zaytinya. One thing is for sure with this season. We'll have a good bunch to root for, and Jose Andres is going to be raking in some big money with all the publicity. Season 6 premieres Wednesday, August 26.
CB2, the slightly cheaper Crate & Barrel brand store that's aimed at younger, urban customers is looking for a location in D.C., the Washington Business Journal reports. The chain has reportedly been talking to Jeffrey Schonberger, the real estate developer who owns the Central Union Mission building at 1350 R Street NW, at the corner of 14th and R Streets. Central Union has long been in talks with the city to relocate elsewhere, with most recent negotiations focusing on the empty Gales School at 65 Massachusetts Ave. NW. CB2 has also reportedly been looking at other properties, but should it move into the 14th and R space, it would join the forthcoming Room & Board at 14th and T along with existing furniture stores like Vastu, Muleh and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, creating a sort of furniture corridor along that stretch of 14th.
Crate & Barrel's CB2 Looking for Space in D.C.
Cover of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol Unveiled
Photo of the Day: July 9, 2009
Morning Roundup: Breaking Up is Hard to Do Edition
City Paper Web Servers Under Strain After Marion Barry Tapes Posted Online
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