News

UPDATE:Olsson's has since posted a press release on their web site announcing the closing of all five locations. They've also created a blog-style testimonial page for fans of the local chain to leave their thoughts on the news. more ›

The long-delayed bill which includes a potential $1.5 billion in funding for Metrorail will finally be voted on in the Senate tomorrow, and it is expected to pass. Debate on the floor was officially closed by a 69-17 vote yesterday, and it would appear that the legislation has more than enough votes to make it's way to President Bush's desk. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) is probably finding the bill more difficult to roadblock these days, since the law's main purpose - improving rail safety across the country, with the recent Los Angeles commuter rail accident which killed 25 people fresh in the collective memory - is being credited for the bill's sudden resurgence. Of course, that didn't stop Coburn from trying. more ›

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This means that if a voter is showing an outward sign of support for a candidate (i.e. wearing hats, buttons, t-shirts, etc.) the voter will be asked to remove or cover the article before entering the polling place.Keep this in mind as Nov. 4 draws ever closer. more ›

Yesterday Creative Loafing, the owner of the Washington City Paper, announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In a post on City Desk, City Paper editor Erik Wemple quoted Loaf CEO Ben Eason playing the filing off as not as bad as it sounds, since bankruptcy will give the company the breathing room it needs to finish a structural reorganization directed toward the internet. TambaBay.com's The Feed blog dug into the Loaf's financials, arguing that despite assurances to the contrary, it does appear as though debt accrued in the course of purchasing the City Paper and the Chicago Reader last year played a role in the bankruptcy. more ›

Good morning, Washington. With the entire country wondering just what might happen next in Congress, no one seems to have made much sense out of how yesterday's failed economic package vote actually broke down. Slate comes up with a list of half-baked theories, only to rest on the incomplete answer that those members not up running for re-election were more likely to vote for the bill. The Post notes that most of the members from the nearby Virginia and Maryland suburbs voted for the bailout, with the exception of some of the most junior members of each state's delegations, who opted not to join their more experienced colleagues. Despite Barack Obama's sunny optimism on the issue, the world is still wondering whether another deal can be reached before, you know, everything goes into the crapper. If you rely on Wall Street to be an accurate political barometer (and does anyone do that anymore?), there may still be reason to believe Congress will act quickly. more ›

A little rain didn't keep enthusiastic readers from coming out to the 8th annual National Book Festival over the weekend. Our photographer captured a few portraits of some of the festival's biggest names. Did you go? more ›

The Calvert County, Md. Sheriff's Department has arrested one Renee Bowman, 43, after discovering what appeared to be the bodies of two children in a freezer in Bowman's home over the weekend. Authorities went to the house responding to a report of child abuse, after neighbors found Bowman's 7-year-old adopted daughter alone outside the house, showing signs of abuse and neglect. When they searched the house, they found the remains, and Bowman allegedly told them that the bodies belonged to her two other adopted daughters, and that they had both been in the freezer since February. Bowman used to live in Rockville, in Montgomery County, but moved to Calvert County in February, so charges related to the bodies could ultimately be filed in Montgomery. Bowman is currently being held in Calvert County on charges of first-degree child abuse. more ›

The Post is reporting that a guilty plea looks like it's been entered for former D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue employee El-Hadj Drame, who amazingly enough stands accused of corruption and bribery all on his own, without any help from Harriette Walters and her crew. Papers were filed that indicate a guilty plea for Drame, who is accused of receipt of a bribe by a public official for accepting a payment of $6,000 in exchange for lowering the tax liability of a business he was auditing. Doesn't seem like the business in question has been publicly named yet. Isn't it amazing that the recent tax office scandal makes this $6000 bribe seem like small potatoes? In case you missed the Post's big spread in Sunday's paper chronicling the full history of the $50 million, 20-year-long Walters-led embezzlement scheme, here's the link. more ›

Going into Sunday’s game at Dallas, there seemed to be two opposing forces pulling at 'Skins fans. Common wisdom, most pundits, and the Vegas oddsmakers said Washington would return to D.C. humbled by an offensive juggernaut just getting warmed up. But if you looked hard enough, there were calls for optimism: fantasy experts talked up Jason Campbell’s surging value, while others talked about the 'Skins’s recent success against their hated rivals. And in press conferences this week, Santana Moss and others spoke with a subtle confidence and a hint of disdain for the 11 point line favoring Tony Romo and Co. more ›

The U.S. House has voted down the bailout package, 205-228. By and large, Republicans voted against the bill, while Democrats voted for it, though the Democrats voted for it by a rather small margin. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has already dropped more than 500 points, just shy of five percent, since the news broke. more ›

A handful of Metrobus route and service changes took effect on Sunday, the most notable of which is an increase in the frequency of the 5A line, which travels between L'Enfant Plaza and Dulles Airport. Three westbound and three eastbound buses have been added every weekday, which is good news for anyone who regularly uses the often very crowded 5A. more ›

Good morning, Washington. So the Redskins managed to beat the Dallas Cowboys yesterday, which when all is said and done, basically means 'Skins fans get to walk around with a sort of boosted self-esteem for the next week, which lets them trash talk, gloat and generally be obnoxious. That kind of fandom is not something I'll likely ever understand, but if it also means fewer people walking around who are from the D.C. area but for some totally incomprehensible reason are Cowboys fans and wear Cowboys gear out to bars, then I say 'F Romo,' too. Who are these people, and why weren't they raised right? If we can get even a small break from having to deal with these clowns, then I welcome post-beating-Dallas-week with open arms. more ›

The notion that we'd all like to do more with our SmarTrip cards isn't new - we've been calling for such improvements for quite some time. So, it was understandable that we were encouraged by reports released last winter which indicated SmarTrip cards would be able to be automatically reloaded like E-Z Passes by the end of 2008. more ›

Early last week Fishbowl DC had more about the coming changes to the Washington City Paper we first reported at the end of August. Now the Georgetown Voice has the full story in its latest edition, which confirms that the alt weekly is undergoing a massive transition away from long-form features and investigative pieces and toward a larger online presence. Within a few weeks, the paper will cease to run its trademark lengthy cover story, instead likely running a sort of wire cover story common to all Creative Loafing titles. Sounds like things are more than a little grim in the City Paper newsroom these days: “Now [the response is] more outright angst and anger and misery over what’s going on,” the Voice quotes editor Erik Wemple. Read the whole thing. UPDATE: Wemple wrote to tell us we've got the future of City Paper covers all wrong: "No one here has ever, ever talked about, proposed or even considered publishing "wire" cover stories from Creative Loafing papers." We definitely shouldn't have used the word 'likely' there -- a source had told us something like this might be in the works, but it's definitely not something the City Paper intends to do, according to Wemple. As for what readers can expect to see on City Paper covers in the future, we've asked Wemple to fill us in, and will let you know if and when we hear anything. more ›

Go ahead and finalize your debate watching plans! CNN is reporting that John McCain has announced he will show up in Mississippi tonight after all to debate Barack Obama on national television. The debate starts at 9 p.m., so get cracking on coming up with the best possible McCain vs. Obama drinking games. If you're hoping to watch the debate with others out on the town, here's a couple of ideas: Marvin is hosting a viewing party with WaPo's The Root; stand-by Stetson's will have all their TVs tuned to the debate as usual; Drinking Liberally is gathering at the 17th Street Cafe; and Left Bank in Adams Morgan has a combo debate watching/post-debate dance party on the schedule. more ›

AlertDC says that every single escalator at Dupont Circle Metro's Q Street entrance is currently out of service. The station is still open, unlike when it was closed during a power outage in June; all of the escalators were down then too, and WMATA decided that since people were having such a hard time getting into and out of the station, they would temporarily close it until the power came back on. If you can't handle hoofing it up the station's long elevators today, we recommend using the south entrance on the other side of Dupont Circle. UPDATE: The escalators are back in operation. more ›

Isis King, the local transgender woman who sought to be America's Next Top Model, this week became the fifth contestant of 14 to be eliminated from the television competition this season. The Advocate reports that host Tyra Banks and the show's judges "decided King had to go after too many uninspiring photo shoots and catwalk sessions. King's last photo shoot required her to wear a bikini, which clearly made her uncomfortable." Equality Maryland, the state's LGBT civil rights group, will honor King at their annual Jazz Brunch event in Baltimore on November 2. more ›

Good morning, D.C. So... how 'bout that largest bank failure in U.S. history? It's hard even to wrap our heads around what that means, but you know things are really grim when The New York Times goes with "Day of Chaos" as the most accurate descriptor of what the government was up to yesterday. And just to add even more uncertainty to today, you guessed, it, we still don't know for sure whether there will be a debate tonight or not. Obama has said he's going to be there; McCain says he still hasn't decided if he's going to show up. more ›

About 100 people gathered on the sidewalk around the Mayflower Hotel in downtown D.C. this evening to catch a glimpse of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Obama was scheduled to make a statement to the press at the hotel after leaving a meeting about the economic bailout package at the White House. Obama had met with President Bush, Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and congressional leaders. Neither McCain nor Obama made an immediate statement after leaving the meeting. more ›

The Washington Times reported today that a few of the truckers who showed up on Tuesday for a protest against high gas prices had their trucks towed from a motel parking lot in Landover Hills, Md. Each of the three drivers who had their trucks towed have been fined $2,000 by the towing company; the trucks were apparently parked next to a hard to see "no parking" sign. Considering only about 20 drivers showed up out of the hundreds that were expected, these drivers have got to be pretty pissed they bothered to show up at all. more ›

Please welcome our newest DCist contributor, Elisabeth Meinecke. more ›

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Thanks to the person who sent in this link to the DCist tipline. We're still trying to wrap our heads around this crime story announced by the Georgetown University Department of Public Safety, about a strange home invasion burglary in the 3400 Block of Prospect St. NW:

A homeowner reported to the Metropolitan Police Department at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 21, 2008 that a group of 12-15 white males and females broke into his home. Another resident of the home confronted the individuals and they left the premises. The homeowner discovered that a bronze bull's head sculpture worth $25,000 was missing. MPD reported this incident to DPS on Tuesday, September 23, 2008. more ›

Metro brings word that yesterday, the House of Representatives approved an amended version of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, H.R. 2095. While the bill's main financial purpose is to allocate $13.06 billion in federal funds over the next five years to Amtrak, it also includes $1.5 billion in appropriations for Metro to make capital improvements in the next ten years - vital funds for WMATA. The bill, mended into one collective document after two attempts at passage in each legislative body stalled during last year's Congressional session, is expected to pass easily in the Senate after unanimous bipartisan approval in the House. more ›

Good morning, D.C. Brrrrr. Did somebody turn the AC up too high outside? What you do you mean this is just our first real day of fall weather, the high is only going to be up in the mid-60s, and we should all get our sweaters (and galoshes) out of the back of our closets? A likely story. Next thing you're going to tell me is that Bush addressed the country about the economy. Or that the Republican nominee for president decided to stop campaigning six weeks before the general election. I mean how can you expect me to believe that when McCain is still accepting campaign contributions on his web site. None of it adds up! more ›

Here's his statement (via): more ›

The latest is that Obama aides say their candidate is not inclined to to delay the debate, but Obama hasn't come out to say anything definitely yet. What do you think he should do? more ›

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is asking the Obama campaign and the debate commission to delay Friday night's first presidential debate, reports the AP. He has announced he is suspending his campaign to focus on the economic bailout package currently before Congress. more ›

Amid continuing concerns about the validity of the results, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics still hasn't certified the results of the Sept. 9 primary election. New pre-certified results were released on Sept. 20, and today, the board released its final post election audit report. You can download the nine-page PDF for yourself. According to the report, the audit consisted of four three-member teams, each reviewing the ballots of randomly selected precincts, which were precincts 13, 21, 22 and 44. None of the audited precincts showed differences between manual recounts and voting machine results of more than one or two votes in any given race, though there were small inconsistencies between hand counts in two of the precincts. more ›

WJLA is reporting that a man was shot and a D.C. police officer injured during an altercation this morning at the Kelsey Gardens apartment complex at 7th and Q streets NW. more ›

That refrain was made famous in 1983, after the Redskins defeated the Vikings and were looking down the pike at our most hated rivals. Since then, it's been a rallying cry amongst fans, amplifying the innate hatred any good 'Skins fan feels for anyone crazy enough to be wearing blue and silver. Dan Steinberg has an interesting story on the refrain, most recently heard this weekend after we beat the Arizona Cardinals, and looked forward to heading to Texas Stadium this weekend. But to quote my own dad, "maybe we don't" want Dallas. They're arguably the best team in the NFL this year, with three weeks of wins under their belts and a roster that boasts some of the league's best players. more ›

Flickr user erin_m noticed the new fencing and signs up around the U.S. Capitol, 118 days before the 2009 inauguration. Indeed, Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) is scheduled to ceremoniously hammer the first stake into the inaugural platform today, the first step in a four-month construction project. Feinstein heads the Senate's inaugural panel. more ›

Good morning, Washington. You know, it's easy to get discouraged. Our nation's economy is unraveling, our presidential race has largely devolved into trivialities, and our city remains plagued with violence and poverty. But take heart! You still live in a city, country and universe where a headline like "MySpace Helps to Capture Monkey Thief" can exist. Alright, "headline" might be pushing it — it's just the text on the Metro page that teases the story. Still, that's pretty solid. Area Governments Confront Budget Crunches: They may not be much of a surprise, but that doesn't make the revenue shortfalls facing Virginia, Maryland the the District any less daunting. The Post reports on the damage: Virginia is as much as $3 billion in the hole, Maryland's missing up to $1 billion, and D.C. is short $131 million. In all cases the culprit is reduced tax revenue born of the nationwide economic downturn. It's too early to say exactly how each will deal with the budget problems, but the District, at least, is signaling that tax increases are a possibility. Shooting, Chase Shuts Down Part of 395: Last night we received a text message from a friend that read: "WTF? The most cop cars I've ever seen - 14th street bridge, shotguns out." Well, this morning there's an explanation — Fox 5 has video and the Post has a written account. During a traffic stop in Arlington (begun in Alexandria), a police officer was shot in the chest by the driver of the stopped car, who then got back into his silver Lexus and fled the scene. The suspect ultimately crashed on 395N and then apparently committed suicide. Two lanes of Northbound traffic on 395 were shut down for several hours as the investigation proceeded. The officer is expected to make a full recovery — he was wearing a protective vest, which probably saved his life. Briefly Noted: Biden speaks in Northern Virginia... Maryland declares crab disaster in order to qualify for federal aid... P.G. County emergency responders raise safety concerns about county's forced furlough plan... Report assesses D.C.'s HIV/AIDS programs, finds them wanting... Apparent inter-car gun battle in Prince George's... Gilmore fails to gain on Warner in Polls... Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Toshio more ›

Since the other strange crime story from today was so upsetting, it's worth it to point out this rather more lighthearted report from Anne Arundel County of an elderly woman who defended herself against a robber with a reacher. more ›

So much for all the worrying this morning. The Associated Press says only about 20 truckers actually participated in a protest against high gasoline prices near the Capitol today. Original estimates from organizers was that somewhere between 200 and 400 truckers were expected. We've heard the 20 or so who did show up did plenty of honking, however. Naturally, organizers are blaming the high cost of fuel on the low turnout; apparently it's too expensive to protest that gas is too expensive. more ›

To absolutely no one’s surprise, DCPS enrollment hasdropped 8.7 percent, according to a preliminary count by an independent auditor. While late registration will likely raise the final tally slightly, DCPS spokesperson Dena Iverson said that as of last week, 45,135 students were enrolled in the District's 120 schools, down from last year’s 49,422, continuing a trend in declining enrollment that has persisted since the 1960s. more ›

In the annals of heartbreaking, senseless violence in the District of Columbia, this one ranks right up there at the top. WJLA and the Post both have stories about the shooting death of 18-year-old Tanganika Stanton in Northeast over the weekend. The story D.C. police are telling is that Stanton was approached by 19-year-old Terrence Jones while she was sitting outside her home eating a hamburger. In an apparent attempt to flirt with her, Jones asked Stanton to make him a burger. When both she and her mother refused to cook him food, Jones left, then returned with a gun and shot up the house. Stanton and her mother were both shot; Stanton died, while her mother was shot in the foot and is expected to make a full recovery. The Post's story plays up the weird hamburger aspect of the shooting, but WJLA's video report makes the important point that this was really about a young man who was aggressively engaging in street harassment. He felt rejected, and lashed out. It's a horrifying story for any woman who is accustomed to street harassment from men in this city. Jones has been arrested and is being held without bond. more ›

Ever since the Supreme Court ordered the District to allow gun ownership, we've heard any number of proposed regulations on how to get them, where to store them, when to use them and how to carry them. Today in the Post one reader proposes something a little different -- gun liability insurance:

The D.C. Council should require all gun owners in the District to obtain gun liability insurance. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of an individual right to own firearms, but it did not say that jurisdictions cannot regulate guns in a way similar to how cars are regulated. A study by P.J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, professors at Duke University and the University of Chicago, shows the direct and indirect costs of handgun violence exceed $100 billion a year. more ›

The clock is ticking for Metro. The transit agency announced on Monday that it will require $11.3 billion to keep things moving smoothly, according to a recently completed inventory of estimated needs between 2010 and 2020. The figure doesn't include possible expansion, and only six percent would go to "customer-oriented improvements." more ›

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is polling slightly better in battleground state Virginia than rival John McCain. more ›

Good morning, D.C. The protesting truckers are back today, which means you can expect heavy honking and screwy traffic near the White House and the Capitol. More than 400 professional truck drivers and trucking employees from across the country are expected to drive into the city this morning in a big convoy to urge Congress and President Bush to act on legislation that would lower gas prices. Normally we'd say the truckers are wasting their time, but hey, the U.S. government is basically just printing extra money and handing it out these days, so maybe they really can come up with some creative way to finance lower gas prices while they're at it. How about some national 25 percent off coupons? more ›

On your way home tonight, keep an eye out for changes to how passenger information is displayed on the electronic monitors in Metro stations. From WMATA:

The new format will provide customers with specific information they can use to make travel decisions. For example, the monitors will provide information about the time it takes trains to pass through a location where they are sharing a single track, the estimated start time of a shuttle bus service between stations and alternate bus route information if special shuttle bus service is needed.

WJLA is all over the news that Montgomery County investigators linked DNA evidence from the crime scene of the homicide of a Bethesda area woman to two other home-invasion burglaries in the neighborhood. There have been a series of six similar home-invasions in the general area from Potomac to The Palisades over the last year, the most recent one resulting in the killing of Mary Havenstein, 63. more ›

Close to three months after 19-year-old Ronnie White was strangled to death while in custody in a Prince George's County jail, the Post is reporting that two corrections officers have been placed on paid leave after being identified as "the focus" of an investigation into the killing. White had been taken into custody on charges of killing a Prince George's County police officer with his car less than 48 hours before he was killed. The two corrections officers who have been on leave since last week have yet to be identified. Guards from the jail reportedly told investigators that White had committed suicide. A recent medical examiner's report showed that White had been strangled, and his death has officially been ruled a homicide. more ›

With the U.S. Capitol in the background and Pennsylvania Avenue freshly repaved, some of the country's best cyclists battled it out in yesterday's ING Direct Capital Criterium. But while the main attraction was the presence of a number of professional racers -- including Garmin-Chipotle rider Christian Vande Velde, who placed fifth in the Tour de France -- the event capped off what has been a strong year in local racing for area riders and teams. more ›

D.C. Council members Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) and District Office of Planning director Harriet Tregoning met with reporters this afternoon at a miniature street festival designed to highlight today's Car Free Day event. F Street NW between 9th and 8th will continue to be closed to motor vehicle traffic until about 3 p.m. while vendors meet with residents to promote various businesses that can help D.C. residents live in the city without a car. more ›

Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld more ›

Make sure you don't miss this hilarious story from the Post's Paul Schwartzman, who chronicles one local developer's plan to turn a parcel of land he owns into a private dog park that would be run by his teenage daughter as a hobby. We haven't been following the story of this particular, apparently controversial plot of land in Chevy Chase, and we know, dog park politics is serious business in this town, but check this out. Jack Merwin apparently bought a small parcel of land two years ago, intending to build a house on it. His neighbors wanted to keep the green space, and Merwin was denied the permits he needs to develop the land. So now, he and his 13-year-old daughter are proposing charging $10 an hour to anyone who'd like to avail themselves of the fenced-in space and the services of Paige Merwin as a dog sitter/excerciser. But wait, that's not the hilarious part: Merwin had been trying to sell the green space to the neighbors, but at a price they say is far too steep. So the news of the dog park plans finds some of them so deeply suspicious of Merwin's intentions that advisory neighborhood commissioner Cris Fromboluti actually called him a "monster," and not in the at least slightly vague, Samantha Power way. Gotta love those moments when keepin' it real in neighborhood politics goes way, way wrong. more ›

Good morning, Washington. It's Car Free DC day, and we're sure many of you participated this morning by choosing to ride a bike or take public transportation to work -- hopefully, that includes a lot of people who normally drive into the city. Let us know if you actually ditched your personal motor vehicle this morning and took an alternate method to the office. more ›

For those of you headed out of town for the weekend, take note if you plan to drive out the city over the Francis Case Memorial Bridge after 9 p.m. tonight. Just got this from DDOT:

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is scheduled to install a new overhead sign on Interstate 395, at the Francis Case Memorial Bridge, on Friday, September 19, 2008. All of the work will be conducted overnight, between 9pm and 4am, and will require the closing of the northbound lanes. There may also be limited lane closures in the southbound lanes to ensure the safety of motorists and workers. more ›

If you aren't getting your fill of commenting on local transit issues through the 16th Street Bus Study or the DC Neighborhood Circulation Study, there's yet more chances to make your voice heard. WMATA announced today that they'll be holding public meetings beginning September 24th regarding possible improvements to 14 bus lines, including the oft-travelled "D" and "2" series of lines. For more information regarding the sessions - or to register your complaints online if you can't make it to the meetings - you can check out the program's website. more ›

Mayor Adrian Fenty has been in office for a little over 20 months now. Almost all of the criticism leveled against him since he became mayor have been about his style of governing. He doesn't consult enough people when selecting key members of his administration (Michelle Rhee). He moves too quickly to fire city employees when something goes wrong (the Banita Jacks case). He allows his closest advisers to run roughshod over certain agencies (the Peter Nickles/Linda Singer switcheroo). Despite those criticisms, Fenty has been able to hang on to his image as an effective reformer who is focused on improving the city's most troubled areas, like the school system. If anything, concerns about Fenty's leadership style have only lent themselves to bolstering that image. But yesterday's D.C. Council hearing on what went wrong with this year's summer youth jobs program showed for the first time how Fenty's style can lead to substantive problems. more ›

Another weekend, another bunch of Metro maintenance-based delays to report. We suppose we can take solace in the fact that those of you on the Yellow Line are finally getting a much-deserved break this weekend. more ›

Northern Virginia Republicans are holding a rally on Saturday at Edison High School that's designed to reach out to minority voters in Fairfax County. It's actually an annual event at this point, but obviously this year's rally holds more significance because the Democratic presidential nominee is black, and Virginia has become a swing state this year. more ›

Good morning, Washington. It's just another Friday. The U.S. Treasury is doing totally normal things like temporarily insuring money market funds. The Securities and Exchange Commission is also status quo, just issuing a simple two-week ban on short-selling. The Federal Reserve is whistling while it expands its liquidity programs, and overall the U.S. Government is totally not doing anything crazy like adopting policies designed to just go ahead and remove bad assets from the balance sheets of financial companies. So yeah, just your average Friday. Nothing to be concerned about here! P.S. Can the U.S. Treasury also go ahead and pay off my Mastercard balance for me? That'd be great, thx. more ›

Photo by andrewmtu more ›

Mayor Adrian Fenty has just named four new top appointments to his administration, including the expected announcement that Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Neil Albert will join Metro's Board of Directors. more ›

The Columbia Heights News forum is buzzing today with the rumor that Ellwood Thompson's, an organic supermarket based in Richmond, has finally signed a deal for a location in the DCUSA shopping center at 14th and Irving Streets NW in Columbia Heights. The store has been in talks for many months about the location. more ›

Tony Randolph Hunter, the Clinton, Md., gay man who was attacked near Be Bar on September 7, died yesterday afternoon according to an announcement by the MPD's Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit. Having suffered a laceration to the back of the head, Hunter was listed in critical condition and placed on life support at Howard University Hospital. Friends confirmed that Hunter and a companion were en route to Be Bar when they were attacked. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime. more ›

Virginia Railway Express had its busiest month ever in August, hauling an average load of more than 15,000 people per day. It's both a testament to the metro area's thirst for mass transit and a startling turnaround for an agency that was shedding customers left and right as recently as last year. Heck, the system is even looking into possibly expanding its reach. more ›

We wouldn't have believed it had the City Paper's Mike DeBonis not posted photographic evidence. The D.C. Council has apparently finally redesigned its hopelessly out of date, circa 1997 web site, complete with screaming hot blue and pink color scheme and blinking text headlines (pictured right). What has long been the laughing stock of the local government web world should soon actually look pretty good. more ›

Local LGBT activists and District government insiders told the Washington Blade that same-sex marriages in the District may be approved by the D.C. Council as soon as next April. more ›

An anonymous reader sent DCist a series of photos of a D.C. Department of Public Works garbage truck driving through a recreation field in Rose Park in Georgetown last Saturday. The tipster described the truck as having hopped the curb to gain access to the "grass of a children's play area" in the park, and wondered whether this was safe. No one was injured, but a baby carriage in the foreground of the images certainly drives the point home: should city garbage trucks really be driving across recreation areas where children might be running around, not paying attention? more ›

Good morning, D.C. The Post has an interview with former Office of Tax and Revenue employee Diane Gustus, who saw the charges against her dropped after Harriette Walters pleaded guilty earlier this week. At one time prosecutors had accused Gustus of being deeply involved in the embezzlement scheme, because she had prepared many of the documents that supported Walters being issued fraudulent refund checks. Now the U.S. Attorney's office has decided they lack sufficient evidence to prove that Gustus was a knowing participant in the scam. Gustus has maintained she did not know what Walters was up to, and only signed documents because Walters, who was her boss, had told her to. "It's starting to be behind me, thank God. It's like I'm happy but in shock," Gustus told the newspaper. In related news, members of the D.C. Council are pressing the U.S. Attorney to make sure his office shares all of its investigation with the District, so that they can make sure no one who might have been involved is still working for the city. For example, CFO Natwar Gandhi's office said that they still don't have information on which city employees may have taught Walters in the mid-1980s how to embezzle money from the Tax office. According to the Post, the U.S. Attorney has said the statute of limitations will block his office from prosecuting workers from that far back. more ›

The AP has reported that Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) expressed skepticism over the FBI's contention that Bruce Ivins acted alone in the 2001 anthrax attacks. more ›

We've been interested in D.C. Council member Tommy Wells's amendment to add additional fines for drivers who double park in bike lanes for a while. Greater Greater Washington has been all over this story from the beginning, so it's no surprise you can read the news there: yesterday the Council passed a set of new laws regarding new fines for drivers who endanger pedestrians and cyclists, and Wells's revised amendment was included. The fine for drivers who park in bike lanes will be $65. Wells said he believes drivers who are ticketed for double-parking, however, will generally not be issued two tickets for both infractions, so the fine may be limited only to drivers who park in bike lanes that are not adjacent to parking lanes. The same bill also raised the fine for drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians from $50 to $250. more ›

WTOP is reporting that a domestic assault suspect somehow removed his handcuffs and escaped custody while being transported via ambulance to Washington Hospital Center. Police describe the suspect as a black man with a light complexion, about 25 years old, 175 pounds and 6-foot-2. The MPD told WTOP when officers opened the ambulance door, the suspect was gone and the handcuffs were dangling from the gurney. more ›

DC United kicked off competition on yet another front – The CONCACAF Champions League – last night looking like a decidedly haggard squad. Jaime Moreno was on the bench. The $1.9 million-per-year Marcel Gallardo was back in Argentina for further rehab, leaving his total games played for the season at 14. That’s over 100 grand per game, spaced out over 7 months. Nice work if you can get it. Also absent was his fellow countryman, defender Gonzalo Peralta, while Coach Tom Soehn decided to he’d had enough of the shutouts and re-installed Zach Wells as keeper. more ›

We already knew the Capital Weather Gang was our wonderwall, but today they've unveiled a new 'weather wall' feature that makes us heart them even more. Check out the Weather Wall for yourself; it's got a live webcam view of D.C. from Arlington, a radar loop of the mid-Atlantic region, an interactive map with clickable temperatures and wind information, two different satellite loops, and a standard weather map of the United States. For local weather geeks, it's certainly convenient to have all those maps in one place. more ›

Legislation revising the District's gun regulations passed the House today in a 266-152 vote. From the AP:

The bill, sponsored by Mississippi freshman Democrat Travis Childers, repeals the District's semiautomatic handgun ban and overturns D.C. law requiring that firearms kept in the home be locked up and inoperable. It allows D.C. residents to purchase guns from federally licensed dealers in Maryland and Virginia and repeals what critics claimed were burdensome registration requirements.

Via a reader tip, Fox 5 reports that Greenpeace has taken responsibility for the polar bears that have been mistaken for suspicious packages around town over the last week. Indeed, if you go to the Greenpeace homepage, it turns out that not only was Greenpeace responsible, but they actually did it in collaboration with street artist Mark Jenkins -- so both of our guesses were correct!

Greenpeace has unveiled a collaborative art project with well-known street artist Mark Jenkins. The project highlights the shared plight of polar bears and humans in the face of global warming. We hope these polar bear street art installations help people draw a deeper and more immediate connection to the reality of the crisis. more ›

With the D.C. Council back yesterday for their first legislative session in two months, we knew it was going to be a busy day. The Post summed up the first day back as a signal of what's shaping up to be another, likely even more heated year of the D.C. Council pushing back against Mayor Adrian Fenty's tendency to move quickly without consulting them. Here's some of the legislation the Council approved yesterday that are being seen as anti-Fenty: more ›

Good morning, Washington. Yesterday's news of a stolen firefighter uniform in Arlington obliges us to offer this reminder: it's never too early to start thinking about your Halloween costume. The 31st is a mere six weeks away! Of course, we'd also like to remind you that, if at all possible, it's best to refrain from assembling your costume by stealing from our emergency responders or otherwise breaking the law. "Firefighter" isn't a very creative idea, anyway. Oh, also, the fed effectively nationalized global financial firm AIG for $80bn, which we suppose is arguably bigger news than the missing firefighter uniform. Bear-based Embarrassment: The Post weighs in on the emerging fake polar bear menace. There's not much additional information beyond what we reported yesterday, but the paper's wry account of the bomb squad response does drive home how ludicrous our security apparatus has become. Fortunately, a quick look at Google News indicates that the District has escaped the sort of scorn heaped on Boston — for now, anyway. There's still no definite word on who's responsible for the bears. Council Loosens Gun Laws: They were just proposals when we discussed them yesterday; now they're the law, according to the Examiner. The changes to D.C.'s gun laws will allow semiautomatic weapons and ease storage and transport restrictions. Whether they'll head off congressional efforts to dictate D.C. gun policy remains to be seen — but as we said yesterday, the upcoming election leaves us pessimistic. Briefly Noted: Military aircraft will be conducting exercises in the area today and tomorrow.... Virginia mailing letters to felons about old biological evidence available for retesting... Racist graffiti in Greenbelt... Great Falls bridge closed due to Hanna... Corn mazes!... Alleged school arsonist arrested... Alleged school arsonist arrested (yes, a different one)... Beetle smuggling is apparently a crime... This Day In DCist: One year ago Breakwell's Coffee (since renamed) had a fire and we wrote a letter to Mitch McConnell. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Skyhawk Flyer more ›

Flickr user benmiller23 spotted this polar bear installation, which looks very similar to the one that a bomb squad tore apart after shutting down surrounding streets and a Metro station in Columbia Heights today, on the National Mall on Thursday, Sept. 11. more ›

As expected, Harriette Walters entered a plea of guilty today, admitting to her role as the head of an elaborate scheme that pilfered almost $50 million from District of Columbia taxpayers. more ›

Both D.C. Wire and the Washington Business Journal reported that a group of somewhere between 100 and 200 protesters disrupted the D.C. Council's first day back at work this afternoon. Some of the protesters were members of Empower D.C., a group protesting the closing of the Franklin Shelter. The Council was expected to pass emergency legislation to keep the shelter open until Mayor Fenty provides more information about which services the shelter's residents, many of whom have already been moved into their own apartments, can expect to receive once they move out. The rest of those gathered were union members who came to protest the more ›

Earlier this month, we described a new report from a federal court monitor that placed heavy blame on the District for its inability to provide special education services for its nearly 11,000 special needs students. As Post columnist Colbert King put it somewhat dramatically at the time, “the courtroom drama I witnessed this week underscored a sad reality: The one true safeguard between the city's most vulnerable residents and acts of governmental injustice is the black-robed figure in the courthouse.” While we’d like to think that statement veers toward the hyperbolic, court involvement in city administration is nothing new, and neither is what came next – the city official responsible ducking out of the spotlight. more ›

Metro says the Columbia Heights Metro station reopened at 11:45 a.m., "following a report of a suspicious package located outside the station." No mention of the bear at all. The station was closed for approximately an hour and 40 minutes. NBC4 says a neighborhood resident saw the bear between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. this morning, even though the police weren't called until 10. We've also heard that the bomb squad cut the bear open, so if it was an art installation, the art has been destroyed. Since trains traveling through the Metro station were still able to pass through during the closure, any residual delays should be very minor. more ›

Via the DCist tipline, we get this image from Irving and 14th Streets of an odd looking bear costume wearing tattered clothing and posed over a trash can. A lot of our readers are telling us this is the reason for the suspicious package alert. "Cops have the street blocked off and are standing around looking at it as of 9:30 am," the tipster wrote. Could this be another Aqua Teen Hunger Force moment? more ›

A suspicious package found outside the Columbia Heights Metro closed the station at 10:03 a.m. No one is being allowed inside the station, though WMATA says Green and Yellow line trains continue to operate, they just are not stopping at Columbia Heights. Free shuttle buses should be available between the Georgia Ave-Petworth and U St/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo stations. more ›

Hoping to head off an effort by Congress that would gut the District's new gun regulations completely, Mayor Adrian Fenty announced yesterday that he was proposing a number of changes to mollify pro-gun activists unhappy with the current restrictions. more ›

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This year's At-large D.C. Council race just won't go quietly into this goodnight, and neither, she announced today, will longtime Republican Council member Carol Schwartz. Even though she initially said last week that she would not launch a write-in campaign after losing the GOP primary to upstart challenger Patrick Mara, Schwartz today announced that she will now do just that. more ›

It's certainly been a long and winding road for D.C. United's recent addition Thabiso Khumalo. The South African forward was drafted in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft by Chicago - but never saw the field. The man they call "Boyzzz" has subsequently been on a three year odyssey through a veritable tour of second and third division American soccer - stops in Charleston, Wilmington, and Pittsburgh have resulted in varying levels of success: twenty games per year, a few goals here and there, even recognition as one of the best players in USL-2. It's fair to say that the man (who is a co-founder of a non-profit which encourages South African youth, no less) has logged more than his fair share of miles in trying to grab a spot at the top. more ›

Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld. more ›

Big scoop for the Examiner: Harriette Walters, the alleged mastermind behind the enormous Office of Tax and Revenue embezzlement scandal, will plead guilty. Walters is charged with heading up an elaborate scheme that resulted in $48 million worth of phony property-tax refunds. Nearly all of the eleven other people charged for their involvement in the scam have already pleaded guilty and presumably agreed to testify against Walters, had she gone forward with a trial. more ›

So this is interesting: Bloomberg did a story on how no one can agree on the size of the crowd for the McCain/Palin rally in Fairfax last week. We were following the story after some controversy broke out over the initial location for the event, and went with the New York Times's number of 15,000, which the paper said it got from "The Fairfax City fire marshal." But the McCain/Palin camp is claiming that 23,000 people were there, while Marc Fisher from the WaPo is saying he counted 8,000, and now Bloomberg reports this:

Fairfax City Fire Marshal Andrew Wilson said his office did not supply that number to the campaign and could not confirm it. Wilson, in an interview, said the fire department does not monitor attendance at outdoor events.

Good morning, D.C. It was a rather hot and humid but full weekend for most of you, if the DCist Flickr pool is any indication. Although surely, some of the rest of you must have also avoided going outside and spent the weekend watching the Redskins win, Tiny Fey nail Sarah Palin, and some pretty bad vampire acting. Or was that just us? Looks like it should cool down at least a little bit after today, thank goodness. more ›

Metro Weekly reports that two Maryland men were attacked and robbed on their way to Be Bar in Shaw on Sunday night. According to the police report, a group of four men beat the victims and made off with $15 and a set of car keys. One of the victims, a 37-year-old from Clinton, is on life support; the other, a 23-year-old from Fort Washington, was treated at a hospital for a bruised jaw and then released. The victims' names have not been released and this incident may be considered a hate crime. more ›

Via the Post, Banita Jacks pleaded not guilty this morning to first-degree murder charges in the deaths of her four daughters. A trial date has been set for Dec. 1, and her attorneys have 15 days to inform Judge Frederick Weisberg if they intend to go forward with an insanity defense. Jacks has also been charged with failing to provide the girls with adequate nutrition and medical attention. The decomposed bodies of the four girls, who had been variously beaten, strangled and stabbed, were discovered in a Southeast rowhouse in January. Authorities now believe they had been dead for six months before they were found. more ›

We mentioned it earlier this week, but it's worth a reminder: Metro is shutting down the Yellow line rail bridge over the Potomac River this weekend to do track maintenance and conduct an annual bridge inspection. This means that the Yellow line will operate only between Huntington and Arlington Cemetery starting tonight at 10 p.m. through Sunday at midnight. You read that right -- there will be no Yellow line service between the Pentagon and Fort Totten stations all weekend, so Yellow line (and Green, for that matter) customers should expect delays of at least 20 minutes, and anyone traveling south of the Pentagon should take the Blue Line if possible. more ›

Last night the Pentagon Memorial, which honors the lives of the 184 people who died when a hijacked airliner crashed into the Pentagon during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, officially opened to the public. The permanent outdoor memorial, which is made up of 184 benches, each with a name of a victim, will now be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. DCist photographer Meaghan Gay and many of our Flickr contributors were there last night for the opening ceremony, and captured these images. more ›

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Good morning, Washington. We hope you all got home OK after last night's Metro delay trifecta. Every single Metro line experienced delays Thursday evening thanks to a train malfunction at Eastern Market, a police situation at Brookland station, and the Pentagon Memorial dedication all happening at the same time. The Orange and Blue lines were also delayed early this morning due to a suspicious package near the Stadium-Armory station. It's really too bad that this normally serious Post headline ended up seeming a bit ironic to many commuters this morning. more ›

That's right, kiddos. International superstar and former administrative law judge Roy Pearson is back! Last night WJLA reported that the infamous $54 million missing pants lawsuit has actually been granted an appeals hearing by a three-judge appellate court panel. Faithful readers must realize what a thrill it was for DCist to once again set our Google image search function to "pants" upon hearing the news. more ›

Last spring the Washington Capitals made headlines as they pulled off an 11-2 run to make the playoffs, and Alex Ovechkin broke the all time record for goals by a left wing and earned himself his first Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's most valuable player. more ›

Congress has probed the Interior Department and come out with hard allegations that members of the department have gotten drunk, used drugs and had sex with officials for the oil companies they allegedly regulate. The reports charge that those responsible for dictating where the oil companies can drill have let the drillers take them to parties at hotels and received their illicit gifts. more ›

With the weather cooling down, gas prices remaining high and the District still reveling in having been named the most improved bicycling city in the country, there's plenty of two-wheel action going on through the month of September. more ›

Good morning, Washington. It's been seven years today since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and this morning the Pentagon is dedicating its memorial to the 184 people who lost their lives there that day. The Post has an early look at what we can expect from the memorial, while the Examiner wonders whether we're safer now than we were seven years ago. Don't forget that all Metrobus routes through the Pentagon will be rerouted around the ceremonies. If you're thinking about going down to the memorial at 7 p.m. when it opens to the public (this morning's event is by invitation only), we highly recommend taking Metro. more ›

The New York Times is reporting that the official estimate of the crowd that gathered at a park in Fairfax this morning for the McCain rally was 15,000, well over twice the number of people who could have attended had the event been held at its original, controversial venue at Fairfax High School. The McCain campaign told supporters yesterday that the event had been moved because the high school venue could only hold 6,500 people. Some Fairfax residents and officials expressed disapproval that the Fairfax County school system should never have agreed to host a political rally during school hours, since it violated the school district's own policy against such events. more ›

Shortly after releasing its statement to the media, the DCBOEE has issued a new set of unofficial primary election results, this time with all 143 precincts included. None of the outcomes of any of the races have changed: Patrick Mara is still well ahead of long-time At-large Council member Carol Schwartz, Jack Evans has still held on to his Ward 2 seat, and all the other incumbents in the major races have still won their primary races. The total voter turn-out for this primary is now looking to be 42,421, although that still doesn't include absentee or provisional ballots. The total turnout for the Feb. 12 presidential primary was 131,103. more ›

After huddling behind closed doors and ignoring media inquiries for most of the day, the DCBOEE has issued a statement on last night's voting irregularities. more ›

The AP reported that D.C. police are investigating a suspicious substance found near Gallaudet University, and that the Ballard North Hall dorm on campus has been evacuated as a result. The Post's Paul Duggan says both Ballard North and Ballard West have been evacuated, and the substance in question, six boxes of plant fertilizer and pesticide, plus a light bulb, was discovered in the duct work above an unoccupied room in the Ballard North building. Some reports describe the chemicals as "bomb-making materials", but Assistant D.C. Police Chief Patrick Burke told the Post there may be a less sinister reason the fertilizer was hidden there — police think it's possible that someone at the school was secretly growing marijuana. more ›

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A car struck a Metrobus at 16th and U Streets SE, near Good Hope Rd. SE, at 11:50 a.m. this morning, resulting in 16 people reported injured. The Post says the driver of the car ran a red light before it hit the bus. Two people were in the car, and a driver and 13 passengers were on the B2 route bus. All of the injuries appear to be minor. more ›

The battle between Congress and the District over the city's gun laws continues today. more ›

Metro is reporting that Judiciary Square station on the Red line is closed as of 11:30 this morning, due to a suspicious package. Trains are running through the station, but no passengers are allowed to enter or exit as investigators look into the situation. Metro is especially security-heavy this week since tomorrow is the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Metro's web site is reporting that the investigation is expected to take 1 to 2 hours, so passengers should reroute through Gallery Place until the situation clears up. more ›

Good morning, Washington. The polls are long since closed, and if you didn't read our coverage as it happened, feel free to do so now. You can also check out the official results, or the Post's coverage. Although... Irregularities in Primaries: ...you might not want to regard those numbers as completely final just yet. A number of irregularities have emerged, as CityDesk explains. One of the affected races is the Schwartz/Mara Republican primary matchup. Schwartz has conceded (and ruled out a write-in campaign), but things aren't quite over. The Post's D.C. Wire blog is reporting that there are irregularities related to the ballot count, with more votes having been cast than the number of Republicans believed to have voted than there are Republicans in the city. Only registered Republicans can vote in that party's primary, and the race between Schwartz and Mara included the latter painting Schwartz as a Democrat in all but name. So if non-Republicans improperly voted in the election, odds are good that they cast their ballots for Schwartz, meaning that, if anything, when they're thrown out Mara's margin of victory will expand and the race's final result won't change. Still, this will have to be sorted out before things can be considered final in the GOP at-large council race. Similar problems seem to have occurred with the Evans/Silverman race, but neither candidate has conceded in that contest, leaving things a bit more up in the air (although the BOEE tallies give Evans a nearly 2:1 lead as of this writing). The CP account points to a faulty optical scan machine, while the Post's coverage indicates that an unusually high number of write-in votes may be to blame for the confusion. We imagine the final explanation may not arrive until later today. Lanier Testifies Before House: The Post reports on MPD Chief Cathy Lanier's appearance before the House yesterday, during which she testified against a bill currently under consideration which would gut the city's gun control restrictions. In particular, Lanier expressed the belief that the bill would allow the carrying of semiautomatic rifles — a conclusion supported by a House committee but contradicted by the NRA — which she said would make it difficult to secure events like the inauguration. The article also carries Rep. Henry Waxman's allegation that the Bush administration prevented the Secret Service and Marshals Service from testifying against the bill. Briefly Noted: State's attorney still waiting on final Ronnie White autopsy report... Montgomery County law prohibiting discrimination against transgendered survives challenge, now in effect... Few arrestees prove to be illegal immigrants under Prince Williams County policy... Member of Pentagon 9/11 Memorial Board of Directors protesting the monument... Armed man arrested on Capitol Hill says he was there to help... This Day In DCist: One year ago we found an ode to the Chinatown bus and the taxi meter vote loomed. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user philliefan99 more ›

UPDATE 10:49 p.m. With all of the races now decided, we're calling it a night. You can continue to follow the minutiae of the last few precinct results as they come in at the DCBOEE's snazzy new election results web site. more ›

The McCain campaign has announced that a rally originally planned to be at Fairfax High School on Wednesday morning has been moved to Van Dyck Park in Fairfax County. The campaign told supporters through an email and robo-telephone calls that the event, which will begin at 8 a.m., had been moved because the high school field was not big enough — no mention of the concern voiced by some that the county school system had violated one of its own rules by agreeing to host the rally during school hours. The Post says the high school field house can hold as many as 6,500 people -- so we'll have to see tomorrow whether more than 6,500 people show up to Van Dyck Park. more ›

Usually at this time of year the Washington Capitals are a distant memory and an icy dream in the warm hearts of their fans. Today, though, we watched 14 likely team members (12 returning Capitals plus Karl Alzner and Jose Theodore) practice together at Kettler Capital Iceplex. This unusual level of commitment is a positive sign for a team on the rise. Even better, we are pleased to report that Caps captain Chris Clark looks ready to play hockey. more ›

In Denver a couple of weeks ago, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee provoked speculation with her comment that she had a “Plan B” ready on deck should the controversial teachers’ contract fail to pass. On Friday, Rhee revealed that Plan B. more ›

Well that was quick. We just got word that the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform apparently has scheduled a markup tomorrow on legislation that would gut the District's current gun regulations. As you can read earlier, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) have tried to preempt Congress, but the committee doesn't seem too impressed. We don't yet have a time for the markup, but the folks at DC Vote have asked that concerned residents pack the hearing room. You can check their website for updates on when the markup will go down. more ›

As we mentioned this morning, today the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is holding a hearing to discuss legislation that would do away with the District's newly-issued regulations on gun ownership. According to the pro-gun crowd, the city's regulations are still restrictive enough to violate the Supreme Court's June decision holding the District's handgun ban to be unconstitutional. more ›

UPDATE: Point now moot! The rally has been moved amid all the outcry, although no word yet on the new location. more ›

According to the Post, Metro finally got its on-time measuring system working in Metrobuses after 35 years. more ›

Today is our local primary election, the day when registered Republicans and Democrats in the District head to the polls to decide the outcome of the more or less symbolic general election (seriously, if you actually care about local politics and you're a registered Independent, you ought to think about picking a party just for the sake of having your vote matter). more ›

Due to security surrounding the dedication of the new Pentagon Memorial on Thursday morning, all Metrobus service that would usually run through the Pentagon Transit Center will be rerouted to Pentagon City. The Center services a good number of bus routes, so if your commute takes you through Northern Virginia on a bus, we'd recommend looking in to some alternate plans on Thursday. Metrorail service at and through the Pentagon station will not be affected. more ›

Good morning, Washington. It's primary election day, and if you still haven't totally made up your mind about any of today's competitive local races, read our primary coverage to date for a little help. The Examiner finally published its D.C. Council race endorsements this morning, picking Patrick Mara in the At-large GOP race, Cary Silverman in the Ward 2 race, and surprising everyone, Marion Barry in the Ward 8 race. If you want the full court press, you can also check out the endorsements of the Washington City Paper and the Washington Post. Find your polling place here. more ›

We've gotten a surprising number of emails from readers and friends alike asking if we could provide any insight on tomorrow's D.C. Democratic State Committee election. This only applies to those of you who are registered Democrats, but since we gather that's rather a lot of you, here's a little bit of background information to help you make your decision. more ›

Let's face it -- a local election in an off year and in the midst of a heated presidential campaign won't attract much attention, much less lots of voters. And tomorrow's District primary likely isn't much of an exception. more ›

The Washington Business Journal filed a brief report on Friday updating the status of the Congressional Bowl, the first college football bowl game ever to be held in the District of Columbia, scheduled for Dec. 20. Within the story about how EagleBank may become the game's sponsor is a piece of unexplained news: the game will now apparently be held at RFK, even though back in July, the ACC said the game would be played at Nationals Park. What happened? Can Nationals Park not easily be configured for a football game? We imagine we'll hear more about this after a press conference planned for Sept. 10. The game should feature Navy playing whichever team ends up in 9th place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. more ›

Good morning, D.C. With both political party conventions now over and done with, Congress back in town, and some areas of suburban Washington still cleaning up after Tropical Storm Hanna dumped 3 to 5 inches of rain on the metro area, it's no surprise we've heard traffic was the worst it's been in a month during this morning's commute. The worst damage from Saturday's storm was through parts of Fairfax County, and to the C&O Canal towpath in Montgomery County. Most everyone who lost power over the weekend has since had it restored. So, we weathered the storm. Now we just have to get over the sad fact that summer has ended and get through another busy fall legislative session, nationwide and local elections, and a brand new school year. Washington is getting back to work this week. What does that mean for you? more ›

The Associated Press (via WTOP) is reporting that the incident that closed down the area around the Library of Congress earlier today was that U.S. Capitol Police detained a man who had a rifle and an improvised explosive device in his vehicle. Sounds like we might have another Michael Gorbey on our hands, except, of course, minus one samurai sword. more ›

It is now official. Nationals Park will not be hosting a playoff series this year. What is surprising is that the Nats were not the first team to be mathematically eliminated from the post season. What is shocking is that the team is 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Nats have 21 games left in the season, and they have to win 9 in order to avoid 100 losses. A week ago, it seemed certain that they would fall short of 63 wins, and now they have a decent shot. They don't even possess the worst record in baseball anymore. Alas, it would have been nice to draft, and then fail to sign, Stephen Strasburg. more ›

Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham sent the following email out to the Columbia Heights email list just before 1 p.m.: more ›

We don't want to minimize the seriousness of the threat Tropical Storm/Maybe Category 1 Hurricane Hanna potentially poses to the D.C. Metro area. As of mid-day on Friday, our favorite weather guys are saying 2-4 inches of rain and winds that could reach sustained speeds of 30 mph and occasional gusts to 50 mph. Should the storm intensify, we could easily see 3-7 inches of rain. That's a real storm, folks. It could even be a little freaky: minor flooding, power outages, frogs, etc. But it's also only going to last for about one day, it's not going to be as bad as Isabel, and there's really no need to stockpile supplies more than what you probably normally keep on hand: a flashlight and enough food and toilet paper to last a day or two, in the event Pepco isn't able to get the power back on right away (and that's assuming your power even goes out at all). more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Rob Birgfeld more ›

As we mentioned yesterday, gun sales in the District will officially kick off next Tuesday, Sept. 9. But the city's only licensed gun seller so far won't actually be selling guns, he'll just be facilitating transfers from guns purchased in other states. So what about gun shops? more ›

Good morning, D.C., and welcome to another edition of the last workday before the weekend starts, otherwise known as Friday. As far as the headlines go this fine morning, this feels just a little bit like Throw Back Friday. Did you remember to put on your poodle skirt and your saddle shoes? That's right kids, Jack Abramoff is back in the news, this time because he's received a reduced prison sentence. The disgraced former lobbyist will serve only four years thanks to his cooperation with federal investigators. Abramoff pleaded guilty in January 2006 on charges of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. more ›

• Expect more delays on the Blue and Orange lines, folks. Looks like a sick passenger at the Federal Triangle station created the need for trains to share one track. It's been resolved, but expect residual problems. [WMATA]
• And while you're on Metro, keep an eye out for more problems with train operators opening doors too early. Despite several attempts to fix this problem, it's apparently still going on. [WTOP]
• Two Montgomery County elementary schools were place on lockdown today following reports of a suspicious man. [NBC4]

At last, another list compiled by a giant industry with an agenda for us to argue over. Today the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America unveiled its 2008 Fall Allergy Capitals list, which is sponsored by the makers of allergy medicine Zyrtec. The list ranks the 100 worst American cities to live in for people (like me) with upper respiratory allergies during the fall. Greensboro, NC tops the list, with other Southern and Midwestern cities rounding out the top ten. This is apparently because there's a ton of ragweed floating around in these places, and ragweed is the thing most people with seasonal allergies are allergic to. more ›

Please welcome new DCist Redskins contributor Rob Birgfeld. more ›

Half the fun of winning a trophy in soccer (any sport really) is getting your hands on it, parading around a bit and even planting a kiss on the goods. Last night at RFK was no exception. The team, who were jubilant during the post-game trophy presentation, made a beeline for the far sideline as soon as they could to share in the occasion with the Supporters Groups, still gathered in the stands. more ›

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Huzzah! It's time for your weekend track work announcements. As always, plan accordingly so you don't end up leaving expletive-laden comments here on Monday morning. We've got enough angst to contend with. more ›

Last week, the Washington Business Journal ran a Q & A with Metro Chairman Chris Zimmerman, and while the majority of the interview was "Metro needs more funding" ad infinitum (not that we can argue), this one bit did catch our eye: more ›

On Wednesday WTOP's Mark Segraves reported that handgun sales will officially start in the District next Tuesday, Sept. 9 — just in time for primary election day! There are still no gun stores inside city limits, so the only guns that have been registered in D.C. so far were either registered under the amnesty program or were being stored out-of-state, since federal law requires that new gun purchases must either originate from or be transferred to a dealer in the state where gun will be registered. Charles Sykes, the only licensed D.C. firearms dealer who so far has announced he will transfer out of state gun sales to the District, told WTOP his office in Anacostia will be open for business on Tuesday. Sykes said he plans to charge a $125 fee per transfer. more ›

Both Fox 5 and WJLA picked up a story about a D.C. fire captain who stands accused of raping a friend of his daughter. Court documents show that a 23-year-old woman has filed rape charges against Capt. Tony Sneed, a 20-year veteran of the DCFD. The victim alleges that she passed out at a party at Sneed's daughter's house wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and woke up wearing only the T-shirt. Much of the evidence against Sneed appears to be text messages sent back and forth between him and his accuser: the woman texted him to ask why she was "so sore 'down there,'" and Sneed responded with, "I remember massaging your body trying to get you to relax a little. Maybe I got a little carried away." Sneed has been suspended with pay until the court case is resolved. more ›

One could make the argument that D.C. United is the most decorated outfit in Major League Soccer - after all, the team has won 11 pieces of silverware in just 12 years of existence, and no other squad can come close to matching that rate of success. But for all its triumphs as the flag-bearers of the still-fledgling American first division, the simple fact remains: the last time the Black and Red actually lifted a physical trophy and added to their haul was almost four years ago - their most recent MLS Cup victory in 2004. more ›

Good morning, Washington. So did Sarah "Internet Sensation" Palin's speech accepting the Republican nomination for Vice President electrify you, too? It certainly burned a hole in our Twitter feeds, with more back and forth snarking over a single political speech than we've seen all year. The general consensus seems to be that Palin managed to come across as rather appealing to a large swath of independent voters. The San Francisco Chronicle even went so far as to say Palin may be upstaging McCain completely. What did you think? more ›

Back in November of 2007, we cited a report from the Washington Times, which showed that citations for simultaneously driving and using a cell phone were sharply rising every year. Well, this year is no different - take a look at the chart to your right. more ›

WTOP is reporting that Joshua Stoll and Michael Feiock, the two men who died in July when their heads hit an overpass while riding on the roof of an Open Top Sightseeing bus shuttling fans to Nationals Park, were legally drunk when they died. Police believe both men were standing on the seats at the time of the crash. Open Top is still operating its regular tour buses in D.C., but its Nationals shuttles have been suspended since the accident. more ›

Eli's recent Caps update reminds us that tonight is the start of tryouts for the Capitals' much maligned Spirit Squad. As you may recall, hockey fans were outraged when the Caps first advertised for the squad, causing owner Ted Leonsis to say that revenue was the main reason the squad was created. more ›

Just yesterday, the first reader question Hockey News columnist Adam Proteau answered about the entire NHL came from a Caps fan frustrated about the lack of information about Brian Pothier's recovery from a serious concussion. Pothier missed the second half of last season and all of the playoffs, and was believed close to retirement. But one frustrated fan wanted to know for sure. more ›

AlertDC is warning D.C. metro area residents that Tropical Storm Hanna, which could become a full-fledged hurricane before it hits the U.S. shore, may dump some severe weather on the Mid-Atlantic region as early as late Friday night/Saturday morning. Right now the National Weather Service is more simply predicting a 70 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms starting Friday night and through Saturday. more ›

The Post reports that the body of an adult male was found on the tracks near Union Station shortly before 8 a.m. today. At the time, MARC reported that trains on the Camden and Brunswick lines had come to a complete stop in both directions due to the police investigation. Both lines were reopened by 10 a.m., but those caught in the morning commute mess had to take Metro in to D.C. after MARC trains were sent back to Greenbelt and Silver Spring stations, respectively. The death remains under investigation. On Sunday, an apparent double suicide in Baltimore County resulted in two deaths on a set of CSX train tracks there. more ›

D.C.'s primary elections are less than a week away, this coming Tuesday, Sept. 9. By now you should have received your sample primary ballot, and, if you're a registered Democrat, are likely still trying to determine exactly what all those Democratic Party slates are -- stay tuned to DCist for plenty more primary election countdown posts to help you sift through it all in the coming days. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Catch any of last night's Republican Convention? If not, you missed some firebreathing by Fred Thompson and a fairly un-Zell-Millerlike performance by Joe Lieberman, but otherwise not too much of note. Tonight will bring a speech by Gov. Sarah Palin which, given the recent media storm surrounding her, should make for some pretty interesting viewing. In the meantime, if our credentialing woes have left you jonesing for locally-oriented convention liveblogging you might want to head over to the Post, where some area delegates are contributing updates. Virginia Braces for Cuts: Governor Tim Kaine has warned state agencies to prepare for as much as a 15% reduction in their budgets, according to WJLA. The state's constitution makes it impossible for Virginia to run a deficit, and collected revenues are making it look like the year will end with a significant shortfall. Agency chiefs have been instructed to prepare budgets that reflect 5, 10 and 15 percent reductions in funding, and to avoid proposing cuts that would shift costs onto other departments or which are obviously untenable. Pennsylvania Avenue Gets Spruced Up: The Post notes that work has begun on repaving Pennsylvania Avenue in preparation for the next presidential inauguration. The road was last repaved for the 2000 inauguration, and DDOT's chief engineer Kathleen Penney admits that this work isn't yet truly necessary. But Penney says the "showcase" nature of the street justifies the $2 million project, some of which will be paid for with federal funds. Snakeheads!: Alright, it's not exactly breaking news. But the general creepiness of the snakehead is always worth noting, and the Post has a particularly horrifying account of an encounter with the fish. Charles County sheriff's corporal Gary Owen was leading a documentary TV crew through the woods when he found a puddle containing a pair of adult snakeheads and 165 of their spawn. The fish were destroyed, but as the article points out it's probably all for naught: efforts to contain the invasive species haven't yet had much success. Briefly Noted: Montgomery County set to enact stricter runoff rules... Robbery/bomb threat in Fairfax... Va., Md. sending teams to help in New Orleans... Teens scamming riders at Tenleytown Metro... Post follows Gilmore at the RNC... Woman dies after ATV crash at home of Redskin Chris Samuels... Two DCPS police officers accused of bribery scheme... Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Cocoa Dream more ›

One of the largest financial sinkholes for the D.C. government is that the city pays for approximately one quarter of its 9,400 special education (SPED) students to attend private school, to the tune of more than $200 million. Why the expense? Because the city’s public and public charter schools have thus far proved incapable of addressing those students’ learning needs. It’s a situation that doesn’t seemed to have improved over the past two years, according to a dismal new report from a federal court monitor who was appointed in 2006 to assess the District’s ability to eliminate a backlog of more than 1,000 SPED cases that were delaying placement for SPED students. more ›

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WMATA says delays in both directions on the Orange and Blue lines should be expected after the Federal Triangle Metro station closed for a brief time at about 12:40 p.m. The station was closed after reports of smoke due to a mechanical failure. Federal Triangle reopened at about 1:15 p.m., but trains will be sharing the same track between Farragut West and Smithsonian for an undetermined amount of time. Plan accordingly. more ›

Last week we brought you extensive coverage of the D.C. delegation's activities at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Now that the Republican National Convention is underway in St. Paul, can you expect the same kind of reporting? No, but it's not for lack of trying. more ›

Regular D.C. area Morning Edition listeners will soon have a new local host at WAMU. Bill Redlin, who has hosted the program for WAMU since 1985, announced today on the air (through a scratchy voice that sounded like he has a cold) that he will move to middays, while regular substitute Matt McCleskey will take the reins of the morning slot. more ›

With only ten minutes remaining in DC United’s match against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night, previously beleaguered comeback-player-of-the-year candidate Santino Quaranta worked his way through midfield and slid a wonderful angled pass behind the New York defense to MLS all-time leading goalscorer Jaime Moreno. Moreno’s first touch was immaculate and his second eluded the NY defender, forcing him into a rash challenge that brought down the United legend and won a penalty. more ›

Good morning, Washington, and welcome back to the second best thing about a three-day weekend: the four-day work week. With Monday's Labor Day holiday, the weekend will be here that much sooner this week. And with plenty of big news stories to talk about, these four days seem destined to fly by. A) Hurricane Gustav was nowhere near as powerful as Katrina, and the Gulf Coast is breathing a sigh of relief this morning. More than 800,000 people are still without power, however, and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is urging residents to stay away for at least another 24 hours, if not longer. B) Presumptive Republican VP nominee Gov. Sarah Palin's teenage daughter is knocked up and plans to get married. And C) the Republican National Convention will resume its regular schedule in St. Paul today after most events were canceled in the wake of A (and at least timing wise, also B). It's September, everyone. Brace yourselves. more ›