Something Old: The Steelers and Skins last faced each other in 2004. Big Ben was a rookie, Clinton Portis was in his first year with the Redskins, and Antwaan Randle El was in a Steelers’ jersey. The Steelers won the game 16-7, but that, of course, was pre-Zorn.
D.C. taxpayers may have some justice served. The Washington Post has the breaking news that the District just filed a $105 million lawsuit against Bank of America over the check cashing scam headed up by Harriette Walters in the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue.
The tension between Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and the D.C. City Council may be a given by now, but the outright hostile language can still be a bit surprising. Last night Rhee testified for three hours with regard to the $100 million budget reshuffling that we wrote about on Tuesday. According to the Post, she was met by Council members' harsh statements and outright threats, "This is a joke," and "You keep disagreeing with [Marion Barry's (D-Ward 8) claim Rhee gives more info to the media than to the council] and you won't be around here too long."
We might not have Joe the Plumber or $150,000 in stylish threads, but the final days before a number of local races are decided have gotten plenty exciting. There's internal fighting, a second-time-around endorsement and a drunk-driving charge.
Belgium's population is 97% urbanized. Crazy, eh? So, it makes sense that the country of decadent waffles and Peter Paul Rubens is pretty boffo for mass transit. The country's population is connected through an impressive network of rail systems, both on a local and national level, including currently expanding Metros in Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels. Let's just say that if there ever was a country made for mass transit, the massively dense Belgium is probably near the top of the list.
Looks like the story on the D.C. Madam has, finally, come to a close. The police in Tarpon Springs, Fla. are officially ending their investigation into Deborah Palfrey's death, confirming it was indeed suicide. Palfrey hanged herself back in May, after being convicted in April for money laundering, racketeering, and using the mail for illegal purposes. The charges were in connection with her California call girl firm, Pamela Martin & Associates, which may have employed at least 132 D.C. area women.
Happy Halloween, Washington! We suspect many of you will be headed out early today to dress up the tots and head out on the quest for candy, so expect rush hour to begin earlier than usual today. If you plan on driving through Georgetown after 6 p.m., WTOP has a long list of road closures for tonight. Meanwhile, the Washington Post has the breaking news that people in D.C. like dressing up as political figures (a story also featuring our new music writer, Dave Weigel, and his costume). Luckily, it looks to be not terrible weather for those of you going "naughty" tonight -- and if you plan to drink, SoberRide is providing free cab rides again up to $50 between 10 p.m. tonight and 6 a.m. tomorrow, so put this number in your phone now: 1-800-200-TAXI.
D.C. Wire is reporting that MPD Chief Cathy Lanier's controversial "Neighborhood Safety Zone" checkpoint tactic has passed its first test in federal court. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon today denied a request for a preliminary injunction against the checkpoints filed by a group of District residents. In the ruling, Leon found that the checkpoints are not unconstitutional and are a reasonable crime prevention tactic to use against a specific kind of vehicle-related violent crime. This is from Leon's conclusion:
Simply put, to take this arrow out of MPD's quiver on such a weak showing as to is unconstitutionality would be injurious not only to MPD's ability to protect our citizens, but to the public's overwhelming need to be protected from these mobile merchants of violence.The underlying lawsuit against the checkpoints is still ongoing. Judge Leon's ruling means that the MPD may continue to use the "Neighborhood Safety Zone" program while that case is pending. D.C. Wire quotes the head of the police union questioning why Judge Leon didn't address whether evidence discovered during these searches would be upheld in court.
We've gotten enough emails about this at this point that we can report that a deer was injured in downtown Washington today, somewhere on M Street NW between 16th and 17th Streets, near the National Geographic headquarters. It happened just before 1 p.m.; one witness told us that he saw the deer run into the side of a van at 16th and M, and several others said they saw the animal being tranquilized by animal control medics closer to 17th. We'll update when we get word on how the deer is doing. There are tons of deer in Rock Creek Park, but we can't remember the last time one popped up in the middle of downtown. There does seem to be an extraordinary amount of deer activity on the roads this fall: just this morning NBC4 did a story warning drivers to be extra vigilant about looking out for deer.
Good morning, Washington. The happiest place to be in the city last night had to be Ventnor Sports Cafe on 18th Street in Adams Morgan, the unofficial home of Phillies fans who live in Washington. The packed bar erupted into shouts of joy tinged with disbelief when the Phillies won game 5 (part II) of the World Series. Since D.C. is a city faced with a likely future of not winning a baseball championship for at least 25 years too, it was great to see that a city like Philadelphia can finally bring home a trophy. Congrats, Phillyist!
Photo by phi
The Boston Celtics raised championship banner number 17 to the rafters last night and Greg Oden apparently can't play more than three minutes without getting injured. NBA basketball is back! The Washington Wizards start their season tonight at home against the New Jersey Nets at 7 p.m. Here are five hot issues that the Wizards will need to solve this season if they want to make it to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season:
If the thing weren't solidly anchored to the ground, we might expect to find the District's new baseball stadium hiding somewhere in a corner. After all, the last few months have seen enough bad news for Nationals Park to make even the most confident of publicly financed ballparks a little glum.
The most ominous portion of yesterday's live washingtonpost.com chat with Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn:
Washington, D.C.: I am opposed to these searches and plan on refusing any Metro officer's request to go through my bags. Because I'll be allowed to refuse search and turn around without being detained, I will simply enter the Metro through another escalator or elevator. How do you plan on addressing this loophole?Continue reading "Be Careful How You Act if You Refuse to be Searched in Metro"
FOX 5's Matt Ackland had the smart idea to ask D.C. Taxicab Commission Chairman Leon Swain whether falling gas prices will mean an end to the $1 gas surcharge we've all been paying for such a long time now.
Good morning, Washington. To quote Homer Simpson: it's windy as hell out there! Or it was, anyway. Our hats go off to those that attended and participated in yesterday's Drag Race (about which we'll have more later in the day) despite the cold, breezy conditions. The local news was full of pictures of toppled trees last night — if an errant gust had hit a runner we have no doubt that the resulting tumble would have been just as spectacular. Fatal Shooting in Columbia Heights: We haven't got a link for you yet, but MPD Third District Inspector Edward Delgado sent the following out to the MPD 3D email list last night:
On October 28, 2008, 7:51 PM members from the Third District responded to the 2800 Block of 11th Street, N.W. for the sounds of gunshots. Upon the officers arriving on the scene they observed a black male lying on the ground with no vital signs. This matter is being investigated by our violent crimes branch as a homicide. If anyone has information please contact our tip line on 202-727-9099 or text on #50411Fenty Proposes Budget Cuts: The mayor has taken the first steps toward closing the anticipated budget gap facing the city, and the Examiner has the details. The cuts total $52 million, or 40 percent of the shortfall — it'll now be up to the council to come up with the rest. According to the article, Fenty's cost-saving measures include things like hiring freezes and delaying the start of programs such as Healthy DC. MPD takes the biggest budgetary hit, at $4m. Sentence in Gallery Place Movie Piracy Case: You might remember the news from back in August that a Baltimore man was pleading guilty to recording a movie at Gallery Place with the goal of later selling copies of it. Well, WJLA brings word that he's now received his sentence: 21 months, which is squarely in the middle of the sentencing guidelines for the crime. Briefly Noted: Seventeen year-old fatally shot Monday night is identified, incident called a robbery... New York Ave. water main problems affected yesterday's evening commute, too... Environmental coalition announces its intent to sue EPA over state of Chesapeake Bay... Montgomery County executive says he won't abide by council-imposed limitations on his ability to seek grants... Worker killed by collapsing trench at construction site in Arlington... Maryland police bust catalytic converter theft ring... This Day In DCist: One year ago the fight for zombie rights came to the Washington Monument and a taxi strike loomed. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user graemebshaw
WMATA is reporting major delays in both directions on the Red line due to a fire on the tracks at Cleveland Park at just after 7:30 p.m. The D.C. Fire department responded to the scene, which was also causing a road traffic backup on Connecticut Ave. due to the fire trucks parked next to the station. Trains are currently sharing the same track from Dupont Circle to Van Ness-UDC. Bottom line: for the time being, avoid heading up the Red line if at all possible, and if you're driving, don't take Connecticut. If you're already up there, we'd suggest looking for an L line bus or a cab before opting to wait it out in Metro.
Via the Post, the Secret Service arrested a Baltimore man this morning after he scaled the fence at the White House just as President Bush was returning from a visit to GOP headquarters to rally the troops for McCain. Kevin Peterson, 23, managed to climb the fence on the south side of the White House around 11:30 a.m. He was unarmed, and was arrested almost immediately.
The Post had a brief story about it this morning, but it's worth reiterating that the District Department of the Environment and outstanding local non-profit Casey Trees have announced a new program that offers D.C. residents $50 if they'll plant a tree on their property. Autumn is the best time to plant trees, so follow this link to learn more about the program and download the rebate form. Participants must pledge to water and care for the tree for at least two years, and you can also request a free “Ooze Tube” watering bag to make watering the tree that much easier. The rebates are available up until May 31, 2009. Casey Trees is also offering tons of info on where, when and how to plant your tree. Contact them at 202.833.4010 or friends(at)caseytrees.org.
Have you guys seen this one yet? The Virginian Pilot reports that a phony flier telling Virginia Democrats they are supposed to vote on Nov. 5, instead of Nov. 4, is being circulated around the Hampton Roads area of the battleground state (via TPM Muckraker, hat tip to Brian Smith).
We thought that it would be close to impossible to dethrone Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) as the District's King of Hearts, for having said the scummiest thing related to D.C.'s non-voting status in Congress that we had ever heard. But ladies and gentlemen, we were wrong. Meet the new King: Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska).
When Alexander Semin takes the lead league in points, with 14 in eight games, it is almost news. When Sergei Fedorov matches Alexander Mogilny's record for NHL goals, it is news. When NHL MVP and ESPN presidential nominee Alexander Ovechkin takes the day off to visit an ailing relative, it is multinational front page headline news.
While other school districts like Fairfax County and states like Massachusetts are in the midst of slashing schools budgets and cutting funding for education initiatives, D.C. seems to have found ways to avoid such measures, at least for a while. As we mentioned in the Morning Roundup, yesterday Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee asked the Council to approve a relocation of $100 million from the approximately $750 million schools budget. According to a DCPS release, the money is to be distributed as follows:
Good morning, D.C. We're all sitting around wondering whether these cold and rainy conditions might end up spoiling tonight's High Heel Race. The Capital Weather Gang is predicting continued cold, lots of wind, and "a stray shower or snow flurry" tonight. Snow?! Bring your mittens AND your umbrella tonight, kiddos. Of course, we realize it could be much, much worse. We could be in Philadelphia right now.
One item we missed this morning: The Examiner reported that Chief Cathy Lanier has replaced the commander of the Metropolitan Police Department's 2nd District, Mark Carter, with Inspector Matthew Klein, a former head of internal affairs. Carter had only been on the job since April, when he was promoted out of the police training academy to replace Cmdr. Andy Solberg. The 2nd District includes Georgetown and Woodley Park. The Examiner reported over the summer that Carter was an unpopular leader, but at the time Lanier denied that she would be removing him.
So Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has been found guilty on felony charges of making false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms. A jury today issued a guilty verdict in the corruption case, deciding that they did not believe that Stevens didn't know about the $250,000 worth of gifts he received from Bill Allen, the former head of Veco Corp., among others. The AP says that Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each of the seven counts, but will likely receive much less. Stevens is currently locked in a tight race with Anchorage mayor Mark Begich for his U.S. Senate seat. The question now is will he drop out, or continue running with a felony conviction which would most likely lead him to be expelled by the Senate anyway? Maybe he's counting on a pardon from President Bush?
That's the conclusion of former DCist editor and urban planner Rob Goodspeed, who has crunched the most recent numbers on his blog. Goodspeed predicts that Washington's long history as a majority-black city will come to an end as soon as 2014, at which time the city's black population will make up just above 49 percent of residents, with whites, Asians and other ethnic groups making up the rest of the population. The projection puts the demographic change arriving at least six years prior to the estimate made by Robert Lang, director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, when he was quoted in a Washington Post story on the subject last year.
A lot of you have already weighed in with negative initial reactions to WMATA's plan to start a random bag search program on Metro. There's more information available now, with an official release and an expanded WaPo story, so let's break down exactly how this is purportedly going to work:
Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld
... it's the second most expensive! Via Consumerist, we learn that Sarah Lawrence College has surpassed George Washington University as the most expensive college in the United States, when combining tuition and room and board. The difference is not just mere pennies, either: Sarah Lawrence now costs $53,166 total for one year, while George Washington runs $50,312. The even bigger drop is in the tuition-only category, which finds GWU knocked down to #6 on the list, while small schools like Bates and Middlebury climbed the ranks. Of course, attending GWU still costs rather a lot of money, no matter how you slice it, but at least it no longer holds the distinction of being the absolute most expensive. In related news: OMFG does it cost a lot of money to go to a private university these days!
We're not even done with this election cycle, and already we have to look forward to the next one. Over the weekend D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty filed the necessary paperwork to run for re-election in 2010. Here's Fenty's statement, via D.C. Wire:
"The time has come to engage the residents of the District of Columbia about the future of the city and the leadership that will represent them moving forward," Fenty began. "We are proud of the progress we've made over the past 22 months, whether its beginning the critical reform of DCPS or bringing more development into our great neighborhoods. We cannot rest on the improvement we've fostered thus far and will continue to work with all residents to make the District a world class city."Not a huge surprise that Fenty will run again, but now that we know his plans are a certainty, we can start to speculate about who might challenge him! Fenty remains a popular mayor across the city, but there are certainly a couple members of the D.C. Council who have developed anti-Fenty postures. Do you think Fenty will have any serious opponents in 2010?
The Post gets out the first word of WMATA's official announcement that Metro Transit Police will begin conducting random bag searches on Metro. The policy will be similar to that of New York and Boston — both cities began random bag searches after the 2005 London Tube bombings. We'll most certainly have more on this later in the day.
Good morning, Washington. With just one week and one day until the general election, the Post is reporting that Barack Obama has opened up an eight-point lead over John McCain in Virginia. Pretty amazing. That is the same amount by which President Bush beat John Kerry in the state in 2004. We don't follow every minute detail of electoral college politics as closely as probably even some of you do, so you tell us what you think: if rather early on in the evening on Nov. 4, Obama has a clear victory in Virginia, is there any way McCain could still find enough electoral votes to realistically threaten to win the election? Oh, and this really ought to be the biggest story of the morning.
">got interviewed by WDSU news, was there to snap the Saintsations board the London Eye and will be sitting in the Wembley press box for Saints V Chargers today.
The Slipper-y Slope: Is Maryland really talking Orange Bowl after their win against North Carolina State? A 27-24 squeaker decided in the last 6 seconds of the game against a team that has no wins against other Atlantic Coast Conference rivals this season hardly makes the slam-dunk case. Especially considering that NC State held the ball longer (36 minutes to 24 minutes) and scored more yards passing and overall — all on Maryland turf, following an ultimate-nullifying three straight consecutive losses — enthusiasm in Maryland ought to be curbed at best.
If all the White House press secretaries are gathering to speak at an event and a suspicious package causes them to cancel, how would you ever know? Who would be around to tell 1,500 parents, alumni, and students at American University that Ari Fleischer, Mike McCurry, Dee Dee Myers, and the rest of the gang would not be in attendance after a suspicious package was found in the garage underneath the arena where they were to appear? Do press secretaries need press secretaries? A paradox, a conundrum, a mystery wrapped in an enigma, etc., etc.
ESPN is confirming today that Willie Randolph - the former manager of the New York Mets, and a strong contender for the open managerial position in Milwaukee - has turned down an offer to become the Nationals' third base coach for the upcoming season. Newsday writer Ken Davidoff believed that the move was more of a Plan B for 2009, for a scenario in which the Nats start slow and current manager Manny Acta gets fired. According to the ESPN report, Randolph is holding out for the Brewers job; if he doesn't get the gig, though, he won't be too upset - if he doesn't get another job this season, the Mets will be forced to pay him more than $2 million. The Nats did hire five new coaches after Randolph turned them down.
They very well might be "the devil," but that doesn't mean we don't want them to drive safer.
D.C. Wire reports that Mayor Fenty filed his paperwork for the 2010 Mayoral campaign with the Office of Campaign Finance on Friday. The paper filing is bigger news because of rumors which swirled earlier this week regarding the possibility of Fenty leaving the Mayor's Office to work for Barack Obama, if he were elected President. Fenty was quick to dispell those rumors by saying that leaving D.C. to work for a possible Obama administration "is the one thing that I would not do if President Obama asked me.”
City Desk reported yesterday on the latest developments for what will go into what used to be the Church of the Reformer at 14th and T NW. For months, many in the neighborhood have been debating the merits of local diner magnate Constantine Stavropoulos purchasing the building and create another take on his well-liked group of eateries like Tryst and Open City. But Stavropoulos was unable to take over the building's lease; now, he's combined with mega-comedian Dave Chappelle and shifted the focus of the project to a comedy club.
Local blog Penn Quarter Living has a complete roundup of media about yesterday's city action against Club Bounce, which operated at 915 F Street NW. Formerly the space of the notorious Platinum nightclub, District officials claimed that a shooting which followed a fight outside the building was the impetus for the shuttering. According to the Post's writeup, eighty youths have been picked up for curfew violations near the club since mid-September. Club Bounce, which is an under-18 dance party that "bounces" between different locations (clever, eh?) and gathers upwards of 500 youths every Saturday night, will still continue to operate at its other locations around town.
When it comes to covering D.C. United, we're unabashed homers; so, we're kind of more-than-hoping that the Black-and-Red are able to deliver in what is, without hyperbole, a must-win match tomorrow night in Columbus. Fellow blogger and Chicago Fire striker Chris Rolfe did United a real solid, notching an impressive hat trick and leading the Fire to a 5-2 thrashing of the New York Juicers Red Bulls on Thursday night. United must defeat the Crew - who have already clinched the 2008 Supporters Shield for best overall record - on the road, or else the season will end playoff-less for the first time since 2002. Behind the Badge has the math on the potential playoff scenarios, but it's all meaningless without a victory in central Ohio tomorrow. Sunday's match kicks off at 5 p.m. and will be televised on Comcast SportsNet.
Money, money, money, money...mon-ey.
The big news out of New York yesterday was that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plea to extend the city's two-term limit so he could run again was approved by the City Council.
As we mentioned in today's morning roundup, it's been two years since the protests over the selection of Jane Fernandes as the president of Gallaudet University brought the country's premier higher learning institution for the deaf to a standstill. Well we missed this tidbit in the WaPo's District Extra this morning: the school yesterday announced it will begin a formal process to find a new president.
Bicyclist Jessie Posilkin sent an email to WABA this morning (and was kind enough to cc DCist) about another bicycle sting operation that looks like it's been set up in Logan Circle today. Posilkin reports that she was given a $25 ticket for going the wrong way on Vermont Ave. into the circle, much the same as the folks who were ticketed for going the wrong way on New Hampshire Ave. toward U Street back in July (and other times since, for that matter). While Posilkin admits breaking the law, she also notes that "there is no good way to enter Logan coming from Vermont- all routes seem inefficient (and the traffic lights at the different one way stops are confusing)." Cyclists heading in to the Logan area today, consider yourselves warned.
If you work anywhere near the intersection of Connecticut Ave. and K Street NW, you've been following the spectacular demolition of the two buildings formerly located at 1701 and 1725 K Street NW earlier this year. Now that the corner is a big, gaping hole in a prime downtown location, we've been eagerly awaiting the word on when construction would begin on the new 12-story office complex that is planned to replace it. But this morning, the Post broke some bad news: the parcel's developer wants to turn the whole thing into a parking lot, at least for a year or two.
The developer demolished two office buildings at the intersection's northwest corner this year after winning D.C. approval to replace them with a 12-story office complex designed by the architecture firm founded by I.M. Pei.Continue reading "Valuable K Street Land to Become Parking Lot? Ugh."
The D.C. Republican Committee sent around word late yesterday that a registered Republican living in Ward 2 was mailed an absentee ballot that is missing candidates and includes a candidate from another Ward.
Good morning, D.C. You've made it to another Friday, and as your reward, WJLA has dug up the most hilarious story about Sen. John McCain's brother, Joe, who you'll recall was last seen making comments about Northern Virginia being "Communist country." It seems that Joe McCain was in the area for a campaign event on Tuesday, and while he was here, he made a 911 call. The problem is, he wasn't calling to report an emergency, he was calling to complain about traffic on the Wilson Bridge. Now, we can all sympathize with how frustrating a bad backup on the Wilson Bridge can be, but surely tying up a 911 operator with complaints about gridlock is one of the dumbest ways we can think of to vent. Not realizing that a 911 operator can easily call you right back after you swear at them and hang up is also right up there on the stupid scale - though considering his brother doesn't even know how to email, perhaps not all that surprising. Video of the story is here.
Planning on riding Metro or driving somewhere on Sunday morning? Take note: Metro expects 30,000 more people than normal to be using the rails that morning, and there will be considerable road closures due to the Marine Corps Marathon, which runs all morning and into the afternoon. The marathon's course hits a wide swath of Arlington and the District, so if you're planning on getting anywhere by vehicle, it might be wise to take a glance at the list of affected roads and steer clear of them between 4 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Metro will also be opening earlier than usual, at 5 a.m., to facilitate runners and spectators. Additionally, Metrobuses that are usually routed through the Pentagon Transit Center will be rerouted to the Pentagon City station until 4 p.m.
Written by DCist contributor Elisabeth Meinecke
Over the last month, the safe assumption in District political circles was that the two At-large seats on the D.C. Council would be going Brown-squared come November 4 -- current Council member Kwame Brown would keep his seat and Democrat-turned-Independent Michael Brown would finally get elected to something. But things have recently gotten just a little more interesting.
We're anxious to get right into the thick of things after a week off - hopefully, you managed without us. But first, we haven't yet had a chance to say: huzzah!
Only a handful of people I know still have landlines at home. It's especially marked among people under 30, those of us who moved to the city and into a group house soon after college at a time when cell phones were basically mandatory. Maybe we've moved into nicer places since then, but who needs a landline? It's just an extra expense that seems increasingly redundant.
Via WTOP, WMATA says its redesigned Metrobuses will be deployed to their first line starting on Monday. The brand new silver and red buses will mostly service the U8 line, which runs from Capitol Heights to Southeast, but two of them are also destined for the recently expanded 5A line, running from L'Enfant Plaza to Dulles International Airport. Take a look at several images of the new buses here, and keep an eye out for them on the road next week.
Good morning, D.C. Barack Obama was in Leesburg yesterday for a rally that gathered 10,000 supporters, and he told those gathered that, "y'all look like a bunch of Virginians," in direct response to the McCain campaign's comments that Northern Virginia is not the "real" Virginia. Meanwhile, the Examiner notes that the McCain campaign is still out there working in Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William counties, despite their apparent lack of interest in the fake Virginians who live there.
To follow up with those of you who reacted strongly to our photo gallery yesterday of the abandoned St. Elizabeths West Campus and the plans that are in the works to relocate the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard there, Mayor Adrian Fenty and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton held an impromptu press conference this morning to unveil the city's plans for its share of the nearly 200 acres of land in Southeast Washington, D.C. Wire reports.
Via the Washington Business Journal, there's some not thrilling new employment figures for the District of Columbia out. The Department of Employment Services today said that the unemployment rate for the city in September was 7 percent, up a substantial 1.3 percentage points over the same measure last year, and 0.1 percent from August. The national unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in September, up 1.4 percent over last year.
On Tuesday, the D.C. Council agreed unanimously that retirement benefits should be extended to domestic partners of the city’s retired police officers and firefighters. The move brings marriage equality in the District a step closer to fruition, according to the Examiner.
You might remember reading about the Divine Mercy Care pharmacy, a new Catholic retail pharmacy planned for a location near Route 50 in Chantilly, Va., in the Post back in June. Well yesterday the 'Pro-life' pharmacy opened to the public, after having been blessed by a Catholic bishop. The concept behind the store is that it's just like any other pharmacy, except they won't sell birth control pills, condoms, or the morning after pill. They still sell Viagra, however, because obviously men's reproductive health is just more important than women's health. Several states such as California and New Jersey have recently passed laws that force these so-called pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control pills to do their jobs, but Virginia has no laws preventing this kind of store from opening. We guess the nice thing about this store is at least it's obvious about what it's up to, unlike some pharmacists at other retail chains, who could decide to refuse to fill your prescription without any warning.
Remember when we told you that Roy Pearson, he of the $54 million missing pants lawsuit, was refusing to fade away quietly and heading back to court to press his appeal? Well today's the big day! Looks like the AP has a reporter at the D.C. Court of Appeals, so we'll be waiting patiently to find out whether the three-judge appellate court panel could possibly agree to overturn the lower court ruling and order a new trial for Pearson.
Good morning, Washington. Y'know, sometimes you read a story and just know it's going to keep coming back. This certainly sounds like one: Tysons Corner Mall has fired Michael Graham, the man who has played Santa there for the last 18 years. As you might expect, he's not happy about it. The Post has an affectionate writeup that manages to outline the situation — basically, the mall has a contract with a new photography company and/or thinks it can get by with a budget Santa. But the Post coverage fails to really get down to brass tacks. The Washington Times, on the other hand, is not afraid to take a hard line against Santa and the radically anti-capitalist wealth-distribution schemes that he represents. Their article notes that Graham is asking $175/hr to play the jolly old elf, is suing the mall despite acknowledging their right to cancel his contract, and has retained a PR firm. Poll Finds Support For Slots: A new Washington Post poll shows that the deteriorating economic situation is proving to be good news for slots proponents in Maryland. Sixty-two percent of respondents now support legalizing slots, citing the need for revenue as their main motivation. A measure determining the fate of slot gambling in the state will be on the Nov. 4 ballot. Search for Missing Officer Continues: The officer who disappeared yesterday during a diving exercise in Pohick Bay is still missing, according to the Post. The officer was apparently not part of the dive team undergoing training, but rather a roleplayer assisting with the exercise. He was wearing a dry suit when he disappeared, which left searchers initially optimistic, although of course at this point the situation looks increasingly gloomy. WTOP reports that the search has now expanded to include part of the Potomac River.. Thirteen-Year-Old Shot: Fox5 reports that a young girl was shot in the back last night, an apparent bystander to what the WTTG telecast says is a suspected gang shooting. It happened near 51st Street NE. The girl is expected to recover. Briefly Noted: Nine year-old Springdale boy missing since yesterday afternoon... Post traces histories of young victims in Bowman case... Frederick County institutes hiring freeze... District man charged with starting massive fire in Minnesota last year... Vigil held for teen victims of Montgomery County crash... Former Maryland stadium authority official claims she was fired for failing to support O'Malley campaign... Woman's disruptive behavior in courtroom is considered news for some reason... This Day In DCist: One year ago, D.C. was getting dissed by some rag called Travel + Leisure, and the first exemption to the smoking ban was granted. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Jsocks
DCist has been requiring comment registration as a spam-prevention measure for quite some time now, so hopefully our readers won't be too surprised to learn that washingtonpost.com will begin requiring it on every one of their blogs sometime next week. Steven Goff first mentioned it on his Soccer Insider blog today, and Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive spokesperson Molly Gannon tells us that while registration has already been required in order to comment on news stories on the WaPo web site, they are only now implementing that same requirement on the Post's blog properties. Seems like a lot of changes are afoot at washingtonpost.com this week; the Going Out Gurus got a redesign today as well.
Last Friday was payday for the 3,293 students at 15 D.C. middle schools who are enrolled in the District’s Capital Gains program. The pilot program, co-funded by the District and Harvard University, allows students to earn up to $100 every two weeks for meeting conditions based on good academics, attendance, and behavior.
Yesterday's Ask DCist feature addressed a weird, metallic, pulsating noise that appeared to be emanating from the HUD building in Southwest Washington, and could be heard clearly as far away as Eastern Market. All signs pointed to a busted steam pipe on the HUD roof, and indeed, U.S. General Services Administration spokesperson Michael McGill has since confirmed for us that at 3:30 a.m. on Monday, GSA received a call that a valve malfunction at the HUD building was causing built up pressurized steam to escape from the steam system, resulting in the loud noise. A repair crew was dispatched to make an adjustment to the valve, and the HUD building was open for business at its regular 8 a.m. start time on Monday.
Written by DCist contributor Shauna Miller
Baseball season comes to its end over the next week, as the World Series is set to unfold between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Here in D.C., we celebrate by freaking the eff out all over again over the cost of the brand new Nationals Park. Not only did hardly anyone go to Nats games in their new ballpark this year, but now we're hearing about how the whole endeavor actually cost over $690 million, quite a bit more than the regularly quoted $611 million figure. No one, and we mean no one, who followed the lengthy debate over the new baseball stadium could possibly be surprised by this news, but it's still causing quite a bit of consternation in some corners of the D.C. Council.
On the list of nightmarish experiences city-dwelling women dread, this one is right near the top. WJLA reported last night that a Capitol Hill woman says she was sexually assaulted by a cab driver who was taking her home. Dawn Young said she hailed a normal looking cab at 8th and G SE on Saturday night, because she thought it would be safer than making the short walk home alone. The cab driver asked her to sit in the front seat, and then proceeded to pull into an alley and park next to a wall to prevent her from escaping. He locked the doors and then proceeded to sexually assault her. Thankfully, Young got away. The WJLA report doesn't say anything about whether she was able to provide a description of her attacker. Here's hoping this cab driver is caught without delay.
We knew this was something WMATA had been considering for some time, especially with the agency's big push toward emphasizing universal adoption of SmarTrip cards, but today it's official: Metro is eliminating paper transfers in January.
Good morning, Washington. So The New York Times is leading off with a story that says the unprecedented government financial rescue package appears to be working, at least a little bit, to prop up flailing credit markets. The Washington Post, meanwhile, points out that Ben Bernanke's endorsement of a new financial stimulus package may be mostly responsible for the most recent increase in the stock markets. The bill would not be pushed through until after the election, and probably not until after a new administration takes office. Democrats are aiming to include things in the bill that would directly go to poor Americans, because they would be more likely to spend all of it right away, thus helping to push us out of the recession.
Anne, who lives at 11th and Pennsylvania SE, writes in:
You may have read in the Washington Post this morning that today is the first day that District residents may cast "in-person absentee" ballots, up until Nov. 3. All you have to do is show up at the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics headquarters at 441 4th St. NW, Suite 250N, to request an absentee ballot and vote right then and there. Sounds great, right? Especially if you think you might be out of town or say, busy covering the election on Nov. 4.
While Sen. John McCain's Saturday rally in Woodbridge appeared to go off without a hitch, his campaign continued its now well-worn tradition of saying something of questionable judgment over the weekend.
Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld
Good morning, Washington. With just a little more than two weeks left until the big day, the number of conservatives who are lining up to endorse Obama keeps growing. Over the weekend, perhaps the biggest GOP supporter Obama could hope for, Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, came out for the Democrat. When even prominent Republicans are too embarrassed by John McCain to vote for him and Obama is raising just insane amounts of cash, is it about time to go ahead and start making predictions about the outcome of this election? Not in the Washington Post newsroom, it seems, where the editors and reporters appear to still believe either candidate has an equal chance to end up in the White House and have a really difficult, depressing job ahead of them.
The Washington Post reports that conservators are concerned about putting the blood-stained coat that Abraham Lincoln wore the night he was assassinated back on public display. Textile experts fear that exposure to UV light could ruin the garment, so returning the coat to the perpetual lobby display it enjoyed until the recent restoration of Ford's Theater, where it was visible from the street, might not be a possibility. But surely even a careworn 19th-century Brooks Brothers coat is far from the most light-sensitive object that can be seen and displayed in D.C. What about featuring the coat in a rotating exhibit set somewhat deeper than the front entrance? Deep storage and full sunshine can't be the only display options.
The AP is reporting that a Maryland man was shot and killed late Friday night at 3012 Georgia Avenue NW. Details are scant, but what is known is that nineteen-year-old Arthur Gale of Suitland was found behind a building with multiple gunshot wounds after police responded to a call of gunshots on the 700 block of Columbia Road. There's no word whether Gale was in the area for Howard's homecoming ceremonies or not. Police are asking anyone with information about the homicide to contact them at (202) 727-9099.
Turns out, the ACORN falls rather far from the tree.
If only we could claim that this is just a plot for an upcoming drama on the fictional field of television's Dillon High, we would. Unfortunately though, it appears as if a serious breach is brewing between District of Columbia high school football teams and some Maryland counterparts over ugly allegations made earlier this fall during a game at Fort Hill High in Cumberland, Maryland.
A good Saturday morning to you, Washington. It's our second weekend of DCist weekend posting, and we've got some fun new features in store for your reading pleasure - so stay tuned here all day today and tomorrow.
Via the Baltimore Sun, it appears as though an unfortunate confluence of scheduling and NFL rules could lead to you missing the start of this Sunday's Washington Redskins game against the Browns. The NFL mandates that local CBS affiliate WUSA must show the Ravens-Dolphins game in its entirety if the game remains close -- which could mean that it would cut into the 4:15 p.m. kickoff of the 'Skins game. It seems crazy that a team as popular as the Redskins could be preempted in their own television market, but apparently WUSA has no way to get out of its contractual agreement with the NFL on this matter. Pray for a Ravens blowout?
The National Zoo announced today via their newsletter that their Center for Conservation Education and Sustainability has formed a partnership with George Mason University to develop a new conservation education program. The program will be available to George Mason's undergraduate and graduate students, as well as practicing conservationists, and will take place at the Zoo’s 3,200 acre Conservation and Research Center (CRC) in Front Royal. Students will live, study and work at the Center for a full semester and earn sixteen credits.
Earlier this week we debated why Virginia seems to provoke politicians and campaign officials to say forehead-slappingly foolish things. After all, you'd think the infamous George Allen "macaca" incident would have served as something of an example for Virginia GOP Chair Jeff Frederick when he recently compared Sen. Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden.
D.C. United have made a habit of dropping points this season, especially lately. A 5-2 laugher in Los Angeles was followed by successive pathetic shutouts against Dallas and Chivas USA. All results that somehow made last weekend's goalless draw at Houston look like a major victory while simultaneously dwindling D.C.'s playoff hopes.
Yes, earlier this week the Caps blew out the Vancouver Canucks by a score of five to one. Yes, they set a team record by only allowing their opponent to take ten shots in that game. But that doesn't mean the Caps are a great team this year, because, as the Vancouver Sun reports, the Vancouver Canucks "weren't, obviously, ready."
Good morning, Washington. You've made it to another Friday, and with only two more Fridays to go after this one until election day, the Washington Post has finally endorsed Barack Obama. Fishbowl DC published a rather preposterous rumor that the paper might be about to endorse McCain, but this passage clears that up pretty handily: "The choice is made easy in part by Mr. McCain's disappointing campaign, above all his irresponsible selection of a running mate who is not ready to be president."
Someone fell on the tracks at the Friendship Heights Metro station at around noon. Various reports indicate that the person was struck by the train and that they are unconscious, but so far no more details are available about their condition. You should expect major delays in both directions on the Red line due to this incident, which is being compounded by an earlier switch malfunction outside of Rhode Island Avenue. that's been fixed, but created residual delays also. Check back for updates. 1:55 p.m.: Both Friendship Heights and Rhode Island Ave. Metro stations have been cleared and normal Red line service has resumed. The Examiner reports that the man who fell on the tracks is now conscious.
A few years ago, the answers to the D.C. taxicab licensing test were compromised and passed around all over town. As a result, the city put a freeze on new testing and licensing for cab drivers in 2005, even for individuals who had already paid for and passed the required 60-hour training course offered at UDC (it costs $375). Well today the Examiner is reporting that starting in January, the city will once again start offering the licensing exam. The rewritten exam will only be open to people who have passed the UDC training program, but even under that condition, there are apparently already at least 2,000 people eligible for the exam right now.
Vice President Dick Cheney puts his troubled heart in the care of George Washington University Medical Center (check out The Colonialist's photos of Cheney waving to the crowd as he left yesterday afternoon), but the Liaison Committee on Medical Education has since put the medical school for which the hospital serves as a training ground on probation. The Post characterizes the probationary status of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences as no laughing matter: it is the only medical school currently on probation, and only the fifth put on probation since 1994. The problems cited by the committee include areas ranging from curriculum, to administration, to facilities management. The school remains fully accredited while it works to improve to the point where its probationary status is removed.
Written by DCist contributor Elisabeth Meinecke
The most unexpected name-drop of last night’s presidential debate (besides, of course, Joe the Plumber) was D.C.’s own schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee, as the final moments of the broadcast slid into bickering between McCain and Obama over whether or not Rhee supports vouchers:
Good morning, Washington. Like many of you, we couldn't help but notice that last night's post-debate spin on the cable networks gave McCain high marks, even though the polls released immediately afterward indicated that viewers overwhelmingly thought Obama had won. Also like many of you we of course noticed that both candidates gave a shout out to D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee (we'll have more on that shortly). But believe it or not, in the end last night's final presidential debate really served to remind us that the election itself is right around the corner - at least, we certainly hope these last couple of weeks go by quickly - so this morning we actually started to think about life in D.C. after the election for the first time. What will we all be spending our time reading about and discussing at our favorite watering holes six months from now? How will the city's demographics immediately change as one administration moves out and another moves in? Add both your post-debate thoughts and your post-election musings in the comments.
The MPD announced today that they arrested Robert Hanna, 18, and charged him with voluntary manslaughter in connection with the September 7 attack of two gay men near Be Bar. One of the victims, Tony Hunter, died ten days later as a result of his injuries. The arrest comes one week after MPD announced they were on the lookout for Hanna. The wanted poster described him as an 18-year-old "who is known to frequent the area around 7th and O Streets, NW."
It took a week since the voter registration deadline to get them all counted and processed, but Virginia finally has a tally of how many new registered voters there are in the battleground state for the Nov. 4 general election, and it's pretty staggering: 436,000 people registered to vote in Virginia since Jan. 1, reports the Post, with more than 100,000 of those registering just between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6. Here's the key passage: "Virginia does not register voters by political party, but jurisdictions with a history of supporting Democratic presidential candidates appears to have the largest share of new registrants." The Obama campaign in Virginia must be dancing around their offices right now. In 2004, the state registered roughly 300,000 new voters before that year's presidential election.
Arlington institution Dr. Dremo's closed its doors and auctioned off everything that wasn't nailed down back in January, but the building and its neighbors (the old Taco Bell, etc.) have stood empty since then, awaiting demolition to make way for a new condo development. Well George Whelan sent in these photos showing that demolition has finally begun. Most of the surrounding buildings are being taken down today, and one construction worker said he had been told they'd do the actual Dremo's building sometime next week. So, Dremo's fans, stroll by this week to take one long, last look.
Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) thinks that "ex-gay" is its own sexual orientation. To make their point, they are suing D.C.'s Office of Human Rights.
Really want to scare the bejesus out of your neighbors this Halloween? Consider posting the sign at right, which the Washington Times reports was recently sent in the mail to all registered sex offenders in Maryland.
The paper signs began arriving last week in the mailboxes of the roughly 1,200 violent and child-sex offenders across the state with a letter explaining how they are to comport themselves on Oct. 31.Continue reading "Maryland Sex Offenders Must Post 'No Candy' Signs"
For those of you who live or work near The George Washington University Medical Center, heads up that Vice President Dick Cheney is heading back there today to see his regular heart doctor. The Associated Press is reporting that Cheney experienced an irregular heart beat this morning, and has since canceled a campaign event on behalf of John McCain and "scheduled a hospital visit to 'restore his normal rhythm.'" Cheney is well known to Foggy Bottom residents for clogging traffic around Washington Circle with his enormous motorcade whenever he goes in to GWU for his many heart-related procedures. The Vice President has had four heart attacks. Folks around GWU should expect the Vice Presidential motorcade sometime this afternoon.
Metrobus riders, take note: The Examiner has good news for you in the form of Metro deciding on a roll out schedule for several new express bus routes over the next three years, with the first being a hotly anticipated, limited-stop Express S line bus traveling up and down 16th Street NW. Metro is currently planning on having the Express S operating by the end of 2009.
Good morning, Washington. Tonight's the night — the last debate between John McCain and Barack Obama. And although it's unlikely that the debate will reveal much that we don't already know, the fact that some polls show McCain trailing by double digits means that the stage is set for some desperate (and dirty) electioneering. Are you planning to watch, or have you had enough of this nonsense? Va. Bans Political Clothing At Polls: A couple of weeks ago we warned you not to wear a t-shirt advertising your preferred candidate to the polls in D.C. Doing so is considered a political act, which is forbidden within 50 feet of the polls. Now Virginia has followed suit, according to WJLA. Explicit campaign apparel is expressly forbidden, while clothing with implicit political messages — e.g. t-shirts bearing jokes about aerial wolf-hunting — are subject to the discretion of local election boards. And if you're voting in Virginia, you may want to pay attention to your schedule as well as your outfit: via WTOP comes word of a study saying that the state may not be prepared for the high turnout expected on election day. Fairfax Announces Budget Plan: Fairfax has become the latest local government forced to propose an employee furlough to avoid service cuts, as the Post reports. The proposal calls for just one day of unpaid leave, but it's symptomatic of the fiscal woes facing local governments across the region. County Executive Anthony Griffin also announced freezes on capital improvements and vehicle replacements, and said that further budget reductions will be made across the county government. Briefly Noted: D.C. home improvement permit process gets simpler... Roommate of Capitol Hill stabbing victim speaks to media... Suspect arrested for threats made against immigrant rights group... Condition of Md. Medevac helicoptr crash survivor improving... Defacement of campaign signs picking up in Virginia... Army Corps of Engineers punts on Asian Oyster question, leaves it up to states... ANC commissioner arrested for allegedly interfering with police action in Adams Morgan while "observing" it... This Day In DCist: One year ago we pondered the sartorial plight of female Republican staffers on the Hill. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user blueiris2006
D.C. and Virginia's deadlines have already passed, but Maryland residents have just a few more hours to register to vote. State Elections Board offices will stay open until 9 p.m. tonight to collect voter registration forms. Nearby county offices are listed below, or you can look up your closest office by clicking here.
We had been mulling over yesterday's Washington Post story about an apparent increase in teens and kids even younger committing crimes like robbery and assault in groups, and then last night's FOX 5 report on violent crime in Adams Morgan really crystallized it: we have to come up with some better words for describing this phenomenon, if it is one. About a third of the way through the FOX 5 video, reporter Roby Chavez has a member of the Guardian Angels, who have recently starting patrolling Adams Morgan, describe groups of kids who are purposefully engaged in criminal activity together as "wolf packs." The Post similarly goes with "pack robberies," describing how these groups of juveniles are "roaming" the city streets looking for opportunities to assault and rob unsuspecting citizens.
Dr. Galeet BenZion, the principal of Shepherd Elementary in NW D.C., was fired last week by D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee for “unforeseen reasons” after only a few months on the job. As the chancellor’s office is restricted from disclosing details about personnel decisions, no specifics regarding the firing have been forthcoming, predictably resulting in an explosion of speculation and frustration on the school's email list and in the comments section of D.C. Wire. Jamie Miles, a "school improvement specialist and a principal coach" for DCPS, will fill BenZion’s position.
Last month, we told you how the Virginia Railway Express commuter lines were discussing raising their fares by 15 percent in January, even though they had just raised them 3 percent across the board in July. Well today WTOP reports that VRE CEO Dale Zehner will this week recommend a fare increase of only 7 percent. Given that the reasons for the increase are similar to problems facing transit and commuter rail agencies across the country, like high fuel costs and aging trains, the 7 percent hike seems a lot easier to swallow than a 15 percent one. Keep in mind, though, that originally VRE was talking about two big rounds of increases: 15 percent in January and then possibly another 10 percent in July, 2009. With this new plan to raise fares by only 7 percent in January, it seems even more likely that a second increase could be in store next summer.
Here's a story that will raise eyebrows among academic readers: Courtesy of Crooked Timber1 comes news from late last month that Thomson Reuters has filed suit against the Commonwealth of Virginia,2 seeking an injunction against George Mason University to prevent the school from distributing Zotero, a Firefox plugin for managing references and citations. The lawsuit claims that Zotero violates the license agreement for EndNote, Thomson Reuters's citations management software, because Zotero converts the proprietary .ens style file made by EndNote. In essence, argues Thomson Reuters, a GMU professor reverse-engineered their commercial application and the school is now giving it away for free.
In the world of politics, nearly every elected official or civic leader has at one point said something stupid, regrettable, insulting or downright confounding. But in recent years, well-known personalities in Virginia have had a disproportionate number of serious flubs, many of which have become national scandals.
Good morning, D.C. We know that the Nats put themselves out of contention quite some time ago, but it's baseball playoff season, and we imagine there are plenty of you who, like us, are still paying close attention. Maybe you're originally from Philly or Boston, or you just love the game and the excitement of October. Whatever the reason, you should appreciate Slate asking this crucial question: why is baseball commentary so bad? Writer Ben Mathis-Lilley imagines a world where shows like ESPN's Baseball Tonight isn't a total waste of time filled with highlight clips and thoughtless non-analysis. Yes, OK, absolutely, but don't forget the play-by-play announcers, too. The TBS announcers for the first round of this year's playoffs seemed to be under the impression that no one in the history of the Earth had ever seen a baseball game before. And after spending some time searching around for evidence that might prove us wrong, my roommate and I last night concluded that it does in fact appear as though no one, anywhere, thinks Joe Buck has any business calling a baseball game. Maybe it's time for FOX to consider hiring someone who actually likes the sport?
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics sent word around today that voters who vote in Precinct #39, the Ward 1 polling place that has normally been located at the Mt. Pleasant Public Library branch at 3160 16th Street NW, has been moved. Voters in Precinct #39 will now cast their ballots for the Nov. 4 general election down the street, in the auditorium at Bell Multicultural High School, at 3101 16th Street NW. All registered voters in Precinct #39 should also receive a card in the mail notifying them of this change. For further information, call the Board of Elections and Ethics at (202) 727-2525.
Just last week, D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) introduced legislation that would impose stricter regulations on parking in certain residential neighborhoods, primarily those around active commercial areas such as Adams Morgan. Today we find out that Mt. Pleasant is looking to try out a new parking approach of its own.
Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld
Good morning, Washington, and happy historically insensitive federal holiday to you! If you're back at work this morning, then we hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed the very first edition of DCist weekend content -- be sure to leave us some comments with your reactions and suggestions for what DCist weekends ought to look like. If you're sleeping in this morning because you have the day off, just do us all a favor and don't mention it whenever you finally do join us. We wouldn't want to have to send an angry mob after you and your smug, well-rested attitude.
Looking for a financial business that's not having massive issues in the wake of last week's stock market meltdown? The Post reports that smaller locally-owned banks like Burke & Herbert and Cardinal Bank are seeing a major increase in the amount of cash coming into their hands, as residents flee other flailing major banks. The government recently temporarily upgraded the amount of FDIC insurance for deposit accounts to $250,000, but it's clear that people are on the lookout for the next sinking ship. The money quote (literally, we suppose) comes from Bernard H. Clineburg, Cardinal's chairman: "We have people coming in with checks from other institutions to our bank and saying: 'I want to open an account. I want to open it today.' And you look at the check and it's for $1.5 million." Well, that's one way to change that 10 percent reduction in deposits which the McLean-based bank saw last year.
...but just as we predicted on Friday, there's nary a protester to be seen at this weekend's meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. WTOP reports that "not a protest sign was seen" today, but streets will, nevertheless, remain closed off near Farragut Square until Monday. But since last year's dramatics included a woman in Georgetown getting hit in the face with a brick as part of a protest of the meetings, it's likely a justifiable precaution.
Well, "security" of some sort was in place, but it appears as if two Cuban national soccer team players went AWOL from the team's Arlington hotel on Friday. Midfielder Pedro Faife and forward Reynier Alcantara, both in their mid-twenties, could not be accounted for as the Cuban team - in town for a World Cup qualifying match against the United States at RFK Stadium this evening - traveled to practice. There's no word on whether or not the assumed defections are due to any interest from Major League Soccer teams, although Alcantara's strike rate of 10 goals in 16 career international appearances is intriguing. (It should be noted that the deadline for MLS teams to add players this season has passed.)
The Cubans, of course, deny the players even traveled into the States. Hey, maybe the two just wanted to visit the "single most unpleasant place on Earth."
Good morning, D.C. Welcome to the first weekend of regular posting here at DCist. We hope that you'll join us all weekend while you're kicking back and taking advantage of what looks like some utterly outstanding weather for mid-October.
Earlier we told you about an apparent suicide attempt at the Suitland Metro station. The man who was struck by a train died, and the Green line has since resumed normal service after about three hours of delays, so it shouldn't affect your ride home tonight. Also earlier today, we mentioned that the entire U.S. House was unable to email. The Politico has since reported that the outage has been repaired, and staffers are once again on their Blackberries.
The ban on the sale of single beers keeps marching on, so it seems.
It's that time of year when the world's finance ministers gather in Washington and tens of thousands of protesters take to the streets to demand more transparency and accountability from the World Bank and IMF. Oh wait, that's so 2000. These days, the annual meeting of the two financial institutions doesn't draw much of a protest crowd, though the city still does shut off streets around Farrugut West just in case we all decide to spontaneously rise up against global debt and poverty. Keep the closures, which include some pedestrian restrictions, in mind over the long weekend.
It's a Capitol catastrophe, folks. The Hill is reporting that the entire U.S. House, both members and staffers, don't have access to their email right now. Apparently a circuit breaker overloaded a House data center Thursday afternoon, making the whole system go kablooey. Engineers are working to resolve the problem, and they hope to have the House back up and emailing away at some point today. Guess it's a good thing this happened while Congress wasn't here.
Breaking from WMATA: Someone's been struck by a train at Suitland Metro station. The reports we're getting is that the unidentified individual went completely under the train, and that the odds they are still alive are slim. The station is temporarily closed and trains are turning back at Naylor Road station. There is currently no train service between Naylor Road and Branch Avenue, and the Green line is going to be seriously delayed in both directions for at least the next several hours, if not longer. MORE: Metro says investigators have told them it looks like a suicide attempt, that the person was on the tracks intentionally. UPDATE 1:13 p.m. Suitland Metro has reopened. Trains are sharing one track between Naylor Road and Branch Avenue, so continue to expect Green line delays.
In May, we wrote about how stricter residential parking rules were desperately needed in Adams Morgan. Yesterday, Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham's office sent out the following announcement:
D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward One) this week introduced a bill that will protect and enhance residential parking in Ward One. Ward One attracts many non-residents who park on neighborhood streets. As a result residents – even with residential parking permits – can’t find parking near their homes. The bill would preserve street parking for residents by restricting certain areas to RPP holders only. It would also create a more efficient system for metered street parking in commercial areas.Seems pretty directly aimed at Adams Morgan -- now the only question is, which certain areas will be restricted?
Good morning, D.C. We could hardly believe what we were reading when we first saw that former D.C. Council member Harold Brazil (he lost his At-large seat to Kwame Brown four years ago and also represented Ward 6 long before that) was arrested in a tattoo parlor brawl last night. WTOP caught first wind of the story, though the Post has the better details: allegedly Brazil, 59, entered the tattoo parlor with two women, one of whom was escorted to a backroom to get a tattoo. When Brazil tried to follow her, a shop employee stopped him, and they proceeded to get into a physical confrontation. It apparently took three employees to get Brazil off the guy, and when the police showed up, they arrested him and charged him with simple assault. Amazing, and so difficult to come up with just the right joke here. Hmm. Something about if Brazil had had that much "fight" in him when he was on the Council, maybe he'd still be in his job...
One of the dumbest stories we've read all day was written by Jessica Brady of Roll Call, a piece titled "In Congressional IDs, Badge Envy Is Rife." That link is subscription-only, but here's a little taste:
Some observers of Capitol Hill might think that power and position are simple things, based on status, seniority and face recognition on the Sunday morning talk shows.
This coming Monday is Columbus Day, which is technically a federal holiday. That being the case, WMATA has announced as it always does that it will be following a holiday schedule for the day, meaning the Metrorail system will operate on a modified Saturday schedule, opening at 5 a.m. and closing at midnight. In other words, there won't be any peak service during rush hour. But how many of you actually have Monday off? More of you than, say, get Veterans Day off? About the same? We're curious.
Montgomery County Police say they have tentatively identified the two bodies found in Renee Bowman's freezer as two of Bowman's adopted daughters. They also released this undated photo of Jasmine Nicole Bowman, who would now be 9, and Minnet Cecila Bowman, who would be 11. A family friend made the identification, though as the Post points out, it's not yet an official identification. Still, police don't expect to discover the bodies belonged to anyone else once the autopsies are completed.
Via the Post's Maryland Moment, it's no surprise to learn that Keith Olbermann isn't a fan of former Maryland Police Superintendent Thomas Hutchins. Last night on Olbermann's infamous "Worst Person" segment, the left-leaning MSNBC host took Hutchins to task for overseeing the controversial program that spied on nonviolent activists in Maryland and went so far as to list 53 of them as "terrorists." Hutchins defended the program, saying, "I don't believe the First Amendment is any guarantee to those who wish to disrupt the government." Worst. Defense. Ever.
Here's a question: if you have access to a car, have you ever driven it to the DCUSA complex? Or how about your local supermarket?
Written by DCist contributor Elisabeth Meinecke
Good morning, Washington. Well, you knew this story was coming: The Post shines some light on the practice of paying parents who adopt from the District's foster care program. In the wake of the grisly discovery of the bodies of Renee Bowman's adopted daughters inside her freezer, everyone's trying to figure out how the system failed those children. Bowman received $2400 a month for her three children. The Post says District officials are considering requiring evidence that children are enrolled in school or have been immunized before checks can be sent to adoptive parents.
It seems amazing to me that the District government doesn't impose an additional fee when it tows cars illegally parked in rush hour lanes. Whenever possible the city just moves cars to another nearby street, gives the driver a $100 ticket, and that's it, no additional towing fee. Considering the inconvenience drivers who leave their cars in rush hour lanes cause to everyone, the practice seems a little too fair. Well now the D.C. Council looks poised to do something about it. The Examiner reports that they have tentatively approved an additional $100 "vehicle relocation fee" that drivers would be charged on top of the parking ticket fine. The fee is designed to allow DPW to hire more independent tow trucks to help move more vehicles out of the way. Seems like a pretty reasonable solution.
Maybe every political debate from now on should be held on a night where pretty much everyone has somewhere more important to be.
Ruh-roh. Not long after news leaked out that Wizards starting center Brendan Haywood might be lost for 4-6 months, team captain Antawn Jamison went down with a knee injury in Dallas midway through the first quarter of last night's preseason opener. The team is officially calling it a "sprained knee" but on TV it looked much worse than that. The CSN broadcast cut to a nattily dressed Agent Zero on the Wizards bench and he looked like he was about to lose his lunch. Not good. Jamison is scheduled to undergo an MRI today, but he thinks he will be OK. "It was a scary moment, and it hurt really bad at first," Jamison told the Post. "But once I got back [to the locker room] and got some ice on it, I actually don't feel any pain right now, so that's a good sign. We'll have to wait and see what the MRI says, but I think I'm going to be fine."
Good morning, Washington. So how about that debate, huh? I watched it on CNN. Given that research shows that swing voters are the least-informed members of the electorate, it sure was illuminating to have an audience of undecided voters posing the questions, then have the candidates' answers evaluated by a panel of yet more undecided voters. At any rate, CNN's polling showed an Obama win, with 54% thinking the Illinois Senator performed better and 30% favoring John McCain. What did you all think? Bowman's Boyfriend May Not Have Know About Bodies: NBC4 is reporting that Renee Bowman's boyfriend Joe Dickerson did not know that the bodies of two of Bowman's adopted children were in her freezer when he helped her move it from residence to residence. The assertion is attributed to unnamed sources, but the story also quotes Dickerson proclaiming his ignorance of the crimes and willingness to cooperate with police. Dickerson is quoted as telling WRCTV's Pat Collins "I need a lawyer" to which we can only say: yeah. Yeah, you really, really do. Md. Removes Activists' Names From List of Terrorists: It seems that during the Ehrlich administration various Maryland-based opponents of the death penalty and the Iraq War were incorrectly classified as terrorists in state and federal databases. State authorities are now owning up to and correcting the mistake, if not exactly apologizing. The Post has the details. Thomas E. Hutchins, the former police superintendent who oversaw the program, says that Governor Ehrlich never knew about any of this, and seems to be attributing the mistake to a software program that didn't offer sufficiently nuanced options for describing the activists. Briefly Noted: Suspect in abduction that led to fatal crash indicted for murder... Manassass man sues gym & trainers over workout that he says left him disabled... Report finds that low-income city residents do not get sufficient legal representation.... Proposed changes to P.G. firefighters board sparks controversy... Barry delays bill aimed at replacing Franklin homeless shelter... Cheh proposes fine for motorists who use bike lanes or pass cyclists within 3 ft... Teens charged with dumping body of friend who died of alcohol poisoning... Major power line project through Virginia approved... Silver Spring Live Nation concert venue passes final hurdle... This Day In DCist: One year ago WAMU bluegrass host Red Shipley passed away. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Mr. T in DC
As we reported in August, the District is moving closer to ending Comcast's virtual monopoly over cable television service in the city. Today the D.C. Office of Cable Television announced that a franchise agreement negotiated with Verizon for its fiber-optic service has been submitted to the D.C. Council for review.
After a few false starts, it's finally official — we just received a press release from Ellwood Thompson's CEO Ryan Youngman, who said a deal was signed at about 2 p.m. today for a location in the DC USA shopping center.
Dan Steinberg posted this funny Jeopardy clip over on the Bog, where none of the contestants were aware of any of Wizards star Gilbert Arenas's nicknames. Maybe the often injured guard has been out of the national limelight a little too much over the past two seasons? Of course we love Agent Hibachi no matter what, and if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to read about the adorable way in which Arenas recently proposed to his girlfriend.
Last month we got excited that the D.C. Council's famously 1997-era web site was finally being redesigned, and today we noticed that the new site is now live. Compare what it looks like now to what it looked like before. Much better, right?
Frozen Tropics tipped us off to this piece of news from the District Department of Public Works: beginning yesterday, city recycling crews are now picking up a number of new kinds of items that were previously not accepted for recycling. Most intriguing is that the city will now collect plastic bags for recycling, including the bags you typically get from grocery stores, and even those flimsier produce and dry cleaning bags. Here's the list of new items the city will now pick up:
D.C. police arrested two men in connection with an alleged assault against a gay man in Georgetown late last week.
Good morning, Washington. So Mayor Fenty formally went before the D.C. Council yesterday to introduce his proposed budget cuts that would help make up for the expected $131 million revenue shortfall. The Post wrote it up, even though the proposals had pretty much all been reported by the paper on Friday. City agency budgets hardest hit would include the police department (could lose $4 million), employment services ($3.5 million), the health department ($2.9 million) and transportation ($2.6 million). Notably, Fenty left the D.C. Schools budget untouched. And naturally the Examiner reports that the original $131 million estimate for the shortfall could easily end up being more like $200 million. Expect to hear a lot more about the city's budget and these cuts over the next couple of weeks.
WMATA is reporting an earlier "situation" that has been resolved at L'Enfant Plaza that's causing delays in both directions on the Orange and Blue lines. Word is that trains are sharing the same track between Federal Triangle and Federal Center SW stations due to some sort of mechanical problem. Heads up for your commute home.
The Caps look good this year. Not only have they kept together a team that made the playoffs last year and added a celebrity goalie, but their starting left wing is now the spokesman for a major East Coast discount beauty shop chain.
We've reminded you a few times already, but don't forget that you have only hours left to register to vote in the Nov. 4 general election in the District of Columbia and Virginia. The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics office will stay open until midnight tonight to accept voter registration forms. Virginia residents can visit the State Board of Elections web site to download a registration form, which must be either postmarked or personally delivered to your local elections office by today. Maryland residents have until Oct. 14 to register.
It's been quite the season for Major League Soccer, at least in terms of parity. Coming into Saturday's activity, only Columbus had laid claim to one of the eight MLS Cup playoffs spots, and every single team in the league remained mathematically alive in the chase for the playoffs.
So over the weekend John McCain's brother, Joe McCain, serving as a surrogate for the presidential candidate, appeared at a rally in Loudoun County. During his remarks, the Post reported that he joked that Arlington and Alexandria were "communist country," alluding to the fact that Northern Virginia has become increasingly Democratic over the last decade, and that Arlington and Alexandria especially might as well be part of the District of Columbia in terms of their left-leaning politics. He was playing to the Loudoun crowd, and apparently people there laughed. Assuming we shouldn't just ignore this as mere political gaffe, and considering how important both candidates appear to think Virginia is to their electoral strategies, we're curious what you Virginia residents think about this. Has the divide between Northern Virginia and the rest of the state grown so wide that the McCain campaign may be on to something by trying to play up those differences in areas like Loudoun County? Or has Loudoun itself sufficiently changed over the last decade that playing up the us vs. them mentality in that part of Virginia might be supremely stupid?
Did you apply for a marriage license in the District between Sept. 11 and the end of last week? If so, you were forced to pay for a syphilis test even though you didn't have to. The Examiner reports that some confusion resulting from the irregular congressional schedule this year meant that the D.C. Superior Court failed to implement on time a law recently passed by the D.C. Council doing away with the requirement for marriage license applicants. Thanks to the extended Senate session this summer, the law was supposed to go into effect on Sept. 11, but the court had planned to implement it on Oct. 8. The tests can run upward of $100. It's still unclear whether the 220 couples affected by the screw up will be able to get refunds, but you can call the Marriage Bureau Section at 202-879-4840 with any questions.
Written by DCist contributor Rob Birgfeld
Good morning, Washington. Redskins fans are still grappling with what yesterday's win on the road against the Eagles might mean - could the 'Skins be the real deal this year? Prospective voters are scrambling to file their registration paperwork before the end of the day today in the District and Virginia (you Marylanders have until next week). And former Washington Post Executive Editor Len Downie took to the Op-Ed pages over the weekend to defend our city's reputation against the usual attacks. "The other secret about our town, obscured by its distortion in political campaigns, is that the real Washington is a good place in which to live, despite the snarled traffic and a jumble of political jurisdictions," Downie writes. Give it a read if you'd like to feel a few warm fuzzies about our town.
Buried at the bottom of yesterday's WaPo story about the $1.5 billion funding package for Metro passed by the Senate is this juicy tidbit:
The bill also includes a provision to improve cellphone coverage in the subway system. Within one year, the 20 busiest underground Metro stations would be required to have cellphone access for all carriers. Currently, only Verizon or Sprint roaming customers can receive signals.The last we heard about plans to build an expanded cell phone service network in Metro stations and tunnels was in April, when WMATA announced it would put out an official request for proposals from companies interested in building an expanded network -- which at the time was estimated to take 18 months to get up and running in the busiest stations and closer to four years to complete in the entire system. So assuming President Bush signs this bill into law, which by all accounts he intends to do, will Metro be able to meet the 1-year deadline?
Remember Monday, when the U.S. House refused to pass a $700 billion bailout package and everyone kinda freaked out? Well a little less than an hour ago they came together for another vote, this time on the Senate's version of the deal, and voted for it. We can't help but feel like the strangest part about the affirmative vote is not actually that it happened, but that even though it probably wasn't clear until this morning whether enough members had switched to the other side, the vote just doesn't seem like a big surprise. Was anyone really expecting the House not to go along with the Senate on this one, after the way the markets reacted to Monday's vote?
Joining the ranks of resurrected Boston institutions such as the Red Sox, the Celtics and The Pixies, the newly reunited New Kids on the Block stopped by the Verizon Center last night on their tour promoting their reunion disc, The Block, which actually reached #2 on the Billboard album chart. Yes, Donnie, Danny, Joey, Jonathan and Jordan are quite a bit older than their mid-1980s heyday and their dance moves are a bit more robotic these days, but it didn't matter to the capacity crowd in attendance last night. The set was a mix of old material and new, but it was the big hits like "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" that got the crowd on their feet. And judging by the number of vintage NKOTB shirts I saw, plenty of the audience was there the first time around.
Good morning, D.C. So, who won last night's hotly anticipated VP debate (can you remember the last time we had a hotly anticipated VP debate)? The general consensus seems to be that neither candidate had a major gaffe, and that the most likely result is that this debate didn't change the presidential race one way or another. Slate's John Dickerson writes that Palin managed to stop the bleeding for McCain. Jon Cohen at the Washington Post's The Trail blog says that both Palin and Biden scored points by beating low expectations, and that moderator Gwen Ifill also won the evening by coming across as extremely fair despite having spent the last two days being accused of a pro-Obama bias. And the Politico's John Harris and Mike Allen argue that Palin may have managed not to fall on her face, but since her job on the GOP ticket was actually supposed to be to put McCain over the top, she pretty much failed in every way. Of course, we all know who the clear losers were last night: those of us whose VP Debate Bingo cards and pre-planned drinking games relied on a majorly embarrassing moment for us to achieve an adequate buzz.
Every election season sees its share of campaign materials, from the expected (yard signs) to the somewhat exotic (Kwame Brown's campaign-mobile). But repeat candidate Michael A. Brown may have stumbled across the most frustrating in his current quest for an At-Large seat on the D.C. Council.
Written by DCist contributor Elisabeth Meinecke
NBC4 is reporting that the hospitalizations of Georgetown University students that began Tuesday night is being blamed on a massive outbreak of the Norovirus. Something like 170 students are now believed to be affected. The last report from the Hoya says that the Leo J. O'Donovan dining hall has been closed indefinitely while officials investigate the illnesses.
report for accuracy prior to public release.
For all its foibles, Metro is still something most of the capital region wants to take pride in. Sure, all the news lately about the Metro funding bill touts the importance of federal workers riding the rails on a daily basis - but when it comes down to it, Metro in general is something beloved by most area residents, regardless of where they work.
Poor D.C. United. US Open Cup success aside, it's been about as frustrating a season as a team could have. The first few months were filled with growing pains, trying to find a way to mold the side around new Argentinian signing Marcelo Gallardo. It began to pay off in early summer, with the team finally finding form and playing with the easy-on-the-eyes attacking style in such a marked contrast to some of the league's less attractive approaches. The end of the summer brought Louis Crayton in goal, and an unexpected string of defensive resolution from the usually charitable United defense. But they never really made a big dent in the MLS standings, and now their CONCACAF Champions League campaign is as good as over before it could even really take off.
Good morning, Washington. The U.S. Senate sure was a busy place last night, with their biggest move of course being the approval of their own version of a $700 billion financial bailout package, by a vote of 74 to 25. The House is now expected to take up the revised bill on Friday. Locally, last night's action was also important the Senate also gave approval to $1.5 billion in federal funding for Metro. Lots of things have to happen before WMATA actually gets the money, but the Post says officials are optimistic that it could become available by next fall. Both D.C. and Maryland have approved their portion of the required $50 million per year in matching funds from all three jurisdictions, and Va. Gov. Tim Kaine has now promised his state will come up with the money.
Exciting news for people who like to put one foot in front of the other, via the Washington Business Journal. Maryland has become the first state in the country to adopt an official state exercise, and they've chosen walking.
The Georgetown Hoya is reporting that more than 20 students were hospitalized and admitted to the Georgetown University Hospital late Tuesday evening with bad cases of food poisoning. University officials have since shut down the Leo J. O'Donovan Dining Hall, otherwise known as Leo's. A university spokesperson told the Washington Post that they were unaware that any students had actually been admitted to the hospital, but Hoya reporter Andrew Dwulet's story contradicts those claims. Dwulet also polled a number of the sick students in the ER waiting room and found that at least two of them said they had not eaten at the dining hall in question since early in the day or Monday evening.
Via Notions Capital, a weeks-old Politico story we missed contains a tidbit about a funny exchange said to have taken place between perennial fringe presidential candidate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader and the Washington Post editorial board.
Nader recounted a recent meeting with editors at The Washington Post, who he said told him the paper wasn’t covering his campaign because he had no chance of winning. According to Nader, he replied: “Then why are you covering the Nationals?” a reference to Washington’s long-suffering baseball team.Ouch. We'd counter by arguing that the Nats stood at least a chance of being competitive this past season, but who are we kidding.
A post on Gregg Easterbrook’s ESPN blog has gotten our staff list all abuzz today with this anti-Tysons Corner rant, so we thought you might want to join the debate. D.C.-based Easterbrook lays down some serious Tysons hate when regarding the choice of Arizona Cardinals’ coaches to house their players in a hotel next to the mega-mall for the week between their games against Washington and New York.
But rather than find some pleasant countryside location or college campus where the team could train and concentrate, the Cardinals stayed in this hotel in Tyson's Corner, Va. In case you haven't had the misfortune of visiting Tyson's Corner, it is the mega-mall for the nation's capital -- a hellish conjunction of stores, parking lots, sprawl, gridlocked roads, beltway cloverleafs and cars, cars, cars. Here's what it looks like where the Cards stayed. Between the concrete, fumes, gridlock and screaming commerce, Tyson's Corner may be the single most unpleasant place on planet Earth. You couldn't pay me to stay in a hotel in Tyson's Corner! Small wonder the Cards stunk up the joint in Jersey on Sunday, committing seven turnovers in a 56-35 loss to the throwback-clad Jets led by Hackensack Brett. If you'd stayed in a shopping-mall hotel for a week, you'd play terribly too! But perhaps Arizona coaches got some good deals on Dockers.A visit to Tysons can often be unpleasant, but the most unpleasant place on the planet? What Easterbrook forgets is that the Cardinals typically reside in Phoenix, which is sort of like Tysons to the 10th power, except located in the center of the sun. Share your feelings about Tysons Corner in the comments.
A maintenance worker found a grenade near the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Rock Creek Park early this morning. There's some confusion over whether the grenade is "live" or not -- the Post quotes a U.S. Park Police spokesperson as saying the grenade is genuine and not a toy, while WTOP has a source saying the grenade is live. An Army bomb squad is on the scene to deal with the device.
Via the Post's Get There blog, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has put in place a number of new regulations starting today. The fees to renew a D.C. driver's license or identification card has gone up from $39 to $44. That's not too big of a hike, and the good news is that those licenses will now be valid for eight years, instead of only five. That works out to $5.50 per year versus $7.80 per year before, so in a real way, it actually costs less now.
Good morning, Washington. Looking outside the window this morning, it appears that we still have an economy, if only barely. The latest word on the disaster is that Monday's failed bail-out package may be voted on again today, this time by the Senate and with some tax cuts thrown in to make it more palatable to House Republicans. But the Senate won't just be considering the nation's collective financial fate; it'll be considering Metro's funding, too. We mentioned this yesterday, of course, and yeah, it's likely to pass. Still, it'll be good to have Metro's fiscal situation taken care of, even as everyone else's remains in doubt.
More Details In Bowman Case: As you might imagine, the information coming out regarding the case of Renee Bowman — in whose freezer the apparent remains of two of her adopted children were found earlier this week — continues to be gruesome. the Post has the latest, which includes the news that Bowman seems to have moved once since the death of the children, transporting the freezer with her. Police say this means that the children may have been dead for over a year before their bodies were discovered. Meanwhile, the Washington Times leads with the headline "Dead kids' mom had credit woes".
Utility Discount Program Draws More Interest Than It Can Handle: The city's attempt to help some residents with their utility bills proved to be a victim of its own success — or maybe just of the economic climate — as an unexpectedly large number of applicants overwhelmed officials' preparations. WJLA reports that some applicants were ultimately turned away from the convention center. But don't worry: those turned away will still be able to participate.
Briefly Noted: Md. Medevac resumes flights in wake of weekend crash... Sexual assault in Georgetown dorm may be related to previous incidents... Crash shuts down 110E in Arlington... Army decides to move 6,400 workers to Alexandria, disappointing transit planners... Smart Bike DC attracts nearly a thousand members... Culpeper residents demand the right to shoot varmints...
This Day In DCist: One year ago the city had 420,000 surplus condoms.
Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Mr. T in DC
We went to the Macy's at 12th & G this morning for the Black Friday morning specials. There was a sh
[more]
Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Devendra Banhart @ 9:30 Club
Saturday Thanks Don't End At Thanksgiving Photo: November 28, 2009
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
tweet this
add to facebook
Recent Comments