News: February 2009 Archives

"OMG Sen. Roland Burris! Ehh, do we really want this guy coming to bat for us? Maybe!"

The Washington Post reports that the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee rejected Gov. Martin O'Malley's bill to repeal the death penalty, the latest turn in the state's long back-and-forth history on capital punishment. It's hardly the last. In fact, it's not even the last legislative push Maryland will see before spring.

Good morning, Washington. The Post takes stock this morning of reactions and prognostications in light of this week's Senate passage of the D.C. House Voting Rights Act, and -- unlike our own Martin Austermuhle -- finds plenty of optimism to go around. Former Virginia Representative and longtime D.C. voting rights champion Tom Davis believes that the bill's controversial gun amendment will be removed during conference; the same goes for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). The idealogue reaction appears to indicate that even though the shadow of the National Rifle Association hangs heavy over several members of the both Congressional chambers, many legislators would still get their gun-toting cred even if the amendment is removed. In any case, we'll likely find out on Wednesday when the House is expected to take up a vote on the matter.

Five years ago, the Rainbow History Project began work to grant historic landmark status to Dr. Frank Kameny's home and office. That goal was realized yesterday when D.C.'s Historic Preservation Office granted that status.

Yesterday was surely a day of celebration for those of us who have been fighting for D.C. voting rights. The mere fact that the Senate voted to approve the D.C. House Voting Rights Act is a huge step in what has long been a consistently frustrating battle for equal rights for the District of Columbia.

Below are some of the official statements we've received from D.C. and federal government leaders reacting to yesterday's Senate passage of S.160, the D.C. House Voting Rights Act.

If today's the first day you've gotten around to reading the news, let's recap what might be some of the biggest news of the week (if not year) for District residents -- the Senate yesterday endorsed legislation that would grant the city a voting seat in the House of Representatives. But just as no victory for voting rights activists is ever truly sweet, a Republican senator again managed to insert language that would effectively gut the District's new gun laws, a poison pill aimed at forcing residents to choose between enfranchisement and self-governance. The bill has yet to make it through the House and conference committee, though, where the offending language will likely be removed as the City Paper's Mike DeBonis explains. Our own Sommer Mathis live-blogged the whole thing, in case you want all the dirty details. For now we celebrate; some sober-minded analysis is sure to follow.

The Senate has voted to approve the D.C. House Voting Rights Act, 61-37. The only vote that changed from Tuesday's cloture vote was that of Alaska's Lisa Murkowski (R).

The Capitals have launched hockey's first official website for female fans. The web site mixes player stats and bios with videos depicting the personal lives of Capitals players, dreamy headshots and, of course, shopping.

Catch up on Wednesday's senate debate here.

Good morning, Washington. This DCist editor doesn't personally follow Bravo's Top Chef (spoilers follow!), but if this morning's incoming tweets are any indication, D.C.'s own Carla Hall didn't do so well in last night's finale, and someone named Hosea walked away the big winner—and not necessarily to the delight of fans. Still, if the success of previous locally-based Top Chef losers is any indication, we'll be hearing more from Carla soon enough.

WTOP's Adam Tuss had two nice little news nuggets today on forward-looking developments in local transportation. The first is that new DDOT chief Gabe Klein confirmed that the Anacostia streetcar line is still a go, and that we should expect "an announcement in the next few weeks" on its progress. That's good news, considering the District bought three streetcars for the project almost four years ago, but have been forced to stash them in the Czech Republic while we waited for tracks to be installed for them here. Eventually, more streetcar lines would be installed across the new 11th Street bridges and along H Street NE.

On top of the smoking manholes and subsequent road closures, Adams Morgan is now facing a water main break at 17th and Euclid Streets NW. WASA has reported that 100 customers are affected by the outage in the area. No word on whether the underground fire that caused the smoke had any effect on the water main.

We're pretty busy following the action in the Senate as it happens, but for those who are interested, the House Judiciary Committee is marking up the House version of the D.C. Voting Rights Act right now (the hearing began at 2 p.m., but they are discussing the bill now). You can stream the hearing live here. Yesterday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.) said he expected to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote sometime next week.

AlertDC lets us know that Pepco is on site at 18th Street and Columbia Rd. NW in response to a smoking manhole cover. DDOT spokesperson John Lisle follows up that Columbia Rd. NW has been closed between 18th Street and Kalorama Road as a result of the manhole emergency and smoke, and traffic is being diverted. Pepco, FEMS and the MPD are all on the scene. DDOT says it has also deployed Road Operations Patrol units and Traffic Control Officers to assist with traffic in the area.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) came to the floor of the Senate at 10:31 a.m. to argue that S.160, the D.C. Voting Rights Act, is unconstitutional. Thus begins formal debate on the bill itself after yesterday's successful cloture vote. We'll be keeping an eye on the debate all day, noting that Mary Beth Sheridan reported this morning that Majority Leader Harry Reid has now said that a vote could come today.

Good morning, Washington. Did you watch the President's speech last night? It turns out that America is fantastic! Also, Republicans oppose big government intrusions on volcanoes' right to privacy. What did you all think? Apologies Issued For Inaugural Woes: According to WJLA the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has begun mailing out apologies to inaugural ticketholders who might have been victims of the Purple Tunnel of Doom or other mixups during the festivities. The packet includes a copy of the inaugural speech and photos of the event. Barry Gets A Court Date: NBC4's got the latest on Marion Barry's recovery from his recent kidney transplant. There's not much new to report on the health front. It sounds like Barry is continuing to do well, and is still on track to go home later this week. What is new is Barry's next court date: he'll be back in court on April 2 to deal with his delinquent income tax situation. Briefly Noted: Unattended bag prompts partial evacuation at Dulles... Former WASA payroll specialist accused of stealing over $200k... Va. hookah bars will not be exempted from new smoking ban... Metro says weekend parking fees at its lots wouldn't be nearly as profitable as allowing alcohol advertising... Md. schools adopt anti-bullying regulations... Expect some military air exercises to begin at midnight... O'Malley to participate in rally opposing death penalty... This Day In DCist: One year ago we learned that lead levels spiked after WASA replaced pipes, and the local vendor lineup at Nats Stadium was announced. Image Posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user mosley.brian

Mayor Adrian Fenty was a guest on Larry King Live early this morning, somewhat surprisingly serving as one of four "experts" invited on the show to parse President Obama's speech and economic plan. The other three pundits were libertarian talk show host Larry Elder, Sacramento Mayor (and Michelle Rhee's rumored boyfriend!) Kevin Johnson, and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

Here's a list of the D.C. residents who will be sitting with First Lady Michelle Obama tonight during President Barack Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress, according to information provided by the White House.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.), a longtime proponent of the D.C. Voting Rights Act, released a statement announcing that the bill should reach the House floor for a vote next week. The bill will be marked-up in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

Official statements are starting to roll in from D.C. government officials on this morning's successful cloture vote on the D.C. Voting Rights Act in the U.S. Senate.

Failed Republican D.C. Council candidate Patrick Mara is claiming credit for flipping the vote of Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski on this morning's cloture vote for the D.C. Voting Rights Act. In a statement released to the press, the DC Republican Committee cited Mara's meeting with Murkowski's staff prior to the vote.

10:01 a.m. The Senate comes into session with its usual pledge of allegiance, etc. Now Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid is explaining how the day's work will go in the Senate, including taking up S.160. He's actually proposing voting on the actual bill today, sometime around 5 p.m. That's big news.

Good morning, Washington! It's a very big day for D.C. voting rights activists, as S.160 faces the dreaded Senate cloture vote at 11 a.m. Yesterday, only Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) chose to speak about the bill in any way, but any senator may speak on the motion to proceed this morning between 10 and 11. Then we'll have the vote for cloture which, assuming the current vote counts are accurate, will then push the bill forward and debate on the bill itself will begin. "Our present count indicates that we have the 60 votes necessary to invoke cloture and begin the debate on S. 160," D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said in a statement. And here's the WaPo editorial in this morning's paper: "Two years ago, similar legislation fell three votes short of the 60 needed to proceed to debate and consideration. Advocates for D.C. voting rights, buoyed by Democratic congressional gains in November as well as the support of President Obama, are cautiously optimistic." And finally, an ABC News/Washington Post poll shows 58 percent of Americans support the bill.

Ronald Henderson, owner of 14th Street stationery and gift store Pulp, died Feb. 15 at his home in Provincetown, Mass., of complications related to AIDS and liver cancer. He was 56.

While we wait for who knows how long for debate on the D.C. Voting Rights act to begin, D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray has released a statement directed to the Senate while they consider S.160. Press release below:

The Senate version of the D.C. Voting Rights Act, known as S.160, hit the floor of the U.S. Senate at just after 2:50 p.m. this afternoon. We'll admit that our knowledge of detailed Senate procedure is no doubt more limited than some of our readers who work on the Hill, so please, feel free to correct us as we write and listen at the same time.

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The Washington Post introduced a new format for the Outlook section yesterday, marking one more change in what has been a series of reforms and re-formats for the newspaper in a time of declining readership and revenue. Though the Outlook section looks and feels roughly the same, it dramatically did away with the unsigned editorials and signed op-eds (they've moved to the back pages of the A section, where they appear every other day of the week), pushed the last-page "Close to Home" local issue op-eds to the Metro section (across from the "Obituaries," no less) and awkwardly merged in shortened book reviews from the now defunct Book World section. The City Paper's Erik Wemple has an internal memo detailing the new Outlook format.

Good morning, D.C. We hope you didn't stay up too late basking in the glow of Slumdog Millionaire Fest 2K9, because we've got a busy week ahead of us from the look of this morning's headlines. The Post's Mary Beth Sheridan gives us the latest on the D.C. Voting Rights Act, which is scheduled for a cloture vote in the Senate tomorrow, with some minimal opening floor debate expected late this afternoon. Sheridan's got co-sponsor Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) saying he thinks the votes are there. Assuming the bill can get through cloture, more debate will follow on the bill for several days, with a final vote on the bill coming after that. Stay tuned to DCist this week for all the latest developments.

christaki took this weekend by the horns and traveled west to Washington, Virginia, catching this striking, colorful, almost Mondrian-esque scene along the way.

Report by DCist contributor Brett Gellman.

It's hardly news to the enlightened readership of DCist that Ward 1 Councilman -- and newly chosen WMATA chairman -- Jim Graham rarely uses the service which he now holds so much sway over.

Good morning, D.C. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the opening of DCist Exposed last night -- personally, I was happy to wait in line for as long as necessary to celebrate those of you that illustrate our posts all year. If you weren't one of the over one thousand folks who packed their way into the reception last night, there's plenty of chances for you to check out the exhibition. DCist Exposed will be on display until March 7 at Flashpoint, open for viewing Tuesday through Saturday, 12 - 6 p.m. Hey, why not check it out today?

As we write, Ward 8 D.C. Council member Marion Barry is being prepped for an expected 2:30 p.m. kidney transplant at Howard University Hospital. Some of Barry's colleagues on the Council have sent their well wishes to the former mayor.

D.C. Police are continuing to ask for the public's help in locating two missing District residents.

The Post's Lena H. Sun followed up this morning on what caused last night's disruption and emergency track work at Mt Vernon Sq 7th St-Convention Center: a train that carried no passengers derailed.

George Mason University elected a drag queen as Ms. Mason for the first time in the school's history.

If we haven't reminded you enough, tonight is the opening of DCist Exposed, our excellent annual exhibit that showcases some of the District's best photographers. So head on down to the Gallery at Flashpoint (916 G Street NW) from 5-9 p.m. for the opening reception.

The Virginia General Assembly today voted to approve a smoking ban in most of the state's bars and restaurants. The Virginia Senate approved the measure 27-13 on Thursday morning, and a few hours later, the House passed it as well, 60 to 39, without debate.

Several news outlets are reporting that Nationals shortstop prospect Esmailyn "Smiley" Gonzalez, whom the team signed for a $1.4 million bonus (a franchise record for an international signing), apparently lied about his name and age to the organization. "Smiley" is actually Carlos Alvarez Daniel Lugo, and a Major League Baseball investigation revealed he was 19, not 16, as the Nats thought when they signed him in 2006.

As pointed out in comments, it looks like we did indeed speak too soon. Lena Sun reports:

The vacuum truck that derailed this morning and caused major delays has derailed again. That means riders between Ballston and West Falls Church can expect delays this afternoon, officials said.

Continue reading "No, Wait, Orange Line Totally FUBARed Again"

The AP's Brett Zongker is reporting that former D.C. mayor and Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry has been admitted to Howard University Hospital in preparation for a kidney transplant.

Hospital spokesman Ron Harris says 72-year-old Barry was at the hospital Thursday for a surgery scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday. Harris says the six-hour procedure has a 95 percent success rate.

It's been a tough morning for WMATA crews working to clear the derailed maintenance vehicle from tracks outside the Courthouse Metro station—the estimates for when this problem is going to be cleared up keep getting pushed back. Here's the story so far, as told through emailed METRO Alerts:

Good morning, Washington. We hope those of you coming in to the city on the Orange and Blue Metro lines didn't have too bad a time this morning. Orange Line trains are still sharing the same track between Foggy Bottom-GWU and Clarendon stations due to emergency track work at Court House. WMATA says major delays of up to 40 minutes should be expected in both directions on the Orange and Blue lines through the end of rush hour service. DCist's Rebecca Cooper reports she could see activity in the tunnel just east of the Court House station on the Vienna track side when she was there earlier, and says the emergency track work is being done due to the derailment of a maintenance vehicle before the system opened early this morning.

In the PR battle for the hearts and minds of D.C. teachers, it looks like the Washington Teachers' Union is stepping up their game. The WTU has launched a series of radio ads and a new website promoting its teachers' contract proposal, which they recently submitted to schools chancellor Michelle Rhee in response to the controversial contract DCPS offered last year. The web site, United For D.C. Kids, argues that the WTU proposal is "bold, progressive and comprehensive" and urges people to "unite" and "join us fighting to bring real education reform to DC's schools." The site, however, reveals few new specifics about the union's proposal itself, although it does briefly argue against the "red and green" merit pay provisions in Rhee's contract.

Via WTOP, the CBS News Political Hotsheet blog reported a quote from an Obama spokesperson that we missed last week: President Obama still hasn't decided whether he will put the District's "Taxation Without Representation" license plates on his presidential limousine, and is in fact still using the plates that President Bush used.

We're hearing that a HazMat crew has been called in to respond to a suspicious package at 3rd Street and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Fire department vehicles are also on the scene. Will update when we know more. UPDATE 5:38 p.m.: The Associated Press is now reporting that streets in the area reopened earlier this afternoon. The "suspicious package" was apparently a lighting component that fell from a lamppost. Pennsylvania Avenue between 1st and 3rd Streets NW, and 1st Street between Independence and Constitution Avenues were closed from about noon until after 1 p.m.

It's been a little over a year since the decomposed bodies of Banita Jacks's four daughters were discovered inside their Southeast D.C. home. The house is still for sale, and WTOP's Mark Segraves took a look inside, with just incredibly disturbing results.

There is no smell that would indicate the home's history. There are some holes in the drywall and the plumbing is not working. Other than that, it appears to be your average rundown house.

Continue reading "Jacks Girls Wrote on Wall: 'Yes I Do Love Mom'"

Via WaPo, it seems Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham has brought back one of his favorite chestnuts, a piece of anti-loitering legislation that would allow police officers to issue $300 fines to groups of two or more people gathered in areas that police have determined are "known for illegal activity."

The Examiner's Michael Neibauer came up with an interesting story by talking to MPD officer David Baker. Baker posted a frustrated screed earlier this month on the 2nd District police email list, after yet another person was struck by a car at the intersection of Nebraska and Connecticut Avenues NW. Baker believes that the increase in pedestrian accidents in the area is not only due to drivers not paying attention—the pedestrians themselves are largely to blame, thanks to them being distracted by iPods and cell phones.

Good morning, Washington. It looks like the inch or so of snow that we're supposed to get this morning has just barely begun to start, conveniently saving itself for the peak of rush hour. It'll turn into rain by the afternoon. Sounds great, huh? Man, we sure do miss Fake Spring. Fire Department Lawsuit Brewing: It seems that WASA's not the only city agency facing legal woes. WJLA reports that former fire investigators Greg Bowyer and Gerald Pennington are planning to sue the fire department, alleging that their attempts to blow the whistle on departmental failures produced inaction and then retribution. Unnamed sources say that other firefighters will stand with Bowyer and Pennington and call for Chief Dennis Rubin's ouster. It's obviously too early to say whether this will remain a well-hyped lawsuit or develop into a genuine departmental issue, but John Pekkanen's recent story about the city's E911 services certainly makes the latter seem possible. Immigration Raid Spurs Controvery: The Post has a troubling story about a raid conducted by an ICE team that worked in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties. Accounts differ, but there are some indications that a high arrest quota prompted the team to drive to a nearby 7-11 and simply begin rounding up Hispanic men — including one who was en route to his son's chemotherapy appointment. Others contest this account, saying that the team arrived at the 7-11 by coincidence, and that the arrested men, some of whom proved to be legal residents, volunteered the fact that they were in the country illegally. Briefly Noted: Vienna nurse arrested for sexual battery... Developmentally disabled Silver Spring boy missing... Circulator may be taking over one or two Metrobus routes... Dog park plans meet resistance... Alexandria begins to consider Potomac Yard Metro station... Graham reintroduces anti-loitering law... Maryland closes driving loopholes for humans, leaves them open for dogs... Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user pjcoleman

We missed the formal announcement toward the end of last week that Metro's board has approved the new S9 Metrobus line, the long-discussed 16th Street rush hour express bus. Metro says it plans to begin S9 service as early as the end of March.

You knew something like this was only a matter of time. The Post reports that a D.C. man who is the father of developmentally disabled twin boys has filed a class action lawsuit against D.C. WASA.

Before 2 p.m. on Monday, I stood at Todays Bus’s New York stop at 3 Pike Street in New York City's Chinatown, waiting to return to Washington. But my bus was nowhere to be seen. At 2, Eastern Travel came and went. New Century sat around the corner filling up. Hawkers for both stood by slinging tickets. BoltBus and Megabus, which I wish I had booked instead, were miles uptown and probably sold out anyway. And after nearly an hour and not even a representative for my carrier in sight, I put my return ticket in my wallet, pulled out another $20, and grabbed the next New Century coach back to D.C.

  

The Post's Darryl Fears went to Eastern Market on Sunday to check out a display seeking community feedback on two different brick design options for the streets surrounding the historic building. The city plans to replace much of the asphalt roads around the fire-damaged market by the time it reopens later this year.

Good morning, Washington. Well, they did it. D.C. United officially declared their intention to move to Prince George's County at a press conference on Monday. Mark Segraves reports this is how owner Victor MacFarlane broke the news: "I bear no ill will toward the process in D.C. But it's over. We want to be in Prince George's County and we're going to be in Prince George's County." They say they'll be keeping the "D.C." brand (duh) despite the relocation. The team is reportedly considering seven different stadium sites in Maryland, with a decision expected on one within 30 days. There are still two years left on United's lease at RFK Stadium, so their goal is to break ground in 2009 and complete work in time for the 2012 MLS season.

Good morning, Washington. It's Presidents' Day, the holiday where we honor Washington and Lincoln by sleeping in, shopping and going to afternoon movies. WTOP put together a handy list of what's closed today, which includes all federal and city offices, all schools and libraries, and no mail delivery, trash collection or parking meter fees. Metro is running on a modified Saturday schedule, opening at 5 a.m. and closing at midnight (NB: the Pentagon station closure and Yellow line bridge work continues all day), while Metrobuses are on regular weekday schedules.

A: As it turns out, $48.5 million.

Now that the dust has cleared on the passing of President Obama's infrastructure package, it's now time to measure what's going where locally. It's important to keep in mind that most of the investments which the stimulus is paying for will not be immediately felt. Rather, the plan is a long term effort to create and save jobs; as such, most upgrades won't be seen until at least 2010. Additionally, a large number of the funding allocations are difficult to estimate, due to competition for grants and complex funding mechanisms.

Many transit-types are plenty concerned about the impending budgetary cuts at Metro -- a struggle afflicting numerous other metropolitan transit agencies, despite surging ridership. But with the leadership of WMATA considering the idea that Metro could make up deficits by cutting rail service off at 10 p.m. on weekdays, it's sure to hit a nerve with casual, infrequent riders, as well as those of us who usually have our eyes on Metro's budget.

Happy Valentine's Day, D.C. President Obama is probably busy putting the finishing touches on his "be mine" notes to the Congress, who passed his much-ballyhooed $787 billion stimulus package last night. Senators and Representatives can probably enjoy a couple of conversation hearts for passing the hefty document (which reports put at over 1,100 pages), after only about one month in legislation. The Post doesn't waste any time in tossing out a lofty comparison between the pure numerical scope of this stimulus and the New Deal.

DCist just obtained this email from an alert tipster:

Via AlertDC, DDOT is reporting a lane closure at Wisconsin Avenue and Q Street NW while a sink hole is being repaired. The curb lane on southbound Wisconsin Ave is reportedly blocked between Q and R Streets NW.

Big local soccer news came in late last night: according to D.C. Wire, D.C. United has a press conference scheduled on Monday to announce that a bill will be introduced in the Maryland legislature that will allow United to move into a new stadium somewhere in Prince George's County. The report states that executive chairman Victor MacFarlane is currently scouting three potential locations for a new 24,000-seat venue, all near Blue Line Metro stations: two at Morgan Boulevard, one at Largo Town Center.

The card's in the mail. Our phone was broken. It just slipped our mind. Whatever the excuse, we failed to properly wish Abraham Lincoln a happy 200th birthday yesterday. Events took place around the city to celebrate the country's 16th president, from a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial where the Gettysburg Address was read to a gathering of the country's political leaders in the Capitol Rotunda where Lincoln's body lay in state after his assassination. Lincoln is fondly remembered in the District for having freed the city's 3,100 slaves some eight months before the famous Emancipation Proclamation.

An anonymous reader writes in: "Passed a huge accident on Mt. P and Irving on my way home tonight. From what I could tell, a UPS truck had rammed a blue sedan, hard. The left side of the car was completely crushed and a crew was trying to extract whoever was inside as I passed. The two blocks of Irving between 16th and 17th were blocked off, and there were several fire trucks, police cars, and an ambulance on the scene. Cops were asking witnesses what they saw." Keep the possibility of street closures in this area in mind as you make your way home tonight.

Twitter can be a convenient way for you to keep up with your friends, and now it may allow you to keep up with Metro service disruptions.

D.C. Department of Public Works spokesperson Nancee Lyons sent out the message posted below to neighborhood email lists today.

Dear Neighbors,

Continue reading "DPW Threatening To Give 12,000 Residents the Boot"

We mentioned it briefly at the end of the day yesterday, so by now you've heard that the Washington Nationals have signed outfielder/firstbaseman Adam Dunn, breathing a bit of off-season life into what's been a fairly tepid winter for last year's worst team in baseball. Dunn theoretically adds some much needed pop to the anemic Nats offense. The left-handed power hitter has hit 40 homeruns in each of his last 5 seasons, and has reached over 100 RBI in 4 of those.

The Associated Press is reporting that D.C. Public Library Director Ginnie Cooper has already formally decided to reduce hours at the city's libraries, effective March 2. It was just yesterday that Cooper was merely considering a reduction in service in order to address mounting budget constraints. A message on the DCPL web site still says the reduced library hours are just a possibility.

Good morning, Washington. Air is moving from one place to another at rapid speed this morning, continuing yesterday's warm but difficult-to-hang-on-to-your-newspaper conditions. The wind is being blamed for power outages across the region, mostly in the outer suburbs. Wind is also making it more difficult for firefighters to battle a blaze on the grounds of Laurel Regional Hospital, reports WTOP, though surely the fact that the fire hydrants at the scene are all broken is the bigger factor. Still, AlertDC tells us that the National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for the District of Columbia today, from 10 a.m. until after sundown. A Fire Weather Watch means optimal conditions exist for fires to spread—hopefully it won't actually start raining fire down on us. That seems like it would be bad.

As D.C. prepares to host college hockey's Frozen Four, the NCAA is discussing whether or not the ice will be, as the illustrious event's name indicates, frozen. Of course they'd like it to be frozen. That's the traditional condition of ice, especially for ice hockey. It's just not how it usually is at Verizon Center...

D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At-Large) has announced that he has accepted a position as a Professorial Lecturer at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS).

DCPS teachers who supported D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s contract proposal from the beginning have got to be annoyed. On Monday, Rhee announced that the minimum 28 percent across the board raises offered in July now must be trimmed due to the poor economy. The contract negotiations have reached their 15th month. The District will soon submit a revised offer to the Washington Teachers’ Union, which has thus far resisted the contract. Rhee did state that funding from private foundations for the controversial merit pay provisions in the plan have not been affected.

William "Doubting" Thomas, founder of the Peace Park vigil in Lafayette Park outside the White House, died last month after a long illness. The Washington Post ran its story about Thomas, born William Thomas Hallenback Jr., over the weekend. Thomas and his wife Ellen maintained their antiwar vigil for almost 28 years, and became something of a D.C. institution.

In another sign of how the Washington Post is moving to merge its print and online versions, washingtonpost.com changed its logo today to the same one that sits atop the regular newspaper. The old web site logo has been scuttled in favor of reinforcing the Post brand, a decision that strikes us as both wise and long overdue. Fishbowl DC has the internal memo:

This recognizes what we all have long known: washingtonpost.com is very much part of The Washington Post, complementary and in some ways distinct, but an absolutely central part of who we are. As we rethink how we present our journalism--whether it emanates from the paper or from the web--we wanted to signal that clearly to all our audiences.

First lady Michelle Obama made another public appearance with District children yesterday, this time stopping by Mary's Center, a community health organization in Adams Morgan. Slate's John Dickerson has the full rundown of her visit, including this detail:

Then the first lady called for hugs. Most of the children complied. The cameras went nuts. This might have made a few kids reluctant.

Continue reading "Michelle Obama Hugs District Kids"

Today's Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the D.C. Voting Rights Act is couched within the committee's regular business meeting, but Chairman Joe Lieberman is speaking about the bill right now. You can stream the hearing live here. Lieberman was one of the bill's main sponsors in the Senate last time around, so he's making some predictably pro-voting rights remarks about the historic injustice of the status of the District. Earlier, Lieberman acknowledged Mayor Adrian Fenty as being present, along with someone who is apparently dressed up in some sort of colonial era costume— they were off camera, but we're going to speculate wildly that it might be DC Vote's Eli Zigas, who is better known for dressing as Abe Lincoln.

Good morning, Washington. It looks like the weather is going to be ridiculously pleasant outside today — cloudy, maybe, but with temperatures that could climb as high as the seventies(!). Of course, later in the week it'll get cold again, and rainy, and then the remnants of that line of storms out west will roll in and probably level the city. Until then, try not to feel too weird about wearing short sleeves in February.

Here's a story we missed last night from WJLA: as of January, bars in D.C. that are caught selling alcohol to minors for the first time now get a warning instead of a $1,000 fine and a two-day liquor license suspension. In a surprise twist, the change in the law pits Jim "Shut 'Em Down" Graham against the D.C./Va. chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), with MADD expressing concern over becoming too lenient on liquor sales violations, and Graham insisting the new law is more fair. Repeat offenders are actually penalized more now than they were before, Graham notes.

      

Carl Rizzi is 67 years old, with more gorgeous kids and grandkids than he can count. And he's got nine more on the way this sunny Sunday afternoon.

The National Zoo got a new male red panda, Tate, from the Cape May Zoo in New Jersey over the weekend. They've already introduced him to Shama, the Zoo's female red panda, and he reportedly "immediately exhibited breeding behavior." Tate, it seems, is something of a ladies man. A bow-chicka-bow-wow from DCist to you, sir.

It's been a fairly frustrating offseason for United fans, at least from a personnel standpoint. First, there were the rumors that the front office may have turned down the chance to sign Ghanaian national captain Stephen Appiah, now on trial at Tottenham Hotspur. Then there was the loss of playmaker Marcelo Gallardo, who broke from the team in order to return home and play in Argentina. More recently, the team lost out on signing Brazilian defender Roger because the 34-year-old's family didn't want to live in the States.

NBC4 gets the first react from Marion Barry on yesterday's late breaking news that federal prosecutors will once again seek jail time for the D.C. Council member. Barry stands accused of violating his parole yet again by failing to file a tax return for the year 2007. In typical Barry style, the mayor for life pleads ignorance to the latest developments.

Metro put out a more detailed press release late yesterday explaining exactly how the closure of the Pentagon Metro Station will work this weekend. You'll recall that the station will be totally shuttered from 10 p.m. on Friday, February 13, to midnight on Monday, February 16 while rail switches, fasteners and stud bolts are replaced. In addition to the closure, the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac River will receive regular maintenance this weekend, thus making traveling on the Yellow line to anywhere in Virginia over the holiday weekend a real chore.

Good morning, Washington. Did you watch President Obama's big televised press conference last night? The pundits we absentmindedly listened to afterward all seemed to think the president managed to straddle the line between scolding the Republican leadership and explaining why he was still trying hard to win them over. Not everyone was happy, though. FishbowlDC reports that local black journalists were amazed to be seated down in front, and then even more amazed that they weren't allowed to ask a single question. Tom at WeLoveDC also thought the Washington Post's Michael Fletcher punted by asking a question about A-Roid. What did you think of the press conference?

DCist's lively comment thread about the news of a sudden rise in D.C. electricity bills combined with second-day stories about how many more D.C. residents are being threatened with their power getting shut off have us on high alert for all things Pepco. Well earlier today the utility posted a web video (and written transcript) titled "Pepco Cares About Your Energy Usage", and introduced a Twitter feed where you can contact Pepco's "social media lead" directly.

You sorta had to know this was coming. Ever since news first broke in the Washington Post on January 29 that D.C. Council member and former mayor Marion Barry had failed to file his taxes for the 11 millionth time, our collective Spidey Sense told us that those same federal prosecutors who were pushing for jail time for Barry for violating his parole in 2007 would be back. Now the Post is reporting that prosecutors are once again seeking to imprison the "mayor for life."

After last week's news that the Old Georgetown Board rejected a design proposal for an Apple store along Wisconsin Avenue for the fourth time, rumors are floating around that the computer manufacturer's iconic store might end up elsewhere in the District.

Back in December we reported that BoltBus and Megabus had moved their stop from 11th Street NW just above G Street to around the corner on G Street NW between 9th and 10th, right next to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. The move sparked a little bit of controversy, as it wasn't clear whether the location was any better in terms of interrupting traffic, and some customers were reportedly uncomfortable with its proximity to the soup kitchen across the street. Well Penn Quarter Living reports that after Megabus relocated a third time, to 9th Street NW just above H Street along the side of the old convention center site, as of today BoltBus will follow them there. BoltBus's web site confirms the move to 9th and H Streets at the old convention center parking lot.

A tip of the hat to Loose Lips Daily for pointing us to this nugget from NBC4 on Friday: Ward 2 D.C. Council member Jack Evans says he wants the District to "reconsider" its cell phone driving ban. Now, we've written before about how most D.C. area drivers appear to be ignoring the law and how while the number of tickets issued keeps going up every year, enforcement is still pretty lax and certainly doesn't seem to be discouraging many people from breaking the law.

In what will surely come as a relief to DCist readers, the Examiner's Michael Neibauer reports this morning that the Adams Morgan Taxi Stand pilot program has been torpedoed after less than three months. What's especially interesting is that the program was apparently discontinued by DDOT all the way back in December, though as far as we know, the agency never announced that change. DDOT issued formal notice on Friday that the 90-day pilot program has been postponed.