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A member of the White House advance team and his family are also preliminarily being looked at as swine flu patients, reports AP. But just like the World Bank employee, the White House staffer and his family all live in Maryland, so this too is not counted as a District of Columbia case. "We still have no known cases of H1N1 in the District," D.C. Department of Health spokesperson Dena Iverson said this afternoon. Of course, given that these people all work inside the District, that's a technical distinction you could argue doesn't have very much of a difference. more ›

Earlier today the World Bank announced that one of its D.C.-based employees had preliminarily tested positive for swine flu, but it turns out that should the case be confirmed by a second test, it wouldn't actually be counted as the District's first case. World Bank spokesperson David Theis confirmed that while the employee in question did enter the Bank's offices while sick on April 20, the employee technically lives in Maryland, and so this case would be counted toward the state's tally of confirmed swine flu patients. Per the relevant protocols, the World Bank is in contact with the D.C. Department of Health on this case, but ultimately, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will the one to keep track of it. We're still waiting on a call back from the Maryland health department to see if we can find out which county the World Bank employee lives in—they're having an understandably busy day over there.
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A grease fire this morning partially damaged Todd English's Olives restaurant, located at 1600 K Street NW. Smoke billowed out from the restaurant and up 16th Street just after 11 a.m. this morning, but the fire has since been contained. A hostess who answered the phone around 1:30 p.m. confirmed that the restaurant is currently closed, and that the staff was just about to meet to talk over when and how they might be able to reopen. DCist reader Ron sent in this image of the smoke earlier today, and several staffers who work in the area reported being able to smell the smoke from their offices. more ›

You've got to hand it to Michelle Obama's staff: they seem to have a good grasp of which local D.C. nonprofits are deserving of a little First Lady face time. Obama, along with Vice Presidential spouse Jill Biden, went down to the Capital Area Food Bank on Wednesday to help pass out bagged meals for low-income kids in the area. Previously, the first lady has volunteered at Miriam's Kitchen and Mary's Center. more ›

Animal rights group PETA has submitted an application to Capitol Police to set up an actual pig pen on the steps of the Capitol, complete with fans to blow the odor of urine and manure toward lawmakers, The Hill is reporting. PETA, long known for its aggressive tactics to promote vegetarianism and protect animal rights, hopes the display will drive home the point that the recent worldwide swine flu outbreak is linked with hog farms. more ›

A World Bank employee here in Washington has been preliminarily diagnosed with a case of swine flu, Bloomberg is reporting. The employee in question had reportedly traveled on business in Mexico between April 14 and April 18. An email sent to local World Bank offices said that the employee has already recovered from the illness, but colleagues who were in contact with him when he was in the D.C. office on April 20 have been asked to work from home for the time being. A second test to confirm the swine flu diagnosis is reportedly underway. UPDATE: Official statement released by the World Bank is after the jump. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Congratulations! You've made it through the first 100 days of the Obama administration, the endless media coverage of those same days, and the primetime press conference that marked their occasion. Now that we're all sufficiently "surprised, enchanted, humbled, and troubled" by what we've seen since Jan. 20, we can move on to the phase in our lives when we no longer attempt to measure complex situations by applying arbitrary benchmarks to them. At least for the next few months, anyway. more ›

It's a double dose of adorable today from the National Zoo. As good DCist readers, you know that we've had two batches of baby animals to coo at lately: the giant anteater pup who has a thingee, and the pair of clouded leopard cubs (also with thingees). Today we've learned, via the Zoo's Flickr stream, that our anteater pal has been named. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Cyrano. He's gaining a pound a week, nursing and hanging out on his mother's back all day. more ›

The George Washington University student newspaper The Hatchet is reporting that a Medical Examiner's report shows that a sophomore who was discovered dead on campus in January died of acute alcohol intoxication. Laura Treanor, 19, was found dead in her bed by her roommate in the university's Ivory Tower residence hall. Treanor was a contributing editor at The Hatchet and a member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. Witnesses said that Treanor had been at the Adams Mill Bar and Grill the night that she died, although initial accounts did not suggest that she'd been visibly intoxicated. more ›

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Do you live in Cleveland Park or its surroundings? If you do, chances are good that much like this editor, you are a walking zombie today courtesy of a terrifyingly loud alarm that went off early this morning at the University of the District of Columbia. more ›

Amtrak and MARC Penn Line service has been suspended between Baltimore and D.C. since 7:45 a.m., thanks to a major water main break affecting tracks between the BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and Baltimore Penn stations. Amtrak reports that tracks in the area are covered with mud, trees and other debris. Service restoration is not expected until at least noon today, and could be hours later. There's literally no alternative rail service between the two cities, so if you had plans to travel north from D.C. via train this morning, you ought to look into a bus. You can call 800-USA-RAIL for train status updates later in the day. more ›

Good morning, Washington. How about those Capitals, huh? The team has made it to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade, prompting fairweather fans like myself to begin their bandwagon-jumping in earnest (go Caps!). Next up: the hated Penguins. Plane Held At BWI Over Flu Fears: An Airtran flight from Mexico was briefly quarantined at BWI yesterday evening after two passengers reported flu symptoms during the trip, according to Fox 5. Officials have since given the all clear (it turns out the passengers weren't sick, they were just drunk), but it seems likely that this isn't the last scare we'll have before swine flu fades from the headlines — particularly since today brings news of the first confirmed domestic death attributable to the virus. WMATA Toughens MetroAccess Rules: The Examiner reports on the latest cost-cutting measure from Metro: penalties for MetroAccess riders who habitually book trips and then miss them or cancel at the last moment. MetroAccess provides service to those with disabilities, but at a vastly higher per-trip rate than other Metro services. Only users who take more than ten trips a month and miss more than ten percent of them will be affected; under the most severe sanction, the offender will lose access to the service for a month. Advocates for the disabled community have expressed concern about the new policy, which is slated to go into effect on Friday. Briefly Noted: Fire in Upper Marlboro leaves one dead... Boy who fell into Potomac and man who attempted to save him both still missing... Police are looking for a missing Bethesda teen... Officials expect at least one more arrest in connection with savage Lansdowne attack... Two men stabbed during fight in Alexandria, which probably had nothing to do with Taylor Swift playing a show nearby (but we can't be sure!)... Happy the Hippo headed to Milwaukee... Prince William County closes budget gap by eliminating positions and county services... First of five accused of operating local $70m Ponzi scheme pleads guilty... This Day In DCist: One year ago gamers queued up for GTA IV and Virginia gave out free bus rides in preparation for the summer. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user mosley.brian. more ›

The Metropolitan Police Department is looking for this man, Senneca Benjamin, 31, on suspicion that he shot and killed a woman in her home at 67 Bryant Street NW on Sunday afternoon. Monique Nalleat, 42, died in the shooting, and three men were injured. The identities of the men are being withheld because they are witnesses in the case. Benjamin is described as a medium complexioned black male, about 5-feet-11 inches tall and weighing approximately 150 pounds. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-919-CRIM[E] (1-888-919-2746). Anonymous information may also be submitted to D.C. CRIME SOLVERS at 1-866-411-TIPS and to the department’s SMS tip line by text messaging 50411. more ›

In the event you had been planning on stopping by The Apple Store, Pottery Barn or any other chain retailer in the same shopping center in Clarendon today, you will want to call first before heading over. The popular retail center, located at 2700 Clarendon Blvd. adjacent to the Market Common apartments, has been struggling with electricity issues for the past two days, and stores along one half of the mall have been closed since Monday due to the outage. Workers installed a large truck-based generator this afternoon to restore power temporarily, and an employee at Pottery Barn told DCist at 4:30 p.m. that they hope to open in the next hour, once the rest of the team reports to work. The Apple Store was closed when this editor went by around noon in the hopes of getting her laptop repaired. Employees at the Pentagon City Apple Store noted that they have been twice as busy as normal today due to overflow customers coming in from Clarendon. more ›

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Ward 8 D.C. Council member and former mayor Marion Barry today said that he opposes a measure that would allow the District of Columbia to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states where they are legal. Barry made his remarks to a crowd of around 150 gathered to protest the legislation in Freedom Plaza this morning. more ›

The 747 flyover of Lower Manhattan yesterday that caused thousands of panicked office workers to evacuate to the streets turned out to be a planned photo op that's since become a big embarrassment to the White House. And The Wall Street Journal reports today that it wasn't the only such event originally scheduled:

The White House had scheduled a follow-up session on May 5 or May 6 in Washington, D.C., according to two government officials. The D.C. flyover has now been canceled, a government official said.

We've noted recently that the Metro system has seen a big spike in robberies over the last year, with the most cases reported in Metro's parking lots and garages, especially at stations at the end of the lines. So it's not surprising that Metro Transit Police proudly announced today that they apprehended two suspects observed breaking into cars at the Branch Avenue station yesterday morning. Two men, Lawrence White, 23, and Dante Robbins, 22, both of Oxon Hill, Md., have been charged with auto theft, theft from auto and destruction of property after they attempted to flee from Transit Police and crashed what turned out to be a stolen vehicle. They're also facing a charge of assault on a police officer after police say they tried to hit an officer with the vehicle. more ›

Good morning, Washington. The Post has formally declared the last three days a "heat wave." It was 92 degrees at Dulles yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that! That is indeed pretty hot. Plus, all three days marked or tied record highs. Today's the last day of the hot, hot heat, however, as tomorrow marks the beginning of at least four days of potential thunderstorms and lowered temps. No awesome weekend weather next time around? Boo. more ›

More protests, and lots more arrests. The AP says 91 people were arrested outside the White House today after some of them chained themselves to the fence in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. These folks weren't hardcore environmentalists, anti-capitalists or Darfur activists. No, a lot of these were people in wheelchairs who were trying to get President Obama's attention about alternatives to nursing home care for people with disabilities. So did the Secret Service actually lock up a bunch of people in wheelchairs? Thankfully, no: these protesters just got written arrest citations and were not taken into custody. The issue, it seems, is that they lacked the proper permit for a group that large. The protest began after 1 p.m., and we've also received reports that some of those who participated had to be treated for heat exposure. more ›

Going into the Caps' opening round playoff series with the Rangers, hockey writers across the country said the key matchup would be Sean Avery on Alex Ovechkin. The Rangers' Avery has made a name for himself as one of the most annoying people in hockey, if not in all of sports. The Capitals were thought overmatched, but the fans, like a seventh man with a vile temper, came through. more ›

A couple of breaking reports of multiple arrests at separate and unrelated protest sites in Washington this morning. The higher profile incident includes the apparent detention of five U.S. lawmakers, including Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass), John Lewis (D-Ga.), Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.). The lawmakers were arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy (2210 Massachusetts Ave. NW) here in Washington, after they allegedly crossed a police line at a protest against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's decision to expel aid agencies from Darfur. more ›

The President and First Lady have better things to do than brunch with the wealthy parents of their daughters' classmates. But it appears some families at Sidwell Friends, the private school attended by Malia and Sasha Obama, are disappointed that the first family donated autographed magazines, instead of hang-out time, for the Sidwell Friends School Dollars for Scholars benefit auction. “There were expectations that they might donate something more personal, like the Clintons did,” a source told MSNBC's Scoop blog, “Lots of people were disappointed.” Instead, the Obamas "only" submitted "a signed copy of the Rolling Stone issue featuring the president and a signed copy of the January Vogue that featured the first lady." more ›

International House of Pancakes is in talks to open a restaurant in the DCUSA development in Columbia Heights, according to the Washington Business Journal. We've witnessed a lot of debate and handwringing in the past about the relative classiness of businesses going in to DCUSA, but surely everyone can agree on Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity. more ›

Before yesterday's game against the Mets, Filip Bondy wrote in the NY Daily News that "any result other than a sweep must be considered a setback." Well, things aren't looking too good in Queens, as the Nats managed an 8-1 victory yesterday, avoiding the series sweep. Take that, Gothamist! more ›

Good morning, Washington. Ahhhhhh! Swine flu! Panic! Fear! No, wait, everything's fine. The Washington Post has a rundown on how our region is bracing itself in the event there's an outbreak here of the silly sounding but potentially serious virus that's claimed dozens of lives in Mexico and harmlessly infected a small number of private school kids in New York. If you're looking for a way to laugh about the whole thing, just remember that college students who spent their spring breaks doing body shots and blow and randomly hooking up with strangers in Mazatlan are the most likely to be responsible for any future spread of the disease around the United States. And to think we always thought those kids would never amount to anything. more ›

It'd be a fool's game to try and guess whether this weekend's increased police presence played any part in it, but still -- MPD Chief Cathy Lanier can't be too thrilled about this afternoon's fatal shooting in Northwest which bookended this weekend's "All Hands On Deck" effort. WTOP reports that a unnamed person with a gun entered a home at 67 Bryant Street NW and opened fire, killing one woman and striking three other adults. The three struck adults did not suffer life-threatening injuries. We're also hearing word that shots may have been fired in Columbia Heights this afternoon near 14th and Harvard Streets NW. Considering today's incidents, last night's shooting at 14th and W Streets NW, and the debate revolving around the effectiveness of "All Hands On Deck," Chief Lanier has to be preparing for a long day tomorrow. more ›

Space nerds, get ready: The relaunch isn't the only good news coming to the solar system this May. Cosmic correspondent Blaine Friedlander notes in the Washington Post that all five naked-eye planets will be out and about this month. Saturn can be found around 9 p.m. in the southern sky. Look for Venus, Mars, and Jupiter in the morning, and expect Mercury briefly after sunset in the early days of this month. Can some kind Taurus out there explain what this means in astrological terms? Specifically, will I ever find my winning Powerball ticket? more ›

An adult man was shot at around 11:35 p.m. last night in an incident police are preliminarily describing as "not a random attack." He is expected to survive, according to an early report from the Third District. While Fourteenth Street NW is posh, that intersection -- located uncomfortably close to this writer's home -- seems remarkably resistant to the themed restaurants and fantasy furniture stores that have taken root elsewhere along the corridor, featuring instead a sketch gas station, a spanking new CVS that's already been robbed once, and a carryout place that attracts lowlifes who harass the women who walk by. more ›

This editor absolutely suffered through numerous hours of today's NFL Draft to bring you the word that the newest member of the local pigskin team is, well, kinda terrifying. Defensive end Brian Orakpo of the University of Texas, a player that many thought could go in the top six of this year's draft, fell to the Redskins at number 13 -- and the team didn't even think twice, taking about ten seconds to announce their selection of the fearsome Longhorn pass rusher. more ›

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UPDATE 2: DCist's own Mehan Jayasuriya checks in with a report of how things are progressing at the site: more ›

WaPo's David Nakamura has the word on the latest D.C. embezzlement scheme -- and whaddya know, they just keep getting rosier! In this most recent case, a mother and daughter duo from Bowie -- contracted in 2003 to manage a city-backed program responsible for finding employment and paying blind people -- were indicted yesterday on charges that they stole $281,000 which was supposed to go into said sight-impaired folks' pockets and pensions. According to the indictment, the two would take revenues which were slated to feed into the blind employees' retirement accounts and simply write checks to their own personal accounts -- for good measure, the city also terminated their management company's contract after they failed to pay taxes or report accurate accounting records. (Yup, that combination of actions will probably get you caught, even if it is five years after the fact.) The offending pair, 70 and 51 years old respectively, are facing up to ten years in the pokey and some hefty fines for actually engaging in a certain idiom which I've had to try really, really, really hard not to use here. more ›

Good morning, D.C. Did anyone experience any delays this morning due to the IMF/World Bank protests? The AP (via WTOP) is reporting that the crowd of protesters -- numbering around 100 -- attempted to block off two intersections earlier this morning, but were quickly cordoned back to the sidewalk by police. Looks like things are moving smoothly so far, but obviously, you'll want to take note of these street closures and parking restrictions which are in effect for most, if not all, of the weekend. more ›

As Martin mentioned this morning, the spring meetings of the IMF/World Bank Board of Governors are this weekend, bringing with them the usual street closures and parking restrictions. We've posted the full list of closures below in case you need to refer to them this weekend, but before you read those, we thought you might enjoy a taste of the press release sent around to every local media outlet in town this morning by some of the folks who are organizing this year's protests. NB: the protesters won't reveal exactly where they'll be until early Saturday morning. Also, we're told to expect the protests to include upwards of ... 30 people. Gotta say, the promise of a group of protesters roughly the size of a second grade class doesn't make for a very impressive announcement.

An autonomous group of D.C. residents will be taking action to disrupt the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings on Saturday, April 25th. Angered by world leaders' handling of the economic crisis and the G20's recent decision to empower the IMF with $1.1 trillion in spite of their longstanding track record of ignoring basic human rights and environmental concerns, this group will engage in a variety of actions including traffic blockades, street theater, and roving street occupations. more ›

Some reports coming in that the Capitol was briefly evacuated after an airspace violation. An airplane apparently strayed into restricted air space over the District and had to be diverted. The White House was reportedly also evacuated, but MSNBC has since reported that Capitol Police have given the all-clear. We've heard that a helicopter can still be seen circling around Dupont Circle. Anybody see anything else? We'll update when we hear more. more ›

In a press release and message posted to their company blog today, Richmond-based organic grocer Ellwood Thompson's announced that their planned expansion to the DCUSA development in Columbia Heights is on hold, seemingly indefinitely.

Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market announced today that they have delayed their plans for expansion to the Washington D.C.. Citing the slowing economy, the company will not open a store at the DCUSA project this fall as originally planned. “We are disappointed that we can’t move ahead with our plans at this time” stated Rick Hood, owner of the company. “We believe that DCUSA in Columbia Heights is an excellent location choice and are eager to serve this community, which is a perfect fit for our products and philosophy. However, with this delay we are acting prudently to keep our company sound during these difficult times for retailers. We continue to work with DCUSA on a timetable to locate there”.

The mayor's office and DDOT may have come to an understanding that the city will continue to foot the bill for extended Metro service after late night Nationals games, but at least some D.C. Council members aren't pleased. Here's a statement just sent out by At-large Council member Kwame Brown (D):

"The District paid an enormous price to build the Nationals Stadium,” said Councilmember Brown. “It’s absurd for District residents to cover the cost of extended Metro service when the Nationals are enjoying a stadium paid for by the people. At some point you have to ask when enough is enough. It’s time for the Nationals to step up to the plate."

It's been a while, but the Metropolitan Police Department's "All Hands on Deck" initiative is back this weekend. In fact, it started already. From 6 a.m. this morning to 6 a.m. Sunday, every available city police officer will be on patrol. This weekend's initiative is well timed with protests planned for IMF and World Bank meetings, as well as the first really hot weekend we've had all year. more ›

It's that time of year when the trees are in full bloom, the days get longer and the IMF and World Bank hold their annual meetings. And in good annual fashion, a meeting of the world's top financial official is sure to draw a crowd of protesters, though nowhere as many as in the heyday of anti-globalization activism. WTOP has the details on the protests and demonstrations that might complicate your commute today and over the weekend; WJLA has a list of road closures. We're all for free speech and activism, just as long as it doesn't include anything like 2007's foolish-turned-violent October Rebellion that hit Georgetown. more ›

The U.S. Open Cup is one of those tricky tournaments for a coach to figure. Great history, nice tradition, and anyone who supports professional soccer in this country has to pull for this tournament—which, at its best, could pit aging, part-timer amateur teams against the likes of David Beckham in a rinky-dink stadium just about anywhere—to continue to grow in prestige and prominence. It's a goal that requires clubs to take it seriously, which means sending out quality teams and, you know, actually caring. DC United's Open Cup title last year didn't exactly make up for an otherwise poor season, but it did give die-hards and players a chance to enjoy one of soccer's most satisfying moments: the lifting of the cup in front of the home fans. more ›

Metro today reminds us about this coming weekend's scheduled track maintenance and resulting delays. more ›

The Nationals have announced a date for their rescheduled game against the Philadelphia Phillies after an April 15 matchup was rained out. The game will now take place at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 as part of a doubleheader. A second game will take place that night at 7:05 p.m. Those of you with tickets to the original April 15 game can use your tickets for the May 16 afternoon game, or you can exchange your ticket for any other regular season home game, with the exception of the June series against the Boston Red Sox. The rescheduled game will also mark a celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, when players from both teams will wear Robinson's number, 42. Originally, the teams had planned to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on April 15. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Woohoo, spring! It's going to be gorgeous for the next couple days, and then ... summer arrives on Saturday? We're certainly not complaining about such a long stretch of sunshine, but just a couple more days in the upper 60s and 70s might have been nice before it starts getting seriously hot. At least we got all our freaky thunderstorms out of the way during the work week. Start planning your outdoor weekend activities, stat. more ›

D.C. police have shut down the 500 block of North Capitol Street NW and part of southbound Massachusetts Ave. near Union Station as they investigate a report of a suspicious package. Avoid the area if at all possible on your commute home this evening. more ›

Looks like Ingmar Guandique, the man suspected of killing Chandra Levy, has finally arrived in D.C. today to face murder charges in Levy's death. Guandique, you'll recall, has been serving a 10-year sentence in a federal prison in California for attacking two other women in the park around the same time of Levy's disappearance. He's expected to appear before a D.C. Superior Court judge as early as tomorrow, reports the Post. more ›

In an announcement oddly timed with Earth Day, the Washington Mystics today inked a sponsorship deal with ExxonMobil, reports the Washington Business Journal. The massive oil company will now display courtside ads during Mystics games, a move that should place the team right alongside the Nationals as major targets of environmental protesters. Exxon will also become the official sponsor of the Mystics Student of the Week program. The Student of the Week program recognizes female high school students for excellence in math or science. more ›

You gotta love the Washington Times for splashing this story across the top of their local coverage today: "EXCLUSIVE: Capitol Police probe officers' Facebook pages" reads the headline, with the subhead, "Complaint cites degradation of women, hedonism." Apparently a couple of officers are "members" of a public group on Facebook called the "Make-it-Rain Foundation for Underprivileged Hoes," which we gather means these guys want it to be known that they are fans of going to strip clubs. Talk about a snoozefest. But wait, there's more!

One of the three men also listed himself as a member of the "He-Man Woman Hater's Club" and founded a Facebook group called "Passed Out in Trashcans" - a three-member group geared toward "anyone else that has woken up from a long night of drinking to find themselves in the trashcan."

Flickr user Beck Exposed, a.k.a. Capitol Hill resident Sarah Becker, sent us this photo of the hail that pummeled her front stoop for about five minutes around 11:30 a.m. Anybody else spot some hail? These thunderstorms the last couple of days have been pretty impressive, if not a little bit freaky. How can we have hail when it's 50 degrees out? more ›

Assuming the game doesn't get rained out, the Nationals are offering $3 off any ticket worth $10 or more to fans who take Metro to tonight's game, in honor of Earth Day. All you have to do is show your SmarTrip card or paper Metro farecard at the box office to receive your discount. And no, those of you who already bought tickets can't show up at the box office and demand $3—the ticket promotion is good on day of game sales only. more ›

Thanks to a tipster for sending us this story from Spain's La Vanguardia, which reports that the Duke and Duchess of Palma are moving to the D.C. area in order for the Duke, Iñaki Urdangarín, to take up a position with Spanish telecom company Telefónica. The Duchess, Cristina, is the youngest daughter of the King of Spain. The couple have been living in Barcelona with their four children, but the whole family will soon move to D.C., which will no doubt prompt a search for private schools in the area. The story says that the Duke and Duchess have already been looking at houses in various neighborhoods around the metro area, but doesn't indicate if they've stated a preference for a particular neighborhood. Presumably Cristina's brother, Prince Felipe, will be able to give the family some tips for Washington living from his time as a student at Georgetown. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Everybody make it through yesterday evening's storm? It looked downright apocalyptic, and seems to have produced some hail, but it was all over pretty quickly. Today brings the threat of more gray unpleasantness, but after that we should have at least a few uninterrupted days of unambiguously nice spring weather. Firefighters Suspended In Arson Probe: WJLA reports that several firefighters in P.G. County — two of them full-time, career firemen — have been suspended due to suspicions that they may be responsible for a series of fires. The arsons haven't resulted in any injuries and have all targeted abandoned buildings. The investigation is ongoing. Brown Proposes Solution To Nats Ticket Tiff: Kwame Brown thinks he has an answer to the feud between the city council and Mayor Fenty over the latter's refusal to share the city's Nats tickets. WTOP says that Brown has introduced legislation that would place the tickets up for auction, with the funds raised going toward the city's budget. It's a nice idea, but it does seem to assume that someone will actually want to buy Nats tickets. Speaking of which: if you show your SmarTrip card you can get $3 off a ticket for tonight's game in celebration of Earth Day. UMD Revising Alcohol Policy: Under a new policy, Maryland students who help intoxicated friends get medical attention will no longer face academic sanctions or the loss of housing for their own drinking, according to the Post. It's a change that's been sought by students for some time due to concerns that some dangerously drunk students were receiving delayed medical treatment or none at all. It sounds like this change might have be timely, too: Fox 5 is reporting that College Park bars have reneged on an agreement with local government and resumed offering cheap drink specials. Briefly Noted: Police are looking for a missing Rockville man... Police seek witnesses to Reston murder... Acting Freddie Mac chief commits suicide... P.G. County school boundaries set to change... Jimmy Dean's Virginia house catches fire in a blaze that presumably smelled delicious... This Day In DCist: One year ago Metro unveiled its future flooring plans. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user philliefan99 more ›

• The MEI Futures Academy, a residential charter school for teenage mothers, will close in June after its charter was revoked, reports Bill Turque on D.C. Wire.
• Via sometime DCist contributor Dave Weigel over at the Washington Independent, behold! The dumbest idea for a Washington protest march ever, courtesy the Ohio Militia: The Million Militia Man March.
• Above the Law explains why the local Ethiopian community is upset with law firm DLA Piper.

The Post reported earlier today that two commercial locomotive cars derailed this morning while traveling through the District. Some Diesel fuel and oil spilled as a result of the derailment, but no injuries were reported. A HazMat team responded to the scene to clean up the oil. The derailment took place about 11:15 a.m. near the 200 block of 33rd Street SE, near Anacostia Park. more ›

Two more measles cases have now been confirmed in the D.C. Metro area, one a D.C. resident and the other from Prince William County. Health officials also released a new list of potential infection sites related to these new cases, in addition to the locations released yesterday. Check 'em: more ›

First it was going to pass in February. Then in March. Or maybe April. Now it looks like the stalled legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives will be voted on in May. Or not. more ›

Testing starts this week for the public school students of D.C., which is why the kids you've seen on the bus in the morning may appear a little more dazed – or on time – than usual. The District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS) will run through May 1, and is administered to students in grades 3-8 and 10 to measure math, reading, science, and writing. more ›

The Examiner reports that the "Social" Safeway, located at 1855 Wisconsin Ave NW, will close on Sunday for extensive renovations. While residents in this toney Northwest D.C. neighborhood still have plenty of other grocery shopping options (there's a Whole Foods up the road in Glover Park, and a Giant a little north of there), Safeway is also offering folks who live in ZIP codes surrounding the store free delivery with online orders. There are also plans for a temporary pharmacy to open across from the construction site. DCmud has more on the renovations themselves, which include demolishing the existing store and replacing it with an entirely new facility that will more closely resemble the "Sexy" Safeway in the CityVista building near Mt. Vernon Square. The "Social" Safeway is slated for a reopening in March of 2010. more ›

If you haven't spied it on newsstands yet, Washingtonian magazine's newest issue features a black cover with a rather grainy image of a shirtless President Obama superimposed over it. It looks really, really crappy from a design perspective, and the photo is recycled from last year, but it'll probably sell out anyway just for the novelty factor, which is no doubt what the magazine's editors had in mind. more ›

Good morning, D.C. Fairfax County police went ahead and held their "Dangers of Sexting" community meeting last night at the Kingstowne Library in Alexandria, and so far, only WTOP and NewsChannel 8 have filed pieces resurrecting this year-old scare story. Hard to believe FOX5 and NBC4 are silent this go around! Here's DCist's hot parenting tip: don't let terrifying-sounding trends invented by TV news stations rob you of your sanity. If you need the Fairfax County Police to tell you that you should probably be aware of what your teen is doing with her cell phone, maybe you're better off spending that time with your kid. more ›

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson took home a Pulitzer Prize in Commentary today, "for his eloquent columns on the 2008 presidential campaign that focus on the election of the first African-American president, showcasing graceful writing and grasp of the larger historic picture." It's the only Pulitzer the newspaper got this year, marking a step back from last year, when the paper took home a record six awards. In 2007, the paper got none, in 2006, they got four, and in 2005, none again. So, next year, they'll get what, three? more ›

Health officials have confirmed five cases of measles in the D.C. metro area, and released a list of potential exposure sites to the public. Measles is a highly contagious disease that has been technically eradicated in this country since 2000, so any reported cases at all are taken very seriously. WTOP has been all over this story today. more ›

Police and fire crews responded to a call of a man on the roof of 2120 Vermont Ave. NW, a condo building at the intersection of Vermont and Florida Avenues NW, this afternoon. A rescue crew was called in around 3:45 p.m. for what appeared to have been a possible jumper (it's not totally clear yet why the man was on the roof), but the majority of emergency vehicles have since left the area and the man was reportedly safely taken into custody. more ›

It's never good when a team is swept in a series. It's also never good when a team gives up a 9th inning lead. It takes a special team to get swept in a series by giving up three straight 9th inning leads. This rare feat was accomplished by the Nationals over the weekend, as they dropped three games to the Marlins. The result is that three pitchers from the bullpen, Saul Rivera, Steven Shell, and Wil Ledezma, were sent down to the minors after Sunday's game. To replace them, the team called up Jason Bergman, Garrett Mock, and Kip Wells. This is a dramatic move, and sends the message that there's a degree of losing that even the Nationals organization cannot tolerate. more ›

No, we didn't camp outside his Ward 4 home or track him down at local airports to uncover his secretive travel habits, but we do try and keep our eyes open for Mayor Adrian Fenty. Ever the athlete, yesterday Fenty took part in a triathlon at Georgetown University and followed it up with the Carl Dolan Memorial Spring Classic 25-mile bike race in Columbia, Md. And how would we know? Like last year, I raced alongside Fenty, who is a member of local race club DC Velo. I pondered an impromptu on-bike interview, but instead settled for resting in his mayoral slipstream. Fenty drove to the race in his Smart Car, though his bike rode with an imposing security detail in a jet-black Suburban. more ›

Word hit the street this morning that Mayor Adrian Fenty had fired D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation director Clark Ray yesterday, and he's already named a replacement. City Desk has the scene at today's presser announcing former D.C. public schools principal Ximena Hartsock as Ray's replacement. Hartsock had been running afterschool and summer school programs for Michelle Rhee/DCPS. Earlier this morning, D.C. Wire reported that at least a few people are befuddled as to the decision to let Ray go, and there's speculation that it could have been related to a lawsuit recently filed by former DPR employee Michael Williams. Williams alleges that he was improperly fired after raising questions about whether the mayor's sons were participating in a youth basketball league that they were too old for. more ›

Good morning, Washington. We don't know about you, but after spending a mostly beautiful weekend enjoying the spring and celebrating Mother Earth, waking up to this cold, wet, excessively unpleasant day has made us a little grumpy. In search of solace, we turn, as we so often do, to the Capital Weather Gang, who inform us that the decision to actually get out of bed, report to work and not get fired today should be repaid sometime around ... Thursday. Writes Dan Stillman: "While thunderstorms could strike this evening and shower chances hang around into Wednesday, Thursday through the weekend will be worth the wait if anticipated sunshine and increasingly warm temperatures come true." Hrm. As Eeyore would say, "Ohhh-kayyy." more ›

Unsuck DC Metro undertook a yeoman's task this week uncovering the news that, just like many celebrities, WMATA has its share of imposters on Twitter. The blog reported on Wednesday that they were contacted by WMATA spokesman Ronald A. Holzer Jr. after publishing a post which questioned a cryptic tweet about an escalator disruption at the Ballston station. The post's writer was unaware that the cut-off message was coming from an unauthorized twitter account -- WMATA's official presence on Twitter is located at the username "metroopensdoors"; the blog had been pulling news from the username "wmata". more ›

OK, let's say we're police officers at a union meeting in Montgomery County. The County's under a severe budgetary crisis. The powers that be have asked the union to voluntarily give up our 4.25 percent yearly increase in salary. If they're smart, the union will ask the County for something so off-the-wall that they'll realize that the small savings they'll get from eliminating the cost-of-living increase wouldn't be worth it. Hmm, what to ask for? I've got it! Let's tell them that we'll give up our raises, something that will save them a little less than $5 million this year, if they let us drive our patrol cars whenever we want for personal use! Oh man, that's a good one...wait, they accepted? And they're going to pay for the car's gas and maintenance? And there's only a 15-mile limit on driving the cars outside the county? What a deal. (Sheesh, I probably would have settled for some kick-ass tricycles.) more ›

Kind of upset with the Capital Weather Gang, Umbrella Today, and the planet itself for this notice of rain later today. Will the Earth interrupt the performance that the Flaming Lips et al. are putting on in her honor? Probably not. The headlining Lips are tentatively scheduled to play by 5 p.m.; the District should expect rain tonight, but the chance of showers during the late afternoon is just 30 percent. more ›

And so, the epic saga of the magical "$1.5 billion" dedicated Metro funding continues. more ›

Anyone that follows European football knows that trash talk as seen through the pages of the attention-seeking press is simply part and parcel of the game. Usually, though, claims like, "Rooney: Toffees can gimme hell," "Walcott: Teams are running scared of us," or "SUPER CALEY GO BALLISTIC, CELTIC ARE ATROCIOUS" are simply the media convenient disregard of context in favor of dry sensationalism. On the other hand, the American game, still comparatively in its infancy, has not quite experienced such abortions of media -- of course, us reporters don't have to do much when assistant coaches around the league are spewing out things like this: more ›

But it's still a pretty impressive figure, nonetheless: Councilman Kwame Brown's office sent out a press release earlier this week noting that District residents, as of Taxday Eve on April 14, had fronted a total of $1,013,552,816.98 to the Feds so far in 2009. Of course, this figure has likely increased by, oh, a friggin' ton after the official deadline passed on Wednesday. more ›

Good morning, D.C. So, who went to see State of Play last night? How was the city represented? (The folks on NBC4's morning news today seemed pretty smug about having a brief cameo. Jim Vance is involved? It's earned my money.) Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments. If you're heading to the cinema today, you'll probably want to walk -- it's going to be incredibly nice outside today -- in fact, the temperature is already sitting at 65 degrees as of ten o'clock this morning. more ›

The D.C. Department of Employment Services sent out a press release today touting the District of Columbia's March 2009 unemployment rate of 9.8 percent, which is down 0.1 percent from the 9.9 percent February 2009 rate. Could this mean we've seen the worst of the local job market, and won't ever top 10 percent this year? Not likely, especially considering Mayor Fenty's proposed city government layoffs haven't even been approved yet. The national unemployment rate for March was 8.5 percent, which is up 0.4 percent from February. more ›

The Nationals finally won a game last night (8-2 over the world champion Phillies!), but it looks like members of the D.C. Council weren't there to enjoy it. No, instead, the epically ridiculous, second-year-in-a-row Mayor/Council dispute over friggin' baseball tickets is still going on. This morning, Council chair Vince Gray showed up on FOX 5 to give the mayor a big fat spanking over the whole thing. The local news station does a nice job juxtaposing clips of Fenty from his appearance yesterday, looking sweaty, irritated and irrational, with cool as a cucumber Gray, who calmly explains that the mayor is crazy if he thinks he can describe his relationship with the Council as "fantastic." Take a look. more ›

Both WTOP and the Examiner are reporting that free bus rides in Northern Virginia on Code Red air quality days will be a thing of the past this summer. The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission this week voted to end the program, in place since 1999, that offered free bus rides around Northern Virginia to help reduce vehicle emissions on days of critical air quality. The reason? Duh, it's too expensive, costing Northern Virginia over $2.5 million a year. It looks like some Maryland counties, however, including Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick, will continue the program this summer from May 1 through Sept. 15. more ›

Good morning, Washington. It's a slow local news Friday at the end of a slow local news week. Hard to say whether everyone in town is busier reading the CIA torture memos or watching that Susan Boyle video, but there's just not much happening on the city beat. Perhaps that helps explain why the Washington Post assigned not one, but two reporters to cover the story that lots of people still forget about Emancipation Day. To be fair, Mayor Fenty recently proposed eliminating the official observance of the holiday, which has actually only been celebrated as such for four years, to save money. Still, thank goodness the D.C. Council will be back at work next week and we might have some actual news to roundup. more ›

Capitol Hill mainstays Bruce and Adele Robey have gone back to their internet roots with the recent launch of Hill-Talk, a Capitol Hill neighborhood-focused online news aggregator, discussion board and community calendar. more ›

U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson has yet to rule on anything, but most of the reporters in the courtroom are already making the call that Mayor for Life (and Ward 8 D.C. Council member) Marion Barry won't be sentenced to a single minute of jail time. Tom Sherwood and Jim Iovino at nbcwashington.com declared it to be so hours ago, and the City Paper's Mike DeBonis has since reported that federal prosecutors have actually dropped their request to revoke Barry's probation and send him to jail. more ›

You got two full weekends off thanks to the tourists, but now Metro has to start doing its regular weekend track maintenance routine again. WMATA sent out a reminder today that service on the Red and Orange lines will be affected by track work this weekend. more ›

If you're looking for ways to celebrate Emancipation Day today, the D.C. government has a list of options. Many of the bigger events, like the Sweet Honey in the Rock concert last weekend, already happened, but there will be a small parade and rally this morning to honor Emancipation Day and promote statehood. The parade is hosted by the African American Holiday Association, The American Friends Service Committee, DC Black History Celebration Committee, Free the Slaves, Friends of DC Emancipation Day, and the Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition. Meet at Franklin Square at 11 a.m. more ›

Good morning, D.C., and a happy Emancipation Day to you. The District of Columbia celebrates the date when Abraham Lincoln freed over 3,000 Washington, D.C. slaves by shutting down most of the city government. WTOP has a rundown of all the changes, which include no weekday residential parking restrictions (that's why 16th Street was more of a mess than usual this morning), free parking meters all day, no DMV services, and no trash collection. All federal government agencies are open as normal. more ›

With no relief in sight from today's downpour, the Nationals have gone ahead and postponed their second home game of the season tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies. The make-up date has yet to be announced, so there won't be a double header tomorrow. Ticket holders for tonight's game should keep their tickets, which may be used either for the TBA rescheduled game, or in exchange for tickets for the same priced seat at any future 2009 Nationals home game, excluding the June series against the Boston Red Sox. Thursday night's game is still on, set for 7:05 p.m. more ›

The Examiner's Michael Neibauer brings bad news for fans of delicious, fried catfish. Christopher Dinwiddie, the owner of popular Edgewood carryout Catfish Fridays, was arrested today on charges of operating without a license and failing to pay more than $175,000 in sales taxes. more ›

Sure enough, today's Teabag protest at Lafayette Square was over well before 2 p.m. By the time DCist checked back at the park at around 1:30 p.m., the entire area had been cleared, including Pennsylvania Ave., by the U.S. Park Police and Secret Service. What had been a drizzle was by then pouring rain, and when asked what had happened, one Park Police officer standing behind a line of yellow caution tape alluded to the weather being a safety concern. But that's not what really happened, according to the Associated Press: "... someone hurled a package in an apparent act of defiance meant to echo the rebellion of the Boston Tea Party and related tax protests around the country." And what was in the package? Why teabags, of course. more ›

We linked to the news in this morning's roundup, but just ran across these photos of the crash posted by Frozen Tropics. "Amazingly, no injuries have been reported," the blogger writes of the scene she captured in the 1100 block of Montello Avenue NE late last night. Indeed. more ›

This year's most double entendre-rich protest movement arrived in front of the White House this morning without the benefit of the objects of ridicule themselves. As the Post reported earlier, the so-called Tea Party protesters were greeted with bad news while they set up for planned protests at Lafayette Square and the U.S. Treasury building today: they didn't have permission to dump a million tea bags in the park, and they lacked a permit to demonstrate in front of Treasury. No massive public teabagging allowed, after all. more ›

DDOT is reporting a power outage that is affecting traffic signal operations in Northeast D.C. The following traffic signals are not working as of 10:35 a.m.: more ›

On paper, the Redskins’ 2009 schedule looks a lot like their record last season: average. The ‘Skins get three primetime games in 2009, all at home: Week 7 and Week 15 against the Eagles and Giants on Monday Night Football, and Week 16 against Dallas on Sunday Night Football (after playing Philadelphia in Week 15). more ›

Good morning, Washington. It's April 15, and if you haven't filed your federal and local tax returns yet, you're either furiously struggling with TaxACT or you're giving up the ghost and filling out those extension forms. Either way, don't let some poor fool steer you wrong about the due date in the District of Columbia. While in years past, when April 15 fell on a weekend, tomorrow's Emancipation Day holiday provided us with a couple extra days to meet the federal tax deadline, no such luck this year. April 15 on a Wednesday means April 15 is the day. The Washington Business Journal says some 80 percent of you took care of your taxes long ago, but for the other 20 percent of you: avoid those penalties and get 'em done today. more ›

Traditionally, the White House Easter Egg Roll has been attended mostly by D.C. area families who camped out early with their kids to score tickets to the free annual event. But on Monday, the 2009 White House Easter Egg Roll played host to over 30,000 people from 45 states and the District of Columbia, thanks to a new online ticket distribution plan put in place by the new administration. Local parents grumbled, but 4,000 tickets were also distributed separately to students from D.C., Maryland and Virginia public schools. DCist photographer Meaghan Gay was there to capture what an Easter Egg Roll hosted by the Obama family looks like. more ›

The NHL regular season came to a close this past weekend. The Washington Capitals finished with a 50 win, 108 point season—their best finish ever—culminating in their second Southeast Division title in a row. Their mark was good enough to earn the second seed in the Eastern Conference behind Boston. Along with the Bruins, only San Jose and Detroit of the Western Conference enter the playoffs with better records. As the two seed in the East, the Caps draw the # 7 New York Rangers for a first round Stanley Cup Playoff series that begins tomorrow evening at the Verizon Center. Game 2 is an afternoon affair this Saturday. more ›

The Washington Business Journal broke the news this morning that Freelon Adjaye Bond submitted the winning design for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. more ›

The Post's "Get There" blog reports that the District's month-long "Potholepalooza" ended over the weekend, with city workers having responded to over 500 resident complaints and filled 6,084 potholes. Very impressive. And though the orgy of pothole fixing is over, the District Department of Transportation stresses that any remaining requests for repairs can be made via their website. While we very much appreciate the catchy and hip name they gave the program, it's officially time to retire "-palooza" as something you attach to the end of anything else to stress how intense it'll be. It's the "-gate" of our generation, and it's got to go. more ›

If you've watched Fox News or read Michelle Malkin recently, you're probably well-aware of the tea party protests that will take place across the country tomorrow. The protests will call upon a key event in American history to express anger in some sectors at what is seen as out-of-control government spending and unnecessary tax increases in these troubled economic times. more ›

He kind of looked like a boy from day one, didn't he? The National Zoo confirms that the baby giant anteater born on March 12 is in fact a male. He's pictured clutching his mother's back, where he is still hanging out, despite the fact that he's eclipsed 5 lbs. in his single month of life. So what are we going to name this big boy? Your options include Cyrano, Pablo, Armando, and Hector; voting extends to April 28. Other entries may be registered here in comments. more ›

Two foolish issues, two very public flops for Mayor Adrian Fenty. The City Paper's Mike DeBonis reports that a number of journalists showed up to a Columbia Heights groundbreaking ceremony today to ask Fenty about the most recent dust-up between him and the D.C. Council over tickets to sporting events. It's a childish little scuffle that could be put to rest with a number of well-phrased and reassuring talking points from the mayor's office. Instead, Fenty alternates between acting like he has no idea what the reporters are talking about and clumsily trying to shift attention away from the dispute. DeBonis has both audio and a transript; it's painful to listen to and read. Much the same happened a few weeks back when WTOP's Mark Segraves hunted Fenty down as he was setting off to New York for an education summit. Instead of just telling Segraves what he was up to and putting the longstanding controversy over his secretive travel habits to rest, Fenty awkwardly passed on every question Segraves lobbed his way. Mayor Fenty, if your communications staff won't tell you, we will -- the press feeds off of denials, no matter how petty the issue. You're not doing yourself any good by giving them more and more to work with. more ›

Yahoo! Sports reports that Flip Saunders, formerly the head coach of the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves, will be the next head coach of the Wizards. League sources told Yahoo! Sports that Saunders comes to the team on a four-year, $18 million deal. Saunders -- who has done pretty much everything one can do in terms of coaching professional basketball but win a NBA championship -- will take over the helms after this season is up, an away game from now. Current interim coach Ed Tapscott will likely return to the front office. more ›

Back in February we noticed that President Barack Obama's official limousine -- commonly known as "the tank" -- was still missing the District's "Taxation Without Representation" license plates. Well, it's two months later and we now have photographic evidence that there hasn't been any forward momentum on that front. Flickr photographer Bullneck managed to capture an image of the presidential limo yesterday bearing the totally lame non-protest D.C. tags. more ›

Artist Molly Springfield will be the lone District representative competing for the 2009 Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize, an award that recognizes the work of a visual artist from D.C., northern Virginia, Maryland, or near Pennsylvania. Organized by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts and Artscape, the Sondheim award is $25,000 and bragging rights good throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. The winner will be announced at an award ceremony on July 11, and an exhibition of the finalists' work will be displayed at the Baltimore Museum of Art. more ›

Lauren Whittington at Roll Call reports that congressional leaders announced that a statue of former President Ronald Reagan will be unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda on June 3. In other federal iconography news, FOXNews reveals that there is nary a Republican First Wife in Madame Tussauds. more ›

Sigh. It's one thing for Mayor Adrian Fenty and members of the D.C. Council to disagree about matters of policy. But tickets? The Post is reporting that council members are peeved because Fenty isn't handing over the allotment of tickets they get for a suite in Nationals Park. This isn't the first time this has happened, either -- there have been ticket standoffs in 2007 and 2008. The council has asked Nats owner Ted Lerner to intervene (maybe this is why he doesn't take the city seriously...), and Council member Kwame Brown (D-At Large) is threatening to auction off both the mayor's and the council's suites to raise money for the city. Sigh. Can we at least pretend to act like adults, guys? more ›

U.S. Park Police officers were involved in a shooting at K Street and 2nd Street NE this afternoon in which both a suspect and an officer were injured. The suspect, under investigation for a crime of an unknown nature, failed to stop for officers, leading to a pursuit that ended just two blocks after it began when the suspect struck a fixed object. When two officers approached, the suspect (who was alone in the vehicle) used his vehicle to strike one officer, leading both to fire their weapons at the suspect. None of the injuries sustained were apparently life threatening. more ›

There were five opening pitches to kick of the Nationals season in today's home opener, one tossed by a representative of each of the five branches of the military: the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. One source says that the Army representative was the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard, which would make him Errol Schwartz. A woman representing the Navy and an injured Air Force figure both bounced the pitch to home. It appeared as if the Marine threw a strike, though it was difficult to say since the entire military complement threw their opening pitches at once. Reports from several sources inside Nationals Park have it that Mayor Adrian Fenty came out and gave a fairly lame "Play ball" to kick off the season. So that settles who replaced President Barack Obama, and very well might be the most excitement the game has to offer. more ›

"Have you seen the church?" Judge Robertson asked . . . "Yes, your honor," she replied. more ›

What a terribly sad way to kick off this year's Nationals home opener: longtime Philadelphia Philies broadcaster Harry Kalas -- known for his signature "that ball is outta here!" home run call and soothing baritone -- collapsed around noon inside the press box at Nationals Park. He was transported to George Washington University Medical Center, where, at 1:20 p.m., he was pronounced dead, according to a Philly.com report. Kalas, who had been the voice of the Phillies for 38 years, was 73. There's no word yet on a cause of death. Today's game is still scheduled to be played, but the Phillies have canceled tomorrow's planned outing to the White House. Fans at the game tell us that Kalas' death was announced and they were asked to rise and observe a moment of silence. more ›

Roll Call is reporting (sub. req'd) that the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue won't impose any penalties on four members of Congress that were recently found to be illegally exploiting a tax break for D.C. homeowners. The representatives -- which include Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), Steve King (R-Iowa), Tom Petri (R-Wis.) and Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) -- will only be charged for the back taxes they owe. D.C. officials also announced that Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) was similarly found to be exploiting the tax break, and that many of the members only gained access to the break because of a city policy of granting it to new homeowners based on the status of previous owners. The tax break, known as the homestead exemption, offers District residents a deduction on the assessed value of their D.C. home and limits annual property tax increases. In 2005 22 senators were found to be taking advantage of it, even though it is limited to District residents (which members of Congress cannot be). more ›

We mentioned this briefly over the weekend, but it's worth looking into -- there have been various reports and rumors that portions of Columbia Heights were going to be renamed Tivoli North (or sometimes Tivoli Heights) after the theater located at 14th and Park Road. The name change (or invention) infuriated many, but then it turns out to have been blown out of proportion. more ›

No matter how many news inches or cable spots are dedicated to coverage of President Barack Obama's church attendance, the message just will not reach some people. Some 11 percent of Americans still mistakenly believe that Obama is a Muslim, a number that might seem outrageous to those who live in D.C., where the number of the pew the President occupied is reported on the front page of the Metro section. more ›

Last second drama at the Frozen Four final, played at the Verizon Center on Saturday night, was the fitting culmination of an NCAA hockey tournament for the ages. Boston University and Miami (Ohio) faced off for a championship after Thursday night semifinal victories. Miami took a 3-1 lead deep into the third period, and an underdog win and unlikely champion would have been par for the course in a 2009 full of upsets. BU goalie Kieran Millan was pulled with 3:32 remaining in the 3rd period for an extra attacker, and when the clock wound down towards one remaining minute, the Terriers were all but finished. When they buried the puck with 59.5 seconds remaining, 3-2 was likely too little too late. But BU’s desperation attack was poised and relentless, and with 17.4 seconds to play, Boston’s Nick Bonino one-timed a shot past the left side of a beaten Cody Reichard. It was a heart stopping turn of events for Miami, a team and fan base who could all but hear the final horn and see a championship as the light at the end of a 60-second tunnel. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Have a good Easter? Mine was spent dying eggs, gorging on candy and having an incredibly long brunch. The Obamas made it to church, heading to St. John's — or, as most of us know it better, the little yellow church across from the White House. How'd you spend Sunday? P.G. Police Shooting Reviews Among Area's Longest: The Post reports on Prince George's County's policy for reviewing incidents in which officers discharge their weapons and finds room for improvement. P.G. County typically assigns affected officers to desk duty while the shootings are investigated, restricting their income and leaving police departments short-staffed. This review process can take months; most area jurisdictions complete similar reviews in significantly less time. Police Chief Roberto Hylton says he was unaware that neighboring counties' policies were so different. Montgomery County Pedestrian Spending Proposal Raises Eyebrows: The Examiner reports on county executive Ike Leggett's plans for improving pedestrian safety in Montgomery County, and the concern that's arisen about their price tag. Leggett is proposing over half a million dollars of new spending despite the county facing a $520 million budget deficit. He says the safety measures will be paid for with speed camera revenue. Briefly Noted: Decision delayed on crab harvest regulation... Two killed in separate incidents in P.G. County; young woman found dead in Herndon... Colonial-era tavern discovered by Md. road construction crews... Virginia woman killed on beltway after crawling out of overturned car... It's a slow news day... This Day In DCist: One year ago it was the weekend, and not much was going on. But two years ago the saga of the pants judge began. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user oparrish more ›

If there's one thing that we don't have inside the corridors of the District, it's large tracts of farmland. Considering that, you might not be aware that the Washington region is currently experiencing a drought. The Post reports that some sizable rainfalls yesterday around the region helped to reduce the deficit slightly: the weather station at Reagan National Airport measured 0.40 inches, which pushes the total precipitation for the year in D.C. to 6.5 inches. The normal amount of precipitation through 101 days is 10.46 inches. What's this tell us? Well, for one, all those hullaballoed snowpocolypses this winter did little in terms of supplying the ground with water. Secondly, if April showers can't somehow materialize from old rhymes into reality, then we all might be looking at another summer season like 2007, when many Southern Maryland farmers had a subpar harvest. That drought didn't technically end until May 2008. If this, in any way, affects my enjoyment of corn on the cob this year, there will be consequences (as soon as I figure out a way to beat up clouds and the atmosphere). Anybody know any good rain dances? more ›

The First Hypoallergenic Friend, a Portie who was named Charlie before he was renamed Bo by the Obama daughters, is on his way to the White House. Here is the Post telling a story about how the Post got the story first, a fact noted with some disdain by the AP, who got the poop from White House aides on condition of anonymity, because everyone forgot that they were talking about a puppy and not the last known location of Lashkar-e-Taiba senior leadership. And, of course, the Post didn't even break the damn story: A Web site called First Dog Charlie, which was probably thrown together on a WordPress account by an eager Sasha Obama, had the scoop (not to mention the full feature interview) yesterday. Nevertheless, the good news still stands. Obama avoided what might have been the biggest political blunder of his young career: a labradoodle. more ›

Prince George's County police appointed Anita Rosser to be the first woman to deputy chief in department history. News Channel 8 reports that Rosser greeted the promotion with humility: "As the first woman, I've been in a place we're other women have knocked down doors and I get to walk through them." It's by steps like these that women in fact open these doors for themselves and for future generations. more ›

Are bats the new honeybees? They have been disappearing by the colony in the Northeast over the last three years, killed by white nose syndrome -- a fearsome fungus that strikes bats while they are hibernating. Now, bats in Virginia and West Virginia have been discovered with the tell-tale white fuzz on their muzzles and wings. The Washington Post reports that white nose syndrome has infected colonies at Breathing Cave in Bath County and Clover Hollow in Giles County, both Virginia populations that scientists thought were at a safe remove from infected bats. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Hopefully your Good Friday evening was a bit more calm than what apparently went down near Metro's Navy Yard station last night: DCist received a tip that a "melee" involving "hundreds of out of control juveniles" took place at 1200 Half Street NW SE last night. Green line service was not affected. Obviously, we'll keep you updated if and when more details about what happened come to light. more ›

• The MPD is going to start ticketing people for littering out of their cars. Wither Treebox Vodka?
• Holy crap, an actual guide to going out in D.C. that appears to be written by someone who actually has gone out in D.C., courtesy Vice Magazine.
• Hamil Harris adds some video to his A1 WaPo story this morning about D.C.'s lawsuit against a group that was scamming local African American churches.

Very sad. Another independent bookstore bites the dust. In an email to customers (and a blog post) Friday afternoon, the owners of College Park's Vertigo Books announced they will shut down for good on April 24. The announcement was accompanied by several parting shots at online shopping behemoth Amazon.com, which the owners more or less explicitly blame for their shop's demise. more ›

Robert Bobb isn't a name you hear around the District much anymore, even though the man affectionately known as "Bob-squared" served as City Administrator during Mayor Anthony Williams' second term and was elected to serve as president of the D.C. School Board in 2006. After having pretty much all of his authority pulled out from under him when Mayor Adrian Fenty gained control of the city's schools, Bobb pretty much disappeared from everyone's radar screen. more ›

For the last two years, Capitals fans have flocked to the Verizon Center and rocked the red. Last night, the arena was packed with hockey fans of a different breed, as Washington played host to the Frozen Four, the NCAA's Division I men's college hockey championship. Nevertheless, teams and fans are largely sporting the same colors. Boston University and Miami (Ohio) fit right in with their red school colors, though both teams were wearing their home white last night. The University of Vermont and Bemidji State, both in different shades of green, rounded out the field. more ›

DCPS released the video footage above today of Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) touring Shaw Middle School at Garnet-Patterson last week with D.C Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Durbin and Miller, both of whom are active on education reform issues in Congress, met with students and teachers as they sought insight from the school regarding the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, which is soon up for re-authorization. They also discussed ideas about expanding educator accountability with Shaw teachers. more ›

Well, we knew this was a possibility, but still, what a disappointment for all the folks who are headed to Monday's Nationals home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Washington Times is reporting that President Obama is going to decline the Nats invite to throw out the first pitch at the stadium of the season, due to his busy schedule. USA Today's sports blog picked up the story too, noting that Obama also had to turn down a chance to toss out the first pitch at a White Sox game while he was in Europe. more ›

Two people were shot in Southeast D.C. overnight in separate incidents, and a third person was shot in Northeast this morning. The Post has a short report up on its web site including both of last night's shootings. The first occurred at about 8:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of Howard Road SE, where police found a 19-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest and groin. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Then about 45 minutes later, police responded to a call in the 3000 block of 30th Street SE, where they found a man who had been fatally shot in the head. more ›

Do you have trouble getting a seat on Metro in the morning? On Monday, that could get at least a little bit easier. Regular Red and Green line passengers will find additional eight-car trains running during peak hours, thanks to the 20 additional rail cars Metro plans to put into service next week. more ›

WTOP is reporting a partial street collapse on Connecticut Ave. NW, just north of the Cleveland Park Metro station. Some metal plates that were covering up utility cuts on the southbound lanes collapsed this morning, leaving only one left lane for traffic. No injuries have been reported, but you might want to steer clear of the area while crews work to replace the metal plate. more ›

WASA has crews out working to repair a broken, 8" water main at 3rd and Allison Streets NW, near Rock Creek Cemetery. Water has been shut off in the immediate area since at least 7:30 a.m., leaving roughly 30 homes without water. WASA estimates repairs will take 6 to 8 hours. more ›

Though we're still technically in recession, things seem to be looking up in the area -- at least for homeowners. WTOP reports that home sales in the D.C. region are on the up and up, seeing an increase of 2 percent in the District, 10 percent in Prince George's County, 12 percent in Fairfax County and 16 percent in Montgomery County. Sure, home prices are still down compared to last year, but they seem to be rising every month. So if you were waiting for the local market to hit rock-bottom before buying that dream home, you may just have waited too long. more ›

Among the stores to be shuttered are the Cleveland Park store on Connecticut Ave., the Georgetown location at 3301 M St. NW (already closed, as far as we know), both 11201 New Hampshire Ave. and 3850 International Drive in Silver Spring, and the store located in the Dulles Retail Plaza. more ›

Another suspicious package scare shut down Lafayette Park for about 45 minutes this afternoon. The call came in just before 3:45 p.m., and the package was cleared by 4:30, the AP via WTOP reports. The culprit? A tourist left a backpack in front of the White House gate. more ›

The DC Creates Public Arts Program and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities unveiled several new pieces of public art at Nationals Park on Wednesday. The pieces include sculptures of Washington Senators players Frank Howard and Walter Johnson, and Homestead Grays player Josh Gibson, all created by Omri Amrany, and The Ballgame, a suspended artwork created by D.C. artist Walter Kravitz. DCist photographer Meaghan Gay stopped by to get a closer look. more ›

Gaaah, the National Zoo is just killing us with this latest round of photos of their new clouded leopard cubs. Today the Zoo announced that both of the cubs are boys, a fact veterinarians weren't able to establish right away. The cubs, who sadly won't be on display at the Zoo, were born two weeks ago at the Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va. more ›

DCist unfortunately didn't have a critic there, but by all accounts Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made an onstage appearance at last night's Neko Case concert at the 9:30 Club.

... Arne made a special appeal to the college-aged crowd to consider careers in teaching. "We have a chance to change the country," he said. "We want to make sure every child has a great, great teacher. So I want to encourage you….Those of you who love music, love art, love math….We need that next generation of teachers coming in."

Sad news from Southern California. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Nick Adenhart, a Silver Spring, Md. native, died in a car crash in Fullerton, Calif. early this morning, SI.com is reporting. Two other people were also killed in the crash, and one of the drivers involved fled the scene and was later arrested on manslaughter charges. Adenhart, 22, graduated from Williamsport High School in Hagerstown, Md. in 2004, and went straight into the minor leagues, making his major league debut last May. He pitched six scoreless innings Wednesday night against the Oakland A's. more ›

Interesting story from the Post's Nikita Stewart and Tim Craig on meetings between D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At large) and Vermont state senator Peter Shumlin (D) in advance of Tuesday's near simultaneous passage of gay marriage-related bills in D.C. and Vermont. Did they plan it that way? Kinda sorta maybe. "The two men have been talking about pushing gay marriage since they met seven years ago," Stewart and Craig write. Plus, wasn't the D.C. bill sponsored by Phil Mendelson? Indeed, but D.C. Wire explains that the plan was worked out behind closed doors between Mendelson, Council chair Vincent Gray, and Catania. more ›

Speaking of NCAA tournaments, the Frozen Four is coming to the Verizon Center starting tonight, marking the first Division 1 NCAA Championship to be hosted here in the District of Columbia. The entire championship series is already sold out, but Craigslist is absolutely bustling with scalpers and ticket traders, so if you're hoping to go, check for deals. more ›

You'll forgive us for not congratulating the winner of the 2009 DCist Reader-Staff NCAA Bracketfest contest in a more timely manner, but we've been a little busy licking our wounds. There's just no way to spin the fact that our readers delivered an embarrassing rout of the DCist staff in the standings: the best showing on our end was by Weekend Editor Kriston Capps, who came in a meager 29th overall. more ›

Good morning, D.C. It looks like someone bought a winning Powerball ticket at the Giant on Alabama Avenue in Southeast that's worth $144 million. Here at DCist, we'd like to volunteer our collective financial management expertise to this lucky District resident. We think the best possible thing this person could spend their money on in this ailing economy is to pay off the credit cards of each and every member of the DCist community. Once we're all freed from debt, we'll be much happier, more productive, more financially secure citizens -- in other words, everybody wins! So, mystery lottery winner, all you have to do is email tips(at)dcist.com and we'll arrange the whole thing. Easy peasy. more ›

The Washington Post is reporting that four of the District's Boys & Girls Clubs are going to close as part of a major restructuring that will cut the organization's budget by more than 30 percent. The Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Alexandria and Hyattsville locations will close at the end of the school year, though Mayor Fenty's budget includes money to purchase the Jelleff Branch property in Georgetown. more ›

It's not something we'd recommend on a regular basis, but sometimes, every once in a blue moon, it's a good idea to go ahead and get blind drunk in the middle of the day and end up in the gutter. You know, as a celebration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of booze. This is only more true for recent victims of the recession, the folks who have every reason to drink and nothing else to do. D.C.'s unemployment rate now sits at roughly 10 percent, so there should be plenty of takers for the Breadline Bar Crawl, a midday drunkfest being organized by a group of recently laid off D.C. lawyers. more ›

Virginia State Police have taken into custody an apparently distraught man who was threatening to jump off the Wilson Bridge at around 4 p.m. this afternoon. The man was reportedly dangling from the bridge, but was successfully rescued. Dr. Gridlock reports that traffic delays on the Inner Loop of the Beltway resulted from the rescue operation, which shut down lanes for about 30 minutes. Multiple jurisdictions responded to the rescue operation on the Potomac. more ›

After this morning's news that the Prince George's County Council appears to have blocked DC United from building a new stadium in the county, DC United fans have spent the day worrying about the future of the team. Now the Washington Business Journal's Tierney Plumb reports that hope still hasn't gone out of style: officials in both Montgomery County and Frederick County have reportedly expressed at least initial interest in building a stadium for the team. So now we're talking maybe Shady Grove or Germantown? Those are even farther away from the center of the city than the hypothetical PG stadium. Of course, any such development would likely rest on the original, and still unpopular plan to have the Maryland Stadium Authority float bonds. Color us skeptical. more ›

The low cost bus business has certainly boomed over the last couple of years. While the Peter Pan/Greyhound and various Chinatown bus lines have been offering cheapo rides from D.C. to New York City and Philadelphia for a long time, they now compete with a long list of newcomers, many of whom offer extras like free wireless internet or leather seats. Megabus, the Greyhound-operated BoltBus, Vamoose, and DC2NY are just some of the companies hoping to lure you to inexpensive East Coast travel. And now a D.C.-based team of developers has launched a new site, BusJunction.com, that allows you to search all of their schedules at once. more ›

Did you read this scary story in today's Post about how Lyme Disease cases in the Mid-Atlantic have gone way up over the last few years? Lyme disease reports apparently more than doubled in Virginia and Maryland from 2006 to 2007, and they don't even have data for 2008 yet. Gross. I used to think only folks in New England really had to worry about this creepy, tick-born disease that can cause fun symptoms like joint pain, heart problems, and even palsy, but apparently now we all have to take David Letterman's advice: as you head out and enjoy more outdoor activities this spring and summer, make sure when you get home to strip off all your clothes and check yourself for ticks! more ›

At least five D.C. DMV inspectors have been fired for accepting small cash bribes from cab drivers looking to sail through the inspection process despite deficiencies in their vehicles. Johnson's got photos, presumably taken by honest DMV employees, of the interiors of several taxis where drivers leave between $20-$50 for inspectors, hoping they'll look the other way. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Apparently Madame Tussaud's debuted a wax replica of Michelle Obama yesterday, and at least one local newscast decided to do one of those hi-larious pieces where they ask the sculpture questions and act surprised when it doesn't respond (the same channel also did this when Gilbert Arenas was added to the collection). Good lord. How much longer will this ridiculous imported tourist trap plague our city — and worse, get free advertising every time it unveils one of its horrifying statues? Loudoun Attack Victim Speaking With Police: Cynthia Bennett, the woman who suffered a savage beating and whose husband was killed in a seemingly random attack in Lansdowne, has recovered enough to communicate with police, according to the Post. Bennett's condition and ongoing surgeries have limited the amount of information she's able to share, but police are now looking for four or five individuals who participated in the attack while wearing dark clothing, then left in a white van. The county sheriff has also released a list of behaviors that suspects might exhibit, but unfortunately they're not much more specific than "general suspiciousness." Fenty Learned of Ambulance Donation When Public Did: Yesterday's Examiner story revealed that staff in the mayor's office were instrumental in arranging the now-cancelled donation of a firetruck and ambulance to a town in the Dominican Republic. But according to NBC4, that involvement didn't include Mayor Fenty himself: he's now said that he first heard of the donation through media accounts. Fenty also noted that the vehicle donation didn't appear to be illegal, although he refrained from defending the wisdom of the gift. Briefly Noted: D.C. United not coming to P.G. County... Md. schools will soon be required to report their porn policies... Some Easter Egg Roll tickets were allocated for LGBT families... Md. lawmakers identify $162 million in highway cuts... O'Malley expected to introduce emergency legislation aimed at keeping the Preakness in Maryland... Former employee discusses conditions at National Funeral Home... Md. Office of Crime Control and Prevention Director calls Ensign amendment "operationally impossible"... Morning fire leaves P.G. firefighter badly burned... Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Bernardo Balderrama more ›

All day I've been trying to think of an angle for a quick post on the news that actor Kal Penn (The Namesake, Harold & Kumar) is leaving Hollywood in favor of D.C. and a job inside the White House Office of Public Liaison. We could speculate where he should probably live (Dupont seems the most likely candidate, close enough to walk to work but still young and fun and overpriced), or something like that. But frankly, I've been too pissed that I managed to absolutely ruin the episode of House that's still sitting on my TiVo by skimming the comments in this Lynn Sweet blog post (EW.com was the first to report the news). I'm always happy to welcome another L.A. transplant to town, but Penn couldn't have waited a couple days to announce this one? Gah. He's lucky we went to the same college, so I can't really stay mad for long. Welcome to D.C., Kal. If you're anything like me, you're not going to miss Los Angeles for a second. more ›

Gabe Klein isn't "acting" anymore. The D.C. Council today unanimously confirmed Mayor Fenty's pick to replace Emeka Moneme as director of the District Department of Transportation. Klein, who most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of healthy snack cart business On the Fly and previously was vice president of Zipcar, had been acting director since January 1. more ›

Just in case you missed the news this morning from Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes, The CW has announced it is picking up the young D.C. socialite-focused and Late Night Shots-inspired reality show, Blonde Charity Mafia. more ›

Already some big news out of the D.C. Council's busy legislative session. In a unanimous preliminary vote, the Council voted today to explicitly recognize same-sex marriages granted by other states, the Post reports. While the District has long recognized domestic partnerships between gay couples, it had not formally recognized such marriages granted in states such as Connecticut or Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage has been legalized. This bill, introduced by At-large Council member Phil Mendelson (D), stops short of legalizing same-sex marriage in the District, but another At-large member, David Catania (I), has long promised that he plans to introduce such a measure before the Council this year. more ›

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Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough announced Monday that the three most popular museums on the National Mall will stay open longer through the summer in an effort to boost revenue for their gift shops and restaurants, the AP reports. The National Museum of Natural History and National Air and Space Museum will stay open two hours later, until 7:30 p.m., and the National Museum of American History will stay open at least one hour later, every day this summer. The museums open at 10 a.m. and typically closed at the end of the work day. A spokesperson for the Smithsonian confirmed that the extended hours actually started on Mar. 28, and will last until at least Sept. 7, with a few exceptions. Consult the web sites of each museum for the most up to date operating hours. more ›

Fire crews responded to a gas main break at 16th Street and Park Road NW at about 9 a.m. this morning. Traffic was backed up on southbound 16th Street while firetrucks blocked one lane, and firefighters shut down a section of the sidewalk on the west side of the street. A strong smell of gas wafted across the intersection, and one firefighter instructed a pedestrian to put out his cigarette when he approached. A 3 inch gas main was struck by a worker operating a backhoe; construction on Park Road between 16th and 17th has been ongoing for weeks. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Well it looks like those University of Maryland students got to watch excerpts of porn flick Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge after all, despite the controversy that broke out amid threats by State Sen. Andrew Harris (R-Baltimore County) to block operating funds from the university. After the initial student union screening was canceled, a group of students managed to reschedule a privately paid showing of excerpts in a lecture hall, thus taking the question of whether it was being sponsored and funded by the public school out of the equation. The photo the Post has accompanying its story answers my main question about this whole saga: yes, it does appear as though watching porn in a room full of 200 people is uncomfortable and embarrassing. more ›

The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District sent around word to their members today that the District Department of Transportation has informed them of a month-long sidewalk and road repair project on K Street that is set to begin this week. more ›

For all those locals who were disappointed by having to compete for tickets to the annual White House Easter Egg Roll with the entire internet, some good news: the White House has announced it will offer its traditional Gardens and Grounds Tours April 18-19, and unlike the Easter Egg Roll, tickets for the tours will be available in person only, on a first-come, first-serve basis. more ›

First there were four, then a fifth, and now one more member of Congress found to be illegally exploiting a tax break for District residents who are homeowners. Via Politico, the Kansas City Star is reporting that Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and his wife have been caught claiming the homestead exemption on their $1.6 million Georgetown home. more ›

D.C. Wire tips us off to a new Twitter feed and Facebook page for the D.C. Fire Department and EMS services. In a nod to the Washington Post city desk's sometimes strained relationship to blogging, they don't actually provide you with direct links to the new features, instead just suggesting that you search for them yourself, so here you go: twitter.com/dcfireems and Dc Fireems on Facebook. DC Fire/EMS spokesperson Alan Etter told D.C. Wire he plans to post breaking news and other official department updates on the Twitter feed, which today has already garnered entertaining results. To wit: more ›

Absolutely zero surprise here: WMATA says the Metrorail system recorded high ridership on both Saturday and Sunday. If anything, we would have thought it might have been a little higher. This weekend marked the third highest Saturday and fourth highest Sunday ridership days in the history of Metro. Riders took 713,148 trips on Saturday and 469,751 trips on Sunday, both figures that are well over 200,000 higher than the same days last year. We always enjoy WMATA's press shop's inclusion with these announcements of the events going on when previous records were set. Sunday ridership records are obvious: the highest was the weekend of President Obama's Inauguration, and second and third are both Fourth of July related. But the Saturday records are more surprising: the top spot still belongs to the 1991 Desert Storm victory rally, and the second the 1997 Promise Keepers march. more ›

Local radio listeners who missed the front page of Saturday's Washington Post were in for a rude awakening this morning. WTGB 94.7 "The Globe," D.C.'s last classic rock station, changed formats today. The station is now called 94.7 Fresh FM, and offers contemporary pop music programming like Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson and John Mayer. The Post's story offers an appropriate lament for the demise of classic rock and further homogenization of the local radio landscape. Apart from the overall decline in radio audiences thanks to iPods and the like, it seems classic rock stations all over the country are struggling to interest advertisers due to their aging fan base. There was just no way for WTGB to end up back in black if it stuck with AC/DC. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Did you brave the city's busiest tourist weekend since the Obama inauguration, or are you just now removing the barricades from your front doors? Washington, D.C. was without a doubt touristastic all weekend thanks to the National Cherry Blossom Festival and four major sports events, causing traffic to come to a near standstill through most of downtown and the Metrorail to be seemingly clogged around the clock. Some residents we've talked to couldn't pass up their annual cherry blossom pilgrimage, but plenty just stayed far, far away from the mess. Is it as simple as believing if you've seen one year's pink flowers, you've seen 'em all? The Post has a story this morning examining the financial impact to the city: people came, but they didn't stay overnight in hotels or spend a lot in restaurants. more ›

Chicagoist awaited the arrival of the International Olympic Committee and bore witness to a pair of protests scheduled to coincide with their visit.

Via the Upstate Life, the Baltimore Sun says that the Virgin Mobile Festival will return for a fourth year, though the venue is uncertain at this time. With the owner of Pimlico Race Track in bankruptcy proceedings, the weekend-long event may be forced to relocate. Merriweather Post Pavillion is named as another option, while the stadium lots near the respective homes of the Ravens and Orioles are each ruled as probably-nots. So get excited! Only the who, when, where, and how remain to be locked down. We're practically there. more ›

For the first forty-five minutes at RFK Stadium last night, it felt like there was something missing. Maybe it was the team's shooting boots, maybe it was the initiative. Possibly that little extra oomph which the team usually comes out of the tunnel with. It might have been the intricate touch and innovation in front of goal. more ›

Now this is some off the wall ridiculousness right here. A Fairfax County girl was given a two-week suspension and a recommendation for expulsion because she was "caught" taking her birth control pill during lunch last month. Of course, the school's side of the matter is that there is a zero-tolerance policy in the school for any kind of pill -- the Post reports that students are subject to possible expulsion if they bring "any 'controlled substance' or addictive drug regulated by the federal government" on to school grounds. (I'll remember to keep my Advil at home the next time I'm on school grounds in the Commonwealth, then, lest someone with a headache gets expelled.) The teen that was suspended -- an honor student and a letterman, no less -- studied the handbook on drugs and found that not only would her punishment been less if she had been caught with heroin, but that her two-week suspension was the same punishment if she had brought a gun to school. It's understandable that the school wants to curb prescription drug abuse by students, but their blanket reaction to the issue sets a very dangerous precedent -- not to mention the message it sends to other students who might not care to have the school system as a mediator in choices they and their parents make regarding their sexual health. Mark Fisher's column today also covers a similar case -- a Fairfax student caught with marijuana for the second time was threatened with possible expulsion. Sadly, as a result, Josh Anderson took his own life. If these two cases aren't justification enough to take a second look at the rules, I'm not sure what is. more ›

When Mayor Adrian Fenty disappeared for four days in March, he took with him the public trust. The city deserves answers -- and now, you will have them. A photo has surfaced to explain where Fenty spent March 26-29.
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Construction crews on Friday hustled to put the finishing touches on a number of new features at Nationals Park, as the team gets set to kick off its second ever season at the stadium this month. It was hard to believe yesterday, amid the plastic tarps and forklifts, that everything would be spic and span in time for tonight's pre-season exhibition against the Orioles -- but Nationals president Stan Kasten expressed confidence that his ballpark would not only be ready, it would be much improved over last year. more ›

On the peak Saturday of the Cherry Blossom Festival -- one of the historically busier days on the calendar for our venerable Metro -- it's obviously going to be quite crowded on trains and in platforms. But as the twilight of this morning's activities arrives, and the city prepares for this evening's sports-related subway throngs by engaging in a mass pillow fight, it's encouraging that the Metro website is currently reporting no official disruptions in rail service. With a tip of the cap to reader InMasonicShadows, Unsuck DC Metro put together a twittercap of this morning's biggest problem: incredibly long lines to enter suburban Metro stations. All things considered, if that's the biggest issue with Metro today, then there's not too much to complain about. (Now let's collectively find some wood, and get knockin'.) more ›

It was refreshing, if only for one moment, to read this morning's news and find a story that actually made this curmudgeonly writer smile: the Washington Times picked up the AP report from a surprise ceremony last night at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts where nine D.C. high school seniors were awarded full scholarships -- valued around $200,000 -- to attend George Washington University this fall. more ›

In the immortal words of Lyle Lovett, "That's right, you're not from Texas/ But Texas wants you anyway." WTOP reports that a 13 year old boy from Jetersville, Virginia, loaded up the family truck with food and his dog, hitched up a trailer carrying two horses, and drove some 1,300 miles to Texas. Yeah, buddy, that's right! This native Texan figures that young Wyatt McLaughlin was just returning the pickup to its ancestral homelands. Apparently, video surveillance cameras in Mount Pleasant -- Mount Pleasant, Texas, that is -- caught the boy as he was fillin' er up. He was found just outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Weatherford, the Peach Capital of Texas, where he intended to perform in the Posse Frontier Days rodeo. The Posse constitution holds that the rodeo brings together people ”to foster interest among its members in keeping alive the true traditions of the old west, a sacred heritage of all Texans; to promote good fellowship, good sportsmanship and a greater interest, both social and civic, in their community” and ”to assist the high sheriff, upon his request, to quell a riot”. It's a calling! Parents just don't understand. more ›

Around the D.C. news-o-verse this morning: more ›

The Hill is reporting that D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton indicated during this morning's subcommittee hearing that she now expects the D.C. House Voting Rights Act to pass the House with a controversial amendment that would wipe out most of the District's existing gun registration laws.

“For the first time, the leaders in both houses are looking very seriously at this gun law,” Norton said a hearing this morning. “And they are aware the gun law is going to become law.” more ›

One more update on Firetruckgate from the Examiner's Michael Neibauer to end out the week. D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles is now defending the mysterious donation of an older D.C. government firetruck and ambulance to a resort town in the Dominican Republic, saying that the vehicles were properly declared surplus by the Office of Contracting and Procurement and lawfully donated to non-profit Peaceaholics, the group that arranged the donation. Even so, both vehicles have since been returned to the District, to "assure that this transaction raises no further public concerns." Fantastic quote from Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh: "If all rules and regulations were followed, we need new rules and regulations." more ›

This weekend sure is a busy one. What with the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade is on Saturday morning, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk on Sunday morning, plus Wizards, DC United and Nationals games all happening on Saturday night, off-peak hours this weekend on Metro are likely to resemble rush hour. In order to keep up, Metro has no weekend track work scheduled, and they've instituted a number of service changes. more ›

Late Thursday afternoon, DJ Hut announced via Facebook that it will be shuttering its store in the upstairs portion of 2010 P Street NW. A little over a year ago, we heralded its return after a damaging fire, but the economic downturn coupled with the music industry's move further down the MP3 road appears to have ultimately made DJ Hut's physical location no longer viable. The notice, sent to DJ Hut's Facebook group, declared that the primarily vinyl institution will close at the end of April, with a 20 percent discount on most merchandise until then. The store will, however, continue to exist online for the foreseeable future. more ›

An amendment attached to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act that would gut the District's gun laws has remained a point of heated debate in recent weeks, and today Police Chief Cathy Lanier heads to the Hill to testify on the dangers it would pose to the city. She is scheduled to join a number of security officials in a hearing titled, "Disaster Capacity in the National Capital Region: Experiences, Capabilities, and Weaknesses," being held by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. The subcommittee is chaired by D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and is meeting as of 10 a.m. in Room 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building. You can also watch a live web cast of the hearing. more ›

Mayor Adrian Fenty's recent secretive travels have made finding out where he is something of a game amongst local journalists. This week WTOP's Mark Segraves takes the prize for hunting Fenty down at National airport as he set off to New York for the weekend. And though he claims to be headed north on "official business," Fenty declined to specify what that business was. Segraves got the whole thing on video, and awkward camera work aside, it's worth watching. Fenty's caginess on his travel schedule is apparent, and his advisers would do well in convincing him that it doesn't make him look like the new, open and progressive mayor he campaigned as. more ›

• Embattled DC Water and Sewer Authority General Manager Jerry N. Johnson has resigned! Somehow, tragically, the folks behind WASAWatch have yet to comment. Where for art thou, WASAWatch?
• The new beer list at Nationals Park is out. Mmmmm. Beer.
• Erik Wemple has a pretty funny take on the news that the Anacostia street car project has been delayed once again for at least a couple more years, and will cost the city some $860,000 to continue storing its prematurely bought street cars in the Czech Republic: "Just let me take care of them. I’d promise to power them up twice a month and take them for 400-yard walks. For this service, I’d charge a mere $350,000, with a performance bonus of $100,000, of course."

It's a little difficult to cut through the Washington Times' scare-story, but here goes: as part of his budget proposal, Mayor Fenty has proposed extending an already-existing program in fiscal 2010, which would allow more of D.C.'s prisoners to earn nominal sentence reductions (think days, not months) in exchange for volunteering for work details, exhibiting good behavior, and completing various educational and vocational programs. An expanded early-release program, which Fenty estimates could save the cash-strapped District around $4 million, is certainly an initiative worth serious consideration and debate -- Virginia, for instance, has been going back and forth on a similarly-motivated program for quite some time now -- but it's certainly not a manic rush to release violent murderers and rapists, as the Times' wildly inflated "80 percent of the city's inmates" lede suggests. Quite the contrary: the program is mostly closed to inmates serving time for violent crimes. D.C. Department of Corrections Director Devon Brown also noted that interested inmates would be required to participate in qualifying activities for one month before they became eligible to earn reduction credits. Hmm, encouraging convicted offenders to engage in productive behaviors involving increasing education and getting jobs -- isn't this kinda the point of incarceration? more ›

Wednesday marked the official renaming of the 5200 block of Foote Street NE as Marvin Gaye Way NE, located at the entrance to Marvin Gaye Park. FOX 5 and WJLA both have coverage of the ceremony, hosted by Ward 7 Council member Yvette Alexander. April 1 was also the 25th anniversary of D.C. native Gaye’s death (he was shot and killed by his father in 1984). A Marvin Gaye Music Festival is also set for Saturday, April 4 from 2-8 p.m. at Marvin Gaye Park. More details on that event can be found here. more ›

Despite complaints by some Ward 6 residents about idling engines, the Nationals say they will continue to offer shuttles from RFK to Nationals Park this season, WTOP's Adam Tuss reports. Like last year, Nats fans will be able to park for free at RFK and catch the free shuttle to the ballpark. More interesting: Tuss notes that "Team officials have not yet announced plans for any changes to parking around the stadium." Considering all the fear mongering about traffic and parking nightmares that never materialized, you'd think the Nats might want to try to do something more with the mostly empty, hideous above-ground parking lots in front of the stadium. more ›

Good morning, D.C. Yesterday marked the first day of the peak cherry blossom bloom period, which is predicted to last only through Saturday. The weather during this year's shorter peak bloom hasn't exactly been ideal. Yesterday, we had rain, it looks like there could be more rain tomorrow, and this morning, a thick fog lingers over the city. Locals should know better than to head down to the Tidal Basin on Saturday, when it will be teeming with tourists, so if you've been meaning to go see our city's famed pink flowers at their peak, DCist recommends heading down this evening, or better yet, take a late lunch this afternoon, by which time the fog will have lifted and we should be treated to at least a little sunshine. Or you can always just enjoy the increasingly large number of cherry blossom shots in the DCist Flickr pool. more ›

• Well hey look at that. The Lerner family, owners of the Washington Nationals, went ahead and paid their rent on time for this year instead of throwing a hissy fit and shaking the city government down for $4 million extra in taxpayer money. Um, thanks?
• Shiloh Baptist Church is set to present its current plans for all its vacant properties at tonight's ANC2C meeting (6:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Recreation Center). Expect a lot of talk without any financing to back it up.
• The Sosua Fire Truck scandal keeps rolling right along. Neibauer recounts testimony today from D.C. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin, who says he didn't have a clue about the entire thing. Asst. Fire Chief for Services Alfred Jeffery appears to be the man who approved travel for Deputy Fire Chief Ronald Gill Jr. and unnamed "other employees of the District government" to the Dominican Republic in January.

The Washington Post's Bill Turque first reported this morning that State Superintendent of Education Deborah Gist has resigned and taken a position as Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education for the state of Rhode Island. Gist's decision to leave doesn't come as a huge surprise, given how she'd been largely relegated to a background role in the restructured DCPS system under Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Gist was appointed by former mayor Anthony Williams. more ›

Murky Coffee owner Nick "I'll punch you in your dick" Cho posted a letter on his web site today announcing that his Clarendon coffee shop is closing.

It's with great sadness that I announce that in a few weeks, murky coffee will be relocating from here in Clarendon to a new location in Washington DC. more ›

So the Eisenhower Memorial Commission and the General Services Administration have picked Frank Gehry to design a memorial to be erected in Washington honoring President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Gehry is surely the most famous working American architect today. That fame is based on designs for fanciful, billowing metallic structures that create a lot of glare and heat. The last time Gehry was involved in a major project in D.C., things didn't go so well. Here's hoping Gehry's design for the Eisenhower Memorial manages to create only the good kind of heat. more ›

Cleveland Park Email List purveyor Bill Adler likes to send out April Fool's jokes to his subscribers. Last year, it was the fictional escape of a "Loof Lirpa" from the National Zoo. The year before that, there was the big announcement that a developer was planning on bringing a Pet Hotel to Cleveland Park. more ›

The "soft" part of the launch of the city's new Circulator bus routes came to an end today, as D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), and DDOT acting director Gabe Klein all came out to 18th Street and Columbia Road NW this morning for an official ceremony to kickoff the new bus lines. more ›

If you need a little outlet for the pent up frustration of still not having voting rights, head down to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol today for a teach-in on D.C. statehood. Hosted by the ACLU of the National Capital Area and the D.C. Statehood Green Party, among others, the teach-in will include speakers and musical performances. The list of speakers is long and distinguished, featuring Johnny Barnes of the ACLU, D.C. Shadow Senator Michael D. Brown, Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) and Council member Michael A. Brown (I-At Large). Musical performances will include Tabi Bonney, Rasi Caprice and Head-Roc. The event runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. more ›

Yesterday, City Paper's Tim Carman spotted a story in the San Francisco Business Times about how Revolution Foods, a California-based group with the admirable mission that "all students should have access to healthy, fresh food on a daily basis," may be expanding to D.C. in the next year. Revolution Foods has partnered with Whole Foods in the past, and places an emphasis on teaching kids good nutrition habits in addition to providing meals. more ›

In news that is sure to slow the momentum of the D.C. House Voting Rights Act, the Post has a front page story this morning about how lawyers at the Department of Justice believe that the measure is unconstitutional. An unpublished opinion from the department's Office of Legal Counsel was apparently rejected by Attorney General Eric Holder, who instead asked the solicitor general's office to weigh whether the government could defend the legislation if it was challenged in court. It could, states the article. more ›

Amazing. The Justice Department announced this morning that it will be dropping all charges against former Sen. Ted "Series of Tubes" Stevens. Attorney General Eric Holder said that prosecutors improperly withheld evidence from Stevens' attorneys during his trial, in which he was convicted on seven felony corruption charges. Stevens had appealed his case, but due to these embarrassing revelations, the Justice Department now won't even seek a new trial for the former Alaska senator. NPR's Nina Totenberg first reported the story this morning, noting that Holder made the decision to put an end to the Stevens case late yesterday. more ›

Good morning, Washington, and welcome (sigh) to April Fool's Day. We're on record as being April 1st curmudgeons, at least when it comes to the web. But who knows? Perhaps this year will be different — Apple's offer of John Cage's 4'33" as a free download (iTunes link) is a promising start, we'll admit. On the other hand, everyone's computer is supposed to melt down today as the Conficker Worm wakes up, so perhaps we'll be spared from internet whimsy whether we like it or not. More On Dominican Republic Emergency Vehicle Donation: Yesterday we discussed the bizarre emerging scandal that revolves around the gift of some District emergency vehicles to an impoverished town in the Dominican Republic. Today the Examiner's Michael Neibauer continues to work the story he broke last Friday. Among the new details: Deputy Fire Chief Ronald Gill Jr. went to the town of Sosua to make the donation, and charged at least part of the trip to the city. The story also includes quotes from Ron Moten, a co-founder of Peaceaholics, the charity through which the donation was arranged. Moten asserts that the vehicles are now on their way back to the District and that their age means that they're worth much less than the $340,000 that has been reported. More Museum Asbestos: It's only been two weeks since Richard Pullman first publicly alleged that he had been exposed to asbestos as part of his job at the Air & Space Museum, but the Smithsonian is already facing another asbestos-related problem. The Post reports that a contractor repeatedly failed to properly handle asbestos during renovation-related work at the National Museum of American History. Smithsonian officials say that once the problem was identified it was immediately dealt with, and they point out that the museum was closed to the public at the time of the incident. But it's not clear to what extent workers were exposed. Briefly Noted: Dominion proposes 6.9% rate increase... Woman tries to sneak sacrificed bird hidden in soap past BWI customs... Md. bill regarding D.C. United stadium bounced back to committee... Leader of local ID theft ring enters guilty plea... Montgomery County considers ban on brick sidewalks... Md. speed camera program may expand its scope... This Day In DCist: One year ago Chris Cooley joined the blogosphere and the Nats had parking problems. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Spodie Odie more ›