News: October 2009 Archives

    

The Church of Scientology Religious Trust's building at 16th and P Streets NW is the site of a barricaded celebration of some sort today -- one which is blocking a sizable section of one of the District's major arteries. (Obviously, I wasn't invited behind the curtain. I mean, you should have seen my last audit: whew!) Police are out in full force around the humongous 50,000-square foot building, and security is tight -- a ten-foot tall white temporary barricade is blocking off 16th Street; there are huge draping banners reading "SCIENTOLOGY" and "DIANETICS", though, in case those walking by on their Saturday jaunts to the 14th and P retail corridor were wondering what the hell was going on with this big white thing in the middle of the street.

Sometimes, when you have as much talent as the Caps' roster, you get in your own way. Despite coming in on a six-game winning streak, facing a team that was 2-4-5, a hefty 40-28 advantage in shots, and a solid performance by Jose Theodore, the Capitals lost 4-3 in overtime on Friday.

Happy Halloween, ye fellow denizens of Zombieton, D.C. I suppose that some of you are spending the precious daylight of All Hallow's Eve running around, paralyzed with the realization that your utter lack of costume ingenuity has finally come back to bite you. (Note: we hear the Columbia Heights Target is already out of white sheets, so there goes that idea.)

D.C. Police say they are investigating two fatal shootings that happened overnight in Northeast.

A fire broke out on the roof of Kelly's Irish Times pub at a little after 4:30 p.m. this afternoon, according to D.C. Fire/EMS spokesperson Pete Piringer. The bar, located near Union Station at 14 F Street NW, was evacuated while D.C. firefighters worked to get the blaze under control. Crews are still on the scene working to make sure the fire is completely out and did not extend anywhere else, Piringer said.

    

The District Department of Transportation is busy installing a new contraflow, south-bound bicycle lane on 15th Street NW, which will extend from U Street NW to Massachusetts Avenue NW. Initial work began on Monday, and DCist spotted the work crew out just above P Street this afternoon as they put down the directional bike lane symbols.

The idea here is obviously that demonstrating how to do self-breast exams in a clear and precise manner could help save lives. But of course, it's also the start of the fall sweeps period, so the station is catching some heat for the appearance of showing naked boobs just to get ratings.

A Georgetown student says she was attacked on Tuesday night because she was wearing a gay rights T-shirt, WJLA is reporting.

Police say it happened Tuesday night near the school’s entrance on Canal Road. The female student says two men started insulting her with derogatory comments based on her perceived sexual orientation. Then, officers say, the men took her book bag, pushed her to the ground, and then struck her with the bag.

Continue reading "Anti-Gay Assault Reported in Georgetown"

Georgetown is, as always, one of the biggest destinations for Halloween revelers, and the District Department of Transportation has sent out the following advisory for road closures and parking restrictions for the weekend. The roads marked in orange below will be closed to through traffic from 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 31 until 4 a.m. on Sunday, November 1. Only motorists who are residents and employees of businesses within these areas will be granted access during this time. Also keep in mind that additional streets may be closed and/or opened at the direction of D.C. police. Drivers must present proof of residency or work identification to access the closed streets.

Rhee Faces Council's Wrath: D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee faced lines of angry questioning yesterday in a hearing before the D.C. Council that stretched over the course of the entire day. The majority of the hearing centered around Rhee's decision in early October to fire 266 teachers in order to close an approximately $40 million hole in the 2010 school budget. Members of the council wanted to know why Rhee didn't instead cut summer school operations when the city was forced to cut the school budget by $20.7 million in July. While arguments flew over Rhee's legal authority to fire the teachers, what was clear was that relations between the council and the school's highest official are strained. City Desk live-blogged the whole thing; the Post and the Examiner have good summaries on the hearing.

Joe Englert's H Street NE bar The Argonaut was closed last night, thanks to a dispute with the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, as Frozen Tropics reported earlier this morning. Englert tried to explain his side of what happened in a statement to the neighborhood blog, outlining a process that started with being notified that three of his businesses owed tens of thousands of in back sales and use taxes. He said two of those accounts were quickly resolved, but The Argonaut's was more complicated, and "even though we kept in daily contact with the Department and even though we were told repeatedly that we were working in compliance, they came any way and shut us down," Englert wrote.

As the 2010 election season gets underway, DCist will endeavor to interview as many of the candidates for city office as we can. This week, we speak with At-large D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D), who is currently running for re-election.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier and Mayor Adrian Fenty announced Wednesday that they have doubled the reward money, to $50,000, for anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the two gunmen who shot and killed 17-year-old Kenyetta Nicholson-Stanley on Oct. 8. Nicholson-Stanley was shot while standing in a playground in the 500 block of Edgewood Street NE, and was merely a bystander. The suspects are believed to have been targeting a security guard who worked in the Edgewood Terrace apartments.

Good morning, Washington. Expect a lot of activity inside and all around the John A. Wilson Building this morning, as Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee prepares to face the D.C. Council in a Committee of the Whole hearing scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Protesters on both sides of the debate, both those who support Rhee and those who are deeply suspicious of the recent reduction in force, should be visible out on Freedom Plaza this morning. But tensions will arguably be higher inside the building, as frustrated Council members finally get the opportunity to question Rhee on her decision making process on these most recent layoffs.

A partially collapsed roadway has forced city officials to close the 1400 block of Meridian Place NW to vehicular traffic this afternoon. District Department of Transportation spokesperson John Lisle said the sunken area is about 20 feet by 4 feet, and that DDOT is already on the scene making repairs.

Potentially great news for Black Rooster Pub loyalists. The longtime downtown watering hole served what it thought would be its last drinks on October 16, after the bar's owner, Jody Taylor, learned at the end of September that his had landlord had declined to renew the Rooster's lease. Heartfelt farewell stories to the pub appeared in the media shortly thereafter, and we chalked the whole sad story up to accepting that nothing, not even a popular, 40-year-old Washington bar, lasts forever. But earlier today, the BlackRoosterPub twitter feed provided the first glimmer of hope:

Good news for the Black Rooster! We are making headway getting back to business.. Details soon. #rally4therooster

So D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles gave Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh (D) some flowers today (City Desk even has a photo of said flowers). He did this in an attempt to apologize for telling a Washington Post reporter he thought Cheh, who recently criticized the Fenty administration for trying to keep Ximena Hartsock in her job at DPR for a while longer, was "stupid" and "an angry woman," remarks that struck this writer as pretty sexist. So it's hard not to raise an eyebrow at least partially at the act of giving this "angry woman" some flowers to appease her irrational temper.

Via the masnsports twitter feed, it appears that some preposterously deluded reality television production company has picked the wrong major league baseball team to build a superfan show around. To wit:

Remember the scene in Fever Pitch where Jimmy Fallon nearly attacks his UPS guy for his season tickets? How about all the challenges he faces throughout the movie as he struggles to balance his baseball fandom with real life?

Continue reading "Reality Show in Works About 'Die-Hard Nationals Fans'"

Two weeks ago, we reported that an amendment granting the District a voting seat in the House might be tacked on to a defense spending bill. Now, it doesn't look like that will happen.

Good morning, Washington. How many of you made it to last night's High Heel Race? The weather must have made it not only unpleasant for onlookers but downright treacherous for participants. But a quick search of the tubes (from my warm, dry couch) makes it sound as though the event went off without any major problems, which is good to hear (and hey, it looks like Mayor Fenty was in attendance). For those who went: which runner did you think was the most creatively-garbed? Findings Released On Md. Medevac Crash: The Post brings word that NTSB has released the final conclusions of its investigation into the fatal crash of a Maryland State Police helicopter that occurred just over a year ago. The primary factor seems to have been pilot error under foggy conditions, but there's blame to go round: the investigators also criticized what they found to be inadequate air traffic control services and a poorly-performed post-crash search. The Coast Guard Hopes You Will Accept Its Apology: According to the Examiner, the Coast Guard says it now realizes that the training exercise it conducted on 9/11 was a mistake. Well, duh. The incident was misreported by CNN as involving shots being fired on a vessel on the Potomac — not a great performance by the media, but also not a great time to schedule a simulation of terrorism at a location very near the Pentagon. Accused Spy Had Fraud Conviction: Today's Post has a fascinating story profiling Stewart Nozette, a high-level NASA geek who was recently indicted for his apparent attempts to sell American secrets to government agents posing as representatives of a foreign power. Nozette got into trouble a few years ago for overbilling the government for consulting services — it appears that that incident may have sent him spiraling into his current trouble. Briefly Noted: Amtrak, MARC service disrupted at New Carrollton station... D.C. pharmacies could begin doling out the swine flu vaccine as early as next week... Hagerstown to pay vet bills for dog shot by police... High school production of Chicago canceled, then uncanceled... Elderly woman stabbed in Anne Arundel park... Area foreclosures spiking... Obama campaigns for Deeds... This Day In DCist: One year ago Metro handed out free hand sanitizer and some dope tried to scale the White House fence.

Wizards 102, Mavericks 91: Something tells me that the Wizards are going to be a real interesting team this season: new coach, a whole host of new players, and old players returning with the grudge of last season's epic failure hanging over their heads as motivation. But for whatever reason, the Wizards' hopes seem to always rest on the back of Gilbert Arenas. And man, the old Gilbert was back last night: dishing dimes, driving to the hoop with strength and finesse, and reminding us of that guy whom you could have made an argument for as the best fourth quarter player in the league three years ago. Gil had 29 points and nine assists in the Wizards season-opening 102-91 win on the road in Dallas. Of course, it wasn't all Agent Zero -- new boss Flip Saunders has stressed defense during the offseason, and Washington held the Mavs to only 39% from the field. Andray Blatche, Randy Foye, and Caron Butler also chipped in double digits. Dirk Nowitzki (and his long hair) paced Dallas with 34.

Nick Cho, former owner of Murky Coffee, has been charged with 82 counts of tax fraud, according to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. Cho formally turned himself in this morning after being charged by the Attorney General's office in connection with his failure to file monthly sales tax returns for his Capitol Hill coffeeshop during the period of December 20, 2004, to January 31, 2008, in addition to failing to file unincorporated franchise taxes for tax years 2006 and 2007.

Nearly half of the households in the District and Alexandria are made up of single people living alone, according to this story by the Washington Post. The findings are based on data released today from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006-2008 American Community Survey Data, which show that 26.7 percent of all households in the District are single females living alone, while 20.8 percent are single men living alone, adding up to over 47 percent of the city. That's the same percentage of single households in Alexandria, with Arlington County trailing not far off at 45 percent. By contrast, only 26 percent of households in Fairfax County were single people for the same time period.

The Post's Matt Zapotosky is reporting that a woman was held at gunpoint in her home in Oxon Hill this morning during a home-invasion robbery perpetrated by three men. The men, at least one wearing a mask and two said to be armed with guns, broke into the woman's apartment in the 1400 block of Southern Ave., just across the street from the District border, at about 8 a.m. this morning. The report notes that the suspects are believed to have fled in a gray or blue Dodge Magnum.

Legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in the District is going to pass, and no one is more aware of that fact than its opponents. Seeing that they've got little chance of swinging any votes on the D.C. Council, they've instead announced an offensive that will include pushing Congress to stop the legislation from taking effect and using the courts to enforce the federal Defense of Marriage Act on the city.

I only made it through watching about 3 1/2 hours of Monday's D.C. Council hearing on the same-sex marriage bill before I had to call it a night, and the majority of speakers I heard supported the legislation. Gay, straight, and religious leaders alike came forward to share moving personal stories about what it would mean for the longtime committed same-sex couples in their lives to finally be able to marry. But there were plenty of opponents among those who testified as well. Many cited their anger that the bill's passage appeared to be a foregone conclusion, since it already has enough co-signers to clear the full Council. Others referenced deeply held religious beliefs that marriage can only be between one man and one woman. The tone of the evening ranged from reasoned discourse to tears to outright shouting.

With their chances of making the postseason finally dashed on Saturday night after a heartbreaking 2-2 draw in Kansas City, D.C. United's focus moved from the inconsistency of their on-the-field performance to their arguably much more intriguing off-the-field affairs. Besides a potential coaching change and plenty of questions about a major shake-up in the front office, the more pertinent debate is perhaps the still-looming issue of finding a new home for the club.

Good morning, Washington. Among this morning's leading stories on the local broadcast outlets was coverage of last night's Mark Twain Prize ceremonies at the Kennedy Center, a fine enough subject for any television news program. And considering it was Bill Cosby, a legendary comedian with ties to D.C., who was being honored, it makes all the more sense for local stations to have sent their cameras down to the show. But tell me if you see the same thing wrong with one of these headlines that I did this morning. WTTG/FOX5 went with the straightforward, "Bill Cosby Honored with Twain Award," a fine choice. WJLA/ABC7 also went with simple: "Cosby Receives Award at the Kennedy Center." But then there's this WUSA9 offering: "Comedian Sinbad Speaks In DC For Bill Cosby Award." Yes, on a night when the Cos is being honored and the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock are there, channel 9 goes with ... Sinbad. A bold editorial decision if we've ever seen one.

The D.C. Council Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary's hearing on the same-sex marriage bill is going on now, and you can watch it live online.

Let's just say that the Fenty administration and the D.C. Council aren't planning any friendly get togethers any time soon.

Good morning, Washington. Hope you all had relaxing weekends, despite the late night Howard Homecoming revelers on every corner, the global climate protesters, the early rising Marine Corps Marathoners, and the shooters firing their guns all over Petworth, Columbia Heights, and LeDroit Park. Now that we think about it, it's a wonder any of us got any sleep at all.

           

These marchers may love the environment, but the environment did not love them back on Saturday. The rains were enough to dampen the enthusiasm of even the most ardent green-earther. Nevertheless, the assembly for the International Day of Climate Action did not go unnoticed! Flickr user JBrazito snapped photos of the march from Malcolm X Park to the White House.

After a few months where we wondered if any business could maintain an open storefront in Cleveland Park, it looks like two of the most quizzically empty spaces in the neighborhood have plans to be filled. Posters to the neighborhood's ubiquitous listserv have passed on the information that the space at Connecticut Avenue and Porter Street which formerly held a 7-11 could house an urgent care office. (Urgent care next to the new Walgreens? Convenient!). Meanwhile, the former McDonalds at 3407 Connecticut -- which has literally been empty for years -- could potentially become a diner. A fun place to get some awesome breakfast before or after a weekend matinee at the Uptown sounds utterly delightful.

Plenty of area residents will be enjoying some absolutely fantastic weather for tomorrow's Marine Corps Marathon, whether they are running, cheering, or just catching a peek while they wander around town.

WUSA9 is reporting that a police officer shot and killed a man at approximately 10:30 this morning on the 800 block of Upshur Street NW in Petworth. After authorities responded to a report of a person tampering with a vehicle, the suspect fled the scene. A scuffle ensued and shots were then fired. You can count on plenty of police investigating the area today.

Do you depend on SmartBenefits to pay for your daily jaunts around Metro-land? If so, pay attention: WMATA has announced some changes to the way that your transportation cash will be distributed. The coolest change? Instead of having to go to the farecard machine to download allocations to your SmarTrip card, your monthly balance will automatically be added whenever you tap your card to any Metrorail faregate, parking target or bus farebox, saving you precious seconds. The downside? Beginning in 2010, if, for whatever reason, you don't use any public transportation for an entire month, the funds allocated will be credited back to your employer. While a scenario -- outside of extended foreign travel -- where you don't use touch any sort of Metro farebox for 30 consecutive days is difficult to imagine (and most employers would presumably just roll it over), we can already imagine the kinds of epic complaints that could arise. The changes will also allow the option to allocate funds to a flex account which can be transferred between both parking and transit.

Good morning, D.C. Well, it looks like Ximena Hartsock (still the best name in the District's public sphere, without a doubt) isn't heading out the door of the District Department of Parks and Recreation quite yet. Mark Segraves reported yesterday afternoon that Hartsock -- who, if you'll recall, was summarily railroaded in a pathetic display of Washingtonian politics at its worst before being officially denied confirmation by the Council -- had her title at DPR changed from "Acting Director" to "Interim Director" by Mayor Adrian Fenty. D.C. attorney general Peter Nickles told Segraves that under the new title, Hartsock will be able to keep her job for 180 days -- though Nickles expects that Fenty will name a new candidate for the position before that. (Hopefully, it's one who meets Marion Barry's high standards.)

As we wrote this morning, Monday's going to be a long day for members of the D.C. Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, as they hear public testimony on the same-sex marriage bill. The committee has since released the list of witnesses for Monday – all 100 of them.

Metro on Monday will being testing a new software program designed to provide a real-time back-up to the rail system's crash-avoidance system, Lena Sun reports in the Post. The software was developed by WMATA and Annapolis-based developer ARINC following NTSC recommendations after the deadly June 22 Red Line crash. "With the software, a malfunction will trigger a visual and audio alarm on controllers' screens at Metro's operations center; controllers will be required to acknowledge the alarms." It'll be tested for the first time during Monday's rush hour, with no set timeline on when it might go into full and complete use.

If you've got a whole lot of free time on Monday, think about heading down to the John A. Wilson Building. On that day, the D.C. Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety is holding a hearing to record public testimony on legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in the District. The hearing is shaping up to be one of those marathon sessions where Council members struggle to stay awake as they participate in a ritual of representative democracy: letting everyone have their say.

WTTG/FOX 5's John Henrehan says that Metro Transit Police are bracing themselves for a winter crime season populated by thieves who steal people's expensive coats, especially ones made by The North Face.

The assistant chief of the agency, Jeff Telinski, told the transit agency's board of directors on Thursday that rail systems on the West Coast are reporting an increase in coat robberies. Coats manufactured by North Face are popular targets.

You can almost hear it, can't you? Mayor Adrian Fenty, doing his best impression of Superintendent Chalmers from The Simpsons, yelling from his office, "Skinner!" Once again there's news -- and it's not good news -- involving Fenty's fraternity brother and longtime political associate Sinclair Skinner. The Examiner is reporting that four members of the D.C. Council, potentially egged on by an angry Vincent Gray, are probing construction management contracts worth tens of millions of dollars that were handed out by Fenty without the necessary legislative oversight. (The Post also has details.) The contracts, worth $82 million, were given to firms with links to Skinner, who has become an all-purpose scandal-in-a-box for the mayor, and other Fenty friends.

Capitals 5, Thrashers 4: Last night's game between Washington and Atlanta was a tight affair for the first thirty minutes. It was at that point that the Caps unleased an offensive fury, the likes of which hasn't been seen since that glorious day when I mastered the unstoppable wraparound glitch in NHL '95 for Super Nintendo. Jeff Schultz, Matt Bradley, and Chris Clark all scored in one minute and 22 second span in the second period -- and Washington needed them all, holding off Atlanta's late surge to win 5-4 on the road. In a matchup of two of the league's most prominent scorers, Alex Ovechkin's team topped Ilya Kovalchuk's, although Kovalchuk scored twice and the Great Eight was held pointless for only the second time this season. Ondrej Pavelec certainly had a bad night between the pipes for the Thrashers -- not only did the Caps smoke five past him on only 14 shots before he was pulled, but Schultz's goal was on a simple clearance attempt from 85 feet away which took an incredibly fortuitous hop into the back of the net.

A gas leak earlier today inside the Cuban Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy caused part of 16th Street NW to be closed between Euclid St. and Columbia Rd. The road has since reopened and Washington Gas Co. was on the scene to address the leak.

It's Thursday, which means the weekend is blissfully close. But apart from a break from the office and a chance to unwind, you know what weekends also mean: Metro track maintenance delays! This weekend's work schedule isn't as bad as recent episodes, but Red and Orange Line riders should make a note of the following potential delays. Also keep in mind that the entire Metrorail system will open at 5 a.m. on Sunday to accommodate the Marine Corps Marathon. We'll have more detailed information on the street closures that will come along with that event this weekend.

Over the past few weeks, many a Redskins fan could surely be spotted muttering that this, this! would never have happened with Joe Gibbs at the helm. But if circulating rumors hold any sort of accuracy, he might not be far from the team soon enough. Pro Football Talk is reporting that the legendary head coach might be returning to the team in a football director role. The whispers are that Gibbs would fill a role similar to that of Bill Parcells in Miami. Gibbs would be responsible for hiring a new coach and general manager, and generally getting the train back on track. It's not so crazy, really: Dan Snyder already consults with Gibbs regularly, most recently having dinner together before the 'Skins loss at Carolina, and Gibbs is probably one of the few people on Earth to whom Snyder would probably cede some control.

If you've been following the large-scale FBI investigation into attempts to bribe public officials associated with the D.C. taxicab industry, you've got to read Jason Cherkis's cover story this week in the Washington City Paper. Cherkis spent some time with a few of the 30+ men named in the indictment, and found that federal prosecutors may well be overreaching in their attempts to prosecute some of these guys.

WTTG/FOX 5's got some video of an argument that broke out about 10 a.m. on Monday morning at the McDonald's on Good Hope Road in Southeast. The surveillance video shows two men getting into a disagreement while waiting in line to pay, then later they can be seen fighting over the tops of tables and on the floor of the fast food restaurant. Eventually, the suspect wearing the black hat pulled out a gun and actually fired it, though thankfully he didn't hit anyone.

Good morning, Washington. The case of the Springfield man who was arrested for being naked in his own kitchen keeps on keeping on today, as FOX 5 knows a winner story when they see one and offers this important update. Seems Fairfax County police are feeling the need to defend this particular arrest, and are now trying to paint the suspect, Eric Williamson, 29, as a serial naked-in-his-house-but-hoping-you-can-see-him guy. "On Wednesday, investigators told FOX 5 they have reason to believe there may have been another incident in which someone saw Williamson naked in front of his window. They're asking anyone who may have seen Williamson in the nude through his windows to come forward, even if it was at a different time." Police also canvassed Williamson's neighborhood with fliers, urging people to come forward. For his part, Williamson maintains he never thought anyone was looking at him when he was making coffee in the nude.

With a big tip of the hat to WTOP, the D.C. Fire/EMS department has just released this 12-minute video about the rescue effort that followed the June 22 Red Line crash, which killed nine people and injured dozens of others.

The video was shot by D.C. Firefighter Vito Maggiolo.

Continue reading "Video of the June 22 Red Line Crash Rescue Effort"

D.C. police say that two of their officers fatally shot a 19-year-old man at about 5 a.m. this morning in the 900 block of 21st Street NE. The Post first reported word of the shooting earlier today, but the AP has more details now: Police say the two officers, who still have not been named, responded to a call for an unwanted guest at a home in that block early this morning, and subsequently shot and killed James Broadus Miller, 19. According to police, Miller confronted the officers with a gun before he was shot. No other injuries were reported.

The District Department of Employment Services released its monthly jobs numbers this morning, and the news appears to be rather grim. D.C.'s September unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percent over August, up to 11.4 percent, marking a brand new high since the current recession began. August, with its 11.1 percent unemployment rate, had previously seen the worst D.C. jobs figures of the year.

After just a year on the job, it's hard to say that Washington Post Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli hasn't made his presence known.

Good morning, Washington. Two more days! If my dashboard widget is to be believed, the beautiful weather is supposed to last through Thursday (Friday will be warm but rainy). Enjoy it while it lasts. Shooting Outside Petworth Safeway: A shooting in front of the Georgia Avenue Safeway has left a teenager critically injured. The Post reports that it happened around 8:30 p.m. last night. Two people, one on a bicycle, approached the victim and shot him in the head (WJLA says police are looking for as many as five suspects). Prince of Petworth has some more details from the scene. Swine Flu Vaccine in Short Supply: Shots of the H1N1 vaccine have begun to be dispensed around the Washington area but, as the Post reports, they can be hard to find. Maryland's only got half the doses it expected; Fairfax has one tenth of its anticipated inventory. The situation is expected to gradually right itself, but for now those of you who had plans to get vaccinated should probably check the list of rescheduled clinics included in the article. Briefly Noted: Diamond heist at Tyson's... Fairfax man arrested for making coffee naked while at home... Bill Clinton campaigning for Deeds... Surprise: no progress on D.C. teacher contract talks... Almost no details, but it appears that a man was shot by police in the 900 block of 21st St. NE this morning... This Day In DCist: One year ago we took a photographic tour of the ruins of St. Elizabeth's and tracked down a weird noise in Southwest.

United 1, Toluca 1: D.C. United have spent this year on the fringes of pretty much everything. The fringe of the MLS playoffs. The fringe of silverware in the Open Cup. The fringe of victory or defeat (the team has 14 draws in 44 games over all competitions). The fringe of being able to put together a complete ninety minutes as a cohesive unit. Teams that live on such fringes often end up owing up their successes and failures to chance -- and so it is with United, whose advancement to the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League (much like their chances to advance to the MLS Cup playoffs) now sits in the hands of other teams. On its own, the one-all draw at Toluca would probably be viewed as a success. American sides never fare well in the high altitudes and hostile atmospheres of Mexico, let alone against one of the marquee sides in the country. Additionally, Tom Soehn was understandably resting a large number of his regulars in advance of Saturday's league finale against Kansas City -- Ben Olsen, Clyde Simms, Jaime Moreno and Marc Burch sat, and Boyzz Khumalo, Rodney Wallace, Christian Gomez and Dejan Jakovic played abbreviated roles. With a win, United could have assured their place in the next stage of the competition, and they got off to as good a start as they could. Chris Pontius supplied a fantastic strike to open matters, but Israel López equalized for Toluca from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute. United was fortunate to hold on, as keeper Steve Cronin impressed again with several key saves. D.C. will now need Marathon to either tie or lose against San Juan Jabloteh to advance; it would be the first positive result for Jabloteh in the group stage, so don't hold your breath.

Brentwood Road NE is currently closed from Rhode Island Ave. to Saratoga Ave. due to a gas leak, according to District Department of Transportation spokesperson John Lisle. A construction crew working in the area caused the leak when they struck an underground gas line, Lisle said.

If you haven't been reading the Georgetown Voice's coverage of the bizarre events that led to the destruction of a Georgetown University toilet on Friday night, head over there and take a good look. The Post picked up the story today, while the Voice continues to toil away at every last detail.

Admittedly, it's been quite a while since I was in the lower level of Union Station, but I was pretty surprised to read in this Washington Post story that the Union Station 9 movie theater only finally closed on Oct. 12. Weren't we talking about this place shutting down over a year ago? I honestly didn't realize it was still open up until this month, but like I said, I really haven't been down there in a while. I'm sure regular denizens of the downstairs food court will happily tell me all about it.

Real estate mogul (and D.C. native) Don Peebles is thinking about giving Mayor Adrian Fenty a run for his money, according to a report this morning in the Washington Business Journal. Peebles told reporter Jonathan O'Connell that he will 'either run himself or support another candidate because of what he called "a continued pattern of a lack of oversight and accountabilty" under Fenty.' Harry Jaffe had previously reported the Peebles rumors in the Examiner, though the possibility that the businessman could run himself is a new development.

Good morning, Washington. If you haven't been following the Washington Post's investigative series into the squandering of millions of dollars worth of HIV/AIDS funding inside the District, take some time to do so today. The stories forced Mayor Adrian Fenty and Attorney General Peter Nickles to call a press conference on Monday and announce an investigation into whether nonprofit groups have misspent AIDS funding inside the city with the country's worst infection rate. The FBI also launched its own investigation of D.C. AIDS funding in 2006, and the case is still active, according to the Post.

Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham is relinquishing his lead role in oversight of the city's taxicab industry, despite an earlier determination from Council Chair Vincent Gray that Graham should keep taxis in his portfolio as chairman of the public works and transportation committee. Graham has asked Gray to transfer taxicab oversight powers to the Committee of the Whole.

Metro is once again facing a budget crunch (in the form of a predicted $100 million shortfall) and thinking about raising fares, but this time it's changing tactics just a bit. Instead of soliciting rider input at the end of the process, as Lena Sun points out in the Post, this year they're talking to customers at the beginning. And tonight marks the first public forum on Metro’s proposed 2011 budget.

The District Department of Transportation says it will close some lanes of traffic at the South Dakota Ave. bridge this week as rehabilitation work continues on the bridge itself. Beginning Tuesday, October 20 through Thursday, October 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, there will be only one lane open to traffic in each direction in the area of the bridge on South Dakota Ave. NE. Drivers are reminded to pay attention to the overhead lane signals and to use caution when traveling through the work zone.

Both President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have been known to stop by local D.C. schools to visit with area students over the last year, but today was the first day the President visited a school in Maryland, according to the Post. Obama made a surprise to the lunchroom at Viers Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring today. He reportedly spent about 30 to 45 minutes chatting with 3rd and 5th graders at the school about what books they were reading.

Of course, when Republicans heard of the rumor, they weren't pleased, arguing that D.C. voting rights has no place in a defense spending bill. Responding to those concerns, on Thursday Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) argued otherwise. "Now whether or not that will be included in the Defense bill, it is about democracy. It is about participation. It is about respect...I will tell my friend that I will continue to fight as hard as I can to try to figure out how I can bring that bill to the floor, get it to a vote, and give the people of the District of Columbia, our fellow citizens, the right to vote as the citizens in Baghdad can do, the citizens in Moscow can do, the citizens in every free country in the world except the United States of America, can do."

Some D.C. residents may have been disappointed to see Duke Ellington end up on the D.C. state quarter instead of Frederick Douglass, but they'll soon be put at ease. The United States Mint has announced that the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site will be featured on a special quarter of its own, the Examiner reports.

Via the comments and IMGoph's blog, it looks like the uproar over a large mural by local artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer is just refusing to die down. A Bloomingdale Civic Association meeting tonight will reportedly focus on whether to force the artist's "Boxer Girl" mural to come down.

Good morning, Washington, and welcome back to a world that features sunshine. Here's the two quotes from this past weekend that we're still mulling over on Monday: "I believe you have too much on your plate. Let's take some responsibility off you," and "He may be nutty, but he's not a professor." Couldn't you swap those around and apply one just as easily to the other?

In a contest of teams built from the ground up by the two best general managers in Washington Capitals history, the Caps beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 last night at the Verizon Center. The two men -- former GM David Poile and current GM George McPhee -- have worked together in the past, when Poile made the best offer for his disgruntled former employee, Brendan Witt. Right now, the Capitals enjoy a 4-0 winning streak over their former boss' squad, the last three of those wins coming in overtime.

Capitals 3, Predators 2: The Caps won in a dramatic shootout -- we'll have a full recap tomorrow.

We all make mistakes. But as this editor can firmly attest, we often rely on our most trusted commenters to save us from our small foibles. Apparently, so do the contributors at the Post's D.C. Wire blog -- DCist commenter extraordinaire and local blogger IMGoph spotted this gem on a post about yesterday's gas leak at Thomas Elementary School in Northeast:

Good morning, Washington. So, who's tired of this terrible weather yet? It's too bad for those who are (that is, everyone), so say the fine purveyors of meteorological information at CWG, who dub this weekend's weather as, at once, "woefully wet", "stunning," and "miserable." We're looking at low temperatures which will smash record lows at local airports, in some cases by ten degrees. It's supposed to get warmer next week, but with today being the fourth day in a row we're waking up to just plain uninviting greyness, it's hard to not think that we've just plain skipped over that nice period of autumn weather which we all love.

If there's one thing that no member of Congress wants to be accused of, it's not supporting the troops. That very fear might be the only thing that finally gets the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives.

The District Department of Transportation is bringing its show on the road in the coming month in an effort to do public outreach in all eight wards on the biggest projects in its pipeline, including those streetcars you've been hearing so much about. You may have seen different versions of this list of upcoming public meetings, but below is the revised, and most up-to-date, calendar now available.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer today announced that it will put forward a proposal to award the contract to operate the D.C. Lottery to Intralot, an international gaming management company. The contract is for an initial five-year period, and must be approved by the D.C. Council.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. on Thursday denied the District's petition to re-hear its case challenging the constitutionality of the police checkpoint program used in Trinidad in 2008.

Good morning, Washington. If you're wondering why your Metro station platform might have been a little chattier than usual, it's because a program to expand cell phone service to non-Verizon customers in 20 of the system's busiest stations kicks off today. Sure, it'll be nice to be able to check email or send text messages, but the increased chances of having people make calls could well fill the system's cathedral-like stations with even more inane chatter than you might usually find. The expanded service won't yet include the tunnels, so that early-morning sanctuary you find on Metro will remain, at least for a while longer.

Last week we got a little too excited about the impending expansion of cell phone service in the Metro system, but now it's official: T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint Nextel customers should be able to use their cell phones inside Metro's 20 busiest stations starting first thing Friday morning (the Post says it'll be turned on at midnight, but of course the system will be closed by then). Verizon customers could already access their network inside the same stations, and they will continue to have that service after the change.

Online retail giant Amazon.com today launched same-day delivery in select cities, and Washington, D.C. is one of them. The service, dubbed "Local Express Delivery," has also been extended to customers in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Seattle, and will be launched in Chicago, Indianapolis and Phoenix in a few months.

              

The cold, blustery and wet conditions at RFK Stadium were nothing short of appropriate for the United States' final World Cup qualifier, really: the fitting backdrop for the conclusion of a road trip which has seen little sunshine for the men's national team. In the light of the car crash which severely injured forward Charlie Davies, most of the 26,243 on hand focused their meditations on one question: would the accident inspire the Americans to perform at the peak of their abilities, or would they simply fall flat in a match that both math and the accident had rendered much less of a priority?

View Barrage of Gunfire in Shaw in a larger map

Good morning, Washington. Something rather like winter has suddenly and prematurely arrived in the District, blocking out the sun, fogging up our windows, chilling our previously pleasant walks to the Metro, and ruining our shoes. Not to mention seemingly knocking out power to a large swath of upper Northwest D.C. and Silver Spring. And this cold, wet nonsense is apparently expected to linger well through Sunday. Pardon me while I speak to my publisher about reviving Miamist ...

Surely even Michelle Rhee must feel like her profile is way overblown after this. The journal Education Next, as part of its entry in the virtual parade of profile articles that've already been done on the D.C. Schools chancellor, has created this ridiculous graphic depicting Rhee as a knight in shining armor (City Desk also takes note).

The D.C. Public Library launched a redesigned web site today, and it appears to a substantial upgrade from its previous version. Check it out for yourself at www.dclibrary.org.

When D.C. voting rights advocacy organization DC Vote launched its "I Am DC" ad campaign earlier this summer, it placed posters featuring the faces and stories of 10 D.C. residents (including our own Martin Austermuhle) on Metrobuses and other visible spots around the city. But recently we noticed that images of the posters available for download on the DC Vote web site now number only nine. Who was on that 10th poster? It was embattled Jim Graham chief of staff Ted Loza.

Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 are encouraging their members who operate Metrobuses to do every single little thing by the book this week. The push comes in the wake of two recent incidents which saw bus drivers plow down pedestrians in the District. Unsuck DC Metro got the ball rolling on this story yesterday, and the Post's Lena Sun later followed up with a story of her own.

Good morning, Washington. Today's top puff/cross-promotional item: local diamond merchants Ronnie Mervis and his son Jon have started a petition claiming that they'll try to buy the Redskins from Dan Snyder if they get the stated support (and email addresses) of 10,000 Redskins fans/diamond-buyers. On the one hand, this is obviously a brazen attempt to take advantage of those of us who lie in the sizable overlap between the "Redskin fan" and "hapless sucker" demographics. On the other hand, there is a certain appeal to the idea of an owner who spends as much time in tunnels deep beneath South Africa as Mervis claims to. Hmm... Latest on Tuesday Drive-by Shooting: The Post continues to update their story on the aftermath of yesterday's shooting near D.C.'s easternmost tip, which left two teens dead and three seriously wounded. It sounds like the shooting stemmed from a longstanding inter-neighborhood feud, and like the last three victims are likely to survive. Police are looking for a black SUV with tinted windows, and for any witnesses to the shooting. WJLA reports that the deceased victims have been identified as Davonta Artis and Daquan Tibbs. Homeless Charities Worry About Funding as Winter Looms: The Post reports on the concerns of a number of area nonprofits that are worried about their ability to continue serving the city's homeless population in the face of funding cuts. City officials are quoted as expressing some exasperation with the organizations' call for help, as the city has previously pledged to find beds for all who need them. But it sounds like many of those beds may be in the D.C. General family shelter, a facility dreaded by many of those quoted in the article. Briefly Noted: Rest easy: the pumpkin harvest is secure... Farmers arrested for planting hemp seeds in front of DEA... STD patients outraged at health department treating them like they have STDs... D.C. expat Happy the Hippo makes his Milwaukee debut... "[V]iewers may notice some awkward cranking and pumping beneath the anchor desk"... This Day In DCist: One year ago the Wilson Building turned 100.

So much for the "action" part of this post. The only professional sporting involving a team from the area last night was an exhibition basketball game; the Wizards won -- Gilbert Arenas had 24 and Antawn Jamison had 15 and 11 -- but c'mon, who really cares about an exhibition NBA game? Yes, although October may be one of the best months on the national sporting calendar, we in Washington are in a bit of a lull. The Redskins are pathetically struggling to make it through the easiest schedule stretch in NFL history at .500. The Capitals are on their first slump of the year, though it's still early. Our local college football teams, for the most part, are nothing to call home about, and hoops doesn't really kick in for another month or so. D.C. United is winding down a disappointing campaign, the Wizards are still in first gear, and the Nationals are stuck wondering how they can get their city to watch them on TV.

UPDATE 9:20 p.m. We can now confirm that the second victim has in fact died. The Post has also updated its story.

Beloved Dupont neighborhood watering hole Fox & Hounds returned to its roots this month, permanently bringing back its old, standard jukebox almost three years after the machine was replaced with a newfangled digital version.

As we noted in the Morning Roundup, Ward 8 D.C. Council member Marion Barry was just released from the hospital on Monday evening after being treated for dehydration and a mild blood infection. But now D.C. Wire is reporting that the "Mayor for Life" actually went right back to Howard University Hospital late last night, thanks to an allergic reaction he had to some shrimp.

Barry and a group of friends decided to celebrate his release by going to dinner. Barry ordered the shrimp. A short time later, he says, his throat began to swell closed, his vision went blurry and his tongue went numb.

Wire reports now confirm that a fatal early-morning car accident on the GW Parkway did indeed involve U.S. Men's National soccer team forward Charlie Davies. Davies was not behind the wheel at the time of the accident. WTOP reported that the collision, which occurred at about 3:15 a.m., claimed at least one fatality and seriously injured two others. One look at the car involved in the wreck, and it's understandable that Davies' injuries -- which have required hours of surgery -- are being described as "possibly career-threatening." (Although as of 5 p.m., the U.S. Soccer Federation is backing off of that assessment, calling the effect of Davies' injuries on his future "unclear.") Steve Goff's SoccerInsider twitter account first reported the news, and confirmed that Davies, who is still under the knife, did not suffer "life threatening" injuries.

As if we needed any more evidence that the Washington Nationals are far from D.C.'s most popular professional sports team, the Washington Business Journal reports today that new ratings information indicates that "D.C. is the only TV market in the country where a team from another city gets better ratings than the hometown team." Yes, apparently an average of 16,000 D.C. households tuned into Orioles games on MASN this season, compared with 14,000 who watched the Nats. That's a rough slap in the face for the Nationals, though a MASN rep trots out that old canard that the D.C.-Baltimore area is "really one large mega-market."

It was the Mike and Mike show goal-wise at the Phone Booth on Monday: Mike Green scored his first goal of the season, and Mike Knuble had a goal and an assist. But after those tallies staked the home team to a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period, the Caps stumbled, eventually losing in a shootout to the New Jersey Devils.

Good morning, D.C., and welcome back to your regularly scheduled, uninterrupted by obscure holidays, no longer irritated by three-day-long Metro closures life. That all sounds pleasant enough, though it also means you're definitely back at work now, which is decidedly less nice. So, let's see, what could cheer us all up ... any funny headlines? Ehh, no, not really. But here's something good, from the Capital Weather Gang: "Forecast: Today Brings Best Weather of Week"! So today is awesome. Heck yeah! For the time being, though, we will completely ignore the flipside of this forecast, which is that it really means the rest of the week is going to be cold and damp. Live in the moment, Washington.

Two people were shot earlier this afternoon in the 1300 block of First Street SW. The shooting occurred at approximately 1:15 p.m., D.C. Police said. D.C. Fire/EMS said emergency responders transported one man found shot on First Street SW and a second man who was found shot in the alley off N Street SW, near Howison Place SW. Both men are said to have been in critical condition when they were taken to local hospitals.

Workers this morning outside the D.C. headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign, one of the most influential LGBT organizations in the country, were finishing cleaning up graffiti left by vandals there over the weekend.

A elderly man was rescued from an apartment fire in Glover Park earlier this morning. The fire broke out at around 10 a.m. in a first floor unit of a three-story apartment building at 2316 40th Place NW. D.C. Fire/EMS spokesperson Pete Piringer said firefighters pulled the unconscious man, who is approximately 70 years-old, out of the apartment under pretty heavy smoke conditions. Rescue workers successfully resuscitated the man and he was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The fire, which has since been knocked down, is said to have caused significant damage, but was apparently confined to the one apartment.

You have to feel sorry for the 15-year-old son of Vienna's Jenifer Joy Madden, who got outed by his mom in an op-ed in Sunday's Washington Post for having only just now learned how to ride a bus.

We couched it as another test of their mettle. After all, if these 15-year-olds could swing at objects flying 90 miles an hour and get whacked by titanium lacrosse sticks, they could walk to a bus stop and ride a few miles across town.

It's finally here, Washington. The day you wait for all year long: Columbus Day! Hopefully all that built up holiday anticipation didn't keep you awake too late last night. Obviously, we'll be bringing you detailed coverage of the highlights of this year's festivities as the entire city gets caught up in Columbus fever.

An uptick in crime during a holiday weekend is hardly shocking, but an unsolved violent crime so close to a center of activity on a busy Friday night is still slightly unnerving. We first got word of a shooting near the intersection of 13th Street and W Street NW from Mike DeBonis' twitter feed; Loose Lips reported that two Hispanic males had been shot, and that three suspects were on the run, heading west on W Street.

Flu season might not have a theme song, but it's got a mascot and league officials and rally towels. And flu season is upon us. This year, it's just as confusing as the BCS to boot. There are now two shots (or sprays) to consider -- one for seasonal influenza and one for the dreaded H1N1 bug -- and you'll need to consult the strength-of-schedule rankings for your Ward to determine whether you're eligible to receive an H1N1 vaccination. What does that even mean? It means you need to ask yourself: