This month, area museums commemorate 9/11, showcase Andy Warhol and revel in bioluminescence. more ›

Heading to National or Dulles by car today? You'll want to add in some extra time to get there -- a large motorcycle procession will block several major Virginia roads Friday afternoon. more ›

911 is a joke, indeed: according to a WTOP report, Verizon never informed Montgomery, Fairfax and Prince George's Counties officials about technical issues which led to busy signals on its emergency hotlines at various points over the past few weeks. Verizon Vice President James McLaughlin told the Maryland Public Service Commission that the telecommunications company took an internal approach to fix the technical issues, thinking that they could fix it before anyone really noticed. Of course, since most counties usually have alternate hotlines that they can inform residents to use when 911 is out of service, that explanation doesn't really hold a whole lot of water. The Federal Communications Commission is now reportedly looking into the issue. Hey, at least these jurisdictions had people on the other end to answer once callers could get through, unlike some cities we know. more ›

Morning Washington. Get outside today, we should hit close to 60 this last Sunday of February. And after your nice day outside, if you're an Oscar watching type, don't forget all of our suggestions of where to watch the awards show tonight. more ›

Sheesh, what's going on in Virginia? Yesterday, a single squirrel was able to cut the power to hundreds of homes and several traffic lights in Vienna; today, 911 systems in both Fairfax and Arlington Counties are temporarily down. Email alerts received by readers in both jurisdictions state that both systems are "experiencing intermittent problems," and if you need to report an emergency in either county, you should call 703-741-3035 (Arlington) or 703-691-2233 (Fairfax). more ›

Ward 7 D.C. Council member Yvette Alexander (D) has to have the worst luck out of all of her colleagues when it comes to crime. Back in June of 2007, she had her purse stolen while at a gas station. And now today, D.C. Wire reports that a suspected robber pulled a gun on her Wednesday afternoon. more ›

A correction published on Thursday, Dec. 3 in the Washington Post: more ›

D.C. Police officers shot and killed a man in Southeast D.C. at about 1:30 p.m. this afternoon. Police were responding to what appears to be a strange 911 call to 1767 Trenton Place SE, not far from the Southern Ave. Metro station, when the shooting occurred. more ›

The 911 phone call placed by At-large Council member David Catania last week -- the one during which he claims he received "badgering treatment," but the 911 office said he was frantic and unintelligible -- has been released by WTOP. more ›

If you think the Montgomery County 911 system has problems, D.C.'s 911 office isn't likely going to be having an easy time of it this week either. On Saturday the Examiner ran a small story about how D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At large) had to make a 911 call early Friday morning and says he received "textbook badgering treatment" from the operator. more ›

One of these guys might be the next president, so it's good to try and parse where they stand on District voting rights. At least that was the thinking over at D.C. Vote, who recently recorded and sent in a number of videos of District residents asking the presidential candidates from the Republican Party where they stood on D.C. voting rights. The videos, eleven in all, were submitted to CNN for the upcoming CNN/YouTube... more ›

The Red Sox has permeated nearly every facet of Bostonist's lives. When they're not live-blogging the games, waxing poetic about the games, thanking Curt Schilling for his splendid work, or telling Dane Cook to watch his hair, they're watching certain presidential candidates hop on the Red Sox bandwagon (sorry, Gothamist). The Sox are so branded on the local brain that people are using the Series to spice up their sex lives. Speaking of spice, Bostonist... more ›

As we noted yesterday, today is Patriot Day; so conceived to commemorate the 9-11 attacks—even though we Americans aren't the greatest at "commemorating," see: Veterans' Day, Memorial Day, etc. Just six years on, though, feelings are still raw and memories vibrant. Resiliency is a virtue of our citizenry however, and if nothing else, we can get a hearty laugh out of OBL's radical beard transformation, his decidedly porno 'stache, and threats of attack via the... more ›

FRIDAY: >> In case you missed Chapel Hill's The Old Ceremony (pictured) last time they were in town, they'll be at the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight with Junior League, Unwed Sailor and John Pringle. We've raved in the past about lead singer Django Haskins' Nick Cave-meets-Ben Folds stage presence, and since then we've picked up their 2006 release Our One Mistake. If you can't make the show, we highly suggest giving them a listen... more ›

As a practical matter, any art museum or gallery needs to carve out a niche for itself in order to remain relevant. To that end, Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, chose local art and political art as two areas of emphasis. Two exhibitions reflecting this institutional philosophy opened this past weekend. Bush Leaguers: Cartoonists Take on the White House is a collection of 99 editorial cartoons that were assembled in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC). The show is a stinging criticism of the Bush administration that showcases some of the finest political cartoonists in the country. True Dutterer: The Work of William S. Dutterer is a warm tribute to the late artist whose career began in D.C. The collection spans his entire career but the most moving works are recent ones inspired by the post-9/11 world and Dutterer's love of Afghan culture. more ›

We've been watching the Flickr discussion boards blow up lately about the banning of photography in supposedly public places. One user has posted in every D.C. related group with his recent story, and another user, katmere, has had so many confrontations with police and security guards that she started her own group last week called DC Photo Rights, where folks are asked to "[p]ost photos that you took in 'banned' locations, or photos when you... more ›

Michael Moore is a loudmouth. His films tend towards the brash, arrogant, and inelegant, usually leaving subtlety and nuance to smaller personalities. He has a flair for public spectacle and complete lack of shame that would make P.T. Barnum proud. But say what you like about Michael Moore, he's no dummy. He just plays one in the movies. Sicko, Moore's examination of the state of America's health care, may be his smartest film. It follows... more ›

Here’s one you might reasonably assume you’d misheard: “I doubt I would ever have gotten into stand-up comedy if not for 9/11.” The speaker is Tissa Hami, one of the five subjects of Stand-Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age, local D.C. filmmaker Glenn Baker’s almost too-brisk profile of a loose group of comics who have banded together to challenge the perception that all Muslims are humorless fundamentalists. While Hami is the only one of... more ›

Capitol Visitor Center Officially a Boondoggle: The WaPo's Michael E. Ruane and Joe Stephens had some fun writing their front page story about the perpetually delayed and massively over budget progress of the new Capitol Visitor Center. With the opening now set for summer 2008 (though the article hints it will be even later than that), the post 9-11 security alterations to the plans have caused progress on the center to slow to a snail's pace and the budget to balloon to about $600 million. The article is chock full of apt comparisons, but we especially appreciate the one made to the District's new baseball stadium. Fun for the whole family. more ›

The Wizards and Timberwolves both played like they were still suffering from Las Vegas induced hangovers last night but Washington rode the hot hand of Gilbert Arenas and got some timely contributions from his teammates in the Wiz's 112-100 win. Honestly, this game was a bit of a snoozer. The Wizards shot over 50% from the field and built up a sizable lead in the first half, weathered the inevitable run from the TWolves... more ›

>> Bad news: The Sex Worker Art Show at the Rock and Roll Hotel has been cancelled due to inclement weather. Check the HIPS website for news of a possible reschedule date. more ›

Looking out our windows this morning was a disappointment, to say the least, but don't say we didn't try to warn you. Whatever "wintry mix" that did rain down on the metro area last night has left little trace of itself in the city proper, except slick roads. Freezing rain and ice in the suburbs has, however, prompted some late starts at schools in Fairfax, Howard, and Montgomery county. Not to mention the excitement that... more ›

MONDAY When it comes to examining the state of contemporary theatre, Robert Brustein has few peers. Expect a stimulating discussion when Brustein comes to the J to offer his viewpoint on how the post-9/11 years have played out on stage — issues he takes on in Millennial Stages: Essays and Reviews 2001—2005. District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW., at 7:30 p.m. $8. Also, from the McSweeney’s camp of writers come Kevin... more ›

MONDAY Gary D. Cole built a career thriving at the apex of contradiction—CIA lawyer turned theatre artist, staunch conservative at Cal-Berkeley, a Bush campaign supporter who never let his politics get in the way of producing vital art. Those worlds collided after a Presidential appointment to the NEA was withdrawn because he once produced Poona The Fuckdog (a funny, smutty little play local theatre-goers may remember being produced by Cherry Red Productions). Cole retraces his... more ›

MONDAY Katharine Weber connects 9/11 to the tragic 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in a book that shifts from seeming historical fiction to something more personal. She’ll be reading from her book Triangle: A Novel. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW., at 7 p.m. TUESDAY Need your hot buttons pressed? Then join Ray Dolphin as he discusses The West Bank Wall: Fact and Fiction. Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW., at 12:30 p.m. For reservations... more ›

Written by DCist Theater Reviewer Missy Frederick. more ›

Those of us who have lived in Washington since 9/11 well know the various security changes that have occurred at Reagan National Airport over the last five years. When the airport re-opened a month later, aircraft containing more than 156 seats and the awesomely-named "River Visual" approach were banned until mid-2002. Oh, and remember when you couldn't pick anyone up at the curb in a private vehicle? How about that no standing up on the... more ›

We've known for quite a while that Metro isn't terribly prepared to secure the transit network against terrorist attacks. So bad was the situation late last year that Metro Police Chief Polly Hansen admitted to the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that while she had identified $150 million in needed security upgrades, the transit agency had received but $15 million in grants from the Department of Homeland Security over the three preceding... more ›

Seattlest saw a house party get senselessly attacked with a shotgun and end with seven dead. A local senator is debated and their version of the big dig is investigated. To truly get to the bottom of it they interview the writer Jonathan Raban. Bostonist has its first birthday party and investigates how to attach more gambling dollars to the Red Sox. Benjamin Franklin is celebrated and Johnny Damon is not. DCist reports that the... more ›

Written by DCist Music Contributor Chris Snyder. more ›