February is the local food doldrums. But it's also when you need to deciding if you want to join a CSA for the year. We break down the pros and cons and help dig up some of the CSA choices. more ›

Stink bugs are much maligned, pestering bugs that can invade houses - showing up everywhere and smelling quite foul after they die. However, while we might find stink bugs to be an annoyance, they are quite the problem for area farmers. Stink bugs have destroyed area apple and peach crops. more ›

Exciting news this fine morning for the many Washingtonians who draw their paychecks from the USDA — you may still be paid after you die. The Post reports that the The U.S. Department of Agriculture distributed $1.1 billion over seven years to the estates or companies of dead people, though granted, they were actually all farmers instead of government employees. Now we just have to figure out the best way to pretend to be a... more ›

In times when security fears, whether justified or not, begin to creep over our lives, it's important to remember that the tiny chipping away of legitimate rights can be a slippery slope to unwarranted governmental authority over our lives. We wrote in June about photographer Chip Py's experience in downtown Silver Spring, as well as Kate Mereand's similar confrontations all over D.C., and their subsequent formation of DC Photo Rights, a Flickr group dedicated to... more ›

What’s going on with the Post’s Food Section? Between last week’s piece on the Warehouse District and this week’s articles on soft shell crab and RFD’s Brooklyn Brewery tasting, it appears the WaPo's Food section has improved from the days of Christmas cookie spreads and brunch for beginning entertainers. Still. Isn’t the section about to fold? And if so, when? Rumor mill tells us it’s within a matter of weeks -- and that the paper... more ›

The Washington Times writes this morning that the D.C. Council is looking to crack down on prostitution in the District by allowing police to impound vehicles suspected of links to prostitutes and their clients, offering the police chief the ability to declare "prostitution-free zones," and closing a loophole in existing law that criminalizes the offer to buy or sell sex but not the act itself. Many of the changes are being pushed by residents... more ›

... Wait, Google already does. Google has now put forth its Google Earth feature. It's in its beta testing period but here's what you'll be able to do: more ›

For those with a keen eye, you might be able to figure out that the farmer's market pictured here is not D.C. ... it's Palmdale, Calif. more ›

Just when we think we can't get enough news on invasive species (snakeheads and gender-confused bass), the W.Times reports that we could be dealing with alligators in the near future. Alligators have been discovered upriver from Washington and in waters closer to the Chesapeake Bay, despite the fact that "alligators don't belong up here," an Agriculture Department wildlife services spokesman tells the W.Times, which based its report in part from wire services. Two West Virginia... more ›

(From DCist Contributor Angela Gaw) more ›

Remember Ariel, the Cleveland Park-based online information robot spewing helpful and other random information about local stuff? Well Ariel has some competition in the world of info-bots. CoolGov points us to news about the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Karen," our food safety info-bot. more ›

In the "you don't really know until you try it" department, the self-described D.C. mom/policy wonk behind Half Changed World is conducting an experiment to see if she can stay under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Thrifty Food Plan for a family of four for a month. Her experiment arises from discussions related to hunger, obesity, and poverty, and seems to be a good way to experience first-hand how poor families have to make choices when they go to the market. The $434 monthly budget is about equivalent to the maximum benefits a family of four can receive in food stamps. Two weeks in to her effort, she has spent $210.87 on groceries, or just under half of her budget. She notes that her biggest revelation is how much of a privilege it is to be able to load up a shopping cart without paying attention to the total cost of the items in your cart. more ›

Lawyer Abducted in Alexandria, Escapes Shallow Grave: This is just too weird. A lawyer, a stun gun, a shallow grave, a dispute over a will, a 75 year-old man standing near the shallow grave when the cops arrive. It sounds like it could make for a good side plot in "The Sopranos." No, this is not Jersey. It's Alexandria. Just read the Post's account of this odd drama to keep all the details straight.... more ›

A federal contractor was taken to the hospital yesterday with non-life threatening stab wounds after some sort of confrontation with another employee. The USDA complex at Independence Avenue and 14th Street SW was put on lockdown as the situation was brought under control. But the details behind the stabbing are still quite sketchy, the Post reports. more ›

A 52-year-old man set himself on fire at the northwest gate of the White House around 2 p.m. today, the AP is reporting. After being doused by emergency officials, he was transported to Washington Hospital Center with burns on his head, back, arms and face. more ›

We came across this image from some sort of University of Oregon research page on urban heat islands. While a political pundit may try to say that Congress or the White House is full of hot air, it may in fact be the Pentagon. Examining this undated map, here are some locations in near the center of the city that produce a lot of heat. - the Pentagon - Department of Agriculture - Department of... more ›