Civil rights leaders like Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III and others are gathering with supporters on Freedom Plaza at 10 a.m. this morning to march to the Justice Department in a "March Against Hate Crimes." NBC4 says that organizers hope the march will bring attention to racism and recent hate crimes against African Americans that have been popping up around the country. The march was also designed to bring attention to the Jena......

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out and......

The nicer the weather gets, the busier we get across the Ist-A-Verse. But we like being busy. Here's a peek at what we've been up to since last week! Chicagoist had an interview with Audrey Niffenegger, whose popular book, The Time Traveler's Wife, was based in their fine city. They also had a heated discussion about Rush Limbaugh's controversial Barack Obama parody, talked about whether Uncle Julio's Hacienda is a good place to get......

When is a race for elected office too crowded? If you live in Ward 3, never. An addition today to the roster of candidates seeking to replace Council-member Kathy Patterson, who is running for council chair, brought the total to seven, among them DDOT spokesman Bill Rice, Sam Brooks, Cathy Wiss, Mary Cheh, Erik Gaull, Robert Gordon and Jonathan Rees. There are even rumors that another three candidates might join the race, leaving a crowd......

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton addressed the Democratic National Convention in Boston yesterday on the issue of voting rights for Washington D.C., asking John Kerry and John Edwards to "right this wrong." C-SPAN has posted a video of her speech on the web, and a full transcript is here. Rev. Al Sharpton also promoted voting rights in D.C. on Wednesday in the following unscripted remark:" ... It, to me, is a glaring contradiction that we......

At the DNC convention in Boston today, some of of the District's brightest political lumniaries participated in an age-old practice of protesting taxation without representation by what they're calling a "Second Boston Tea Party" by dumping North Carolina tea into Boston Harbor. The D.C. Delegation to the convention, according to the Post, includes 45 people: 3 pledged to Dean, 12 to Kerry, 5 to Al Sharpton, and the rest uncommitted. The issue of D.C. voting......