A Virginia Senate committee voted down a provision yesterday that would have forbidden any abortions after 20 weeks, the point at which pro-life organization say that fetuses can feel pain. more ›

Many a movie start this way -- a newborn infant is left on someone's doorstep, most often a loving family that nurtures the child so that it can become a well-rounded adult. But the reality certainly isn't so happy. more ›

It's (almost) officially the middle of the week. And while the weather may be lovely outside, you're probably stuck inside, in some kind of office purgatory. The absolute least we could do is provide you with a little pleasant distraction. Cheetah cubs, to the rescue! more ›

There was a serious traffic backup at the intersection of New York and Florida Avenues in the District this morning -- though this was hardly normal rush hour gridlock. more ›

Okay, look, National Zoo. Here's the deal. You keep sending along these images of adorable baby animals, and maybe -- just maybe -- we'll gradually begin to forget about that whole lack of a baby panda thing. Okay, that's a lie. But these anteater pups go a long way to healing that deep cut that the lot of us felt when Butterstick climbed into his FedEx cage and went back to China forever. more ›

The Washington Post reports this afternoon that a 40-year-old photographer recently made a terrifying discovery at the D.C. General Hospital property at 1900 Massachusetts Avenue SE: the remains of what might have been a baby. The property has stood mostly vacant for several years after the hospital closed in 2001, though it does currently house a homeless shelter and some offices which provide clinical services. Police checked out the area after the photographer, who wished to remain anonymous, found the remains several weeks ago -- according to the Post's report, the man located a container alongside some old paperwork which was labelled "Babies That Have Been Autopsied," inside of which was "fingernails, hair, eyelashes, everything." After receiving a call from the photographer, the Post informed Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), who, in turn, contacted police Chief Cathy Lanier, who then ordered two searches of the property. The police are waiting to hear back on the results of an autopsy before confirming that the remains were in fact those of a child or not. Lanier told the Post that she has no intention on prosecuting the photographer for trespassing, as he "provided valuable information." more ›

The Metropolitan Police Department has released a photo of two possible persons of interest in Thursday's alleged theft of an SUV with a 1-year-old child inside. The infant was eventually found safe and sound inside the vehicle in the 200 block of N Street NW, a few blocks from where the car was taken, near North Capitol and P streets NW, police said. more ›

Not many straight news stories merit a headline with an exclamation point, but this one just might qualify as an acceptable exception. WTTG/FOX5 reports that a one-year-old child has been recovered safe and sound after the car he was in was stolen off North Capitol Street this morning.

The car was left running and unattended by the mother of the child in the driveway of a home on North Capital Street shortly after 7:00 a.m. more ›

The family at the National Zoo expanded today! Everyone welcome the newest addition to the Great Ape House: this guy! Or girl! Born to 26-year-old mother Mandara and 16-year-old father Baraka, this infant's sex has yet to be determined. It may be a little while before this bunch of wrinkles gets a name. more ›

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The Reliable Source appears to have the scoop: Michelle Fenty, wife of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, has given birth to a healthy baby girl this morning. The gossip column is reporting that Aerin Alexandra Fenty was born at 6:08 a.m. at an undisclosed hospital in the city. Mother and baby are reportedly both doing just fine. According to BabyNameWizard.com, Aerin is an alternate spelling of the name Erin, which is derived from the Irish word for Ireland. more ›

The District is excited to welcome its newest rock royalty! more ›

NBC4 reported last night that food banks are not the only local charities feeling the holiday crunch this year: the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program in D.C. also says it is suffering from a decline in donations compared to last year. So we are posting this photo of a crying baby we found to make you feel bad -- bad enough to donate some toys to needy local kids, that is. There are something... more ›

Mid-December has arrived, and with that comes the inevitable flood of best-of lists. The Washington Area Film Critics' Association has, for the previous five years of its existence, been in the habit of trying to get their own list out ahead of most of the other critics' societies. We can't really blame them. Considering the fact that none of the critics from the city's biggest newspaper are members, not to mention the fact that the... more ›

One need not dig too deep into our city’s jazz scene before coming across the name Thad Wilson. Since coming to D.C. in 1997, Wilson has become a mainstay in the jazz clubs of U Street and beyond by consistently performing with passion, intensity, and consummate artistry in a variety of settings. In addition to his own considerable abilities, his groups feature some of the finest players in the D.C. area. A native of... more ›

With the surprising lack of Halloween aftermath photos in the DCist pool today, we did a little browsing back through the past week and found this interesting shot by Flickr user chapulin colorado. Using a fake tilt shift, he turned this photo of real life visitors at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History into a diorama you might find in an exhibit of the museum. Tilt-shifting distorts the focus so that viewers believe they're... more ›

FRIDAY: >> It's raining, and you've got some serious partying to do tomorrow night, so we'd recommend taking in a movie and saving your strength. Don't miss our movie picks for the weekend here, including special Halloween screenings of Nosferatu at the AFI Silver Theater. Also of note tonight, The American City Diner screens Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho at 8:30 p.m. >> If you’re more in the mood for getting your eardrums absolutely destroyed, Japanese metal... more ›

Unsurprisingly, Flickr user intemporelle hit the trifecta with the three photos she uploaded to the DCist pool yesterday, which also reminded us that it's about time to get some seasonal photos up in here. It's interesting to see our contributors taking bets on Photo of the Day selections, but though the pumpkin patch baby was a strong contender (along with this sweet one), this Wicked Witch image has the pitch-perfect hint of Halloween spookiness. more ›

Disoriented and Seeing Stars WaPo reviewer Tom Sietsema has released his 2007 Washington Post Dining Guide online. You can catch it on newsstands this weekend. At the top, Cathal Armstrong's Restaurant Eve has broken through to the four-star category, and his revamped Majestic also made the list. Newcomers Central Michel Richard (3 stars), Proof (2.5), Farrah Olivia (2.5), and Hook (2.5) also made it onto the list. A surprising omission was Brasserie Beck, which Sietsema... more ›

Jason Campbell couldn't miss, the defensive line looked like a wrecking crew, Carlos Rogers actually intercepted a pass (and returned it for a touchdown!), and Baby Jesus announced his preference for Joe Gibbs over Jon Kitna in a beating of the Detroit Lions so savage that Daniel Snyder had plenty of free time to stop worrying about the state of his football team, and start worrying about how the rides from his terrible theme parks... more ›

Over the weekend, Gothamist introduced comment profile avatars to our registered user system. If you have a profile (and if you don't yet, head over here to register), just go to "Edit Profile" and upload a 100 x 100 pixel image. Then try commenting (on this post!), and bask in the glory of our ever-improving commenting system. The default icon for registered users across the Gothamist network is an adorable baby panda, of which we of course approve, but you won't want to be some faceless drone in a sea of Buttersticks for too long. Upload those avatars today! more ›

LAist began the month with a new food series exploring the popular and unknown late night eats around town. If a Top Chef winner opened up a late night spot in Los Angeles, denizens would flock it, yet the LA Times and other media might be wary. Turning to sports, the Dodger season was quite memorable in the way that it imploded and the LA County Sheriff's Department made some games of their own such... more ›

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... more ›

New Hampshire Looks to Smack Down Senators: After the U.S. Senate failed to overcome a filibuster on legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives, voting rights activists swore they would have their revenge. On the top of their list are Republican senators John McCain (Ariz.), Gordon Smith (Ore.), and Thad Cochran (Miss.), not to mention the lone Democrat to vote against the bill, Max Baucus (Mont.). But one... more ›

MONDAY >> This ain’t not J-Pop, we swear. If you want good old-fashioned Japanese rock ‘n’ roll (OK, it’s true, we don’t really know what that’s supposed to sound like either), The Captains from some place in Japan (the city name on their MySpace page uses Japanese characters) will drop by The Red & The Black tonight. They will be supported by Sugarcane Crawl, formerly known as Blues Hammer, and D.C.'s The Bourbon Dynasty. 9... more ›

At Nevin Kelly Gallery until October 7th is Peer Pressure, a group exhibition guest curated by D.C. artist Thom Flynn. Of the four artists featured, Sue Huang and Pasqual Sisto hail from UCLA’s Media Arts program, while Carrie Mallory and Baby Martinez reside in D.C. Flynn claims that the impetus for his selection of work was simply to “assemble a group of his peers to size-up contemporary trends in art,” however the show itself seems... more ›

>> Plans for the District's biggest hotel, with 1,400 rooms, near the Washington Convention Center, are on the verge of being shelved. [WaPo] >> A healthy baby boy was born on I-270 this morning, proving once again that life is really just God's cheesy network sitcom. [WJLA] >> Apparently those recent repairs at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library didn't include water fountains, ceilings or bathrooms. [City Desk] >> A photography exhibit that... more ›

>> Don't miss our full preview and interview with Bonde do Role, playing tonight at the Black Cat with Plastic Little and local experimental audio/visual artist Edie Sedgwick. $10, 8 p.m. >> >> DC9's got The Daybreak Line and The Beanstalk Library, who we recently profiled in a Three Stars piece, and Athens, GA's The Winter Sounds. $8, 9:30 p.m. >> I have vivid memories of watching the significantly creepy 1960 TV version of... more ›