Straight from WUSA9's 5 p.m. broadcast, Bruce Johnson reports that Marion Barry says he needs a kidney transplant. "I was just distracted, to be frank with you," Barry said of his failure to file his 2007 tax returns. The risk of jail time "wasn't an issue" in Barry's mind, he said, since the last time this came up, a judge threw out prosecutors's request to imprison the Ward 8 Council member for violating his parole. Johnson promised to follow up on Barry's health problems. Kidney failure can be caused by a number of medical conditions. UPDATE: The 72-year-old Barry confirms in additional footage that his kidney failure is the result of his diabetes. A donor has been reportedly found, and Barry is awaiting a date for the surgery. more ›

Channel 9 reporter Bruce Johnson has broken the story on the dust-up at the Washington Post this past week. Classical music critic Tim Page, winner of a Pulitzer prize, has long been one of the best writers in the Style section, making the paper's shrinking coverage of classical music all the more shameful. In response to a mass email from the staff of Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry, which was sent to Page apparently... more ›

>> The District has agreed to put a cap on the number of inmates at the D.C. Jail at 2,164. [WaPo] >> "Chapter Three: The Reason I Want to Get into the Right Lane is That It's Dangerous Over Here On the Left (And Not That I Have Failed to Sufficiently Appreciate the Grandeur of Your Magnificent Internal Combustion Vehicle)." [Megan McArdle] >> The Attorney for De'Onte Rawlings' family says he is going to... more ›

Yesterday we threw together a list of the people in the District we considered influential, taking after a similar annual list put together by GQ that compiles the movers and shakers on the federal side of the city. One of our nominees was Dorothy Brizill, a well-known civic activist and political gadfly who runs DC Watch, the closest thing we have to a citizens' inspector general. And as we expected, last night she offered us... more ›

Yesterday's WUSA newscast brought an exclusive interview that'll be of interest to anyone living near Shaw: apparently the Fifth and O and Seventh and O crews have agreed to a truce. The linked video includes a group interview conducted by Bruce Johnson in which the gang members express bewilderment at the extent of their years-long feud, and hope for a lasting truce. We certainly wish them the best of luck. Several current and former DCist... more ›