Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. Brookland recently got the news that Dwellings, a home furnishings store and one of our most promising main street retailers, was closing due to slow growth in sales. The announcement touched off a neighborhood discussion on what was wrong, exactly, with the shopping environment in the leafy, residential neighborhood. Many locals noted that low residential density made running a retail business a... more ›

Hudson to Replace David Greggory We mentioned Hudson back in May, when the first news of the transition in store for David Greggory's Restau Lounge at 21st and M St. NW broke. We get a little more info about this change this week. In the TomChat, we learn that the change will take place sometime next month, and that—contrary to what we've heard before—Chef Greggory Hill will be heading elsewhere. Hill will be replaced by... more ›

Famed jazz flute player Tony Snow will step down as White House Press Secretary on Sept. 14, adding one more bleeding gash to the already hemorrhaging patient known as the Bush Administration. CNN is reporting that Snow, who makes $168,000 as the White House spokesman, says he is leaving for financial reasons, reiterating that he took a significant pay cut to take the position over a year ago in April 2006. It's an awfully weird... more ›

This week's Overheard entries were a little slim, and with that in mind, we thought perhaps an assignment was in order. Don't worry, we're not springing a pop quiz on you on a Friday, and this is nothing like that dream you had where you walked into class naked. Unless you want it to be. That's your business. But here in Washington, we have no shortage of places to eavesdrop on the unsuspecting, and that's... more ›

Last night, Cordero alternated between brooding, Latin ballads and alt-country punk for a handful of people backstage at the Black Cat. Cordero’s charismatic, hybrid sound could have converted skeptics into fans, particularly those who gravitate toward the genres that include Calexico and X’s side project, the Knitters. Unfortunately for the band and the audience, walking into the Black Cat backstage was like a psych class experiment. Since there were maybe fifteen people there for the... more ›

Well, President George W. Bush and Republicans in Congress have almost completed a generation-long march towards pushing the Supreme Court rightwards, and with all the pieces finally in place, the conservative wing of the court will finally have its day today -- Anna Nicole Smith is before them. The former Playboy model and weight-loss promoter is appealing to the highest court of the land to ensure that she didn't marry a man 63 years her... more ›

Every city has its immigrants. Where Los Angeles became famous for its sizeable Mexican population and Miami its influential Cubans, the Washington area has long been known for its Salvadorans. Natives of the tiny Central American country -- roughly 105,000 in the Washington area, the second largest concentration nationwide -- represent the single largest immigrant group in the District and its surroundings, and have come to form an undeniable part of the region's social fabric.... more ›

On Friday, DCist readers engaged in some relatively civil back and forth over the much publicized America Supports You Freedom Walk, an event organized by the Department of Defense to honor the service of the country's countless men and women in uniform and to memorialize the death of those who lost their lives four years ago at the Pentagon. Taking place today, thousands of people, pictured above, gathered at the Pentagon and followed a... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Phil Long. While our attention remains focused on the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, many organizations in the District and around the country have worked tirelessly to bring attention to the plight of the Darfur region of the Sudan, whose residents have been subjected to coordinated attacks by marauding gangs sponsored, some say, by the Sudanese government. These series of attacks -- which have razed entire villages... more ›

OK, so there isn't a specific D.C. angle other than it takes place here, but this is pretty monumental news in the larger scheme of things. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, today announced her resignation, the first in over 10 years and one likely to set up what is sure to be a long and brutal battle between conservative factions looking to reign in "judicial activism"... more ›