>> The Blow, Saturday Looks Good to Me and Karl Blau are all at the Black Cat. 8 p.m., $12. >> The songs of Neil Young will be honored by the collective of local musicians known as Ragged Glory at the Velvet Lounge. Check out our full preview here. >> The aforementioned DieYuppieKickball.com is hosting its first initiation meeting tonight at Cosmos, the upstairs of Chief Ike's, at 7 p.m. Reads the email: "What?!... more ›

While fans of Italy's soccer squad celebrated their team's World Cup victory, District residents yesterday braced at the news of two brutal killings over the weekend. While this isn't the first time that a weekend has yielded a number of violent deaths, the victims involved remind us how random the violence can often be. As with all of these deaths, our thoughts go out to the friends, family, and neighbors affected. British Politician Murdered in... more ›

Tonight is the night -- we'll be celebrating Butterstick's one-year of cuteness at Chief Ike's Mambo Room in Adams Morgan, 1725 Columbia Road, NW. And in his honor, we've gotten some good drink specials lined up -- $5 Captain Morgan drinks, $4 Paulaner Hefeweizen's, and $3 Pabst drafts. From what the zoo folks tell us, Butterstick loves his Pabst. There will also be some good music on both floors. more ›

Tonight. 7 p.m. Chief Ike's in Adams Morgan. Butterstick Bash. We're still waiting for responses to our little Butterstick quiz. If you answer the three questions and email them to butterstickcontest (at) gmail (dot) com, you'll walk away with a panda prize-pack. Either way, stop on by tonight and see us. Butterstick would want it that way. Back-Slapping by District Officials for July 4 Evacuation: Though last week's rains proved that the District evacuation... more ›

Tomorrow it is — we shall be gathering at Chief Ike's in Adams Morgan starting at 7 p.m. to celebrate Butterstick's first full year of life. We're encouraging anyone who's planning on coming to dress in black and white, a little token nod to our favorite panda cub. And in the spirit of the celebration, we'll be giving a way a prize-pack of panda-related goods to one lucky reader. Of course, nothing comes for free. more ›

The music department took a bit of a siesta to watch fireworks, eat hot dogs, and catch Panacea -- the excellent hip hop outfit that rose from the ashes of RPM. As always, if you've got any other suggestions for this week, let us know in the comments. more ›

You may be out celebrating tomorrow, but you've got Wednesday to rest and recover for the Butterstick Bash on Thursday. more ›

We've fawned over him. We've written about him. We've paid one too many visits to the National Zoo to see him. And now, we shall celebrate him. That's right -- we're throwing Butterstick a birthday party. more ›

Good morning, D.C. It's nearly May, and you know what that means: the region is once again being gripped by baby duck fever. Apparently. It seems that a year ago we were on pins and needles waiting for news of hatching from a nest near the Treasury Department, a nest that was assigned its own security detail. And right on schedule, the Washington Times brings us word of another increase in the city's duckling population. Kaine Takes Aim At Gas Prices: Yesterday Virginia Governor Tim Kaine said that he didn't expect the state legislature to present him with a gas tax increase. Now he's preparing to fight escalating gas prices with new anti-gouging powers that will go into effect July 1, reports WTOP. However, the governor was quick to point out that he wasn't accusing any particular fuel retailers of gouging. With most of the recent price changes coming from higher in the supply chain, it's questionable whether Kaine's use of the anti-gouging measure would — or could — have much of an effect. Md. Teacher Named Best In Nation: Congratulations to Montgomery County's own Kimberly Oliver, who, as WUSA informs us, has won the National Teacher of the Year award. The prize is considered to be the top honor for our country's teachers. President Bush will present Oliver with the recognition today. There must be something about area teachers -- a D.C. public school teacher took the award last year. Stadium Bonds Receive Low Rating: The bonds needed to finance the construction of the new $611 million baseball stadium have received low ratings from Wall Street bond rating firms, notes WJLA. Fitch, Standard & Poor's and Moody's agreed that the business tax is the only reliable stream of revenue to ensure that investors are paid back, and they gave the bonds mediocre rating between triple-B and triple-B-plus. "Grandma's" Alleged Attacker Stands Trial: The Post reports on the progress of the case against James Dorsey, the man accused of brutally attacking and robbing the Foggy Bottom street vendor known by many as "Grandma." The attack occurred nearly a year ago, and was captured on video. Yesterday's opening statements in the trial focused on that video, with the defense maintaining that it is inconclusive and that Dorsey's confession was obtained under duress. Prosecutor Jonathan Haray acknowledged that the video doesn't allow for a definite ID, but expressed confidence in his case. Briefly Noted: Reward increased for information about slaying of 9 year-old... Good news for Maryland teachers, wine lovers and equine-transport-safety enthusiasts... Labor complaint filed against the Post... Pricey artwork damaged by Georgetown fire... Taco Bell worker could face up to ten years for spitting in drink... This Day In DCist: One year ago today the proposed new hospital was already running into trouble. And we were unwittingly getting ourselves into trouble of our own, as we prepared for a happy hour at Chief Ike's that ended up being a little too much fun. more ›

FRIDAY: >> Kaiser Chiefs, a Leeds, England five-piece, hits the stage at the 9:30 Club tonight. Their music is infectious (you know, in a good way), confident, and sure to get you dancing. And they're cute, in a quintessentially British sort of way. $15. Doors open at 9, openers The Cribs go on at 10:15, and the Kaiser Chiefs will be on stage at 11:30. At which point we'll be asleep. Because we are old.... more ›

We here at DCist love happy hours. After all, we've thrown a few ourselves (at The Reef, Big Hunt, Biddy Mulligan's, and Chief Ike's Mambo Room), and we try to emerge from behind our computers now and then to attend those put on by fellow bloggers, residents, and activists. more ›

We'd like to thank everyone who showed up last night to the DCist Cinco de Mayo party at Chief Ike's Mambo Room, especially to those on the dance floor who kept the party going on well past midnight. You know that when the bartending staff had to pull out extra cases of Corona (only to run out later), we not only went beyond our crowd predictions, we were also doing our part to drive... more ›

Today might be a slow day at work (no loss -- it may rain, and just in time for what looks to be a great weekend). After all, we here at DCist expect that everyone celebrated the Cinco de Mayo in style. How else could you recognize Mexico's 1862 victory over the hated French than with copious amounts of Mexican-themed drinks? Whether or not you joined DCist at our own Cinco de Mayo happy hour... more ›

PITTSBURGH -- They say Pittsburgh is a difficult city to navigate your way into, but really easy to leave. With its urban life dictated by what would normally be inhospitable topography, Pittsburgh is an interesting city. While we'd like to spend a little more time exploring, we have to head back to Washington this afternoon. After all, we can't miss the DCist Cinco de Mayo party at Chief Ike's this evening. So if this DCist is coming all the way from the Keystone State to show up, you should make your way up to Adams Morgan tonight. With Bluestate DJing, good company and prizes (more on that in a second), there shouldn't be any reason why you should miss it. more ›

Toxic Trains Coming Back to D.C.: A federal appeals court has overturned the lower court rule that supported the city council's decision to bar trains carrying hazardous materials (usually from CSX) to travel through the District due to concerns over terrorism. According to the W. Times, Mayor Williams is "deflated" by the decision, which states that such laws are in the purview of the federal and not the city government. Baltimore and Philadelphia are also considering such legislation. more ›

Today will be mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain, with highs in the lower 60s. Matthew Bradley posted this photo of historian Howard Zinn to DCist photos yesterday. Also, it's only one more day before DCist celebrates Cinco de Mayo at Chief Ike's! Same-sex Couples Prohibited from Filing Joint Taxes: D.C.'s Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi ruled yesterday gay couples could not file taxes jointly in D.C., even if they were... more ›

With Cinco de Mayo and our Cinco de Mayo party at Chief Ike's fast approaching, it's the perfect time of year to brush up on your Mexican culture and history. The Mexican Embassy's Cultural Instite of Mexico has planned ten events on the history and culture of Mexico throughout the month of May. They include a tequila tasting tomorrow, a panel discussion at the Library of Congress on Thursday on "Why is 5 de Mayo celebrated in the United States," a family festival on the National Mall, and a talk in Bethesda by Mexican author Carlos Chimal, among other events. more ›

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Greetings from southern Indiana, where this DCist has been traveling the past day. The home of Indiana University, Bloomington was the setting for the movie "Breaking Away." If you've seen the movie, you know how hilly and forested the beautiful countryside surrounding the town is. More recently, Bloomington became famous for one more thing: being the home of the Subway where Jared Fogel got his start in advertising. According to the story, Fogel lived in an apartment above the Subway at the corner of Atwater and Woodlawn. Fogel simply had to walk up and down a flight of stairs to get his Subway, nearly every day. more ›

May 5 is always an important holiday. It's where we celebrate Mexico's 1862 victory at Puebla over the French. And this year, it's technically 05/05/05. So there's even more reason to remember Benito Juarez and the Mexican battlefield win. So why not do it with DCist? Remember, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Amigos don't let Amigos Drive Drunk. You can take the 42 bus. Where: Chief Ike's Mambo Room, Columbia Road, Adams... more ›

The City Paper has an enjoyable cover story about the slow disappearance of jukeboxes in D.C., and how jukebox junkies are reacting.Today, D.C. Vending operates about 125 jukeboxes, about half of them in bodegas and other Latin-music joints. "They stopped playing music like they used to," Tom says. "There's not as many 'Cheers' around....That's given way to the T.G.I. Friday's, the big places." The big places like to supply the music for free, via a... more ›

We hope you had a good weekend. We're a little worn out after a string of holiday gatherings and other parties. We ended Saturday night's activities at the American City Diner at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and Morrison Street, where we snapped this photo of a James Dean mural sometime after 3 a.m. Sunday. more ›

What do the Bush twins and George Stephanopolis have in common? A man named Chief Ike. A DCist source tells us he ran into the Bush twins in Adams Morgan last weekend. Which makes DCist ask, whaa, Adams Morgan? It seems that Jenna and Barbara may be straying from their normal stomping grounds on Wisconsin Avenue (Smith Point, and to a lesser extent, Bourbon), or may be growing more comfortable patronizing establishements east of Rock Creek ever since the duo got the staff and management at Stetson's into a whole host of trouble back in their underage drinking days. more ›