WMATA has plenty of problems to deal with. But that won't stop "protracted labor struggle" from being added to the list. more ›

Opinion regarding the signing of free agent outfielder Jayson Werth, who signed a massive seven-year, $126 million contract with the Nationals on Sunday, has been split -- some see it as an incredibly desperate team making an incredibly foolish offer for a player, while others see it as a positive sign that someone, anyone worth their salt has voluntarily signed with the Nats. Either way, it's a big roll of the dice for Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo and the ownership team -- a seven-year deal for a player who is already in his 30s is always a risky move. more ›

The fact that it was followed by one of the worst performances in team history didn't do much to quiet the Redskins faithful's concerns about the massive contract the team gave to quarterback Donovan McNabb. But with all the fun we were having -- laughing about the fact that the Redskins gave $40 million guaranteed to a guy who currently leads a team with a worse record than Jason Campbell's Raiders -- seems to have obfuscated the truth of the matter: that McNabb's deal is much craftier than we originally assumed. more ›

We'll have a full preview of tonight's big Monday Night Football clash between the Redskins and the Eagles momentarily, but just as we were putting the finishing touches on the post, some huge news to share: according to ESPN, the Redskins have signed quarterback Donovan McNabb to a five-year extension worth $78 million. The deal, $40 million of which is guaranteed, could potentially be worth $88 million if McNabb meets certain performance-based incentives. McNabb, who is 33, was benched at the end of the Redskins' last game for some combination of not being able to run the two-minute drill effectively and allegedly poor conditioning. more ›

Albert Haynesworth doesn't really want to play for the Redskins anymore. So says his agent, who told the Washington Post's Redskins Insider blog that the defensive tackle wants off Mike Shanahan's team, the day before the start of a mandatory two-day minicamp focusing in part on team chemistry. The Post: more ›

It was on Tuesday that D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee casually dropped the bomb on D.C. Council members that she planned to pay for a significant portion of large teacher raises, a crucial component of her hard-won tentative agreement with the Washington Teachers' Union, at least in part with $34 million in surplus funds that no one knew existed. But on Thursday, D.C. CFO Natwar Gandhi dropped a bomb of his own: he told Rhee that the surplus doesn't, in fact, exist. more ›

D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has been basking in the limelight since she announced that an agreement on a teachers contract had finally been reached. At a hearing before the D.C. Council today, though, her celebratory mood was quickly dampened by revelations that might endanger the whole contract. more ›

Families Forward Inc., the contractor in charge of running the city's largest shelter for homeless families, is getting the boot, Jason Cherkis reports over at City Desk.

Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells tells City Desk that Families Forward Inc. will lose their contract by month's end to operate the shelter, which is located on the D.C. General campus. more ›

Among the items the D.C. Council managed to race through in today's surprisingly zippy legislative session was the long-controversial D.C. Lottery contract. In a 9 to 1 vote, the Council went ahead and gave final approval to a proposal to turn over the lottery to international gaming corporation Intralot. Two Council members, Chairman Vince Gray and At-large member Kwame Brown, abstained from voting, while Ward 4's Muriel Bowser voted "present," leaving At-large member Phil Mendelson the only "no" vote. more ›

Metro's board of directors voted to renew General Manager John Catoe's contract for another three years at their meeting today, the Post is reporting. Presumably they managed to come to that decision before board chairman Jim Graham was pulled out of the meeting to deal with the fact that his chief of staff had been arrested. WTOP says the only vote against Catoe came from City Administrator Neil Albert. Catoe's annual salary of $315,000 will remain the same, according to WTOP. more ›

While you're busy wondering about Attorney General Peter Nickles's political future, don't forget our city's other least trustworthy public servant! Reviving the local story that rocked early July, the Washington Post has obtained a bunch of old emails from the office of Ward 8 D.C. Council member Marion Barry, which show that Barry and his staff complained about the quality of the work his ex-girlfriend, Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, was doing for them at the time.

Barry's complaints included Watts-Brighthaupt's spelling, grammar, tendency to fall behind schedule and failure to be available during business hours. The e-mails appear to confirm that Barry and Watts-Brighthaupt traveled together to Las Vegas and Memphis. Although the city paid for Barry's airfare, the government did not foot the bill for Watts-Brighthaupt and did not pay for a $736 spa visit at the Paris hotel during their May trip to Las Vegas, travel records show.

DCPS is now home to 23 new teachers with certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, more than doubling their ranks since 2007. This is a big deal, and good news for the District, where, according to a NBPTS release, only 47 teachers have ever received the honor. more ›