Good morning, Washington. We hope not too many of you were making your way into the city from Montgomery County this morning, as two separate water main breaks forced road closures in Takoma Park and kids to get the day off from school in Germantown. We'll admit it -- we're pretty envious of the students at Fox Chapel Elementary School, who get to spend the day doing whatever they please while we had to show......

Now is the time of year when we all get to start complaining about how stupid standard time is and how walking out of our offices last night into pitch black darkness was weird and uncomfortable and made us confused about what time happy hour was supposed to start. That is all. 'Fat Gap' Between Whites and Blacks in D.C. High: We've certainly talked about the income gap between whites and blacks in our city......

Mark your calendars: WMATA put out a release earlier today announcing the dates of a series of six public meetings at which you can voice your opinions about the proposed Metro fare hikes, which would go into effect in January. The full set of proposed increases is here, but the basics include raising the base fare of Metrorail from $1.35 to $1.65, keep bus fares the same as long as you use SmarTrip cards (add......

Good morning, Washington. Feeling alright? We just thought we'd ask — there are two heart-trouble-related stories in the news today, and it's gotten us a little superstitious. First, Senator John Warner is in the hospital undergoing procedures to correct an atrial fibrillation that manifested itself yesterday morning (it sounds like he'll be fine). Second, Etan Thomas missed the first day of Wizards training camp due to a newly-detected cardiac irregularity. There's no word yet......

We've got two words for you, D.C.: beer pops. That's right, beer pops. WTOP, along with a number of other local news outlets, has coverage of an innovation being brought to market by an Alexandria restaurant. The folks at Rustico may not be the first to come up with the idea of ale-on-a-stick, but they're the first purveyors of it we know of in the D.C. area, and we salute them for it. Here's......

It's never a good sign when it's already this steamy this early in the morning, and indeed, the heat index looks like it will near 100 degrees today (actual temps closer to 94). The D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management has some helpful tips to beating the oppressive heat, but this list has a shameful lack of ice cream sandwiches involved. DCist heartily recommends the Ice Cream Sandwich Method of keeping cool today, which involves......

Good day, Washington. Are you getting tired of this gorgeous weather yet? Yeah, us neither. As you work out the kinks in your upcoming Memorial Day Weekend plans, we wish you good luck and delight in describing the rest of this week and weekend ahead as forecast to be sunny and hot enough to give you that sunburn you've been hoping for. We're also putting together a few ideas for last-minute day trips for those......

Today, Washington is still dealing with the aftermath of losing so many area residents at Virginia Tech and trying to grasp the scope of Monday's events. Even those not connected to the school have been moved to prayer and shows of support. In situations like these, many of us feel powerless, yet some gain strength by joining others to reflect and remember. Yesterday students at UVa, Georgetown, Galluadet, Howard, UMd, Catholic University, American, UDC, GW......

We start off this Monday morning with the very sad news that Star Foster, a co-editor of sister site Phillyist, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday morning. Phillyist will be going dark for a few days out of respect for Foster, who was with the site since its inception. Here at DCist, and across the -ist network, we offer our condolences and thoughts for her friends and family. Gallaudet Taps New President: The board of......

When we found out earlier this year that Richard White, WMATA's troubled general manager, would be replaced by District Department of Transportation Director Dan Tangherlini, we were happy. Tangherlini had long been known for being approachable and affable, a young and ambitious civil servant dedicated to improving service and quality in his day-to-day functions. Those qualities translated quickly into his work at Metro, where he visited with the rank and file, encouraged riders to offer......

Yesterday morning at Mount Vernon, the cornerstone for a new George Washington museum was laid. The Post takes us through the Masonic rituals involved in the process:At yesterday's consecration, members of the Alexandria-Washington Masonic Lodge No. 22, dressed in tuxedos and white aprons, poured corn kernels and cruets of canola oil and red wine over the cornerstone. An architect and other officials inspected the rock. Then prayers were read aloud. Number 22 was the first......

The Post identifies an interesting criminal trend in the District: church robbing. Perhaps not as lucrative as banks or liquor stores, churches still present inviting targets, particularly as security tends to be much more relaxed than in other places of business. Thieves have gotten away with computers and other electronics (including a vacuum cleaner) and with wallets and credit cards. According to the Post, 12 Northwest churches have been robbed in the past two months.......

Good morning, Washington. Today will be mild again -- with highs in the 60s -- but there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, so pack an umbrella. The photo above of the Gallup office door with a reflection of the National Portrait Gallery was taken by Flickr user Katmere. We couldn't check the headlines over at the Washington Examiner because it appears their website is down. More High Housing......

Although activists might have complained and created a protest website and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to oppose the toll increase on the Dulles Toll Road, it was to no avail. The Post reports that the toll increase has been approved, increasing the maximum toll possible to $1.25 from $.85. The money would be use to help fund an extension of the Orange Line to Dulles Airport. The Virginia transportation secretary noted that......

Transportation News: -- Flooding had closed the Mount Vernon Square-7th St. Convention Center station on the Green and Yellow lines. Shuttle bus service had been provided from Gallery Place-Chinatown. This morning, a WMATA alert referred to the station by its old name, Mount Vernon Square-UDC, which the wires and the Post picked up as well. As of 7:55 a.m., the station had reopened, though escalators were not working. -- WMATA's police chief, Polly Hanson, has......