Attention car-owners without private driveways or garage spots: Street-cleaning season starts anew on Thursday, with enforcement to begin on March 12. more ›

If you live in a part of the District where street-sweepers force you to engage in a weekly ballet of car-moving before you head off to work, you'll be able to rest easy as of next week -- the city's street-sweeping program goes into hibernation on October 31. more ›

The District's tree canopy has always been something of a point of pride for the city, but as this weekend's tropical storm proved, trees can and do come down in extreme weather. more ›

You probably already have at least one good reason to care about the D.C. budget deficit debate which will soon be upon the D.C. Council: higher taxes, cuts to social services, and so on. But even if you were still in need of a reason to care, it's worth noting that the city's financial issues are already having a manifest effect on things that most of us take for granted -- like garbage cans and recycling bins, both of which the city has run out of. more ›

We've written before about the MuralsDC program; last October they unveiled seven new murals around the city. This partnership between the D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities and the Department of Public Works recruits local artists and youth as "a graffiti prevention program that replaces illegally tagged spaces with beautiful murals." more ›

Last month, we highlighted the city's new, clearer street sweeping signage -- and while those signs indicated that the District's sweeping would begin on March 1, we weren't sure when the Department of Public Works would actually start handing out tickets to people who don't move their cars. Now we know! Monday, March 21 is the first day that you can earn a citation for failing to move your chariot on the appropriate day and time. more ›

In yesterday's Go Home Already, we noted that Ward 8 D.C. Councilmember Marion Barry was able to get the boot removed from his 2002 Jaguar after ponying up a portion of the money he owed the city. This led to some questions from readers about whether it was possible for anyone to get a boot removed without paying the full balance owed. more ›

During a press conference this afternoon, the District's Chief Financial Officer, Nat Gandhi, complained that not enough District residents were paying their parking tickets. Apparently, that group of scofflaws includes Marion Barry. more ›

The D.C. Department of Public Works suspended street cleaning for the winter starting on Friday, Nov. 6, a fact which they did not announce until Monday, Nov. 9. On top of not getting the word out until the following Monday, it appears they didn't manage to let all of their parking enforcement officers know of the change on time, either. Several residents reported getting street-sweeping related tickets on Monday and Tuesday, which led to some fairly intense back-and-forths on various neighborhood email lists. Here's a sampling of what went down on Tuesday on the Columbia Heights community email list:

• "What is someone from DPW giving out incorrect information? folks in Columbia heights be on alert ... street cleaning doe snot end until Nov 20"
• "No. Street cleaning ended. It's just that the enforcement agencies didn't pay attention. more ›

The D.C. Department of Public Works finally got back to us on our question about what will be done with the 22 brand new ghost bikes that have been placed around the intersection of Connecticut and R Streets NW by activist Legba Carrefour ... kinda. Here's the boilerplate statement we received via email from DPW spokesperson Linda Grant:

"... the DC Department of Public Works is responsible for removing sidewalk memorials, which usually recognize residents who have died unexpectedly, and includes anything from flowers and stuffed animals to empty bottles of alcohol and bicycles. After 30 days, DPW removes all memorial items found at the site. As part of our policy, a sign is posted at the memorial to notify family and friends that they have 30 days to remove any personal effects."

D.C. Department of Public Works spokesperson Nancee Lyons sent out the message posted below to neighborhood email lists today.

Dear Neighbors, more ›

Give thanks! The annual winter parking ticket reprieve, courtesy the D.C. Department of Public Works, finally arrives this Friday, when the city will suspend alternate-side residential street sweeping for the season. The official release is just about to be posted to the DPW web site, according to spokesperson Linda Grant, but here's the text from the announcement:

The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) announced today that weekly (signed), residential mechanical street cleaning will end for the season Friday, November 28, 2008. “No parking/street cleaning” restrictions will be lifted and motorists may park along posted, alternate-side, daytime street sweeping routes without being required to move their cars on street-cleaning days. more ›

• Rake leaves into a pile into the nearest tree box. (Leaves in the street create travel and parking hazards.)
• Put the pile(s) of leaves where DPW crews can easily vacuum them. Please avoid areas where there are parked cars or low-hanging trees.
• Bagged leaves should weigh no more than 60 pounds each.

An item we missed (hat tip WTOP) is that the District Department of Public Works sent around word late last week that trash and recycling collection days for many D.C. residents will change starting Dec. 1. Beginning this weekend, residents who will be affected by the changes will start seeing signs posted on their streets and receive doorknockers with the relevant details. A good clue as to whether your trash day might change: if you currently only get trash pickup once a week and also live within Wards 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8, your trash day is probably going to change. Keep an eye out for those signs and doorknockers. more ›

An anonymous reader sent DCist a series of photos of a D.C. Department of Public Works garbage truck driving through a recreation field in Rose Park in Georgetown last Saturday. The tipster described the truck as having hopped the curb to gain access to the "grass of a children's play area" in the park, and wondered whether this was safe. No one was injured, but a baby carriage in the foreground of the images certainly drives the point home: should city garbage trucks really be driving across recreation areas where children might be running around, not paying attention? more ›