Good morning, Washington. For those of you who were inconvenienced by yesterday afternoon's Red line mishap, we're sure you'll be glad to hear that the suspect who Montgomery County police chased into the tunnel got away. The whole incident started just after 2 p.m. when officers, acting on a suspicious-person call, spotted Michael J. Brown, a man known by area police and who is wanted in Baltimore for several charges of theft. After a chase... more ›

When Thomas P. Jacobus, general manager of the aqueduct that provides water to the District, Arlington and Falls Church commented to the Post today, "Perhaps sometimes we don't do the best job we could of communicating," he summed up in a few words the main problem that has plagued the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority -- which delivers water from the Washington Aqueduct to customers -- over the last few years. And while it remains... more ›

According to word we have just received, the flat tax that Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) is hoping to force upon the District is receiving a second round of debate and consideration today. The District of Columbia Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which he chairs, has scheduled a hearing today to dicuss his flat tax proposal, and it will be receiving testimony from District CFO Natwar Gandhi, Brookings Institution scholar Alice Rivlin, and Terence Golden... more ›

Washington, D.C., thrives on the lobbying business. It's been part of the landscape here for a long, long time. And it's pretty important to our team and our new stadium.

We're always one to celebrate when the District is good at something. But today's news is bittersweet. We're really good, it seems, at having really bad air, or so reports the Washington Times. According to an updated EPA report, air quality in the District is the fourth worst in the country, ranking behind New York, California and Oregon based on tests for 177 air toxins, including lead and benzene. We can try and take solace... more ›

News today has it that the U.S. Capitol Police seemed to have forgotten about the First Amendment on Tuesday night, when they arrested anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and Beverly Young, the wife of a Republican representative, at the State of the Union address for wearing "expressive t-shirts." Ironically, Young's shirt was pro-military: "Support the Troops -- Defending Our Freedom." Capitol Police Terrance Gainer issued an apology and dropped the charges against the two. District Claims... more ›

District political types and local journalists long waited for today -- the day the D.C. City Council would finally vote on the contentious stadium lease, the day on which D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams was to prove once and for all if he could round up key votes at key moments. Alas, it was not to be. As we reported late yesterday afternoon, Williams asked Council-chair Linda Cropp to postpone the vote on the stadium lease... more ›

"Slowly but surely," D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams must be telling himself, "slowly but surely." more ›

In a long-awaited decision that may boost the fortunes of the troubled new baseball stadium for the Washington Nationals in Southeast, the Supreme Court today ruled that local governments may expropriate homes and businesses to accommodate private development. Stemming from a case in which the local government of the city of New London, Conn., exercised their power of eminent domain over an economically-depressed area and replaced homes with a riverfront hotel and office buildings aimed... more ›

You may be sick of stadium stuff, but there's big news. As in a billion dollars big. Facing pointed questions last Friday at a D.C. City Council hearing convened by Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), District CFO Natwar Gandhi admitted that the total cost of building a new stadium for the Nationals could well top $1 billion. According to The Common Denominator, Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), who supports building a new stadium adjacent to RFK... more ›

Evans to Hold Hearings on Stadium Financing: The D.C. City Council's Committee on Finance and Revenue, chaired by Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), pictured at right, is taking in testimony on financing arrangements for a new Nationals baseball stadium today and Monday, May 16. Today's session will feature D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, District CFO Natwar Gandhi, and eight groups that submitted private financing proposals for the stadium. Monday's session, slated to begin at noon, will include... more ›

Oh jeez. In a letter dated May 11 and directed to District CFO Natwar Gandhi, pictured at right, Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large) accused Gandhi of shortchanging the land cost assessment for a new Nationals stadium by $30 million -- a number, which if true, would make the Southeast location too expensive for the city. Under legislation passed by the City Council in December, the cost of land acquisition, environmental assessments, and infrastructure development could... more ›

Budget Negotiations Almost Complete: D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and members of the City Council are set to wrap up negotiations over the city's $4.94 billion 2006 budget today. After District CFO Natwar Gandhi verified in recent weeks that the city's finances were doing better than expected -- he predicted a $90 million windfall over the next two years -- members of the Council proposed that the surpluses be directed towards schools and social programs or tax cuts. The former seems to have won, according to the Post -- the Council agreed to spend an additional $26.4 million for school renovations and teacher pay raises. While the mayor's critics noted that increased spending on school's was a simple necessity, others recognized that spending on social programs would also serve to promote the possible mayoral candidacies of various members of the Council. No less than five council-members have expressed interest in running for the mayor's seat in 2006. more ›