Kelly DiNardo, the owner of Past Tense yoga studio in Mt. Pleasant, had planned to offer a free yoga class to her clientele inside nearby Lamont Park while her almost-two-years-old studio is closed for repainting -- problem is, she can't afford it. more ›

The District Department of Parks and Recreation will convene a meeting this evening to discuss renovations to the park at 11th and Monroe Streets NW, sometimes known as Trolley Turnaround Park. more ›

Somewhat lost in the Sulaimonmania has been the hiring of Cherita Whiting, who got a plum job in the Department of Parks and Recreation before resigning in April because she failed to disclose a 2001 felony conviction. But the Washington Times' Jeffrey Anderson has remained on the case! more ›

The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation is looking for lifeguards for the city's pools (indoor and outdoor) and spray parks this summer, and is hosting a number of Lifeguard Job Fairs to find them. more ›

In case you hadn't guessed, all D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation facilities and fields are closed for the rest of the day today due to snow. All athletic fields will also be closed through the rest of the weekend, and all athletic games have been canceled. On Sunday, only three aquatic facilities and one recreation center will be open: Wilson Aquatic Facility (4551 Fort Drive NW), William H. Rumsey Aquatic Facility (635 North Carolina Avenue SE), Takoma Aquatic Facility (300 Van Buren Street NW), and the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center (701 Mississippi Avenue SE). more ›

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty today introduced his latest choice to head the Department of Parks and Recreation, Jesús Aguirre. Like his controversial predecessor, outgoing interim-cum-acting director Ximena Hartsock, Aguirre comes from DCPS, where he's been Director of Operations under Michelle Rhee. more ›

With relations between Mayor Adrian Fenty and the D.C. Council as strained as they are, you'd think the city's chief executive might do what he could to make things just a little bit better. But if a hearing today before the council on the ongoing Department of Parks and Recreation contracting scandal serves as any indication, that doesn't seem to be the case. more ›

As the political fracas continues over the $82 million in parks and rec contracts that D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty quietly funneled through the D.C. Housing Authority (much of it handed to contractors with cozy ties to the mayor), members of the D.C. Council are demanding accountability. None more so than Council member Michael A. Brown (I-At Large). Or not. No, he is. Really. We think. more ›

Whatever you may think of the tenor of Friday's parks and recreation committee hearing, it looks like it won't end up mattering: the D.C. Council has just voted 7-5 to deny confirmation to acting Department of Parks and Recreation director Ximena Hartsock. more ›

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty presided over the opening of a fabulously-appointed new dog park at 17th and S Streets NW yesterday (along with a refurbished park for all living things at 17th and T, but the focus was clearly on the pooches' new playground). As theses photographs illustrate, the park features a hill-shaped, artificial grass surface and a water fountain designed specifically for dogs. more ›

Some welcome relief from the heat comes from D.C.'s Department of Parks and Recreation, which announced many city pools and spray parks are extending their hours through Wednesday night. Thirteen outdoor pools are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the next three evenings, and other facilities are open later as well. Check the full list extended hours for the DPR facility nearest you. more ›

On Tuesday, the Post's D.C. Wire blog reported that Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham's proposal to name the recently renovated park at 14th and Girard Streets NW "Barack Hussein Obama Park," wasn't allowed under D.C. law, which prohibits the city from naming things after people who are still alive. Not so, according to Graham. He wrote in an email to constituents today:

While the Washington Post accurately quoted law, it did not accurately state the legal situation. For years, the Council has been naming "public spaces" after living persons. The Council in the last year "renamed" roadways to honor Kathy Hughes and Chuck Brown. One of my first acts as a Councilmember in 1999 was to successfully sponsor a bill naming the alley next to Ben's Chili Bowl "Ben Ali Way" to honor the restaurant's founders. All these folks are happily still with us! There are other examples. more ›

The recently renovated community park at 14th and Girard Streets NW now has a potential name: Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham introduced a resolution today to rename the park "Barack Hussein Obama Park," D.C. Wire reports. If the resolution is passed, the park, which features a basketball court, year-round chess tables and an interactive water jet play fountain in the summer, would be the very first official anything to be named after President Obama in the District of Columbia. more ›

Word hit the street this morning that Mayor Adrian Fenty had fired D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation director Clark Ray yesterday, and he's already named a replacement. City Desk has the scene at today's presser announcing former D.C. public schools principal Ximena Hartsock as Ray's replacement. Hartsock had been running afterschool and summer school programs for Michelle Rhee/DCPS. Earlier this morning, D.C. Wire reported that at least a few people are befuddled as to the decision to let Ray go, and there's speculation that it could have been related to a lawsuit recently filed by former DPR employee Michael Williams. Williams alleges that he was improperly fired after raising questions about whether the mayor's sons were participating in a youth basketball league that they were too old for. more ›

Looking for a way to beat the heat this evening or tomorrow? The District Department of Parks and Recreation has opened up ten outdoor swimming pools and four spray parks from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. both today and Tuesday. more ›

In the department of bad timing, at the end of last week the Department of Parks and Recreation sent around a press release notifying the community that the play courts, plaza, and playground at the Stead Recreation Center at 1625 P Street NW will temporarily close beginning April 30, 2008. more ›