R.E.M. may have broken up, but that certainly doesn't mean that the band's influence won't continue being felt in the District -- notably in court. more ›

At Mongtomery County Circuit Judge Eric Johnson's fingertips: whether Maryland will join with most of the country by imposing some liability on bars for the drunken actions of its customers. more ›

Today, the D.C. Council's Committee on the Judiciary is holding a hearing on the city's issues with Breathalyzers. If you'll recall, the city's stopped using the alcohol monitors in February after it was discovered that they had been poorly calibrated for years. more ›

While we're on the subject of transportation for drunk people, here's some interesting testimony from Ilmar Paegle, the man who was, until recently, in charge of overseeing the accuracy of breathalyzers used by the District's police. According to a WTTG report, Paegle claims that "hundreds of people have gone to jail based on faulty information that went undetected for years." Yeah, that sounds bad. In coordination with the D.C. Attorney General, the police department has now ditched the faulty breath analysis technology until a reliable analyzer can be found; in the interim, police will have suspected drunk drivers give urine samples when they are pulled over. You know, when you drink, Metro is a good alternative to driv...oh wait, never mind. more ›

Good morning, D.C. If you live in Wards 1 or 2, don't forget to turn out to vote today in the special election for District I member of the State Board of Education. There's only one name on the ballot, that of veteran education reporter Mary Lord, but as we mentioned before, there's also a write-in candidate, first-year teacher in DCPS Jason Crawford. Check out each candidate's web site and decide for yourself. If... more ›

Yesterday a judge in a courtroom in the Virginia hinterlands wrote out some nasty doubletalk and upheld a set of draconian penalties Virginia has unleashed upon commuters with jobs in D.C., raising the question once again of why Northern Virginia taxpayers continue to fund a state government run by rural Southerners who hate us and want us to be miserable. Before yesterday's ruling, the fees had been deemed unconstitutional in district courts in Henrico County... more ›

Mayor-For-Life Marion Barry continues to amaze us. Not only is he utterly untouchable by the long hand of the law, but he is an amazing politician; he just keeps getting elected to practically anything for which he's run. Now, he's even won a race he wasn't actively campaigning for: Barry (or his likeness, rather) was selected to fill the last slot at the forthcoming Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Penn Quarter. The museum, which will... more ›

>> While half the DCict staff was still buzzing from this weekend's Dismemberment Plan shows, stereogum chatted with front-man Travis Morrison about his day job as "lead JavaScript programmer for advertisements for the Washington Post website." All of a sudden the Post seems so much cooler. Any other semi-retired rock gods looking for jobs at a D.C. Web site? We can offer you cookies and a handful of DCist temporary tatoos! >> Cops in... more ›

IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE REGAL CINEMA IN BETHESDA. more ›

Somewhere Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man are rolling in their graves. Yesterday afternoon the Committee on Health of the D.C. City Council endorsed legislation that would make all District bars and restaurants smoke-free by January 2007, according to WJLA. The bill, written by Council-member David Catania (I-At Large) offers exemptions for outdoor areas, cigar bars, hotel rooms, retail tobacco outlets, research projects on the effects of smoking, and businesses that can demonstrate economic... more ›

A few weeks back DCist explored downtown Silver Spring, a neatly organized if sterile shopping district populated with the usual suspects -- Chipotle, Starbucks, Potbelly, Borders. We spied what seemed to be a park, full of playful children and couples. We approached. It seemed a little bright to be real grass. A little too well-manicured. Surprised were we to find out the park was nothing more than an expanse of AstroTurf, a carpet of fake grass amidst blocks and blocks of concrete and asphalt. Today the Post informs us that it's actually called SoftLawn, and it's a hit with local residents. Though the faux lawn only cost $96,000 and is a breeze to maintain, DCist is still old-fashioned enough to prefer the real kind. We can, though, only imagine what the National Mall would look like covered in this stuff... more ›

It's Finally Official: Now that Mayor Anthony Williams has signed stadium financing legislation into law, it appears that this chapter in the District's baseball history has come to a close. The Post quotes Williams as saying that this was one of his "proudest days as mayor." more ›

Grays Coming Soon? D.C. sports authorities have indicated that Major League Baseball wants a named picked for D.C.'s new baseball team as soon as possible. The AP, via WTOP, says that MLB officials want the name settled so marketing can begin. Speaking of Baseball, More Stadium Controversy: The District may have underestimated the costs required to renovate RFK Stadium and build a new permanent stadium on South Capitol Street. The Post reports that it may... more ›

Expect to find more sobriety checkpoints near Georgetown thanks to something called "Operation Strikeforce". This message was sent through D.C.'s text alert system:(Washington, DC) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) joined the Metropolitan Police Department and police departments from Fairfax an Montgomery Counties to kick off Checkpoint Strikeforce, a regional six-month anti-drunk driving campaign. Checkpoint Strikeforce was launched in the late afternoon on August 26 on Canal Road, just west of the Georgetown bars, with... more ›