Whether we like to admit it or not, most of us are Monday morning quarterbacks when it comes to local government. Whenever the District's government does something foolish, many of us are quick to assume that we could do better. Well, now we have a chance to prove it. During last year's mayoral campaign, the D.C. Appleseed Center ran a campaign soliciting resident input into the city's most pressing problems. From the 1,500 submissions they... more ›

>> A police officer from the Seventh District is claiming his commander ordered him to give special treatment to a member of Mayor Fenty's staff who was caught talking on her cell phone while driving. [Examiner] >> "District Fire and Emergency Medical Services officials are investigating the death this morning of a recruit who became ill during training exercises yesterday." [WaPo] >> AOL plans to cut 2,000 more jobs, including 750 from their Dulles offices.... more ›

>> Find out who owns the vacant property on your block. Or not. [Bloomingdale (for now)] >>What do we want? BRAINS. When do we want it? BRAINS. [WTOP] >> "This site is GREAT! I haven't seen such a good parody site since Anonymouslawfirm.com." [Free Ride] >> "Wait a second, people get their trash picked up twice a week?" [Prince of Petworth -- note new url] >> "The funny thing about drivers wanting DC to leave... more ›

You know what they say -- better one scandal too late than never at all. We've received word from the office of Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) that tomorrow afternoon he'll be hosting a public roundtable on the Water and Sewer Agency, which has had something of a rough year so far. Reads an email from Graham: I will be holding a public roundtable on the status of the public water main system in... more ›

Are you a resident of Washington, D.C. and looking for a new job? D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is hosting her 10th annual Norton Job Fair, at the Washington Convention Center's Hall C on Tuesday, July 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You need to show proof of D.C. residency to attend (either a valid D.C. driver's license, or picture ID plus a utility bill with your address), the idea being to give D.C.... more ›

As mentioned in the Morning Roundup and widely reported in today’s Post and Examiner, Mayor Adrian Fenty announced today his selection of Dennis Rubin to take over the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. Rubin resigned from his post as Atlanta's Fire Chief on Monday, effective April 13. Once approved by the City Council, Rubin takes over a department that has had its share of issues, from Chief Ronnie Few’s résumé embellishment to the enormous... more ›

Is this allowed? more ›

These days, if you haven't seen Butterstick in the flesh, well, you may as well not even be alive. Ever since the District's favorite new celebrity was born just over six months ago, residents from across the region have watched as Butterstick grew from grotesque rat-looking thing to the mound of cuteness we see today. And ever since the National Zoo started handing out free tickets to see the 'stick, attendance at the Woodley Park site has doubled, according to NBC 4. Of course, just a trickle of that stream of visitors has expressed any interest in those other animals, which, from what we hear, are just itching for the day that Butterstick gets sent back to China. How cute will that precious little panda be then? more ›

This should go without saying: Stay away from edges, whether it's the platform edge at train stations or at RFK Stadium, where a man is now in critical condition after falling from the stadium's upper-deck during yesterday's Nats-Braves game. From the AP, via Sports Illustrated: The 35-year-old man, whose identity was not immediately revealed, fell from a ramp on the 500 level of the stadium, hit several ramps and railings on the way down and... more ›

As we previously reported, a fire in a Georgetown rowhouse which began around 8:30 a.m. this morning has left one man dead. Georgetown University administrators have identified the victim as senior Daniel Rigby in an e-mail to students. (The full text of the e-mail after the jump.) DCist Georgetown correspondent Grayson Shepard snapped the above photo of the home, located at 3318 Prospect St. Another Georgetown student drowned Oct. 8 in an accident at... more ›

Don't have plans Thursday and Friday? The District needs your help. D.C. is holding a two-day mass casualty drill to test how well emergency responders react. more ›