Remember those billboards that popped up in the 1980s that counted up the national debt, dollar by dollar? Pretty scary, huh? Well, District voting rights activists want something similar for their cause. Today the D.C. Council held a hearing on legislation that would allow the city to place two large LED billboards -- one outside the John A. Wilson Building and the other outside the new Washington Nationals stadium -- that would display the amount... more ›

>> D.C. police will spend $3 million in the 3rd Police District on an anti-gang initiative. [WaPo] >> Montgomery County Del. Jane Lawton, 63, died of an apparent heart attack this morning, collapsing after giving a speech in downtown Washington. Lawton also served as a four-term mayor of Chevy Chase. [Md. Moment] >> If you have an elderly relative living at either Carolyn Boone Lewis Health Care Center in D.C. or Ruxton Health of... more ›

Good morning, Washington. It looks like California's still on fire, and likely to remain so. Most versions of the aforelinked AP story include the phrase "firefighters all but concede defeat," and the Post is calling the resulting evacuation the largest in modern history. It all sounds pretty grim. Good luck, West Coast. Yet More Stadium Parking Controversy: The Post reports on the latest in a seemingly neverending series of deliberations over parking at the... more ›

Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. This week, I (carefully) picked up and began reading The Power Broker, the epic (and massive) Robert Caro biography of infamous New York master builder Robert Moses. Bob Moses, it turns out, was one of the best-trained civil service experts of the age when he first began working for the city. He was, as Caro describes him, a consummate idealist, passionately dedicated... more ›

Better late than never? When it comes to a new name for RFK Stadium, that's what some city officials seem to think. According to a WTOP report yesterday, D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission Chairman Matthew Cutts has floated the idea of re-naming RFK. Again. When the Nats announced they'd take up residence in the four-decade-old stadium in 2005, city officials scrambled to find a corporate sponsor willing to shell out upwards of $2 million a... more ›

>> Is the Rock and Roll Hotel haunted? While John Edward (not Edwards) or a similarly qualified expert has yet to confirm it, the staff says they've seen and heard a few eerie things. The owner explains that the club stands on the site of an old funeral home. Maybe they couldn't get prime Indian burial ground real estate. [via Wonkette] >> The D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission hosts a community meeting tonight to discuss... more ›

How do you like that wind, D.C.? And the still pretty cold temperatures? Well this nonsense is here to stay through the weekend, with the possibility of some wintry mix on Sunday. Lovely. We feel sure, however, that spring is still just around the corner. It has to be! So let's try our best to keep on the sunny side of life until it gets here, current temperatures be damned. For instance, instead of focusing... more ›

>> Soon-to-be Mayor Fenty has named Brian K. Lee as interim fire chief and attorney Matthew Cutts to chair the Sports and Entertainment Commission, as well as three mayoral appointments to the D.C. Board of Education: Laura McGiffert Slover, Tonya Vidal Kinlow, and Herb Scott. [WaPo] >> The Yellow Line extension is Coming! The Yellow Line is extension is coming! On Sunday. [AP via WTOP] >> Eric Schaeffer of Signature Theater reveals the wild partying... more ›

Ahhh, the stadium parking saga would be hilarious were it not so maddening. WTOP is reporting that the city may finally have found a solution to what is sure to be a lack of parking at the new stadium -- RFK. No, seriously. RFK. The old stadium. Where the Nats are playing now, and where you park NOW. Read for yourself: City and team officials are looking at alternatives for parking at the new stadium.... more ›

My, that was fast. After Adrian Fenty overwhelmingly won the Democratic mayoral primary, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, who had long endorsed Cropp and actively warned of the dangers of a Fenty victory, seemed to accept the defeat gracefully. He promised Fenty the necessary funds for a transition team, appeared alongside Fenty at a Capitol Hill hearing on D.C. voting rights, and even submitted legislation giving Fenty a hefty raise. But today WTOP reports that the... more ›

It's rainy, it's windy, and every day it gets colder. But it could be worse, Washington — you could be Anthony Mereos. The Silver Spring man is facing a $80,000 fee for illegally clearing trees from land he purchased for $65,000 (he denies cutting the trees down). Mereos had intended to use the land to build a home for his family. But wait! It gets worse: [Mereos' laywer Shawn] Whittaker said the county is using... more ›

If you're looking for a change of pace and need an industry that is sure to remain in business for years to come, consider escalator repair. Taking after DeVry and ITT Tech, Metro has kicked off a $1.5 million training lab for escalator repair, writes the Post. The lab will train the next generation of escalator repairmen, who, as we all know from experience, will have no shortage of work anytime soon -- on... more ›

In the latest bit of stadium-related drama, the Washington Post is reporting that the District government is in default of its lease agreement with Major League Baseball, according to a letter sent by MLB's legal team. MLB claims that the District is delinquent in handing over key documents such as the lease of the stadium grounds, proof of land ownership, and monthly project schedules. The letter serves as a written warning, announcing MLB's intention... more ›

If you're going to spend $611 million, what's another $750,000? Chump change, or so seems to think D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams. D.C. Wire is reporting that this morning, Williams proposed the creation of a new Office of Baseball. Cost -- $750,000. Purpose -- According to a Williams, coordinating between the various entities overseeing the stadium's construction and the area's development. Stated Williams: The purpose of the Office is to assist and advise the Mayor in... more ›

Yesterday, Mayor Williams joined other D.C. officials, Nationals players, and members of the new Nats ownership group in picking up a few baseball bat shovels and breaking ground on the South Capitol Street baseball stadium. It was a welcome moment for many Washingtonians, a relief, you might say, for we all remember how many hard fought battles took place to get the city to that moment. We all saw the public fights over bringing the... more ›

We've talked the new stadium into the ground, but with the news last week that District officials and MLB had reached an agreement on a new lease, we were hopeful that enough concessions were granted and desires met to allow the D.C. Council to give their stamp of approval next week. But that would be far too simple. Buried in the Post's initial article on the revised lease agreement was a token quote by the... more ›

It may soon be known as the stadium that could have been. Last week the architects from HOK Sport -- the firm charged with designing a new stadium for the Washington Nationals -- presented their vision to a select group of city officials and journalists, the first step in what has been a year-long process between agreeing to build the stadium and its ground-breaking and construction. The Post described the stadium-to-be as such:The stadium, which... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Today will be mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. Stadium Planning Process Contentious: What do you get when you mix the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, Major League Baseball, the fragil egos D.C. government, and a red-hot real estate market in Near Southeast? The answer is a convoluted planning process described by the Post in an article today where the architect has conflicting instructions and city leaders can't seem... more ›

Love or hate the idea of a new ballpark in Southeast, the design process is moving full steam ahead. Today's Post featured stadium architect Joseph Spear of HOK Sport, outlining his vision and sketches for the stadium. Spear's plan calls for a V-shaped facade, with one face constructed of stone and glass, and the other a steel and glass facade. The ballpark incorporates a view of the Anacostia, pays homage to D.C.'s monumental core, and... more ›

(Entry written by DCist contributor Chris Kelly) The Nationals saw their 12 game home winning streak come to an end yesterday at RFK as a result of a 9-5 roasting at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. Orlando Hudson of the Jays broke a 5-5 tie in the 8th with a two-run home run off of Luis Ayala. Sunny Kim gave up two more in the 9th to put the game out of reach.... more ›

Today will be mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain, with highs in the lower 60s. Matthew Bradley posted this photo of historian Howard Zinn to DCist photos yesterday. Also, it's only one more day before DCist celebrates Cinco de Mayo at Chief Ike's! Same-sex Couples Prohibited from Filing Joint Taxes: D.C.'s Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi ruled yesterday gay couples could not file taxes jointly in D.C., even if they were... more ›

As readers of DCist may well know, the on-going saga as what to name RFK Stadium continues, even though city officials promised on the day of the Nationals home opener that the stadium would officially be christened "Armed Forces Field at RFK Stadium." Being that the deal has not yet materialized, another name may now be in the running. In an opinion piece posted on Fox News' website yesterday, CATO Institute policy analyst, blogger, and... 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 DCist wrote a few days back, District officials are struggling to find a corporate sponsor willing to pay anywhere from $1.5 to $2 million a year for the rights to attach their name to RFK Stadium, the temporary home of the Washington Nationals, for the next three years. The Post reported on Wednesday that the U.S. Army, looking to raise its profile and boost sagging enlistment numbers, has pushed to the front of the... more ›

In a little over three weeks, the Washington Nationals will take to the soon-to-be-completed baseball diamond at RFK Stadium for their first home game in over three decades. Following the trend of most major league sports facilities in the country, District officials have been anxiously searching for a corporate sponsor willing to shell out anywhere from $1.5 to $2 million a year until 2008 for the naming rights to the stadium -- a notable change... more ›

Today’s news begs the question: How many of us at DCist are going to quit our daytime jobs for a shot at working for the Washington Nationals? ARAMARK Corporation, the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, and Contemporary Services Corporation announced today that they are looking to fill 900 jobs at the newly refurbished RFK Memorial Stadium, which goes into official use as the Nats temporary home in 49 days. The job categories include stand... more ›