When David Glasgow Farragut yelled, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” he probably didn’t think it would propel him into history. Actually, given the circumstances, it might not even have been the smartest of orders. But sure enough, Farragut’s ballsy command helped the naval commander get a huge statue and two metro stops plus a square named after him. It was December 12, 1862, and the ship at the front of the formation, the USS......

We're back with another edition of Transit on Thursday, bringing you transit news from around the city to satisfy the inner-geek in all of you. This week, we've got developments with the transit situation at the National Harbor development, currently under construction south of the city, as well as yet another round of national commuting stats that are, yet again, a mixed bag for the D.C.-metro area. Also, Metro has a long list of......

>> DC Arts Commission auditions for musicians who'd like to play outside metro stations start tonight, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Metro headquarters, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC. >> Check out our Reader, Meet Author feature for a list of cup-runneth-over literary events for tonight. There's Colin Channer at Vertigo Books, Susan Vreeland at Phillips Collection, Christopher Hitchens at Politics and Prose, and Irvine Welsh at Wonderland. >> The Rock and Roll......

We got an email today from the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District announcing a little lunchtime commuter fair for tomorrow. It's a fairly benign event, but one little detail jumped out at us: Workers and visitors in downtown DC’s central business district can navigate Metro’s online trip planner, pick up bus schedules, register their bikes, get information on car sharing, and learn about MARC, VRE and commuter buses during a lunchtime commuter fair at Farragut......

Hey D.C., watch where you step. It's still icy out there, but today's temps should reach the 40's, melting the remaining ice for at least a while. Some kids are still in luck with a few school delays this morning, mostly in the Virginia suburbs. Here's hoping the warmer conditions mean drivers can stop acting like it's locusts, not snow, crunching under the tires. Chief Inspector Also Convict: Clearly D.C. doesn't have any problem with......

We first heard the name "midtown" used to refer to a neighborhood in D.C. by a friend who occasionally frequented the clubs along Connecticut Avenue between Farragut Square and Dupont Circle. Other friends have frowned on the term, arguing the name was simply lifted from New York. We're split on the term: it can be a useful descriptor, though we tend to shy away from the New York-D.C. comparisons the word invites. Do you think......

A brief report on WTOP states that a person is apparently stuck under an Orange line train at the Metro Center station. It's not certain whether the person fell from the platform or jumped, or what the person's condition is. WMATA's web site says there will be a 20-minute delay on the Blue and Orange lines in both directions and advises the following:A major delay is in effect on the Blue and Orange lines due......

Two trains on Metro's Red Line bumped into each other this afternoon at the Woodley Park-National Zoo station. The AP reports: Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said the accident occured at 12:49 p.m., when a train servicing the Woodley Park station, headed in the direction of Shady Grove and was bumped from behind by an empty train. D.C. Fire Department spokesman Alan Etter said emergency crews are headed to the scene. Due to the mishap, the......

When the Red Line was having trouble earlier this year and thousands of commuters were forced to walk downtown from the Van Ness-UDC station, WMATA said that public transit riders should have had an alternate plan to get from point A to point B. Then through a new communications strategy, it began stressing that fact more and more. As Washington is not only a terrorist target and particularly vulnerable to weather-related delays, WMATA has developed......

- Where do bike messengers go to get drunk on the job? Farragut Square. - And they call it santeria?: Park Road animal sacrifice foiled. - W.Times discovers that city councilman's re-election staff parks on sidewalk. - WMATA board doesn't want to cover budget shortfall by raising commuter fares. - Library plans spark controversy - Who knew? Kathie Lee Gifford is from Bowie. (DCist swears she was from Delaware.)......

Bike messengers in Farragut Square have been a topic of discussion on DCWatch's discussion newsletter themail. The exchange began when a subscriber wrote in the Aug. 11 edition that he had watched three undercover DC police arrest a group of young men with bikes in Farragut Square, a known hangout for the messengers: They handcuffed two of the young men and took them away. I realized this was happening because one of the policemen stood......

The Department of Homeland Security has named five buildings it believes could be targeted in a new wave terrorist attacks. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge says that credible information indicates that the headquarters for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are targets. The buildings are adjacent to one another, just two blocks from the White House, on Pennsylvania Avenue at H Street, between 18th and 20th streets. The Post is reporting today that......