In other, somewhat less obvious budget gap-related news: the District Department of Motor Vehicles will be raising rates on some transactions, including fees for residential parking permits and change of address requests. more ›

Alan Suderman's rundown of Councilmember Harry Thomas' bank records has given us all a chance to marvel at the Ward 5 representative's enjoyment of Hooters, satellite television and 7-Eleven on D.C.'s dime. But there's one expense not mentioned in Suderman's story that's also worth noting. more ›

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 ›

On the same day that we found out that the District is owed $300 million in unpaid parking tickets, Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) announced this morning that she wants the city to have its own bounty hunters to track down scofflaws and make them pay up. more ›

Don't forget that D.C.'s latest increase in parking meter rates, along with changes to meter enforcement hours in many neighborhoods, are all a done deal as of today. We ran down the specifics of those changes earlier this month, which include new $2 per hour parking meter rates in most parts of the city, and nighttime enforcement extended to 10 p.m. in some of D.C.'s busiest neighborhoods. more ›

The District Department of Transportation today released more details on the changes scheduled to take effect this month in the city's parking meter system. The District is set to begin enforcing parking meter payment requirements on Saturdays for the first time beginning on or around January 16. more ›

With the Jan. 1 implementation of the District's 5 cent disposable bag tax looming, Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) sent out some updates on how area retailers are preparing. The list is a little vague in some places, but the best opportunities to score free reusable bags look to be coming from Giant and Harris Teeter. more ›

As we've been telling you for some time now, that 5 cent disposable bag fee finally goes into effect on January 1. Much of the opposition to the law when it was initially being considered was that it could end up hurting the poor more than anyone else: spending $1 on a reusable bag or two could really be a hardship for the poorest District residents. With that in mind, below you'll find a list of dates, times and locations for the District Department of the Environment's free reusable bag giveaways. DDOE partnered with CVS stores to give away thousands of the tote bags over the next month. If you or someone you know is still in need of a bag, feel free to stop by and take one. more ›

DCist had just been wondering when the city was going to get around to raising awareness about the impending 5 cent disposable bag fee, which goes into effect in January 1, 2010, and lo and behold, the “Skip the Bag, Save the River” Education Campaign press release landed in our inbox today. more ›

Venerable D.C. music venue the Black Cat announced today that it will stop selling advance tickets through Ticketmaster, instead switching to competitor Ticket Alternative. The change will become effective September 25, so all shows that are taking place after that date are already on sale via Ticket Alternative. more ›

Do you have enough reusable bags? Mayor Adrian Fenty signed into law today the bill that will establish a 5 cent fee charged to consumers for every disposable plastic or paper bag they take from a retailer. The mayor's action means the 5 cent fee will go into effect in January (unless of course Congress intervenes, but we kinda doubt that'll happen on this one). Four out of every five cents charged will then go into the newly established Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund (with the remaining cent for the retailer, for their trouble). more ›

Before getting started on crime bill debate, the D.C. Council went ahead and passed the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act on a second reading earlier today, sending the legislation to Mayor Fenty for his signature. The first vote took place just two weeks ago; both votes were unanimous. The key feature of the law is a new 5 cent fee on consumers per paper or plastic carryout bag taken from District retailers. If all goes according to plan, and there's no reason at this point to think it won't, the five cent fees would be in place by January, 2010, so you've got roughly six months to get used to carrying around your own reusable bags. more ›

The United Nations must be a fan of the D.C. Council's intention to impose a 5 cent fee on consumers for every disposable bag -- the international body's environmental chief this week called for a worldwide ban on single-use plastic bags. Via McClatchy:

"Single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased out rapidly everywhere. There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme. His office advises U.N. member states on environmental policies. more ›

Stock up on your canvas bags, everybody. The Washington Times has its story up already: the D.C. Council voted unanimously just a little while ago to give initial approval to the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act of 2009, which among other things enacts a 5 cent fee on consumers per paper or plastic carryout bag taken from District retailers - retailers get to keep one cent of the fee, with the other four cents going toward Anacostia River cleanup. The bill also bans the use of non-recyclable disposable plastic carryout bags by retailers. more ›

Via the Post's Get There blog, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has put in place a number of new regulations starting today. The fees to renew a D.C. driver's license or identification card has gone up from $39 to $44. That's not too big of a hike, and the good news is that those licenses will now be valid for eight years, instead of only five. That works out to $5.50 per year versus $7.80 per year before, so in a real way, it actually costs less now. more ›

Seems like just about everything about driving a car in this city is becoming more expensive these days. WTOP reports that parking fees at both National and Dulles airports will go up on June 1. more ›