View Larger Map A small fire broke out in an air conditioning unit at the Israeli Embassy, located at 3514 International Drive NW, at about noon today. It was a very small fire that was quickly extinguished, no injuries were reported, and the moderate amount of smoke in the building has reportedly already been cleared. Still, it wasn't altogether simple for D.C. Fire and EMS to respond to the call. Early radio reports indicated that......

NBC4 reports today on an investigation launched by the D.C. Fire Department after an allegedly insensitive letter was read aloud at the Engine 30 firehouse in Northeast. According to the report, the letter, read by the station's lieutenant, was supposed to be a humorous attempt at introducing a new crew member. Instead, the letter included what was seen as potentially disparaging remarks, implying he's gay. The lieutenant was asked more than once to stop reading......

CNN is reporting that the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is on fire. From the looks of it firefighters have already gotten the worst of the flames, which began as an electrical problem on the 3rd floor, under control, but a small amount of smoke is still coming out of the building. No injuries have been reported. MORE, 10:09 a.m.: The fire reportedly began in an electrical closet adjacent to the Vice President's ceremonial office......

Still in the office, D.C.? Yeah, us too. We hope you're only sticking around because you don't need to travel this holiday season. If so, enjoy the empty halls, bask in the quiet, and call it a day early. If not — well, good luck on the roads and at the airport. It sounds like they're going to be predictably nasty. There Seems To Be Some Sort of Holiday Occurring: And consequently you can......

The Associated Press is reporting that seven cars of a freight train have derailed over the Anacostia River. No injuries have been reported. Six of the seven cars are in the river, and another is hanging off the trestle. Coal and some hydraulic fluid and oil ended up in the river, but the fire department says it's been contained. We'll update again when we learn more. UPDATE 4:45 p.m. Thanks to an anonymous reader......

>> The D.C. Fire Department and WASA have finally agreed to play nice and share their toys and fix the city's terrible fire hydrant mess. We promise to provide the warm cookies and cold milk should they succeed. [WaPo] >> The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch to remain in effect through Saturday morning for much of the D.C. area. [NBC4] >> The sidewalk of 7th St. NW in front of the......

Over the weekend the Post published an update to the Adams Morgan water pressure saga. Turns out firefighters did not tap into a much closer hydrant connected to a larger water main due to a false assumption about which main it was connected to. The fire department continues to point the finger at WASA, however, saying that it is nearly impossible for firefighters in the field to know which hydrants are connected to what kind......

Good morning, Washington. If you're the kind of person who delights in reading angry product reviews on consumer web sites, head over here and read some of the comments about the Presidential Inn on New York Ave. Highlights include "I have never been so disgusted with a place in all my life," "I can't even believe that it is running legally," and, tellingly, "upon my departure I noticed small red bumps all over my body."......

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......

Via the DCist tipline, we heard there may have been a fire at year-old Mt. Vernon Square-area coffee shop Breakwell's, on the corner of 9th and M Streets NW. Sure enough, the windows at the front and along the side of the shop have been boarded up, and there is visible fire damage to the exterior of the building. While checking out the extent of the damage, DCist chatted with the proprietors of WIDE......

Welcome back to work, Washington. We don't know about you, but we spent an awfully long time in the sun this weekend consuming too much food at various street festivals, so forgive us if we're still groggily pondering Saturday's news in WaPo that the fare change about to be proposed by Metro General Manager John Catoe is an "average increase" of 45 cents. That kind of increase would theoretically raise the base fare of a......

>> D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s plans to hold a “major Katrina anniversary hearing in New Orleans” on Aug. 27 fell apart due to congressional vacation schedules. A new date for the hearings has not been set. [City Desk] >> Former Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn (R-Wash.) died unexpectedly Tuesday night in Alexandria from a pulmonary embolism. As we mentioned earlier, Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio) also passed away last night unexpectedly, reportedly from natural causes, in......

The Washington Times brings us the most, ahem, alarming piece of news we've seen this morning: that D.C. fire officials are investigating whether some firefighters have been running a prostitution ring out of several of the city's firehouses. Around a dozen employees from at least four firehouses are being investigated for involvement in the prostitution ring, which fire officials first learned of after a criminal investigation last month into claims that a sergeant exposed himself......

To be honest, Washington, it's taking everything we've got not to put up eight or nine posts today just indulging in our need to whine about how nasty hot it is outside. Apparently the humidity today and tomorrow is going to be so intense, it could feel like it's 105 degrees. Can we all agree that this is not OK? OK. Thanks. We'll move on to the headlines then, and by "move on" we don't......

Banner week for SFist as the site's new editor introduced himself -- hooray for Brock! While the NY Times weighed in on SF's mayoral race, only SFist had the (insert tongue firmly into cheek) hard-hitting latest on candidate/activist Josh Wolf. Coverage of a protest vs. gentrification spawned a fantastic debate amongst SFist's readers. Finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous: video of a man that confused a Board of Supes meeting with "open mic......

>> The Virgin Festival has added Panic! At the Disco, Explosions In the Sky and Baltimore-based electronic music composer/performer Dan Deacon for their Sunday lineup. >> You should probably get any sort of week night responsibilities out of the way this evening, so you can join us tomorrow night at Unbuckled 6. If you missed our interviews with the bands, Le Loup and The XYZ Affair, give them a gander. If we haven't already......

Good morning, Washington! So c'mon: be honest. Did you bike to work today? With scattered showers predicted across the region, we suppose it's understandable if you didn't. We hope you feel at least a little guilty anyway, though -- particularly those of us who did end up biking through potential drizzle. We guess we'll give a pass to Paul Wolfowitz though -- even if he did ride his bike to work today, he won't......

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......

When we spied a fire truck driving down Georgia Avenue on Saturday morning with a banner promoting Muriel Bowser, we were confused. After all, Bowser is a candidate in the coming special election for Ward 4, and last we checked, city vehicles are stricly off-limits for campaign purposes. Well, we weren't the only ones miffed by the emergency vehicle's use as a campaign tool. From yesterday's installment of themail, D.C. Watch's bi-weekly online newsletter: On......

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......

Well, did the last 24 hours of weather forecasts and warnings succeed in scaring you into a bunker to pray for your immortal souls? Even before a single flake of death appeared, many suburban schools scrapped the day in fear of Snowpocalypse: Episode Three. Various forecasters predict 1-3 inches for the District and even more in areas West. As for DCist, we'll fan out through the city to bring you complete coverage, which, like the......

Score one more for the heatwave. Metro trains running less frequently, air conditioners failing under the pressure, and now, the cruelest cut of all: Sleater-Kinney fans denied on the D.C. stop of their (Please Don't Call It A) Farewell Tour. Arriving at a show to find a fire truck parked by the front door and firemen looking sternly into an open manhole can never be a good sign. (A manhole cover that, we’ve heard, housed......

Good morning, Washington. What's happening on the semi-cloudy Tuesday morning? Well, it looks like D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has come up with a solution to the above-ground/underground parking issue for the new stadium: combining the two options! A meeting will be held this morning to discuss the issue. And it seems that area utility crews spent much of last night trying to bring power back to thousands of area residents after yesterday's storm. As many......

Senators and staff in the Russell Senate Office Building are "sheltering in place" in the Russell parking garage after Capitol police have found a "suspicious powder" in the Russell Senate Office Building attic, according to WAMU. The first of two tests on the substance returned toxic, but the second did not. Capitol police are conducting a third test, the results of which are expected in half an hour. More than 200 people are reportedly inside......

We're hearing from several sources that parts of 18th Street in Adams Morgan were shut down yesterday while fire crews responded to an emergency at Chloe, a restaurant and lounge located near the intersection with Adams Mill Road. The establishment, which is owned along with nearby Saki by Alireza “Haji” Hajaligholi, has apparently sustained significant damage on its first and second floors. DCist will provide updates as new information arises. Update: Fritz at the GOGblog......

Good morning, Washington. Two days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the U.S. the D.C. area saw some of the storm's remnants yesterday as thunderstorms carrying high winds and heavy rain passed through the region last night. Today will be partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms in the afternoons, with highs in the upper 80s. We liked this photo of Union Station posted to DCist photos by Flickr user......

DCist is hearing unsubstantiated reports Capitol Hill institution the Capitol Lounge suffered from a serious fire last night. We are currently attempting to get a hold of the D.C. Fire Department for confirmation, and will alert DCist readers with the full story when it becomes available. If readers have further information, please leave them in the comments. UPDATE: Thanks to the commenters, who note that NBC4 is confirming the fire. The station reports that the......

Be aware that for the afternoon, there is a heat advisory in effect with the heat index hovering near 100, Capital Weather warns. And speaking of Capital Weather, their photographer, Kevin Ambrose, snapped some great photos of the Mall yesterday evening toward sundown, one seen here. Blue and Orange Crush: Oh boy. WMATA started running eight-car trains on the Orange Line yesterday to ease crowding. But a "vital safety system" that keeps trains from colliding......

Residents of Dorchester House apartment building on 16th Street in Adams Morgan are upset after a fire last Wednesday. Nobody was seriously hurt and the D.C. Fire Department responded quickly and extinguished the blaze, but the building's alarm apparently never went off. In a message posted to the neighborhood listserv, a resident reports A friend pulled the fire alarm in my hallway, but NO SOUND CAME OUT WHATSOEVER. In response to this shocking development, we......

Today will be cloudy with occasional drizzle until late afternoon and highs around 50. The photo is from Flickr, and by the author of My Life As A Contact Sheet. Mayor Williams Releases Budget: Local media this morning all have different takes on Mayor Williams' budget. The W. Times finds tax cuts but also plans for a new central library as part of a "city center" development at the convention center site. The Post describes......