>> Bostonist is on top of the hostage situation at the Hillary Clinton headquarters in Rochester, NH. [Bostonist] >> "The historic Hotel Washington will close at the end of the year to undergo extensive renovations and will reopen in 2009 as a sleek W Hotel." [AP via WTOP] >> "Montgomery County Del. Kumar Barve was arrested last night in Gaithersburg for allegedly driving while impaired by alcohol." [WaPo] >> "In this day and age,......

Gothamist learned about the craziest urban nightmare come true: A huge python found in the bathroom pipes. It was also a nightmare for some Yankees fans, as manger Joe Torre declined to come back and manage the Bronx Bombers. At least the city's attempt to give some direction to subway riders was interesting, pranksters went shirtless at the Fifth Avenue Abercrombie & Fitch and the I Heart Brooklyn Girls calendars came out. And just......

Morning, Washington. We hope you were out enjoying the fantastic weather, especially since the environment has been front and center in the news this weekend. As you must have heard, our former Vice President turned Global Warming Guru had to shove over the Oscar on his mantle to make space for half of a Nobel Peace Prize. Maybe after the news you were inspired to go check out the 20 amazing houses built on the......

>> There are so many festivals going on this weekend, we don't feel bad mentioning them a few times to make sure you get your butt off the couch to check out as many of them as you can. We'll have more on always anticipated Crafty Bastards later today, which is Sunday in Adams Morgan. The National Book Festival, where this writer is going to nerd it up, is Saturday on the Mall. Practice your......

>> The hippest bill tonight is new Saddle Creek Records artists Tokyo Police Club, a pop-rocking group of Canadians who will bring their catchy tunes to the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight to play with Ra Ra Riot, and D.C.'s Jukebox the Ghost. 9 p.m., $12. >> Band of Horses take the 9:30 Club stage tonight, and tickets are still available. Check out our review of their show at the Black Cat last year.......

With Congress in recess, it's officially the August doldrums here at Reader, Meet Author. If you have any tips, feel free to drop us a line. Otherwise, read some good books and stay cool. MONDAY: Pushcart Prize-winning author Katherine Taylor will be at Olsson's Books & Records in Dupont Circle to talk about her debut novel Rules for Saying Goodbye, a coming-of-age tale that straddles the line between fiction and non-fiction. 7 p.m. TUESDAY: Man......

Metrorail logged its 11th straight year of ridership increases, up 1.1 percent over last year. The 208 million trips people took on Metro this year marked Metro's highest ever annual ridership. This also translates to the highest ever average weekday ridership - more than 702,000 per day - exceeding 700,000 riders a day for the first time ever. Overall, this is great news. We love to see Metro luring more people out of their cars.......

Yesterday, we told you about the Associated Press' story that claimed Smithsonian officials altered a Museum of Natural History exhibit on climate change in order to make it less controversial. Subsequently, the Smithsonian issued a statement denouncing the AP report and the allegations made by Robert Sullivan, a former associate director at the National Museum of Natural History. The statement also claimed that the exhibit was not the subject of either internal or external political......

As if things couldn't get any more rocky for the Smithsonian Institution, it is the subject of yet another controversy. The AP reports that an ex-Smithsonian official says the institution toned down an exhibit on the effects of climate change in the Arctic out of fear that the exhibit would draw the ire of Congress and the Bush administration. Among other things, the script, or official text, of last year's exhibit was rewritten to......

For Earth Day last year, DCist looked at how our region could green up its transportation system, and help area residents to reduce how much they drive. This year, we take a look at a new service that could change the way you do -- or don't -- drive. Dealing with global warming is one of the biggest challenges our generation faces, and transportation is a major source of the greenhouse gases that are behind......

While we didn't get too many Sanjaya spottings over the weekend, it seems like a few actual celebrities mixed it up at this weekend's White House Correspondents Dinner. Sheryl Crow and Laurie David, producer of An Inconvenient Truth, chatted with Karl Rove between cocktails and dessert. Crow and "Inconvenient Truth" producer David walked over to the presidential adviser's table, where David suggested that Rove "take a new look at global warming." David says Rove......

We mentioned before that some Republicans in Congress were trying to prevent the free Live Earth concert from happening on the Mall. Turns out they were successful: it's going to be at Giants Stadium in New York New Jersey instead. With a reunion of The Police. Thanks guys. We don't need a vote in Congress or a free concert. You're really looking out for us. Republicans James Inhofe and Mitch McConnell led the charge against......

In case you missed the warnings from Antonio Banderas (in bumble bee form) about the onset of the 2007 allergy season, NBC 4 says that the Washington area is already in the throws of a spring pollen attack. Our short winter and recent burst of warm weather has spurred an aggressive allergy season that's leaving many in our area reaching for the Kleenex. Of course, this being D.C. there's also a political angle to the......

Good morning, Washington, and good job. Having just gotten back into town yesterday after almost two weeks away, let me go ahead and say that I really like what you've done with the place in my absence. It's warm, it's beautiful, and it's supposed to last until at least Friday. Demonstrators Protest Fenty School Plan: A group calling themselves Friends of Fenty set up shop outside of the mayor's home yesterday in order to protest......

The Washington Post reports today that Congress is set to vote on a landmark resolution to allow the likes of Snoop, Green Day, Kylie Minogue, and scores of other popular musicians to perform on the Capitol grounds for Live Earth, Al Gore's series of global-warming awareness concerts. Concurrent Resolution 17 was introduced in the Senate yesterday by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). Live Earth, which is scheduled for July 7th,......

As if we needed another reason to stay off D.C.-area roads! Any regular reader of DCist knows that we love us some mass transit. We love the freedom it gives us to zip around the city with a conscience clear of worries about contributing more than our fair share to global warming and air pollution. Sure, rush hour on Metro is no picnic, but given the choice between inching along some 10-lane highway listening to......

Well, consider our faith in the capital city of the world's superpower (mostly) restored. Despite the wintry mix of death and official emergency declaration yesterday, District kids and Federal employees are all expected to test their mettle and report for duty. Of course, the pride in knowing that long-predicted precipitation won't bring your citizens to their knees is nothing compared to having a second straight long weekend. Lucky kids in many Virginia counties have another......

>> Breaking news from the DCist News Desk Sofa: Anna Nicole Smith has died in Florida. Smith was reportedly found in unconscious in her Hollywood, Fla. hotel room and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Looking back, it's hard to remember all that made Smith a tabloid celeb but we're sure we'll be seeing a Law & Order "ripped from the headlines" reminding us soon. [CNN.com] >> Never let it be said D.C. artists don't......

I don’t spend much time listening to the radio anymore. What with WHFS having gone Latin and DC101 moving further and further towards an “All Nirvana, All the Time” format, I’ve had to turn to 94.7 The Arrow for anything approaching rock. Problem is, I’ve never much been a fan of classic rock, much less classic rock stations that promote themselves via TV ads starring a guy with a "radio in his finger." Yeah, you......

>> Breaking News: Former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has taken a new job at Friedman Billings Ramsey, an investment banking company involved in real estate investment trusts. A formal announcement is expected shortly. [NBC4] >> It's SotU time! Wonkette has details on where to go and exactly how much of which substances you'll need for a proper drinking game. Who will the president kiss while walking down the aisle this year, and how jealous will......

MONDAY No, he didn’t make An Inconvenient Truth, but climate change policy wonks will probably turn out to throw Joseph Romm a bone as he signs Hell and High Water: Global Warming—the Solution and the Politics—and What We Should Do. At Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW., at 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY When the men of a remote mountain village in Colombia are abducted by guerrillas, the women left behind learn how to get by......

How's that Congress-is-back-in-session traffic treating you this morning, Washington? Seems like everyone and their step-cousin is on their way to the Hill this morning to witness what new Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised will be "the most ethical Congress ever." So we sure hope all you staffers cleaned out your bosses' freezers last night, because this morning will have been too late. In all seriousness, we're definitely looking forward to following the goings on during......

We're not sure if Indian Summer is an entirely PC term, but when mall Santas start appearing the same week it's predicted to skirt 70 degrees, we're left with two conclusions. Either we were really nice to puppies and orphans in a past life or global warming isn't so bad. Now for the rest of the news. Fenty Already In The Hole: Incoming Mayor Adrian Fenty hasn't even been sworn in yet and he's facing......

Welcome back from your holidays, DCist readers. We hope they were filled with turkey, or turducken, or whatever floats your boat. Around here, the long weekend seemed to be filled with totally awesome global warming. 65 degrees in November, anyone? Anyway, gloat over the Redskins' win as we ease you back into the working week with the news. Even More Reasons to Fear the Suburbs: Because, oh my lord, now they're ruining Christmas. The Post......

So, it’s pretty miserable out there this week, eh? Well, we don’t think it’s because of the heat. We don’t even think it’s the humidity. It’s the guilt. Here we sit, in our air conditioned homes and offices, contributing to a record demand for electricity in the Washington area. And we're not just protected from the heat, but contributing to it. The condensers creating all that cool air sit outside our windows, churning out waste......

If there is one thing that the U.S. can learn from Europe, it's how to best balance urban living, transportation needs, and environmental consciousness. If there is one car that can best make that point, it's the Smart Car. Smaller even than the popular Mini Cooper, the Smart Car has become all the rage in many European cities where parking is scarce and gasoline expensive, and according to the New York Times, the Smart Car......

This week we discussed a jailbreak, found ways to stop global warming locally, spied some naked PETA protestors, dumped the pump, and reviewed Middle Distance Runner's new album. We checked out (and mocked) D.C. Late Night Shots, expressed some reservations with the Pentagon Memorial, celebrated Pride Week, reviewed Assasins, and checked out what some local D.C. personalities were reading. We interviewed Pandora founder Tim Westergren, unlocked the mystery of OpenTable at local resturants, debated......

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams seems to have been taken aback by "An Inconvenient Truth," the new movie detailing Al Gore's tireless fight against global warming. In a press release dated June 2, Williams mentions the movie alongside a plea for residents to do whatever they can to prevent global warming. Reads the release: “The best time to act is now,” said Mayor Williams. “Global warming is one of the most dire threats we face. Everyone......

We know that Earth Day is still two days away, but today we focus on greening our transportation system in the D.C. Metro area. Over the next several decades, the D.C. metro area is expected to grow by 2 million new residents and add 1.6 million new jobs. How we decide to develop our transportation network to accommodate this growth will have a major impact on the region, shaping the urban landscape and quality......

The Post reports this morning on impressive growth throughout the region in the number of black-owned businesses. Census Data released yesterday detailed the strides black businesses made between 1997 and 2002; nationally black-owned firms grew 45 percent (compared to about 10 percent for all firms), but they still only account for 5 percent of all businesses. While growth took pace across the region, media focus has been on Prince George's County, which now has......