Yeah, yesterday was a downer for news from the National Zoo. I've been told by several people that I may or may not have ruined their Thursday afternoons by passing along the news that a red panda cub died. (I'm just the conduit, people.) Add in the fact that our beloved Tai Shan is celebrating his fifth birthday so far away, and one can be excused for feeling a little blue about our current quota of cute. more ›

With the books finally closed on 2007, we can take an official look at the crime statistics for the year. The Washington Post did so yesterday and found that, as expected, violent crime in the District was up last year as compared to the previous year. more ›

Good morning, Washington. With the Christmas holiday looming, things are slowing down in workplaces around the region. Well, most workplaces, anyway — D.C.'s firefighters seem to be keeping plenty busy. Yesterday, of course, there was the fire at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Since then there's been a two alarm fire at the Chinatown Red Roof Inn, and this impressive gathering of firefighters just south of Logan around 6 p.m. last night. Here's hoping their holiday season calms down. More On The D.C. Quarter: The Post follows up yesterday's news with a longer article on the District's inclusion in the Treasury's state quarter program. First, the good news: the city government gets to decide on the design, and Mayor Fenty is promising that the process will involve "maximum resident input" — so it sounds like "No Taxation Without Representation" has a real shot at appearing on U.S. currency. The bad news: state flags aren't allowed in the designs, making the other half of the winning choice from yesterday's poll a no-go. Also, it turns out that we're only getting a quarter because Puerto Rico is. That stings a little, but I suppose we'll take what we can get. Maryland Gives Seventeen Year-Olds The Vote: Well, in the state's primary, anyway. WTOP reports that Maryland's Attorney General has issued an opinion that will ensure citizens can vote in the state's presidential primary on February 12, provided that they will be eighteen by the time of the general election. Both parties had requested such a measure. Briefly Noted: "Capitol Steps" creator passes away... Long-awaited "Stop Snitchin'" sequel nears release in Baltimore... Car crashes into Reston home... Surveillance photos of robbery suspects released... This Day In DCist: One year ago we chatted with Nethers and suggested some last minute gift ideas. Two years ago we checked out some new shopping options. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Nivad more ›

If you really must attend a holiday concert, make it something musicologically interesting. In what has become an annual tradition (see the 2005 and 2006 installments), the Folger Consort is presenting the most appealing and satisfying Christmas concert in the city. More than just a concert, it is a staged production of the Second Shepherds' Play, an English mystery play from the Towneley cycle. more ›

On Sunday the Post ran a big story on the future of SmarTrip cards containing some good news for DCist commenters who have long complained that the problem with SmarTrip is that you can't use them and take advantage of any of Metro's special discount passes. WMATA has announced that by the end of 2008, SmarTrip technology will allow customers to realize the benefits of its special passes like the 7-Day Fast Pass, Montgomery County's... more ›

Well, maybe this year it won't be snowing? D.C. residents' holiday rituals can include everything from frenetic Black Friday shopping to a trip to the White House Christmas tree. But for some of us with a high tolerance for cold, the traditions include standing in line for hours to get free tickets to the Kennedy Center's Messiah Sing-Along. As we told you last year, much like those folks who lined up the night before to... more ›

Good news in time for Christmas this year; the Warehouse Theater will continue to operate through next summer, according to the institution. The venue is currently hosting Scena Theater's The Maids and will have new shows in February and March. That also means it remains a venue for next year's Fringe Festival. The Warehouse is still looking for a new home. Despite the usual winter doldrums that December brings, there are still a number of... more ›

If you’re a regular reader of Transit on Thursday, you’ll have noted week after week of Green line delays over the past few months caused by the testing of new rail cars. Good news – those delays could soon cease. Metro is getting ready to stop testing and starting using, reports WTOP. The new rail cars, featuring two different designs, will be brought into service by Christmas. The first design is carpetless, with lots of... more ›

Three of the Capitals' best five offensive players are still out with minor injuries. That's the good news. The bad news is that, after being absolutely destroyed by the Carolina Hurricanes last night, the Caps are tied with the Atlanta Thrashers for the worst record in the East at 5-9-0. Last night's loss would have been easier to explain if the Caps were missing ten, or maybe twenty of their best players. Two Hurricanes scored... more ›

Welcome back to work, Washington. Perhaps you're struggling to focus this morning, having only barely recovered from the weekend's Halloween festivities. Perhaps you just had a difficult time extricating yourself from your bed on this first cold morning of the year. Whatever the case may be, DCist recommends a strong cup of coffee with a dash of Rumbler to get your motor running today. The Rumbler is described as a "high-tech blaster" being used in... more ›

Good morning, Washington. It's almost October, but in many ways it still seems like summer. For one thing, it'll be ninety degrees today. For another, there's news of Michael Vick's worsening legal situation. Yesterday Virginia indicted him and three others on dogfighting charges. Of course, we all knew that was coming sooner or later — less expected was word that a Canadian bank is suing Vick for defaulting on a $2.3 million loan. Potential... more ›

Bad news today for riders who use the 32 Metro bus routes that take part in the NextBus tracking system. Or, good news for those who are tired of the system giving out bunk information. WMATA plans to suspend the notification service by late October for up to 18 months, saying it's not accurate enough to expand as-is to the other 306 system routes, reports the Post. The program, which uses a GPS system to... more ›

This week on Transit on Thursday, good news from DDOT for people who don't like getting hit by cars, and Metro plans on fixin' some things that really need fixin'. Score One For Pedestrians: We will soon get to say farewell to annoying sidewalk closures caused by those greedy development projects. No more braving the fury of cars as we find a way around. And no more crossing to the other side. Builders will... more ›

As if we needed another study to tell us D.C. area traffic is awful and getting worse -- a report released yesterday has pushed us into a solid three-way tie for second place in the contest for the Worst Traffic in the Nation award. So congrats, D.C. You are tied with drivers in Atlanta and the Bay Area as you burn time inching along I-395 in your car. Only Los Angeles can boast more... more ›

2:11 p.m. OK, we should be about ready to get going here. We've been told there will only be about 15 minutes of debate on this before a vote takes place to prevent a filibuster -- as you all know by now, we need 60 for the bill to move forward. I'll be posting updates as things get going, and Martin may pop in with his two cents if he can, so stay with us... more ›

By no means am I strictly an NFL guy. When the lights dim after the Super Bowl each year, I seamlessly move with the seasons into the maelstrom of college hoops and then the long, drawn-out, slow-motion marketing fantasia that is the NBA. Over a lifetime, I’ve soured on baseball but stayed constant to soccer, the sport I participated in myself as a child, with engrossingly mediocre results. But then, the NFL comes around again... more ›

Famed jazz flute player Tony Snow will step down as White House Press Secretary on Sept. 14, adding one more bleeding gash to the already hemorrhaging patient known as the Bush Administration. CNN is reporting that Snow, who makes $168,000 as the White House spokesman, says he is leaving for financial reasons, reiterating that he took a significant pay cut to take the position over a year ago in April 2006. It's an awfully weird... more ›

Mayor Adrian Fenty will continue to send his children to a private school in the District this year, reports the Examiner. Unlike Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso, who have both enrolled their children at one of the District's best public elementary schools, the Mayor and his wife have chosen to send their seven year-old twins to another year at the private school they have attended since preschool. The mayor... more ›

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-a-verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked... more ›

Good morning, D.C. If you live in Wards 1 or 2, don't forget to turn out to vote today in the special election for District I member of the State Board of Education. There's only one name on the ballot, that of veteran education reporter Mary Lord, but as we mentioned before, there's also a write-in candidate, first-year teacher in DCPS Jason Crawford. Check out each candidate's web site and decide for yourself. If... more ›

Travistan and the Dismemberment Plan. There. I wanted to just throw those out there right at the start and get them out of the way, as they're the two points of reference reviews are inevitably going to go to time and time again for Morrison's new record. They're also two things to which Morrison may already tire of comparisons. And, of course, they're the essential pieces of the questions on many a hopeful fan's lips... more ›

Three weeks ago, John Stabb, singer from legendary D.C. hardcore act Government Issue, was attacked and beaten near his home in Burtonsville, Maryland. He describes the incident in a blog entry on Dag Nasty's website: i'm about a block away from my place coming home after work & really exhausted. out from the outdor pool area of my condo community pops up 5 enthusiastic (now i'm thinking all hopped up on goofballs!) young hs kids.... more ›

In case you missed the news yesterday, the Washington Post has devoted an extraordinary amount of front page column inches to the record breaking temperatures D.C. saw yesterday. At 12:05 p.m. on Wednesday, the temperature hit 102 degrees at Reagan National Airport, according to the National Weather Service, breaking the previous all time high record for Aug. 8, of 101 degrees, set in 1930. The oppressive heat also had a number of other newsworthy... more ›

You’ve got to know you’re tempting fate when you decide to call the show you’re staging as part of a festival of more than a hundred, Other Plans. The name sure ain’t sexy, but at least it’s descriptive: This anthology of one-act plays, written by Stephanie Alice Scarpinato and directed by Ty Hallmark, isn’t a total loss, but it’s hardly essential. Of the four pieces here, three could use another rewrite while the other, And... more ›

Good news for grocery store aficionados in the District: the long-delayed Harris Teeter store locations in the District, one in Adams Morgan at Kalorama and 17th NW and the other at Pennsylvania Ave. SE, across from the Potomac Avenue Metro stop, finally have some official-sounding opening dates. According to an email forwarded by Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham to the Third Police District, the Adams Morgan location will open in mid-February, with the Capitol... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Jason Cox Good news for all you electronic fiends out there - you no longer have to fly overseas to hit up the Mecca of nightlife, Ibiza. OK, that might be a bit of an overstatement, but a new dance metropolis borrowing the island’s name opened in D.C. last weekend and has not only drawn the attention of local clubbers, but some of the city’s biggest party planners as well, namely... more ›

Good morning, D.C. First, some good news: today's high temperature will be a mere 93 degrees. Bring a sweater! Next, some bad news: AccuWeather puts today's "Thunderstorm Probability" at a robust 100%. Hmm. Finally, some great news: Unbuckled is tonight! Bring your sodden, sweaty selves — it'll make the experience that much more authentically Washingtonian. Prince William Co. Approves Anti-Illegal Immigrant Measures: WJLA reports on a new measure unanimously passed by the Prince William... more ›

Are you a resident of Washington, D.C. and looking for a new job? D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is hosting her 10th annual Norton Job Fair, at the Washington Convention Center's Hall C on Tuesday, July 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You need to show proof of D.C. residency to attend (either a valid D.C. driver's license, or picture ID plus a utility bill with your address), the idea being to give D.C.... more ›

Tons of people told us about the large tree that fell over near Dupont Circle last night, crushing a parked car and causing the street to shut down. This photo was posted to the DCist Flickr pool, so we thought we'd go ahead and share it, though we still haven't heard back about what caused the tree to fall -- we're guessing old age. >> "...by reducing Thursday drinking, overall drinking on campuses would... more ›

When Mayor Adrian Fenty and Police Chief Cathy Lanier introduced their new strategy for tackling the District's stubborn crime problem late last week, we expressed some skepticism. After all, "new" strategies come along about as often as school superintendents, neither of which have proven to be particularly good at fixing what they have to fix. But we might have reasons to be hopeful. Beyond today's news that the weekend's all-out deployment netted nearly 500 arrests,... more ›