Good morning, Washington. Thanks to everyone who came out to Unbuckled last night — we had a great time and hope that you did, too. Particular thanks to Middle Distance Runner, The Vita Ruins and BlueState, all of whom provided great music throughout the night. We hate to ask anything more of you, but if anyone's got photos that are destined for Flickr, do us a favor and tag them as unbuckled4. Williams Pledges Support For Fenty's Transition: Yesterday we discussed Adrian Fenty's transition plans. Today the Post reports that he'll have the current mayor's support. Anthony Williams is pledging to assist in the presumptive mayor-elect's transition into office, in an effort to avoid the difficulties that plagued the early days of the Williams administration as it took the reins from Marion Barry. Ehrlich & O'Malley Square Off: Yesterday saw the first debate between the candidates vying for Maryland's governorship. As WTOP reports, sitting Governor Robert Ehrlich and Democratic challenger Martin O'Malley faced one another Thursday in a debate that frequently revolved around the state's seemingly neverending utility woes. The prices may have stabilized, but the blame is still fresh! The one thing that the candidates could agree on? Not to eschew negative campaigning. Montgomery County Voting Problems Explained: As you read the Post's interview with Paul Valette, you can't help but start to like the guy. Valette is stepping up to take responsibility for the election problems that plagued the county earlier this week — apparently the problem rested with electronic voting machine keycards that were meant to be distributed to election officials, but weren't. The mistake was discovered about 45 minutes before polls were supposed to open. After experiencing a morning like that, it seems to us like Valette's probably suffered enough. Times Technical Trouble?: We probably shouldn't be the ones to cast stones when it comes to server woes. But, um, this isn't right, is it? Briefly Noted: Maryland utility commissioners reinstated... D.C. EMS management questioned by new report... Flare gun fired in front of Supreme Court... More area priests in trouble... Examiner really, really, really thinks you should reconsider eating that spinach... This Day In DCist: A year ago today we were sticking up for Dremo's, reviewing CityZen and getting ready for our first birthday party. more ›

And so ends the suspense -- Adrian Fenty is the Post's pick for mayor. Though Fenty has held a comfortable lead in recent weeks, the Post's endorsement was seen as Linda Cropp's final chance in what has become a hard-fought campaign. Today's endorsement is sure to give Fenty the win next Tuesday, with the Post recognizing his "can-do quality" and his "vision of the city that challenges the best in people." And maybe to add... more ›

Sex-Slave Trafficking Ring Broken Up: We'd always heard rumors that certain massage parlors in the District offered, ummmm, "happy endings" and other such services. Apparently, the rumors were true. Federal officials yesterday arrested 31 people along the east coast involved in a sex-slave trafficking ring that forced Korean women to work as prostitutes in massage parlors and spas, some of which were located in the District. Four men were arrested in the District following raids... more ›

Chalk it up to some interesting cropping by the Washington Times photo staff, but a picture published today by the paper of Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich makes him look frighteningly like Big Brother from George Orwell's classic, 1984. Kinda freaky, isn't it?... more ›

As we detail below, the D.C. Council has taken a step towards making us safer. Well, making us feel safer, at least... Council Passes Anti-Crime Measures: The D.C. Council passed a series of measures aimed at curbing the recent uptick in violent crime, handing D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams a victory while upsetting civil liberties and youth activists, reports the Post. The legislation would move the existing juvenile curfew up to 10 p.m. from midnight, require... more ›

Good morning, D.C. Check out this lovely shot of the Capitol by Grundlepuck. The statue looks sad, or at least concerned — perhaps it's contemplating the fate of Rep. Bob Ney, the self-proclaimed "Mayor of Capitol Hill." According to the Post, Ney's just been further implicated in the Abramoff scandal. Duncan Drops Out Of Race: The Democratic field in the race for the Maryland governorship. Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan has withdrawn from the race,... more ›

And we thought calling gay folks "sexual deviants" was so yester-decade in these parts. Apparently not. There is controversy and commotion in Metro's Board of Directors, where Maryland member Robert Smith called gay people "sexual deviants" on a cable access show last week, reports the Washington Blade. Council-member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), who is gay and serves on Metro's board, has demanded that Smith resign. After a June 15 meeting where Graham raised the issue... more ›

Good morning, D.C. In addition to scattered showers and thunderstorms, today brings news that the Circulator bus line is nearing its millionth passenger. Not too shabby — although the city's busiest buslines put up those kinds of numbers every month and a half (probably less, given the age of the linked numbers). But officials say that Circulator ridership has been increasing steadily; assuming the service survives the looming Tourmobile legal apocalypse, its planned route around... more ›

Millions of dollars of security improvements just don't seem to be enough -- Metro is asking that riders be their "eyes and ears" in protecting the transit system against terrorist attack, writes the Examiner. To that end, Metro's System Safety and Risk Protection Department and Transit Police have announced a series of Emergency Management Outreach events, the first taking place tomorrow from 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. at Union Station. We feel we've done our part -- our "Overheard in D.C." feature has encouraged, celebrated even, nosy commuters. more ›

Six months on, and we're still not calling him Tai Shan. He's Butterstick, and he basked in even more attention than usual yesterday as he turned six months old. A hefty 27 pounds and boasting a newly-blackened nose, Butterstick has been all the rage in the District as of late -- those who haven't yet seen him in the flesh have opted instead for the voyeuristic Panda Cam, watching and awwing his every move. While... more ›

A snippet of news from Maryland today is the stuff that dream Morning Roundup's are made up. Funny and off-kilter, but real. It seems that some Maryland residents are a little peeved at what has come to be known as the state's "flush tax," writes WTOP. In order to raise money to upgrade the state's sewage treatment plants to protect the vulnerable Chesapeake Bay from pollutants, Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich this year endorsed a new... more ›

Whoops. A little snafu in the DCist newsroom has thus far left us without our daily news roundup. Given that no good day starts without a general overview of the news, we're turning an omission into an opportunity -- we're going to live-blog today's roundup. So, stay tuned. Every few minutes or so we'll have an update. more ›

Somewhere Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man are rolling in their graves. Yesterday afternoon the Committee on Health of the D.C. City Council endorsed legislation that would make all District bars and restaurants smoke-free by January 2007, according to WJLA. The bill, written by Council-member David Catania (I-At Large) offers exemptions for outdoor areas, cigar bars, hotel rooms, retail tobacco outlets, research projects on the effects of smoking, and businesses that can demonstrate economic... more ›

Once a butterstick, now a "solid little Tonka truck," the baby panda that has transfixed attention on the District's National Zoo and provided much-needed fodder for slow news days is six-weeks old today, almost half-way to the 100 days at which it is officially named. Zoo vets examined the cub yesterday for 14 minutes, reports the Post, weighing it in at four pounds and noting that teeth and open eyes are the next developments... more ›

So the Nats are having a little post-All Star Game slump. In any city, fans would blame the players, the managers, the umpires, anything. Here in Washington, where the beloved Nationals have electrified a baseball-starved populace? It's the fans, like the one at right that Justin DC snapped a pic of at Monday's game against the Colorado Rockies. The bandwagoners, to be exact. Writes the Post: When the bandwagoners first showed up -- yapping on... more ›

The work week is half over, and we're now starting down the hump towards another beautiful weekend. Today, however, will be partly cloudy with a chance of rain in the morning with highs again only in the 50s. This photo of Rosslyn is by Tim Fritz. Rosslyn To Get Taller: Notoriously lifeless Rosslyn -- once referred to as a "visual belch of landscape" -- may soon be getting a 39-story building, unless D.C. buffs and... more ›

It seems that the governor of our oft-neglected neighbor to the north -- the first Republican governor Maryland has had in 36 years -- is having little luck in shaping state politics these days. Recent legislative moves in the state's Democratic-controlled General Assembly have pushed progressive causes that favor labor over industry and may force Gov. Robert Ehrlich into the uncomfortable position of using his veto power -- and possibly having it overriden. more ›