It's a really slow day for local news, so allow me to indulge in a little PoP-style observation and question session. I'm not often downtown during the day, but on the occasion I have a meeting in the middle of the day, I usually install myself someplace nearby with free wireless internet to get back to work as quickly as possible. Today, I picked the Cosi at 14th and H Streets NW. They have salads,......

The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority sent around word this morning that too many people, especially in Southeast, have been opening up fire hydrants during the heat wave over the past few days, and water pressure in some areas is now very low as a result. The agency says they'd really, really like it if you would stop opening up those hydrants and playing in the resulting spraying water.The public is reminded that unauthorized use......

Looking for a way to beat the heat this evening or tomorrow? The District Department of Parks and Recreation has opened up ten outdoor swimming pools and four spray parks from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. both today and Tuesday. Outdoor pools open Monday and Tuesday: Banneker, 2500 Georgia Avenue NW, (202) 673-2121 (2 pools)Barry Farm, 1223 Sumner Road SE, (202) 645-5040Francis, 2500 N Street NW, (202) 727-3285Harry Thomas Sr., 1801 Lincoln Road NE, (202)......

It's hot, and it's going to get much, much hotter over the weekend. Hot enough that the District Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency opened its cooling centers for the first time this year today, from noon until 6 p.m. An Alert DC message sent around earlier points those needing a place to cool off to these locations: The Reeves Building at 2000 14th St. NWJudiciary Square at 441 4th St. NWThe King Building at......

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to a world with a new home run record. That's right: Barry Bonds hit his 756th career homer last night against our very own Washington Nationals. We're sure there are some mixed feelings among the Nats today about being immortalized in a video clip that'll likely be replayed for decades to come. Four Shot During National Night Out: Last night was the National Night Out, a crime-prevention event where citizens......

We love the high contrast black and white and near vanishing point in this shot by Flickr user akkleis. This pergola shades a walk in the ten acres of gardens at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, which also houses a museum with rare book, music, and art collections. The museum itself is closed for renovations until 2008, but the gardens are open for an $8 admission fee. EXIF. A reminder for our photographers and everyone......

For those of you who love the Warehouse Arts Complex as much as we do, some bittersweet news just came in from owners Paul and Molly Ruppert. As you've already heard, Warehouse will close its cafe and music venue at the end of this month, thanks to skyrocketing property tax bills. Not that we had any doubts, but we're pleased to learn that the Rupperts are organizing a closing night gathering to say goodbye to......

FRIDAY: >> Palace of Wonders is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a literal circus of performers both tonight and Saturday. Acrobats, burlesque performers, magicians, freaks and rope trick artists are just some of the acts that will take the stage, and fortune tellers will be on hand near the bar. Tickets are $15 in advance (click here), and $20 at the door. 7 p.m. to midnight tonight, 7 to 2 a.m. on Saturday. We recommend......

We told you about the sad news earlier this week that Warehouse will be shuttering its music venue, as well as the bar and cafe, come July 30, when the entire place will close for a month for vacation. Now the Warehouse has let us know it is looking for potential investors and advisers who can help draft not-for-profit status paperwork -- depending on which route they end up taking. If you can help them......

What was once an entertaining season for the Washington Wizards has quickly gone down the proverbial drain so fast most people are afraid to ask "What's next?" In the last 12 days, the team has lost Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas for the season, lost the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, lost the Southeast Division crown to the Miami Heat and also lost six in a row, with four of those......

The recitals sponsored by the Vocal Arts Society are usually very well attended. Their latest concert, by Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey, did not have the same draw as some of their other events, but those who made it to the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater on Monday evening were rewarded with some excellent singing. In 2005, Kelsey represented the United States at the BBC Singer of the World competition, and he has been appearing at Lyric......

The Washington Wizards found out last Friday that they'd be without Caron Butler for the next 10 or so days, not exactly the type of thing you want to hear with the Miami Heat breathing down their necks for the division lead. As we're sure you all remember, the team was 0-3 without Butler earlier in the season. Lucky for the Wizards then that the struggling New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets (aka the......

The Miami Heat took control of a close game last night by repeatedly feeding Shaquille O'Neal in the post and The Diesel responded by scoring 10 of his season high 23 in the fourth quarter, leading the visiting Miami Heat past a depleted Washington Wizards team, 92-83. With Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison out with injuries, the Heat ran multiple defenders at Gilbert Arenas all night, holding him to 15 points on 3-15 shooting.......

Although the DCist Food and Drink team would prefer to associate the word "turnover" exclusively with "apple," we also recognize that staff "turnover" is an inevitable fact of the blogging world. Two writers recently left us for print publications, and three others retired from service. In short, we've run low on qualified Food and Drink writers. When we need to restock, it's not as simple as heading to the local Whole Foods for wild-caught salmon......

Of all the rivalries in recent sports history, few have been as one-sided as the Wizards' struggles against their Southeast Division antagonists, the Miami Heat. Indeed, it's not clear you can even call it a rivalry, since in actual rivalries both sides sometimes win. D.C.'s hoopsters, by contrast, have been losing for a long time now. Sixteen straight games, including a four-game sweep in the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals, and sweeps of the regular season......

Let's start with the good news this morning: this excessive, unrelenting, soul-sucking heat is expected to come to an end tomorrow, say the guys at Capital Weather. And we say they better not just be leading us on. However, today is yet another day in Scorcher '06 -- and may even be the hottest one yet -- with highs once again flirting with triple digits. Heat-related Problems Continue: With near record temperatures, people are......

So, who took place in yesterday's National Night Out? I have to admit that a combination of the heat and roundup duties kept me from joining my neighbors and local police officers in the barbeque and walk of the area that took place last night. But surely some of you participated in your own neighborhoods' Night Out events. How was it? Area Survives Heat, For Now: Today's Post covers the heatwave in the Metro section's......

Happy Hot as Hell Tuesday, everyone. Yes, it's going to 100 degrees today, with a heat index up around 110. The best advice is to stay inside whenever possible during what we like to call our Heat Emergency, but if you have to be outdoors, the National Weather Service advises drinking plenty of water, planning activities outside for the morning or evening and wearing loose, light-colored clothing and a hat. It's unfortunate that the current......

Hey there, Washington. How was your weekend? Ours was OK. Yeah, just OK. Oh sure, we're fine. We guess we're just a little troubled by some of today's headlines. As if the looming Heat Emergency, which has given us a Code Orange Air Quality day today and will place the heat index close to 110 through much of the week, wasn't disturbing enough, we alse read in the Examiner that the growth of online news......

Butch Walker is a man who wears many hats. As a recording artist, he’s been in several bands including 80s rockers Bad Boyz and Byte the Bullet (SouthGang), Floyds Funk Revival, The Floyds, and the Marvelous 3. Flying solo he released two albums, 2002’s Left of Self-Centered and Letters in 2004. Most recently, Butch put out an album with his backing band titled The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let’s-Go-Out-Tonites. On top......

So yesterday was pretty miserable, huh? When temperatures in the shade come just short of triple digits, you know we've hit the part of the D.C. summer that sends Capitol Hill and the rest of the city's transient population scurrying off to their August vacation getaways. We wish we could say the worst is over. But... Heat, Air Quality To Get Worse: Amidst some banal man-on-the-street meteorology (alternate headline: "Some Dislike Heat, Others Don't"), the......

Sonic Youth and their pet project (no pun intended) Be Your Own Pet played a day/night double header yesterday at the 9:30 Club that showcased two generations of bands on one stage. I was lucky enough to score tickets to the first show, which started around quarter 'til seven and was over before last night's Mavs / Heat tilt tipped off. Despite seeing Sonic Youth numerous times over the years, mostly at fesitvals like......

Heat several thousand half-naked suburbanites and tattooed hipsters in a few D.C. city blocks. Slowly add two local bands until the overpriced Bud Light kicks in and the flashing ensues. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add remaining reemerging mainstream artists from the last decade and mash-up well. Then Smell My Face. Saturday marked the 2006 DC 101 Chili Cook-Off, sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation. And while I’m sure many kidneys were saved from......

What's new(est) with Wolf Parade? These brothers of Brock, peers of Pitchfork and travelers on the Arcade Fire turnpike are going strong. Yet they also maintain that aura of youthful poverty and subsequent spiritual wealth that's critical to their frenetic, idealism-tinged sound. Their EP drew buzz and their debut long player, Apologies to the Queen Mary, confirmed it. The group’s got almost as many side projects as members, with Arlen's AIDS Wolf and Krug's Thunder......

The first two times the Celtics and Wizards matched up this year the refs decided the games on dubious calls down the stretch. Last night they let the players decide the game and unfortunately for Washington, Paul Pierce had the ball last. Pierce, who led the NBA in scoring for the month of February, made a deep, off balanced 22 footer over Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler as time expired in OT to give the......

Yesterday DCist broke the news that Rep. Henry Bonilla, a Texas Republican, was looking to rename 16th Street NW after Ronald Reagan -- adding one more dedication for the nation's 40th president to the 67 that already exist in 24 states. Word spread fast -- before the end of the day, Rep. Tom Davis III (R-Va.), whose committee would review the legislative proposal, encouraged Bonilla to "name anything else he has to look at his......

Something weird's going on, D.C. Yesterday a 38 year-old Catholic nun identified as Sister Liann was kidnapped from behind Our Lady Queen of Peace Convent in Southeast. She was then driven about two miles away and released unharmed. Police are looking for the suspects, a man and a woman, but no one seems to have any hunches as to what the assailants' motives might have been. As a neighbor interviewed by the Post asked,......

Recognizing that venturing outside lately has been like stepping out onto the surface of Tatooine, the city is taking some steps to ensure that you don’t burst into flames the next time you leave the house. City pools are, in addition to being free for individuals under 17, now open until 9 p.m. The city has also opened up cooling centers for pedestrians to seek shelter from the unyielding ultraviolet assault. The Zoo has also......

The city has in recent days been particularly crowded by troops of Boy Scouts in full uniform, as pictured by brownpau at right. Bearing merit badges celebrating everything from fishing to cinematography, agribusiness to dog care, more than 40,000 Boy Scouts from around the country arrived in the area to celebrate the 10-day National Scout Jamboree in Bowling Green, Va., near Fredricksburg. In tragic news, four adult Boy Scout leaders from Alaska were killed yesterday......

(Review and interview by DCist contributor Justin Kielsgard) Tegan and Sara are water bubbling in a pot. Blending tender, sometimes raucous harmonies with pop and punk sensibility, these 20-something twin sisters from Canada are not simply the fresh-faced darlings of the indie scene, but seasoned rock musicians (having toured with Ryan Adams, Hot Hot Heat and The Killers). In a Monday night performance at the 9:30 Club in support of their latest release, "So Jealous"......