There's been an abundance of messages this week on the Yahoo! Group for residents of the HIll East neighborhood with complaints about startlingly high bills from the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority. more ›

Sure, Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) was recently demoted from his beloved perch as chair of the D.C. Council's transportation committee. But he was given the parting gift of control over the District's Office of Planning. And it appears as if one of the first things Wells is focusing his planning efforts on might be a new stadium for D.C. United. more ›

MPD has made an arrest following the shocking assault of a female pedestrian on the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Ave SE. A juvenile suspect was arrested this morning with no incident at his residence. Police will not release more information about the suspect, as he is a juvenile. The woman was punched in the face for no apparent reason last week. She suffered a broken jaw after the attack. Following this incident and an unrelated shooting outside of Potomac Gardens, Hill East residents are again rallying against the housing project. more ›

During my first five years in the District, I lived near the Potomac Avenue Metro station in a neighborhood known as Hill East. Though more modest than Eastern Market, which was only blocks away, the area had a nice mix of new and longtime residents, young and old, and black and white. But like many other "transitional" neighborhoods, Hill East saw its fair share of crime, much of which was discussed, debated and dissected on two extremely active local listservs. The discussions ranged from mere warnings to frustrated demands for more police activity -- and, as I reported here two years ago, even a somewhat outlandish demand that residents march on Potomac Gardens, a housing project located at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE, where many local criminals were said to live or seek temporary refuge. more ›

Update: We've gotten information that Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) will be hosting Friday night potlucks in Potomac Gardens starting on May 30 to discuss issues related to neighborhood safety. He's indicated that he'll ask the police department's top brass to attend, as well as community leaders. more ›

Allez Cuisine! From Jack Abramoff's Signatures to his own restaurant, Farrah Olivia, Morou Ouattara plans to step into a new venue. His eye is on Kitchen Stadium as he competes for the title of the Next Iron Chef. The first episode airs Sunday, 9 p.m. on the Food Network. Eight chefs with the help of Lufthansa Airlines (yay product placement!) will be traveling through Europe and competing against each other to join Mario Batali, Cat... more ›

Yesterday's legislative action in the D.C. Council, typical of end-of-session days, was jam-packed with votes. Here's a few more you may have missed: >> The Council moved ahead on a bill that restricts interest rates levied by the so-called payday loan industry, an issue we've looked at before. The bill passed on an initial reading, and if implemented would place a 24 percent annual percentage rate cap on interest charged by lenders. The Examiner notes... more ›

You might want to watch your back if you live on Capitol Hill, as the last five days have seen 23 robberies in the MPD’s 1st District. Compared with five robberies two weekends ago, residents of the terrorized area are feeling a little on edge about wandering around a neighborhood that is generally pretty safe. MPD-1 and Hill East listservs have been abuzz since Saturday with news of the daring robberies, many of which occurred... more ›

The many neighborhood listservs in the District provide an additional way for members of the community to communicate, share problems, offer advice, and otherwise detail the daily ups and downs of their street, their local park, or their neighbors. The sheer amount of exchanges offer a treasure trove of material, so much so that the City Paper's blog, City Desk, dedicates a bi-weekly feature to it. This gem came across my local listserv today, which... more ›

Tell Us about Your Meals! more ›

In the interest of introducing new D.C. residents to the finest in District drinking, and old residents to spots they may not have heard of, DCist introduces our latest feature, Coalition of the Swilling. more ›