A detective walks into a bar wearing a black suit, hat, tie, and trenchcoat, carrying nothing but a pineapple. No, that's not the setup for a joke. Rather, that is the joke, or at least the source of laughs in once scene from Aki Kaurismäki's Le Havre. It's a deadpan and strange little sight-gag, and typifies the kind of offbeat humor the Finnish director is known for. Showing the absurd in a stripped-down, matter-of-fact fashion is how Kaurismäki gets his laughs, even as he tells a story with serious themes. more ›

The practice of checking the immigration status of arrested individuals is controversial. But the leaders of a county in Virginia which has done it for years now thinks the entire commonwealth should follow suit. more ›

Last year's Blue Valentine followed one couple on an endlessly dark journey through a relationship; Like Crazy looks, on the surface, to be a lighter approach to similar material, but don't let that fool you into thinking this is the hope-filled antidote to Valentine's pessimistic darkness. more ›

When Mayor Vince Gray announced last week that he was ordering D.C. police not to inquire about immigration status during routine stops and operations for minor offenses, members of the District's immigrant community loudly cheered him on. But many others aren't as pleased. more ›

If Mayor Vince Gray's announcement that D.C. police would no longer be checking the immigration status of people stopped for minor offenses put the city at one end of the immigration spectrum, then Virginia's Prince William County is certainly at the other -- something Corey Stewart, the Chairman At-Large of the county's Board of Supervisors, wants everyone to know. more ›

During a press conference packed with cheering immigration advocates, Mayor Vince Gray signed an executive order that would prohibit D.C. public safety officials from inquiring about immigration status during arrests and other operations. more ›

In 2008, Washington Post reporter Jose Antonio Vargas won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Virginia Tech massacre. Today, Vargas turned the pen on himself, writing in the New York Times Magazine that he has lived illegally in the U.S. since first arriving from the Philippines in 1993. more ›

Last month, we reported on a protest attended by several dozen people, including D.C. Councilmembers Jim Graham and Michael A. Brown, regarding the the firing of approximately 40 workers from Chipotle's Columbia Heights, Woodley Park and Chinatown locations. Tonight, on the 20th anniversary of violent clashes between police and the Latino community in Mount Pleasant, the same group will march from Sacred Heart Church at 16th Street and Park Road NW to the Chipotle at 3113 14th Street NW in another demonstration against the mass firings. more ›

Hard at work this weekend, the Maryland House of Delegates has passed one contentious bill while taking up another this morning for debate. Last night, the House passed a bill by 74-66 allowing illegal immigrants who graduate from a Maryland high school access to in-state college tuition rates. As with any acrimonious debate, the bill has a few stipulations: the student must have attended a Maryland high school for three years, intends to seek citizenship, have parents who pay taxes and enroll in community college for the first two years. The bill now goes back to the Senate, which passed a similar bill three weeks ago. more ›

Several dozen protesters -- standing alongside D.C. Councilmembers, lawyers and local labor leaders -- chanted "Chipotle, listen up, we're not done fighting," outside the chain's Columbia Heights location yesterday. It was one of the vocal components of a demonstration protesting the recent firing of approximately 40 workers from the chain's D.C. locations without notice. more ›

A cauldron of political activity and protest, a venue for gender politics discourse and a theater for civil disobedience. Obviously, I could only be talking about our baseball stadium. more ›

The driver in the accident that killed bicyclist Alice Swanson was picked up on an immigration charge Thursday, reported WUSA9. Marco Fuentes Flores was arrested at a trucking company in Sterling, two days after a WUSA9 story earlier in the week revealing Flores' continued employment at the trucking company despite his questionable driving record. Records also show that Flores had been convicted of smuggling drugs, confined in federal prison and deported before returning to drive a garbage truck. more ›

The health care reform bill that passed finally late last night has got to be a source of inspiration for the tens of thousands of immigrants and their supporters who marched on the National Mall yesterday. The Washington Post reports the event was packed: the largest since the 2006 rallies. more ›

The mayoral campaign of Leo Alexander seems to be a little unsure what its candidate has and hasn't said. more ›

Well this is the most disturbing thing I've run across today, and I watched that entire Mark Sanford press conference debacle. WTOP reports that the family of Ana Fernandez, one of the victims of Monday's fatal Metro crash, has been getting hate-filled phone calls from people questioning whether she and her family are legal immigrants. No one has ever questioned Fernandez's immigration status, and a family member has already told the media that all six of her now motherless children were born in the United States and full U.S. citizens, but still, the sort of people who watch Lou Dobbs are calling their home and harassing them, just because their last name is Hispanic. Here's hoping the people making those calls never have to deal with a terrible family tragedy. Jackals. more ›

The Associated Press is reporting, via the Examiner, that a Department of Homeland Security employee has been placed on leave after wearing a Halloween costume that was racially insensitive - even though it won "most original" in the agency costume contest. Deciding what costume to wear for Halloween can be tricky enough, but deciding what to wear to an office Halloween costume party in D.C. is tough business. You certainly wouldn't want to wear the... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Amy Cavanaugh With all the Smithsonian museums clustered around the mall, it’s easy to overlook the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, which has been chronicling the life of the area’s residents since 1967. Their new exhibit, East of the River: Continuity and Change, celebrates 500 years of southeast Washington in a sweeping overview of its triumphs and tragedies. From archaeological artifacts to paintings to documents to video, the multimedia components of East... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Can you feel the excitement in the air? That's right: it's Taxi Decision Day. Will District residents get a shiny new meter system, or have to make our peace with zones for the foreseeable future? Or will we be treated to a metered zone hybrid/abomination? It'll be just a few hours until we find out. Immigration Measures Elicit Passion, Lawsuits: The Post reports on the scene in Prince William County, where... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Feeling alright? We just thought we'd ask — there are two heart-trouble-related stories in the news today, and it's gotten us a little superstitious. First, Senator John Warner is in the hospital undergoing procedures to correct an atrial fibrillation that manifested itself yesterday morning (it sounds like he'll be fine). Second, Etan Thomas missed the first day of Wizards training camp due to a newly-detected cardiac irregularity. There's no word yet... more ›

>> So, yeah, still no word on exactly how much that fare hike is gonna be. [WaPo] >> An Islamic activist appointed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to the Virginia Immigration Commission was forced to resign Thursday after videos surfaced of him making controversial statements about Israel. [WaPo] >> The end of WaWa in College Park: "Kids from South Jersey and Philly will be forever sealed off from their favorite place to get a... more ›

Today tens of thousands of District children return to school, leaving behind the late-morning starts, extended curfews and breaks at the public swimming pool that summer afforded them. And though the year will proceed as it usually does, they will be part of a school system that has seen drastic changes over the last few months. Now under mayoral control and led by new chancellor Michelle Rhee, the District's public schools have entered a new... 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 ›

Download the original attachment Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend's annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what's becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist's decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration... more ›

Like a beach-side romance, several local bands are coming to an end this summer. The Sentiment (pictured), who we profiled in a Three Stars piece last summer, said farewell last night at Fort Reno. Let's French (***) are "being exiled" and are playing their last show on August 17 at the Black Cat. The Hard Tomorrows, who graced the stage of our second Unbuckled show, just called it quits last month. Say it ain't so!... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Just one day after officials did their best to reassure metro area drivers that our bridges are safe to travel on, the Washington Post has pored over U.S. Department of Transportation statistics that show that a dozen bridges in the District, hundreds more in Maryland, and nearly 1,200 in Virginia are listed as "structurally deficient," -- the same rating as the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis Wednesday. Still, DDOT says that... more ›

Good morning, Washington. If you haven't already, make sure to take the time to read one of the stories that ran over the weekend about one of the important legacies Lady Bird Johnson left behind for our city: the work of her Committee for a More Beautiful Capital, which created more park space and added D.C.'s signature tulips, daffodils and cherry trees to existing triangles throughout the city. The Post has an excellent overview... more ›

If you've been complaining that Memorial Day weekend wiped out your wallet, D.C. art venues heard your pleas for something a little less draining on your finances. This weekend the city is chock full of free activities, from private gallery openings to neighborhood wide social events. Put on your walking shoes and check out the following: >> It's time again for the annual Dupont Kalorama Museum Walk Weekend. Held on the first full weekend in... more ›

Good morning, Washington. With the holiday behind us and temperatures closing in on 90, it now feels solidly like summer, huh? Well, we're glad to have the warm weather. What we're not as glad about is the spike in crime that usually accompanies it. After yesterday's relentlessly depressing conversation about race, gentrification and crime, we're kind of wishing for snow simply to stave off the bitter comment threads that a few bored hooligans can spawn.... more ›

>> While half the DCict staff was still buzzing from this weekend's Dismemberment Plan shows, stereogum chatted with front-man Travis Morrison about his day job as "lead JavaScript programmer for advertisements for the Washington Post website." All of a sudden the Post seems so much cooler. Any other semi-retired rock gods looking for jobs at a D.C. Web site? We can offer you cookies and a handful of DCist temporary tatoos! >> Cops in... more ›

Today activists around the country are planning demonstrations supporting immigrantions. You'll recall that last year organizers staged a national boycott to highlight immigrants' contribution to the American economy. In D.C. several demonstrations are slated. The National Immigrant Solidarity Network sponsors a few of the events. WTOP has a fairly exhaustive list: A May Day Asian American rally is planned for noon at Taft Memorial Park, north of the Capitol. A hunger strike and rally at... more ›