Flickr user erin_m noticed the new fencing and signs up around the U.S. Capitol, 118 days before the 2009 inauguration. Indeed, Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) is scheduled to ceremoniously hammer the first stake into the inaugural platform today, the first step in a four-month construction project. Feinstein heads the Senate's inaugural panel. Every four years, the District gets turned upside down by plans for the presidential inauguration. Construction has already begun to repair sidewalks......

The Inaugural Parade has seen more than its fair share of controversy over the last few years. In 2001, a few protesters scuffled with police, resulting in six arrests. In 2005, D.C. police were accused by the ACLU of making false arrests and indiscriminately using pepper spray during the inauguration festivities. This past March, a federal court ruled that the park service had violated the First Amendment by preventing war protesters from getting near the......

Remember those billboards that popped up in the 1980s that counted up the national debt, dollar by dollar? Pretty scary, huh? Well, District voting rights activists want something similar for their cause. Today the D.C. Council held a hearing on legislation that would allow the city to place two large LED billboards -- one outside the John A. Wilson Building and the other outside the new Washington Nationals stadium -- that would display the amount......

If anyone was worried that the crowds wouldn't come back to Eastern Market, fear not -- they're back, and in larger numbers than before. Today's inauguration of the East Hall -- the $1.5 million tent-like temporary structure that will house the displaced vendors until the South Hall is renovated -- saw a steady crowd of shoppers and gawkers alike, including Mayor Adrian Fenty. Meanwhile, across the street the South Hall remained boarded up and......

It's not exactly breaking news, but the City Paper's cover story this week is about the George Washington University and its high tuition, tops in the nation. The somewhat basic article (at least to a GW grad and basketball blogger) talks to a few University officials and a couple of students, but seems a little thin. The article does make a good point (and one that we made months ago) — is it worth it?......

One of only three art schools in the nation that are affiliated with a world-class museum, the Corcoran College of Art + Design is a powerhouse in the "art schools of America" roster, ranking high in the Princeton Review (but receiving a ‘C’ average among current pupils and alumni). Founded in 1890, the school is the District’s only four-year, fully-accredited college of art and design. The Corcoran Gallery of Art has finally dedicated a gallery......

Good morning, Washington. How was your State of the Union viewing experience? We hope that "enjoyable" is the answer — although not so enjoyable that you now have a State of the Union hangover experience (don't you love living in a city where such a thing is a possibility?). Whatever your experience, this morning it seems like some of the week's frantic political energy is draining out of the city, as the shot to the......

Texas is thawing, the Northeast is freezing, and a sort of natural order seems almost restored to the Ist-A-Verse. Almost. Londonist HQ—that is to say, the city of London—was battered by heavy winds, making it a bad time to be a twelve-meter (nearly forty-foot) tall snowman. Still, not everyone decided to keep warmly covered. Meanwhile, back indoors, the Big Brother racism is now causing all kinds of headaches for international diplomats, and Londonist got into......

Marion Barry dances with Council member Carol Schwartz (R At-Large) at Adrian Fenty's inaugural ball Saturday. Thanks to Amy over the Post's Reliable Source for the tip, who also mentioned hearing that in a moment of brilliant editorial planning, Fox 5 News apparently broadcast the YouTube video directly after a story about Barry's latest court appearance.......

Good morning D.C. We hope you enjoy today's slightly more seasonal high of 46 before we return to 70 by the weekend. Channel 9 is also warning that a few (gasp) flurries may make an appearance this evening. Metro Safety Under Scrutiny: Investigators are looking into several aspects of Sunday's Metro train derailment near the Mount Vernon Square station. D.C. Fire officials say they didn't receive information about the accident fast enough, leading to a......

Welcome to the first morning of the Fenty administration, Washington. As we mentioned at the time, Mr. Fenty was officially sworn in yesterday. The Post reports that the ceremony was kept small in order to avoid distracting from funeral observances in President Ford's honor. Very tactful! Good job so far, Mr. Mayor. Fenty's inaugural address will occur today at the Washington Convention Center. Meet Your New First Lady: We're still not quite ready to......

>> Yeah, you. You need to stay late tonight to make up for the crazy amount of time you're about to have off. That's right, those of us who do not work for the Federal Government are currently glaring up a storm at those of you who do, because the word from on high is now official: President Bush has declared January 2 as the official day of mourning for President Ford, which means Federal......

Happy day before Thanksgiving, everyone. The holiday weekend isn't getting off to the most auspicious start here at DCist, since our browser keeps crashing before we get a chance to save our work, thus the lateness of the usual morning roundup. But really we feel worse for those of you about to head out of town today, whether by car, plane, bus or train, everyone seems to be predicting the worst holiday travel day in......

This has been a rough week for your -ist pals, though you wouldn't know it from the great posts all over the network. Plagued with server problems, our tech team (led by the great Neil Epstein) toiled around the clock to solve the glitches as they arose. Seriously, we've said, typed, and thought the phrase "server problems" more in the past week than we have for the last 35 years combined. Why not say it......

Well, people, you had to get through a few weeks without your DCist Classical Music Agenda, and now the agony is over. Yes, there are once again concerts worth your while in Washington, and we are here to tell you where to go. If you are one of those classical fans who has somehow not heard, this year the world celebrates the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, on January 27. As a result, everyone and......

With an eye to reducing what has become endemic crowding on certain lines, WMATA will decide today whether or not to introduce eight-car trains which will run less often that the current six- and four-car configurations, reports WTOP. Under the plan currently being considered, 20 percent of Metro trains would have eight cars by December 2006, with that number increasing to 50 percent by 2008 and paralleling a total phase-out of the itsy-bitsy four-car......

A group trying to bring free wireless internet access to the National Mall is urging people to contact the Smithsonian and encourage them to allow the group to use of the institution's buildings to install six antennae. In the alert the group reports that the Smithonian broke off discussions after nearly a year of negotiations in February, but has been encouraged by a recent report that they may be reconsidering the decision. The plan being......

By now you're probably seen the Post's cover story today on preparations in the region for a potential nuclear attack. The Post concludes Two closely held government reports obtained by The Washington Post -- one by the White House's Homeland Security Council, the other by the Energy Department -- describe in chilling detail the effects of a nuclear detonation, using the scenario of a strike on Washington. They make clear the need for split-second execution......

It wouldn’t be fair to say that Washington, D.C., spent the past week swept up in "State of the Union Fever." After all, with the Inauguration only a few weeks past, there’s something about a SOTU that seems ... so yesterday. It’s been years since a president ascended the congressional pulpit to suggest that the State of our Union was anything other than straight-up applejack goodness for everyone and everybody, and the last one who......

Expanding Tyson's Corner: Wow. There's been a lot of regional planning news lately. First, local leaders met at a local planning gathering equipped with Lego blocks and maps trying to figure out how to accommodate 2 million more people in the area in the next 25 years. Second, the Post reports on how Tyson's Corner Center (where we snagged this image) is seeking to expand, transforming its regional shopping mall cluster into a giant built-up......

First Matt Damon dumps Minnie Driver on Oprah, and now Laura Bush goes on ABC's "Good Morning America" to gossip about daughter Jenna's new flame? The NY Daily News picked up on some comments that the first lady made to GMA host Charlie Gibson, regarding Jenna's new BF Henry Hager. Take heart you good looking, rich, single, male Republicans! Apparently, Hager isn't a "serious" boyfriend, and it seems Jenna's still on the prowl. Despite Hager's......

If you were wondering what MediaBistro wanted with a D.C. -based blogger a few weeks ago, the mystery is solved. Today MediaBistro relaunched, debuting several new features in addition to the new homepage. The site's existing blogs (TVNewser and Galleycat) are joined by UnBeige, a design blog, MBToolbox, a resource blog for journalists, and three "Fishbowl" blogs that provide "an irreverent insider glimpse into three of the largest media markets in the country": New York,......

The self-described revolutionary anarchists who marched through Adams Morgan last week toward an Inauguration party at the Washington Hilton -- leaving a bit of damage in their wake -- are defending their actions in an open letter posted on DC Indymedia. They're a bit peeved over the criticism directed their way since the sort-of riot, sort-of rout. As D.C. residents and organizers whose politics are rooted in an opposition to both capitalism, the state and......

Sounds Lovely: While WMATA's metrorail system is clearly more modern than the New York subway, it is still vulnerable to a complete control system meltdown as has been seen in New York this week. If control systems were paralyzed, like they have been on parts of the Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan (due to a homeless person starting a fire to stay warm adjacent to a systems relay room), metrorail would have to revert to......

There must be something about this time of year that winds cultural conservatives in our fair city a bit more tightly than usual. First, Dr. James Dobson, a conservative Christian activist, suggested at an inauguration event last week that SpongeBob Squarepants was featured in a "pro-homosexual video" that was to indoctrinate school children. After much liberal snickering, it turns out the whole thing might have been an innocent mix-up over the name of a group......

WTOP is reporting that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has not decided whether he will sign the "First Amendment Rights and Police Standards Act of 2004" which was passed by a 12-1 vote in the D.C. Council last year. Art Spitzer of the American Civil Liberties Union said, "It's not unusual for the mayor to take full time with a bill. I understand he's been ill -- maybe that stuff's been pushed back on his......

In more protest news, seven of the 400+ protesters unlawfully arrested in Pershing Park during the September 2002 protests against the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank reached a settlement with the District of Columbia today in federal court. The seven plantiffs, including Adam Eidinger, his wife Alexis Baden-Mayer and her father Joe Mayer, will receive $48,000 each and a letter of apology from Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Charles Ramsey. (The photo is......

Just days after thousands of protesters left D.C. after voicing their dissent over the policies of the Bush administration, thousands more demonstrated today on another issue -- abortion. President Bush spoke to the annual "March for Life" rally via telephone today, telling them "The America of our dreams, where every child is welcomed ... in life and protected in law may still be some ways away," as some participants held signs reading "Thank you President......

A variety of photos of interactions between protesters and police from last Thursday have been posted on the web. The photo above is from a series posted on D.C. Indymedia by Jonathan McIntosh. Another, anonymous user posted a dramatic photo (reproduced after the jump) apparently showing police swarming a group of protesters.......

Amid the media attention focusing on last week's Inauguration, the Congressionally chartered home mortgage loan giant Fannie Mae announced it pulled out of its plans to move some of its staff to Southwest D.C. Hailed as one of the key pieces to spur redevelopment in the vicinity of the Waterside Mall on M Sreeet SW, a Fannie spokesman says "[t]he decision is one of several actions Fannie Mae has taken to reduce future costs in......