Eleanor Holmes Norton, in her time as D.C. Delegate, has always been one of the National Mall's most strident supporters. So it's hardly surprising that Norton wants to use the recent dancing demonstrations at the Jefferson Memorial as a leaping point to promote public use of the grounds. more ›

Oh, so you thought that the arrest of several people who were dancing inside the Jefferson Memorial on Saturday afternoon would be the end of the whole brouhaha? Think again: the same group of people who put together the original demonstration are planning an even bigger display of civil disobedience this weekend -- and over 1,800 people say they'll attend. more ›

According to several reports across the internet, five protesters were arrested by U.S. Park Police at around 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon in the Jefferson Memorial for dancing in silence. Touted as "civil danceobedience," the dancers were there protesting a recent court decision earlier this month that upheld a ban on dancing within the memorial. Among those arrested were Adam Kokesh, the man forcefully arrested in the video, and Edward Dickey, the event organizer. In 2008 a small flash mob had gathered at the memorial to dance in silence, but was dispersed when one woman was arrested on misdemeanor charges. A year later, stemming from that case,a judge affirmed a ban on dancing at the memorial, "in order to maintain an atmosphere of calm, tranquility, and reverence." more ›

In 2008, D.C. resident Brooke Oberwetter was arrested and held for several hours by Park Police for dancing inside the Jefferson Memorial with a group of about 20 nerdy libertarian wonk types who had convened for a silent midnight flash mob. The internet was not pleased. But today, a federal appellate panel ruled that the Park Police were justified in hauling Oberwetter off that evening. more ›

When it comes to suspicious people and actions to be on the lookout for while sightseeing around D.C., taking pictures of monuments with a nude foot in the air would normally rank high on my threat meter. When it's Danny DeVito, maybe not so much. more ›

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the National Park Service that stemmed from the 2008 arrest of a D.C. woman for dancing at the Jefferson Memorial. more ›

Remember Brooke Oberwetter, the D.C. woman who was arrested for dancing while listening to an iPod at the Jefferson Memorial? Oberwetter was one of a larger group of libertarian-leaning Washingtonians who gathered at the memorial to celebrate Jefferson's birthday by quietly dancing, and she ended up being the only one handcuffed and arrested after U.S. Park Police officers tried to break up the party. The whole episode was captured on videotape. more ›

The D.C.-based libertarian blogosphere is up in arms today over the Saturday night arrest of D.C. resident Brooke Oberwetter at the Jefferson Memorial. The story goes like this: a group of about 20 nerdy libertarian wonk types gathered at midnight on Saturday for a sort of flash mob at the memorial to celebrate the birthday of their favorite founding father. They gathered at the memorial, each with an iPod, to dance together while wearing headphones. more ›

The mildest December in recent memory looks to continue on for a little while longer, but don't expect actually enjoyable weather between now and Christmas Day. Instead, overcast skies and drizzly rain are settling in to the metro area, just in time to make the holiday feel slightly less merry (though maybe a little more like that thing called winter we keep hearing about). You still don't need that long underwear you asked Santa for,... more ›

Last week we reported that our Matron of Overheard was taking some time off to visit the city of lights. We kind of thought she'd be back by now, but with Parisians protesting and striking and what not, it could be some time before she's back stateside. Until then, we'll be passing the job around; today is my day to shine in the warm spotlight that is Overheard in D.C. And without further ado... more ›

The debate now seems to be settled -- Maryland has the worst drivers out there. According to the Washington Times, last month alone Marylanders were responsible for 64 percent of the traffic violations caught on the District's traffic cameras, while D.C. residents accounted for 20 percent, Virginia 9 percent and all other states 7 percent. Of course, we are just kidding that this number may say something about Maryland's drivers. Some of them seem... more ›

Good morning, Washington. We hope you're reading this from the comfort of your toasty home, sipping some coffee and wriggling your toes in slippers shaped like some ridiculous sort of animal. If this is in fact the case, let us offer a word of advice: STAY INSIDE. Today's high temperature is going to be 43 degrees. 43! It's still November — we're just not prepared to grapple with highs of 43 yet. Call your boss and say you'll be in late. Like, April-late.

Wal-Mart Lobbies Maryland Legislators: The retail giant is worried about legislation pending in Annapolis that would force it to spend more money on its workers' healthcare. The house that Sam built has been in the news recently both for a leaked memo detailing its plans to minimize healthcare costs by only hiring healthy workers, and for the anti-WM documentary that premiered in D.C. on Tuesday. The Post reports that the company is countering these threats by courting Maryland lawmakers, and in particular the legislature's African-American representatives. The bill in question was passed in April but vetoed by Governor Ehrlich. That veto may be overridden in January.

Animal Abuse On Rise: Maybe we're just getting old, but these days it really does seem like the proverbial kids are out of control. Juveniles are being blamed by many for the minor crime wave that parts of the city have been experiencing. Now NBC4 reports that youths are also responsible for a recent spate of cruelty toward animals (please be aware that the preceding link contains descriptions of the offending acts). This news comes on the heels of confirmation that teenagers were responsible for most of PG County's carjackings.

ICC Debate Continues: The Washington Times' Metro section takes a break from its usual cavalcade of xenophobia to report on the latest goings-on in the world of ICC advocacy. The news? Well, there isn't any. As before, some think the road will improve traffic; others don't. Some think the ICC will bring jobs; others say it won't. And some think the environment will be damaged by the road, while others disagree. It seems that the process is mostly moving forward under its own inertia at this point. The next milestone for the project is the state's completion of an environmental impact statement. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.

Council Likes Stadium Design: D.C. Council members have been given a peek at the results of the baseball stadium design process, and they liked what they saw. The proposed design, by architectural firm Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Sport uses lots of steel, stone and glass to achieve a modern, semi-transparent look. It appears that the only councilmember with reservations about the design is Jack Evans, who thinks a brick stadium may be cheaper — and look better. Although the initial response was positive, no final decision has yet been made. The design drawings won't be released to the public for another few weeks, but the Post has a detailed written description of the stadium plan.

Briefly Noted: Man hit by train at Columbia Heights Metro...
Post profiles controversial Judge Palumbo...
Md. teen's death resulted from blunt trauma...
Police continue to investigate Jefferson Memorial stabbing...
WMATA approves Vienna Metro land deal...

Image posted to DCist Photos by ambimb

You have to give it to the Washington Times -- at least their headlines are amusing. The much-loved newspaper today reports on six Montgomery County residents who were detained for transporting illegal immigrants into the area for work as prostitutes, titling the story, "Four in family among six held in alien sex ring." Alien sex ring? Well, yes, "alien" is the technical term for a non-American, but wouldn't "immigrant" have sufficed? Cropp Proposes New Funding... more ›

Good morning, Washington. In general we steer clear from too many photos of the monuments, but we couldn't resist dropping in this gorgeous photo of the Jefferson Memorial at dawn posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user guy_incognito. Today it will remain sunny yet temperatures will drop significantly and highs today will only reach the low 60s. More Stadium Intrigue: In yet another twist in the already complex story of of the new D.C. baseball... more ›

Our love for The Amazing Race: Family Edition may not come as news to regular readers. We were quite disappointed that the Black family from Woodbridge, VA was the first team to be eliminated this season, though we believe that they were much too functional and supportive of each other for reality TV success. However, we are particularly looking forward to tonight's episode, as the nine remaining families race through our backyard. An AOL preview video shows the families running across the Mall and on the plaza in front of the Jefferson Memorial. more ›

Good morning Washington. With all the Supreme Court news this morning (no, Rehnquist hasn't announced his retirement yet, but here's Linda Greenhouse's piece in the NYT about the Ten Commandments ruling and Carol D. Leonnig's piece in the Post about what the next step is for Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper since the high court refused to intervene in their cases) we thought it fitting to feature Olivia Leigh's photo of the Supreme Court she... more ›

And she certainly is opinionated! Dick Cheney is a "hypocrate" [sic], while musician Beth Patterson is "Beyond imagining." She can also be quite astute: when asked about the D.C. City Council, Ariel responds that "[s]ometimes the Council does innovative, progressive stuff; sometimes they seem to be more interested in getting along with each other." more ›

Since this DCist grew up in lake effect snow country, we always get a chuckle out of local reaction to an incoming snow storm. And this one, where snowfall predictions seemed to haved increased to panic levels, petered out at a modest four inches or so. (See Capital Weather for a detailed analysis of different forecasts, and check out what our friends are dealing with up in New York.) So to all those people... more ›

If you frequent Dupont or Logan circles, please note those traffic circles are tied to the apex of all evil: The White House. That's what people who push Masonic conspiracy theories would like to make you to believe at least. Now that "DaVinci Code" author Dan Brown is preparing his next megaseller on D.C.'s Masonic machinations, we thought we'd lay out the general thought patterns as to why some people think the L'Enfant street plan... more ›

The Marina Operators Association of America organized a tournament on Friday to hunt down that evil invasive species, the Northern Snakehead, the voracious creature and Chinese delicacy that can eat through and destroy any eco-system. The tournament focused on the area of the Potomac River near National Airport and another near Alexandria. WJLA reports that although some snakeheads were spotted, no angler was able to reel one in. more ›