A Post business columnist and an independent music non-profit have joined the chorus questioning Live Nation's proposal for a Silver Spring music hall. Last Friday, Steven Pearlstein wrote that while I.M.P. boss Seth Hurwitz has fought against competition for his 9:30 Club before, and his alternative proposal to Live Nation is in his own best interest, "he's put forward a financial proposal attractive enough that county officials cannot ignore it." Under their non-binding letter of......

Ever work at a store with an intercom system? "Cleanup on aisle four." There's always the temptation to say something funny into it, to make a weird noise or cough or confuse the customers. And there's the amusement that happens when somebody new uses it. "Uhh... (click, buzz) is this... hey boss, uh, come here." The Metro intercoms seem to be mostly used for incoherent announcements about "trains... and stations" and things of that nature,......

You've read about The Vita Ruins on DCist before. You may have even seen them perform at our 4th Unbuckled concert. When all that buzz was going on about the band, they'd only had a few (literally -- Unbuckled was their third show) performances under their belt. Since then they've built up a reputation that's allowed them quite a bit of luck in booking shows and getting people talking. But the Virginia natives are......

Anyone who uses email is used to getting spam, and lots of it. But from Mayor Adrian Fenty? Now that's something different. Last Friday thousands of District residents were treated to an email from the mayor's office, a new monthly e-newsletter called the "Fentyfile" that highlighted information and initiatives ranging from the 2008 budget to the April 16 Voting Rights March. Of course, I, just like many other thousands of District residents, don't remember signing......

Sad news, Washington. Fox 5 brings us a heartbreaking story from a Maryland farm. Apparently someone broke into a barn in Yellow Springs, Md. and cut off a sheep's head. As Shawn Yancy lamented, this left "an adorable lamb... motherless". Just think! What kind of monster would harm a helpless farm animal? Fortunately, Brian Bolter was on the case, outlining the possibilities: it seems to either be a "sick joke" or — far more likely......

What's going on at the Farragut North Metro station? Last Friday there was a small fire that, while dealt with quickly, caused delays for many commuters on the coldest day of the year. And now, just five days later, there's report of more smoke coming out of the same station, and a WMATA service alert (that looks to have just been taken down) of more delays on the Glenmont-bound Red Line due to "an emergency......

Prince William County is earning itself quite a perplexing reputation. Last Friday, while most of us were recovering from turkey hangovers, the Washington Post reported that Prince William, whose representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates have been instrumental in defeating bills to help pay for Northern Virginia transit improvements, will consider a bill placing a one year moratorium on new home construction. According to county officials quoted in the Post story, the move would......

This entry was written by contributor Ben Clark. D.C. shows its love for politics in many ways, but nothing is quite as wonktastic as waiting in line for a citywide premiere of a documentary about Al Franken. Last Friday I made the trek to the only movie theater in the city that still serves beer for the premiere of God Spoke, sponsored by American Family Voices, to enjoy some Coulter- and Hannity-bashing with inebriated fellow......

The Purple Line transit link between New Carrollton and Bethesda has been the subject of quite a few shenanigans lately. Last Friday, The Washington Post ran an editorial arguing that now that plans for the Intercounty Connector are finalized, the Purple Line must be the next priority. The following Thursday, we questioned just how committed to the Purple Line Maryland and the Ehrlich administration really are. However, neither piece offered quite as much insight into......

This entry was written by DCist contributor Jesse Rounds. Last Friday the Capitals had a chance to win their "playoff" series with the Carolina Hurricanes. Once again their offense proved up to the task with three goals. However, they let the Hurricanes score three short-handed goals on their own powerplay opportunities to tie the game. That would be the story of the game for the Hurricanes. As Coach Glen Hanlon noted "We've said all along......

Last Friday was the second of five dates (January 31, March 10, June 10, July 31 and August 10) on which declared candidates for public office in the District have to detail their fundraising efforts and campaign expenditures. Last we checked, Adrian Fenty and Linda Cropp were fundraising like champions, helping make the race the most expensive in District history, with more than $2.3 million raised by the five mayoral candidates as of mid-February. The......

Last Friday, the television behind the bar at Bar Pilar was switched from a tie ball game between the Nationals, who were then a half game off the wild card, and their division rivals the New York Mets to a preseason Redskins game. On Saturday night (or perhaps Friday, as well; we can't be sure how quickly these things turn around) a measure of karmic retribution was exacted, as the Nats erased an eight......

Last Friday the Post published an article discussing American service members deployed to Iraq who maintain a blog, on the heels of a Wired piece discussing the same. The articles gave DCist pause as we noted the changes that this sometimes hated, sometimes revered practice of blogging have brought to our news gathering habits. A few weeks ago, DCist posted about using RSS feeds and Bloglines to keep track of your daily blog reading, but......

Last week DCist reviewed an online poll featured on the website of Vincent Orange's (D-Ward 5) mayoral exploratory committee. Without going into too much detail or snarky commentary, the poll was pitiful. Its questions were pointless, the spelling terrible (though corrections have since been made), and the results, well, that's the best part. Last Friday, Kojo Nnamdi, whose WAMU radio show bears his name, reported that he had obtained a confidential document presenting the results......

Last Friday were were sad to hear of the passing of legendary actor and civil rights leader Ossie Davis. Davis and his wife, Ruby Dee, were recognized at the 27th Kennedy Center Honors in December. We'll remember him not only for his great acting but also the times when we saw him interviewed - including this powerful interview we saw him give with Bill Moyers on NOW. The news program Democracy Now! has dedicated today's......

Gawker media is doing its best to stir up some inside the Beltway like controversy, recently reporting on the exploits of D.C.'s version of the Hilton sisters, the Bush twins. Hey, they're all we've got and we'll follow them wherever they may be. (Oh yeah, Paris was in Georgetown this past weekend.) Last Friday, Gawker posted a brief but interesting e-mail about Jenna and Barbara's being denied a table at Freemans, a hot spot on......