The District got a brief taste of the severe storms which brought Chicago to its knees yesterday, and as clouds rolled in, this editor's first thoughts turned to those who had congregated at Fort Reno. more ›

It's a muggy, if sunny, hot mess outside this afternoon, but it looks as though that's going to change rapidly. The National Weather Service has issued two alerts for the D.C. metro area this afternoon. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect as of 1:25 p.m., and continues through to 9 p.m. Along with rain, conditions are favorable for lightning, hail of up to two inches in diameter, and wind gusts of up to 70 mph. more ›

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 5 p.m. this evening. Some of the intense storm activity that could pop up midday today includes hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter, wind gusts up to 70 mph, and lightning. Capital Weather Gang finds the silver lining: "... the cold front causing the storm threat should clear out all this muggy air. We'll feel much more comfortable for the weekend, before shower chances return early next week." Works for us.
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In the 1990s, Brent Johnson was a terrific starting goalie for the St. Louis Blues. He led a good team, stopped the shots he had to stop and won more than he lost. He set a (since broken) playoff shutout record. At that time, the Capitals had a great starting goalie of their own named Olaf Kolzig. Towering over other NHL goalies of the day at 6'3", Kolzig wore the nickname Zilla with pride, even getting it painted on the back of his helmet. Two years ago, Johnson came to Washington and became Kolzig's unquestioned backup. For two years he struggled unsuccessfully to shake that tag. more ›

Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's 2006 rookie of the year, has already won 2008's Art Ross trophy and Rocket Richard trophy as the league's top point scorer and goal getter. Now he's finally been named a finalist for the Hart trophy as the league's MVP. more ›

Alexander Ovechkin has raised the NHL's record for goals by a left wing from sixty-three to sixty-five. Incidentally, Ovechkin's sixty-fifth goal of this season was a crucial game-winner--and his second key goal of the night--in the game that put the Capitals in playoff position for the first time in months. more ›

Whenever the dirtiest plays in hockey history are discussed, New York Islanders fans malign Dale Hunter's hit on Pierre Turgeon. True, Hunter hit Turgeon from behind, without warning, as Turgeon raised his arms to celebrate a decisive playoff goal. True, Hunter separated Turgeon's shoulder, earning a (then record setting) 21-game suspension. Regardless, Caps fans will no longer have to listen quietly as Long Island residents insult our good name. more ›

We've written at length about England's The Go! Team and their fantastic live shows. The last time they were in town, they drove the Black Cat crowd into a frenzy, and now they'll be doing the same thing at the 9:30 Club tonight for a late show (10 p.m. doors). We recently spoke to Ninja, the band's energetic female MC who serves as the live show's focal point, on the phone from Los Angeles where... more ›

In England, being named poet laureate is a lot like being named to the U.S. Supreme Court: once there, you're there for life. More importantly, you're expected to be the living, breathing embodiment of a tradition, of an institution constructed entirely of words, texts, precedent. And, though you aren't expected to wear robes when performing your job, you are expected to pen occasional verses on the birth of a royal or on the opening of... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Yesterday we started the Morning Roundup by noting the early stages of what seems likely to be the end of Sen. Larry Craig's political career. Today we have cheerier news: the resumption of another senator's work. Sen. Tim Johnson is back on the job after suffering a brain hemorrhage eight months ago. D.C. Has A Budget Surplus: NBC4 has the goods. Apparently the city collected about $100 million more in tax... more ›

The weather was pretty intense this weekend, wasn't it, Washington? With heat indices reaching to a hotter-than-a-crotch 105º right before Saturday's intense thunderstorms, and then a cooler Sunday with some good heat lightning (from the Hill, anyway) and crazy cloud formation right before sunset, we were treated to quite a show. A great pre-storm photo catches the intensity of our weather (and some of the great colors that go along with it). Andertho spiced... more ›

Isn't it Friday yet, Washington? Alas, we've still got to muddle through two hot, muggy days before what's looking to be another gorgeous weekend finally begins. With weather like this, you might be tempted to don footwear most people would deem inappropriate for work, like say, flip-flops. Other people might then be tempted to make fun of you for your choice of shoes, and they wouldn't be wrong -- flip-flops are, as we all know,... more ›

When joining the fray for a big music festival, it's always important to have a game plan -- even if large chunks of it usually get lost in the wash somewhere along the way thanks to a really long ATM line or running into some dude you haven't seen since you were 14. This weekend several DCists and at least two of our readers will be heading up to Baltimore's Pimilco race track for... more ›

, Former D.C. United prodigy and lightning rod Freddy Adu is off to Benfica of the Portuguese League, reports Steven Goff at the Soccer Insider. When Adu came to United at the tender age 14, his arrival inspired fanfare within Major League Soccer that has only since been surpassed by some British geezer. After three up-and-down seasons with United, Adu was sent to Real Salt Lake for a major allocation (a powerful tool in MLS... more ›

>> We tragically forgot to mention in About Tonight that all left-wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers will gather on the Mall for Screen on the Green's first showing of the summer, Annie Hall. The movie starts just after sunset on the screen between 4th and 7th, NW. Bring an umbrella and/or a Faraday cage, as the thunderstorm watch goes until 9 p.m., but the screening is more or less rain or shine, unless lightning... more ›

>> Experts warn of lightning-strike injuries with iPods [AP via CNN.com] >> "The District has awarded a contract for managing its troubled Medicaid transportation program to a St. Louis-area company that the Missouri governor's office called 'scurrilous' after the company paid millions of dollars to resolve a fraud investigation." [WashTimes] >> "In the lingo of anti-smoking zealots, smoke flow from dwelling to dwelling is called “seepage” and for now, it seems, there’s nothing a renter... more ›

You know it's too late for your civil liberties when they've gone and put the Statue of Freedom in a cage. And you thought all those people worried about the PATRIOT Act were alarmists. If you haven't glanced at the top of the Capitol lately, take a gander. Over the past week, workers have constructed scaffolding around the Statue of Freedom—the 19 ½ foot bronze sculpture atop the Capitol Dome—not in preparation for her trip... more ›

At first today's forecast just looked a little bit annoying: a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon which, in the words of our esteemed pals at CapitalWeather.com, we'd venture to say "those odds are too low to go changing any plans yet, but high enough to keep an eye to the sky and on radar just in case." In other words, we're packing up to head to a barbecue right now, potential... more ›

Chances are, if you live in or near the city and are not fantastically wealthy, you probably have roommates. Maybe you live with friends, maybe with some folks you randomly found on craigslist and barely talk to, but sharing your living space with other people is a fact of life for most people under 30 in D.C. And in this kind of heat, any sort of odd personal odors emanating from your roommates' bedrooms might... more ›

>> "Thought you were cute and wanted to talk to you, but didn't think it was appropriate in Council chambers..." [craigslist] >> "You – giant-headed former President riding coyly down Independence this morning in a silver Solara convertible. Me – almost crashing into a taxi while trying to take your picture." [Pygmalion in a Blanket] >> "If dad goes for a walk with his daughter and holds her hand, apparently Virginia Department of Health officials... more ›

Rogue and peasant slave? Try petulant teenager. Jeffrey Carlson’s take on the title character of Shakespeare Theater’s production of Hamlet, is much more a pouting, stubborn young man rather than a noble, conflicted individual. At first, Carlson’s Hamlet seems a bit affected. He's constantly sniffing, as if a coke addict, and it seems for awhile that his steady whining will be too much to handle for the entirety of a three-hour production. But his portrayal... more ›

Last June, days of heavy rain flooded the downtown area, sticking the IRS building with a $30 million cleanup bill and costing millions more in disruption of business. Government officials met yesterday to discuss how they might prevent a Deluge '07 (or, more realistically considering we're already in the midst of the summer storm season, a Deluge '08 or '09) from wreaking as much havoc as Deluge '06 most certainly did, especially in regards... more ›

Good morning, Washington. You know, it didn't seem like that much of a storm. But apparently last night's brief thunder and lightning wrought more than their fair share of havoc: lightning struck a shopping center in Maryland, badly damaging it. In fact, WJLA had footage of the shopping center's laundromat last night — it had been completely obliterated. We had no idea! Still, it at least appears that the power system wasn't too badly affected:... more ›

>> Given how notoriously bad our area's traffic is, nothing is more frustrating than rubberneckers who slow down to stare at every blow out and speeding ticket they pass. This morning along the Dulles Toll Road, however, they had something legitimately interesting to look at. $5 bucks says she names the kid Hunter. [NBC4] >> Teenage mutant ninja whippets. Bullies on the half shell. Puppy power! [International Herald Tribune] >> If you live in... more ›

On Sunday afternoon, Washington Performing Arts Society concluded another excellent season with the latest concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The impressively full hall bore witness to the continued popularity of this prestigious ensemble, in spite of the turning of critical opinion against it. According to one recent assessment of American orchestras, the Philadelphians are no longer among the symphonic Big Five. The problems began when current Music Director Christoph... more ›

Youtube user Brohim posted a video of Sunday night's impressive storm with a view of lightning striking what looks to be pretty close to the Washington monument. Since most of us were away yesterday, care to share any stories of how the storm affected your holiday plans?... more ›

FRIDAY: >> There's another Hirshhorn AfterHours event planned for tonight, when the museum stays open late for a party, this time featuring DJ Spencer Product in a celebration of the new exhibit Wolfgang Tillmans. $10 in advance, $12 at the door, 8 p.m. to midnight. >> KRS-One is "The Teacher" for a reason -- besides being an over-40 MC still preaching against violence, misplaced hatred, and government corruption, he's also been a crucial influence for... more ›

We hope everyone brought his or her umbrella to work today, and we hope that it's one of those doesn't-turn-inside-out-in-the-wind ones, because we're about to receive a severe lashing from thunderstorms this afternoon. If this radar shot, and the National Weather Services' severe thunderstorm warning (on until 8 p.m. tonight) are any indicator—which they are—we'll be in for a dazzling lightshow starting anywhere from now until 7 p.m. Since the warm weather we've been... more ›