The Examiner ran a story on Monday about Bloomingdale's recent round of talks with the city regarding opening a new store in downtown D.C. Along with the recently approved development at the Old Convention Center site, sources in the Fenty administration told Michael Neibauer that the talks have included the controversial Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 9th and G Streets NW as a "possible option" for the store. The library, as you'll recall,......

Civil rights leaders like Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III and others are gathering with supporters on Freedom Plaza at 10 a.m. this morning to march to the Justice Department in a "March Against Hate Crimes." NBC4 says that organizers hope the march will bring attention to racism and recent hate crimes against African Americans that have been popping up around the country. The march was also designed to bring attention to the Jena......

>> Plans for the District's biggest hotel, with 1,400 rooms, near the Washington Convention Center, are on the verge of being shelved. [WaPo] >> A healthy baby boy was born on I-270 this morning, proving once again that life is really just God's cheesy network sitcom. [WJLA] >> Apparently those recent repairs at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library didn't include water fountains, ceilings or bathrooms. [City Desk] >> A photography exhibit that......

>> Media conglomerate Viacom announced that it will donate $1.5 million in cash and promotions to help build the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall. [NBC4] >> A child described as a 20-month-old black boy was found adandoned in a stroller in Capitol Heights Tuesday morning. [NBC4] >> An improperly disposed cigarette was to blame for the fire that damaged Capitol Lounge and Trover Gift Shop last week. The fire began......

>> Since Tuesday is the new Thursday, we'd recommend heading over to Rock and Roll Hotel for a stellar line-up of DJs including Ken and Juan of East Coast Boogiemen, Lexus King, Devin Byrnes of Exit Only, Aaron Sparks and Keenan. 8:30 p.m.- 1:30 a.m., free all night long. >> Montreal's The Besnard Lakes play with Dirty On Purpose at the Black Cat's backstage, 9 p.m., $10. If you can't get enough of the......

Welcome back to work, Washington. This week promises not only to feel longer than normal thanks to its coming on the heels of a holiday, but also hot enough that you might want to consider setting up an ad-hoc shower in your office, as there's little chance you'll get there without breaking into a sweat first. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has issued a Code Orange alert because of the heat wave, and......

The Examiner reports that renovations are underway at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the central branch of the D.C. Public Public system. The improvements come after former Mayor Anthony Williams' proposal to replace the building with a new flagship library two blocks away on the site of the old convention center was first tabled by the D.C. Council and then shelved by the Fenty administration. Improvements to the outdated and long-neglected MLK Library......

>> Yesterday we wrote about the Amish market in Burtonsville being relocated next summer when the shopping center where it's located will be demolished. The blogger at Just Up The Pike seems to have information that the owner of an acre-sized plot behind Route 198 has expressed interest in leasing to the market, thus keeping Burtonsville residents sated with an uninterrupted supply of delicious Amish fried chicken. >> Private tour buses are set to......

It's been top national news all day, but we're still in shock over the tragedy that occurred last night at Unifest, the Union Temple Baptist Church's large soul-food festival along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. A woman drove her car through the crowded festival and struck at least 40 people. Thirty five people were taken to hospitals, seven with severe injuries. Two of the injured were children younger than 3. The mayhem happened at......

It looks like Senate Republicans really don't want today's scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to happen as planned. DCVote spokesperson Kevin Kiger tells us that Republicans have tried to invoke the 2-hour Rule, which would cut off committee action two hours after the Senate started work for the day. We've got our browsers set to the live webcast of the hearing, set to begin at 1:30 p.m., at which point we'll know whether Sen. Russ......

There have been many great performers in Music Land, for example Bono, Freddie Mercury, and Madonna, just to name a few. There are also many folks who go out of their way to exude cool via ironic t-shirts purchased at Urban Outfitters and meticulously unkempt hair. It’s one thing to dance with a pretty girl in the audience, but how many rock stars put a guitar in her hands and then proceed to wrap their......

Preservation of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is something we've discussed on DCist a number of times before -- usually in reference to the library and street that share his name. One thing the city's still missing is a memorial to the civil rights hero. The memorial's design was approved in 2005, with the remaining hurdle that plagues so many projects of this nature: money. Fundraisers have been hard at work......

>> One lucky DCist reader will be at the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight on us for The Cinematics, The Clientele Changes, and Cedars. But with $8 advance tickets ($10 at the door), there's no excuse for you not to head down and enjoy the show even if you don't win. Doors at 9 p.m. >> Wednesday night is always the best (the only?) night to head to Madam's Organ, when the bar serves......

>> Help the merchants displaced after the Eastern Market fire at happy hour tonight by imbibing at one of more than 20 D.C. bars that have signed up to donate a portion of their proceeds to begin the rebuilding. Started as the Facebook.com group "Rescue Eastern Market" by Clay Johnson on the day of the fire, you can find the full list and a handy map of participating taverns and cafes at Rescue Eastern......

>> Rorschach Theatre begins its "pay what you can" previews of References To Salvador Dali Make Me Hot tonight. The surreal and emotional play runs through May 13, but tonight through Friday ticket prices are fluid. There are no reservations, so you'll have to get to the box office at 7:00 p.m. to snatch up cheap seats for the 8:00 p.m. show [The Sanctuary Theatre, Casa del Pueblo Methodist Church, 1459 Columbia Road NW]......

By DCist Contributor Matt Pelkey On the Fourth of July you light fireworks, on Memorial Day you grill hunks of meat, and on Labor Day you grill more hunks of meat. But how should you celebrate Emancipation Day this Monday? The voting rights march leaves little excuse for perverting another holiday into reason for a meaningless leisure activity. But if for some reason you can't be at the march, make up for it by heading......

>> You might want to pick up your porn before heading to the beach this summer. Ocean City has passed a moratorium on sex shops of all kinds. We can only see this as a boon to Washington's own hard-working purveyors of such merchandise. Not that anyone at DCist has any idea where such stores might be. [WTOP] >> One D.C. blogger has already had it up to here with clueless tourists on the Metro.......

While it might be a little premature to assume that we're definitely going to get a vote in Congress, the news from the Hill has caused us to spend the better part of the day pondering what the newfound freedom will feel like. And in our happy world, District residents will pour into the streets, embrace and break into spontaneous dance to the tune of "Dancin' in the Street" and "We Built this City."......

In a city of monuments to great Americans, it's easy to think that the more recent monumistas began the trend of honoring foreign heroes. But for nearly a century, a statue of Polish freedom fighter Casimir Pulaski has made its home at 13th St. and Pennsylvania Ave., in what is now known as D.C.'s Freedom Plaza. The plaza, designed in 1980, is mainly a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement,......

D.C. has one, Chris Rock joked about them and there are entire books about them: streets named for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Yesterday CNN posted an article about streets named for the civil rights leader, saying there are at least 777 in the country. The article says that Rock's joke and the stereotype about King streets, that they're poor and dangerous, may not be true. It quotes Matthew Mitchelson, a University of Georgia......

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......

Gilbert Arenas left the court at the Verizon Center yesterday as fans serenaded him with chants of "MVP! MVP!" after hitting yet another game winner at the buzzer. The Utah Jazz were Agent Zero's latest victim, falling 114-111 in an incredible Martin Luther King Day matinée. Arenas, who tied a Verizon Center record with 51 points, traded three pointers with Utah's Memet Okur down the stretch, but got the ball last and made Utah......

Greetings, Washington. Welcome to yet another shortened work week. With no less than three abbreviated work weeks (four for some) in the past month, the prospect of an unmitigated series of five-dayers looms large. So enjoy a back-to-work Tuesday while you can, but don't forget to wear a coat. That's right, January really is a winter month and today will see temps drop throughout the day accompanied by blustery winds, remnants of the deadly winter......

While D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty officially pays tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today at the University of the District of Columbia, one question comes to mind -- how well has the District actually guarded and promoted King's legacy? Given the state of a library and an avenue named after the famed civil rights fighter, not too well. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library stands as a contradiction at the corner of Ninth......

FRIDAY: >> Baltimore's Fertile Ground return to 9:30 Club for a concert with collaborator Raheem DeVaughn called Let's Do It Again. Also singer Anthony David. 9 p.m., $22. >> Gallery Openings of Note: Maria Friberg opens her show, titled embedded, at Conner Contemporary, reception 6 to 8 p.m. That's embedded #4 at left. Also we checked out a preview of Colby Caldwell's new show, Small Game, at Hemphill Fine Arts on Wednesday, and definitely recommend......

UPDATE: We've now gotten word from intrepid boy reporter Kriston Capps that the D.C. Council's Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation voted to table Bill 16-734, in a motion brought by At-Large Councilmember Carol Schwartz, which carried 3 to 2 with Marion Barry, Schwartz and surprise vote Vincent Gray against Kathy Patterson and Phil Mendelson. What does this mean for the future of Williams' library plan? Hard to say. Tabling a bill is usually a......

Top 'o the morning to ya! It's Tuesday and for many taking Thursday and Friday off, it's already mid-week. Woo Hoo! Here's your early hump-day roundup. Roads Are All the Rage: AAA says this Thanksgiving weekend will see nearly 39 million people hit the road. That's an increase of 2.7 percent giving this year the title of Worst. Traffic. Ever. VDOT predicts Wednesday afternoon and evening will be the peak travel times and suggest arriving......

It's no secret — the National Mall, for all its historical significance, isn't exactly the prettiest place in the world. Broken water fountains, patchy grass, ugly security fences and totally nasty restrooms are amongst some of the many problems with what should really be a gorgeous space. The National Park Service is here to change that, and they're going all Web 2.0 on our asses through an online campaign asking the public their opinions on......

They may be short on books, under-staffed, and generally depressing, but the District's public libraries are now all Wi-Fi hotspots. In late May the Georgetown branch announced it was the first public library in the city to offer free Wi-Fi, and now the remaining 20 branches and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library will similarly do so. The District's Office of the Chief Technology Officer and the D.C. Public Library's Information and Telecommunications Office worked......

Good Morning, Washington. Looks like it's going to be a beautiful, if a tad hot, day. Highs should be up around 90, with the humidity and rain we've all been hearing about holding off at least until tomorrow. Initiative for Slots Off Ballot: For those of you who have been waiting for electronic slots to hit D.C., looks like you'll be waiting a bit longer. WTOP tells us that the PAC that has been working......