Good morning, Washington. Yesterday afternoon Roll Call had the story of a potential suspect finally being identified in all those strange Senate bathroom fires from the last few months. Capitol Police Officer Karen Emory recently has been suspended in connection with the fires, although it still hasn't been confirmed whether she is definitely a suspect in the case. No charges have been filed, but color us a little disappointed if it turns out a......

"It was time for me to embrace my African heritage." This was jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater's state of mind when she decided to trace her lineage in hopes of finding her native roots. Unfortunately, Bridgewater (pictured right), who is performing on Sunday at the Kennedy Center, could only trace them back 150 years, to Mississippi. She then began listening to a variety of West African music, and it was Mali's music that struck the......

She had been battling acute myeloid leukemia since early 2006, and today the District mourns the loss of Effi Barry, ex-wife of former mayor and D.C. Council member Marion Barry. Barry died overnight at the age of 63 in an Annapolis hospital. After going into a brief remission last summer, Barry later suffered a recurrence and had hoped to receive a bone marrow transplant from her mother, but medical tests revealed a previously-undiagnosed condition that......

In news that will make hard luck single guys everywhere feel better about themselves, Wizards forward Andray Blatche was arrested yesterday for soliciting sex from an undercover police officer in Thomas Circle. This isn't the first run in with trouble for Blatche since joining the Wizards: he was carjacked and shot in the chest during his rookie year. Compounding the issue for Blatche is the fact that he currently has a 5-year, $12.5 million......

Whenever a band from the South takes the stage – particularly at an indie rock club – conventional indie rock expectations should go out the window. Or, at least, a different type of wisdom seems to apply. Just like no one was terribly surprised when Isaac Brock sliced himself onstage, or when they found out that seeing Cat Power live can be an awkward experience, or that Jeff Tweedy will probably fire a current member......

MONDAY >> Memphis has quite a reputation of producing some our country’s greatest musicians. Head over to DC9 tonight to see if glam rockers Esque can keep up the tradition with Study In Her and Dawn of Man. $8. >> Son of Nun is a high school teacher from Baltimore who’s using his music to change the world. His single “Fight Back” was chosen to be included on the second volume of the Peace Not......

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......

The Wizards absolutely crushed the Memphis Grizzlies last night at the Verizon Center in the most one-sided NBA game we've witnessed in a while. D.C. exploded to a 45-18 lead in the first quarter, and set a new Verizon Center record by scoring 77 in the first half. Gilbert Arenas took his new Kobe-inspired mantra of "quality shots" seriously, scoring his 31 points on just 13 field goal attempts in 33 minutes. Thanks to injuries......

Monday night's solid win against the Dallas Mavericks, halting one of the league's best teams' hot twelve game winning streak, ought to give the Wizards a jolt of confidence as they head tonight to Madison Square Garden to face off against the hapless New York Knicks. Should, but likely won't, for the simple reason that the game won't be played in Washington, D.C. Not that MSG is a particularly intimidating venue these days -- the......

D.C. United is on the verge of being sold to an investment group with local ties. Okay, so we've heard this before. In July, 2005, the team was sold to an investment group led by local real estate investor Willi Lauterbach for $26 million. In what has become somewhat of a mystery, the deal fell through as in-fighting sprouted up amongst the investment group. With current ownership group AEG still looking to sell the team,......

By DCist contributor Celeste Dawn Mitchell Any time's a good time for barbecue -- it's one of the few foods I have a perpetual hankerin' for. And the saving grace in working in the outer reaches of Northeast is my proximity to Hogs on the Hill, home of "DC's Best Hickory Smoked Pit B-B-Q." The venerable "Hogs" is nowhere near the Hill, and the number "3" on the storefront is a holdover from its franchise......

Rock-n-Romp, like Fort Reno, is a D.C. summer concert series for post-punk music. Like Fort Reno, it caters to an underserved crowd. But while Fort Reno is for younger folks enjoying a wide open summer, Rock-n-Romp is trying to get parents out of the house. Running since 2002 in the backyard of the founder's house, and spreading as far as Austin and Memphis, Rock-n-Romp is now hoping to change the music scene in Silver Spring......

LAist has so much fun this week! They go to E3, where they overhear the timeless remark "Man, this is where nerdy girls get laid." Is that a promise? They also give us this week's best CDs and make us realize that LA is the best place to use Zillow. Ah, Houstonist. They're biking to work, that is, if they can figure out how to get there. That's right, Mapquest says "Houston had the......

So, in case you hadn't heard, George Mason is in the Final Four. As an 11-seed and member of the Colonial Athletic Assocation, the Patriots are the natural underdogs heading into Indianapolis. But in a tournament full of upsets, with four unlikely combatants -- Mason, UCLA, LSU, and Florida -- left standing, it's absurd to heavily favor one team or heavily discount the chances of another. This Final Four is the toughest to handicap in......

When the NBA calendar turns to March, teams are either start thinking about lottery choices or jockeying for playoff position. The Washington Wizards, after a slow start to the season, seemed to find their groove in February and catapulted themselves back into the playoff race, currently holding a precarious grip on the sixth seed in the East. Tonight on ESPN, they take on Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers, who currently trail the Wizards......

Having recovered from our Grammys-induced seizure last night, here are our picks for the week's best shows. For your listening pleasure, we've provided mp3s or streaming tracks where available. And as always, please let us know what concerts you'll be enjoying in the next seven days. TONIGHT: >> Andy Zipf, at left, is a local singer/songwriter who blends electronic loops with acoustic guitar. Local duo Brindley Brothers (who also own Jammin' Java) play an opening......

Need some counter-programming to the barrage of election coverage sure to inundate the airwaves tonight? How about the opening of the 2004/2005 NBA season? TNT will broadcast a doubleheader tonight showcasing Houston traveling to Detroit to take on the reigning NBA champs followed by Team Kobe taking on the Denver Nuggets in La La land. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. And what of the Washington Wizards you ask? Well, count on them getting off to......