Am I allowed to hand those parking meter receipts to someone else if there's still time left on it? Indeed you can. We explain. more ›

On this day last year, former mayor Adrian Fenty decided that he didn't have to follow the D.C. Council's financial directive to repeal the $19 maximum fare on taxi rides beginning and ending inside the District of Columbia. Fenty cited a legal opinion rendered by then-attorney general Peter Nickles, which stated that Congress "delivered to Fenty dictatorial control of the taxicab industry." The then-mayor upholding the cap on fares inside the city was one way he could flex his muscle -- but now with both Fenty and Nickles out of the way, Mayor Vince Gray appears dead set on reversing the policy and, potentially, nudging the District back towards non-metered cabs. more ›

Two hours isn't a whole lot of time. Watching a sports game at your favorite pub, catching a movie, attending a concert or a play, waiting for a table and then really enjoying a nice meal with your friends, playing some sports down on the Mall -- all things that take normally take longer than 120 minutes to complete. And if you're using a car to do any of these things on weeknights inside the District, chances are that parking has been a frustrating issue for you since the city decided to extend enforcing expired meters until 10:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. You're not alone. DCist staffers broached the issue on our email list last week: when you can't really leave a venue in the middle of a performance, how are you supposed to abide by a two-hour time limit on parking if the show starts before 8:30 p.m.? (The words "impossible," "annoying," "blood from a stone," and "you're screwed" factored heavily into the discussion.) But might some relief be on its way? Well, kind of. Michael Neibauer reports in the Washington Business Journal that DDOT will reprogram meters in "high-demand" areas to accept four hours worth of quarters so people could hold spots from 6:30 p.m. on -- which, if rate hikes in Adrian Fenty's budget pass, could mean plunking 48 quarters into a meter in places like Georgetown or on the Mall. So while you may not have to excuse yourself in the middle of the film to feed the meter, you'll probably need to invest in one behemoth of a change purse. more ›

We've heard from several readers who spotted fliers around town in the last week advertising a taxi cab strike in the District today. The strike is reportedly to protest the effect the current taxi meter rates have on cabbie income (many argue they now make less money). WTOP has also heard about the strike, but they say participation is spotty, so you can still get a cab if you need one. Given the unique nature of D.C.'s taxi business, it's almost impossible to account for all the different taxi driver alliances and groups out there, let alone the independent, unaffiliated drivers. So you tell us: were there fewer cabs on the streets this morning, or did you not even notice? more ›