Results tagged “mikegrass”

The annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund begin on Friday, and the city will see a number of changes in traffic patterns and road closures this weekend as a result. Here's what you should plan around: Streets closed to vehicles: Beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 19, until 2 a.m. on Sunday, October 21 * Pennsylvania Avenue, NW between 17th Street and 20th Street, NW * 19th Street, NW...

We're working on putting together a special event for our readers to celebrate towards the end of this month, and will let you know all the details soon. This web site would certainly be nothing without all of you who spend your time here, debating the issues, being overly sensitive and correcting our typos. At the ripe old age of three, DCist salutes you, the commentariat. And of course, we salute ourselves. It is our birthday, after all.

Ever since we first launched in Sept. 2004, we've gotten plenty of questions about exactly how DCist works. What started as a volunteer staff of half a dozen writers has, over the last 2 and a half years, ballooned into a collective of over 30 dedicated bloggers who do what they can in their spare time to discuss important local issues and highlight the best cultural offerings of our fine city. At one point last...

Hoyer and Pelosi Need Your Input: Mike Panetta, D.C. Shadow Representative, informed us that voting rights activists are pushing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to bring the voting rights legislation that was derailed last week back to the floor of the House this week. They're afraid that if it gets pushed off until next week, it may well get lost in the usual congressional shuffle. Panetta has...

Okay Washington, so the news from this weekend isn't so cheerful. Maybe it was the thousands of war protestors on the Mall, or the hundreds of disgruntled Sufjan fans denied tickets at the Kennedy Center Saturday morning. Or maybe it was that crazy wind last night. In any case, we're really reaching for the good news this morning. Cause Sugar's Not Enough: In another entry to the "Why Most of the World Thinks We're...

It's been a busy year in the world of D.C. media. People have come and gone, newspapers have struggled to salvage their readership, and blogs are more the rage than ever. Blogging's the New Black Everyone's blogging these days, and the D.C. media is no exception. The Post led the charge in 2006, throwing blogs at every issue that came its way -- 29 to date. While some have received rave reviews -- the D.C....

Rain, rain, rain. Our apologies, Washington. We'd love to tell you that it's going to be a beautiful Indian summer day. Instead we find ourselves staring at weather.com, trying to divine what the subtle differences between their various rain icons could possibly mean. Well, happy Tuesday. Gallaudet Faculty Votes No Confidence In Jordan: NBC4 reports on the latest from Gallaudet. It appears that the weekend's arrests have shaken the faculty's faith in university president...

It was on this day two years ago that DCist came to be, product of the inspired minds of founding editors Rob Goodspeed and Mike Grass. Or, if you're one of those creation adherents, it was sixteen days ago that some divine power willed us into existence. Either way, we're turning two today.

We can hardly believe it's been two whole years since DCist first began. Seems like it was just yesterday that Big Media Mike Grass was tantilizing us all with the possibility of Jessica Cutler's bare breast in honor of our official launch. Sigh. The innocence of youth -- those were indeed the days. So, what have we learned in our two years of life? To begin with, we've finally been potty trained, and now know...

Good morning, Washington, and thanks to everyone who joined us last night to celebrate Butterstick's first birthday. We had a great time meeting folks, downing cheap beer and generally looking ridiculous in our black and white regalia. We're grateful to everyone who came out. And we swear we had nothing to do with the gun-control-themed reggae that eventually filled the room. Slots Petitions Draw Complaints: Washington is a city with a booming economy, a lingering crime problem and a significant divide between its rich and poor. Clearly, what we need is legalized gambling. As we mentioned on Monday, D.C.'s aspiring gaming industry is currently circulating petitions to get slot machines on the fall ballot. Gambling opponents are already taking action: in addition to holding a rally yesterday, the Washington Times reports that activists have filed a complaint with the D.C. Board of Elections alleging that petition-collectors aren't complying with the law when they collect signatures. More specifically, the complaint states that signature-collectors are violating the law by not having D.C. residents on hand to supervise the signature-collection process. The board has declined to review the complaint, however, saying that they can't take any action until the petitions are submitted. Metro's Radio Problems Chronicled: The Post brings word of WMATA's ongoing radio travails. Apparently Metro bought a fancy new system six years ago from Motorola, but the vendor has yet to get it working properly. Instead, Metro police must carry two radios, an old and a new. It gets a little complicated from there — consult the Post for the full scoop. We're confident that our man Dan will sort everything out. Alexandria Fights Weirdly-Colored Water: WJLA reports that Alexandria is flushing its water lines. Apparently the recent rains have caused the water supply to contain excess manganese, resulting in a brown or yellowish product from the tap. Not to worry, though; provided that the condition lasts less than a decade or so, everyone should be fine. Officials do recommend that Alexandria residents avoid washing their whites until the discoloration ceases, however. Briefly Noted: MARC Brunswick line is running an hour late... Virginia is chock full of eagles... Maryland considers stem cell research... Cropp says homeless signature-collectors were unnecessary... Officer's missing gun connected to crimes... Zoning commission approves hybrid stadium parking design... This Day In DCist: Last year's July 7th was filled with bad news, as we discussed the London subway bombings, Mike Grass's departure and Q And Not U's breakup. Picture from last night's happy hour of a particularly militant panda fan snapped by the author.

Happy Fourth of July, Washington! We hope you've got a good spot staked out for watching the fireworks. And we hope you've been having a good time not working — your morning roundup writers certainly have. That's because there's practically nothing to round up. With the local media mostly off for the holiday, the news is slooow. But that's not such a bad thing; we should all be manning grills, not computers. Here's to a Fourth that's pleasantly-paced, safe, and doesn't involve riding Metro to the mall. Legislators Claim Smoking Ban Success: Montgomery County legislators Isiah Leggett and Phil Andrews say that the county's smoking ban has been good news for its restaurants, according to WTOP. They cite a 19 percent increase in sales over the last two years as proof. Ban opponents say that this is a faulty measure, however. They maintain that since 77 percent of the county's restaurants were already smoke-free, the overall sales increase is largely meaningless. Zoo's Panda Party Planned: As you may have heard, the zoo is throwing Butterstick a birthday party on Sunday. Looks like the press release just went out: WJLA reports that "there will be entertainment, educational programs, children's activities and best of all, free cupcakes for the first one-thousand visitors." Educational programs? Nuts to that. You should come to our party for the Stick instead — we promise you won't have to learn anything. And we'll see what we can do about the cupcakes. Second Gorilla Dies At Zoo: It's not a good week to be a D.C. gorilla. On Saturday a gorilla named Kuja died during the implantation of a "cardiac device" — now another, older animal named Mopie has collapsed and died. The exact cause of death isn't yet known, although Mopie was known to have heart problems, but he seemed to be in good health as recently as Monday. Briefly Noted: Fourth of July weekend off to a violent start... Ocean City riptide proves to be deadly... Area should be back to full power by tomorrow morning... Evacuation plan to be used to help clear the city after tomorrow's fireworks... This Day In DCist: One year ago today the news was just as slow as it is today. And by and large we took the day off, too — but DCist cofounder Mike Grass did take the time to write some Fourth of July impressions. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user commonroman. This entry written by DCist staff member Tom Lee.

I have no idea what it's like to be in a wheelchair and compelled to make all of these extra accomodations, planning, etc., to get around that.

Continue reading "Milestoned"

MONDAY >> Hockey Night, the Minnesota band making waves for drenching their songs in the sounds of classic rock and mid-90s Pavement and Dinosaur Jr, visit Iota tonight. You can read an interview with them over at You Aint No Picasso to catch up on the bluzz. Rumor has it a few DCists may be in attendance, so don't forget your blogger bingo card. $10, 8:30 p.m. >> Has science done anything to you lately?...

Mike Grass, that is.

The Post has a blog for pretty much everything, the City Paper recently kicked off their own blog, and now the Express is joining the fold.

Today's evening commute could be a wild one as around 180,000 demonstrators are expected to gather on the Mall this afternoon, many after marching through the downtown area from Meridian Hill Park. The National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice is expected to draw large crowds of supporters in cities across the nation (and has already begun to do so -- some 300,000 gathered yesterday in Dallas). The march through the city will begin around...

We'll refrain from comment on this for the moment, but we'd like to thank Fishbowl for shining a light on the page of a blogger whose design work hit a little close to home. Patrick Gavin goes to DCist Editor Emeritus Mike Grass for comment. Read his thoughts and tell us what you think. Should we be peeved?

DCist received word last night that the Heurich House, widely known as the Brewmaster's Castle, has been saved from being sold for private use, and will thus remain open to the public. Citing a press release emailed by Gary Heurich, over $100,000 has been raised from nearly 2,000 donations over the past 44 days, and while that didn't meet the $250,000 that was needed by yesterday, the cooperative lender has allowed for an imminent refinancing of the Castle's $5.5 million mortgage.

DCist Editor Emeritus Mike Grass draws our attention to the following blurb on page 40 of today's Express:

With six days until their February 15 deadline, the effort to keep Heurich House open to the public continues to gain momentum. From the Heurich House website, here is a run-down of the upcoming events that are being held to raise funds for this great cause. Friday, February 10, 5:30 - 7:30pm American University Department of History Hosts Reception $15/$10 with university, museum, or preservation non-profit ID. Pay at the Door. The Department of History...

With a piece that illustrates the unique beauty and historical significance of the Heurich House, the Post has published an article on Washington's very own piece of the Victorian Era. From the article, docent Mary Anne Hoffman observes, "This is the last grand splash of high Victoriana," also noting that Heurich House is "a time capsule." The Post goes on to describe the intricate details and furnishings of the house, transporting the reader back to...

With all our posts as of late regarding Heurich House you can tell that we're fans of trying to save it from being sold (and very possibly gutted) for private use. Interest expense on the house has risen over $150,000 in the past two years, thus exceeding the budget of the Heurich House Foundation, the not-for-profit 501(c)(3) that holds the house in the public interest. Due to having defaulted on the rising interest payments, the foundation needs to raise $250,000 by February 15th in order to remain open to the public.

Amidst the government buildings and the lobbyist wheeling and dealings, the essence of D.C. past and present is frequently lost. People are constantly saying that D.C. itself has no history. People lament how it's not a "big city," how it doesn't have the identity and flavor of New York, or Boston.

Today and tomorrow, we'll be taking the opportunity to look back at the year in D.C. and the year in DCist. We'll retrieve for you what we've determined are the best and most interesting DCist pieces in dining, arts, music, and news. This year we've written over two thousand posts (generating over ten thousand comments), and we figured the best way to start the reminiscence was to bring back for you the most read DCist...

Yesterday DCist popped by Open City in Woodley Park, a new "coffeehouse/diner/bar" from the folks behind Adams Morgan's popular Tryst and The Diner. While we didn't try the food our companion dined on decadent-looking chocolate cake, and the plates going by seemed to match the generally good quality we've found at the proprietor's Adams Morgan establishments. Over at the Post's City Guide, Open City has gotten mixed reviews, perhaps a reflection of some of the early kinks they have experienced in their first three weeks. At least one local blogger had a favorable impression, though.

We told you once, we told you twice, we're telling you a third time just for good measure. DCist is having its very first birthday party tonight at Stetson's from 7 to 10 p.m., and you should be there. Here's just a few reasons why:

For some reason, today is particularly heavy on Metro-related news. And yes, we know, Metro Friday isn't nearly as catchy as Transit on Thursday, originally authored by former editor Mike Grass, but we'll be resurrecting that feature soon enough. Until then, we were lucky enough to find that picture at left, snapped by Olivia Leigh and posted on Flickr. Forget the naysayers -- Metrorail stations are beautiful in their own cathedral-like way. Metro Security to...

Good evening to you! We hope you enjoyed this beautiful weekend; personally, we spent it lazing about, attending Bluestate, and checking out the Giant at Columbia Heights. The weather looks to hold out only until Wednesday, which kinda sucks, as we were hoping to enjoy an evening at Fort Reno Thursday night watching Monopoli. The photo above is of the gate at the British Embassy and was posted to DCist photos by EXB-WDC. And here's what you might have missed this past week on DCist:

British mathematician and philosopher