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... more ›

Although 192 protesters were arrested Saturday during the March to End the War and competing counter-protest by the Gathering of Eagles, by most measures turnout was low. The Post's Marc Fisher notes in his column that the small numbers of people who marched over the weekend is more a measure of a lack of enthusiasm for protesting in this country, rather than a lack of strong feelings against the war -- just visit any popular... more ›

We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We're not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness – we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week. After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Bostonist did a little research and found that Massachusetts... more ›

>> Black Cat plays host to Oakland's Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, who'll be pounding out their avant-rock on a few homemade instruments while performing puppet shows and giving pseudo-scientific scholarly presentations. What's not to like? Stinking Lizaveta, an intense experimental trio from Philly, will kick things off. $12, 8 p.m. >> Tonight is your last chance to stop by the Smithsonian American Art Museum to catch their lecture series on The Media Arts: A History.... more ›

Because we love rankings, we now find that even though the District is doing well on sustainability indicators, it may not do too well if an oil crisis hits. According to the folks at SustainLane.com (yep, the sustainability ranking people), the District isn't among the 10 cities that would +Ten+U.S.+Cities+Best+Prepared+for+Oil.html">effectively handle a dramatic jump to $100 barrels of oil. Based primarily on measures of how well people could get around in such circumstances, the site... more ›

>> Tooth and Nail Records, a Seattle based Christian rock label, is touring the country with headliners Anberlin and Emery with guests The Fold, The Classic Crime, and Jonezetta. Regardless of your beliefs, Anberlin is a must see, especially if you’re a fan of Virginia-based MAE, and they're by no means trying to convert people. $15, 9:30 Club, 7pm Doors. more ›

The blossoming shrub that was the Washington Redskins' successful 2005 season bore fruit yesterday, as it was announced that the team will play in the inaugural Monday Night Football game of the 2006 season. The synergy is practically PTI-tastic, as it will also be the first MNF game for area sports curmudgeon Tony Kornheiser. And because Monday Night Football moves from ABC to ESPN this year, nobody will be watching the game without buying something.... more ›

The weekly Ist wrap-up is written by Seattlest editor Dan Gonsiorowski. Torontoist throws down the gauntlet and challenges all comers: pillow fight, bitch. They also stand up for a fellow blogger taking heat from the TTC and welcome city-wide WiFi. SFist can finally admit it: It's possible that Bary Bonds juiced. Is Bay Area artist (tempted to put quotes around that) Thomas Kinkaid "kinda crappy" or "explosively crappy" or does he just like marking territory?... more ›

Capitalizing on the playoff fever that gripped the entire D.C. metro area, today the Washington Redskins added Al Saunders to their coaching staff as offensive coordinator. Saunders, a former head coach with the San Diego Chargers, spent the last four years in Kansas City, guiding the league's top-ranked offense. Saunders was said to be in the running for the head coach position in Oakland, interviewing there multiple times, but Joe Gibbs swooped in with Daniel... more ›

IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE REGAL CINEMA IN BETHESDA. more ›

Two weeks ago, a stirring home win over the Philadelphia Eagles resulted in the Washington Redskins notching a respectable 5-3 record. Entrenched in the NFC playoff picture, Head Coach Joe Gibbs lauded his team’s play and spoke of the opportunity they now had to compete in “big games” instead of desperate games. That was two weeks ago. Circa today, the Redskins are nursing their wounds after a second critical late-game loss placed their season in... more ›

Coming straight out of left field, the Washington Times today is speculating that District City Administrator Robert Bobb is another maybe, potentially, who knows, we'll see candidate for mayor. Writes the newspaper: D.C. Democrats are talking privately about whether City Administrator Robert C. Bobb will jump into the already crowded race for mayor..."There continues to be a fair amount of discussion about Robert Bobb being a possible candidate for mayor," said Mr. Bolden, an at-large... more ›

Continuing in what has been a rough few months for baseball, Rafael Palmeiro of the Baltimore Orioles -- the team many District residents called their own prior to the arrival of the Nationals -- was given a 10-day suspension today for steroid use, reports the Post. The O's first baseman, who only two weeks ago celebrated his milestone 3,000 hits and 500+ home-runs, is the tenth player suspended so far this season for failing steroid tests mandated by Major League Baseball, and his suspension brings local relevance to a growing scandal over the use of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports. more ›

Hearing on D.C. Gun Laws Tomorrow: The District's three-decade old gun laws, some of the most restrictive in the country, will be the focus of attention at a hearing of the House Government Reform Committee tomorrow. Chaired by Tom Davis (R-Va.), the committee will consider legislation put forth by Rep. Mark Edward Souder (R-Ind.) that would overturn the city's gun laws and restrict the ability of the City Council to impose other controls upon gun ownership. Similar legislation was recently introduced in the Senate by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.). The list of witnesses slated to testify includes a bevy of pro- and anti-gun activists, city officials, and District residents on both sides of the issue. more ›

(Editor's Note: DCist would like to welcome Chris Kelly to our Sports staff. He will be assisting in our coverage of the Nationals with a weekly column each Monday.) Call 'em "The Comeback Kids", "The One-Run Wonders", "The Cardiac Kids"; doesn't matter. Call 'em whatever you want, but your first place Washington Nationals extended their 10-game winning streak yesterday with yet another 1-run victory (8 out of their last 13 wins have been by 1... more ›

Thanks to another win last night, the Washington Nationals improved their first-place lead over the Braves and Mets by a full game. Not only that, but they extended their win streak to 5 games -- that's the record. Of course the Nats are ranked third overall in the NL behind the Padres and the smokin' St. Louis Cardinals, but when you see them ranked in order, the Nats look all the more impressive: Philadelphia and Florida, the teams ranked last in our division, fall into the NL's middle third. more ›

D.C. Auditor Releases Report Critical of Mayor: In a 17-page report detailing three instances in which no-bid contracts were awarded to consultants for different city projects, D.C. Auditor Deborah K. Nichols chastised City Administrator Robert Bobb, at right, and D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams for "management behaviors that did not conform to the high ethical and professional standards expected of government officials and employees in the performance of their official duties." more ›

Councilmembers Irked by Reports of Money Spent on Baseball Consultants: WTOP reports that members of the D.C. Council are pressing for an investigation of the alleged use of baseball consultants by the mayor's office during the stadium-financing controversy. WTOP was the first to report on the matter through a massive Freedom of Information Act request. WTOP has also learned that the District has been paying the travel expenses of several California-based contractors. Two of them... more ›

The weather today should be more of the same - mostly sunny, highs around 40, with temperatures dipping into the 20s tonight. The photo is of a statue at George Mason University, taken by John Windmueller. more ›

Howard County police have arrested an area man who made creative use of a list of NFL players phone numbers to bilk some of the games superstars out of a few thousand dollars. And while he's not crowing about it on his website (it actually doesn't appear as if he's doing much at all with his site), it appears that the scam was uncovered by Oakland defensive lineman Warren Sapp. more ›

The Gibbs works in mysterious ways. Trust in the Gibbs, and salvation is at hand. That’s my story, and despite what the rest of the world has to say about the Redskins loss to Pittsburgh, I’m sticking to it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in losing a tight 16-7 game against a Pittsburgh team that boasts the league’s top defense (having finally wrested that distinction from Washington last week), one of history’s greatest... more ›

While DCist was expecting the Post's editorial board to support bringing baseball into the District, their staff editorial brings up a few logical points that dispells Baltimore Orioles owner Bud Selig's concerns about the impact a potential move by the Montreal Expos to the Washington region. From the Post:THE BEST ARGUMENT for bringing major league baseball back to the nation's capital lies on the other side of the continent, in the San Francisco Bay area.... more ›