The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority is set to do something it has never done before: Host a series of town hall meetings, co-hosted by D.C. Council members, to discuss water issues with the public. Tired of that chlorine smell? Still confused about lead pipe replacement? Wondering when the hydrant on your block will be repaired? Stop by one of these meetings, where WASA officials will be on hand to answer your questions. Wards 8, 3 and 5 are up first: more ›

By DCist Contributor Joe Danielewicz more ›

Metro's board members heard testimony from well over 100 people Wednesday night as they prepare to vote today on how to close an additional $16 million of the transit agency's 2010 budget gap. more ›

It looks like national politics junkies who are also transit nerds will be able to avoid making the tough choice tonight between watching the State of the Union address, or showing up for WMATA's big public hearing on the emergency budget options currently before the Metro board. The Metro hearing begins tonight at 5:30 p.m. (at Metro Headquarters, 600 Fifth Street NW), and God willing, it won't go on past 9 p.m., when the president's speech is set to start. more ›

Rumors flew wildly Wednesday night that Metro's board would decide today to go ahead and make major service cuts in an effort to trim its budget deficit. Among the proposals: 30-minute headways on most Metrorail lines after 9:30 p.m. But the reality of today's board meeting, as the Washington Post details, was that members were hard pressed to push forward on major service cuts, instead preferring a plan that would raise all fares by 10 cents almost immediately. more ›

It was obviously pre-planned, but the ongoing D.C. Council hearing on the same-sex marriage bill just had a little awwww moment. D.C. resident and local architect Andy Rollman started it out with his testimony, during which he explained that he's been a happily single gay man all of his life, up until recently. more ›

WMATA has already held public forums in both D.C. and Virginia on the choices it is facing in FY2011, and now Marylanders will get their turn. Two forums have been scheduled in the state, one on Tuesday, November 3 at Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, and another on Wednesday, November 18 at Prince George’s Community College in Largo. Both meetings will begin at 7 p.m. and include an opportunity for public comment. More details can be found here. more ›

I only made it through watching about 3 1/2 hours of Monday's D.C. Council hearing on the same-sex marriage bill before I had to call it a night, and the majority of speakers I heard supported the legislation. Gay, straight, and religious leaders alike came forward to share moving personal stories about what it would mean for the longtime committed same-sex couples in their lives to finally be able to marry. But there were plenty of opponents among those who testified as well. Many cited their anger that the bill's passage appeared to be a foregone conclusion, since it already has enough co-signers to clear the full Council. Others referenced deeply held religious beliefs that marriage can only be between one man and one woman. The tone of the evening ranged from reasoned discourse to tears to outright shouting. more ›

The D.C. Council Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary's hearing on the same-sex marriage bill is going on now, and you can watch it live online. more ›

As we wrote this morning, Monday's going to be a long day for members of the D.C. Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, as they hear public testimony on the same-sex marriage bill. The committee has since released the list of witnesses for Monday – all 100 of them. more ›

If you've got a whole lot of free time on Monday, think about heading down to the John A. Wilson Building. On that day, the D.C. Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety is holding a hearing to record public testimony on legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in the District. The hearing is shaping up to be one of those marathon sessions where Council members struggle to stay awake as they participate in a ritual of representative democracy: letting everyone have their say. more ›

Metro is once again facing a budget crunch (in the form of a predicted $100 million shortfall) and thinking about raising fares, but this time it's changing tactics just a bit. Instead of soliciting rider input at the end of the process, as Lena Sun points out in the Post, this year they're talking to customers at the beginning. And tonight marks the first public forum on Metro’s proposed 2011 budget. more ›

The District Department of Transportation is bringing its show on the road in the coming month in an effort to do public outreach in all eight wards on the biggest projects in its pipeline, including those streetcars you've been hearing so much about. You may have seen different versions of this list of upcoming public meetings, but below is the revised, and most up-to-date, calendar now available. more ›