D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown's been pretty busy lately, what with hammering out the city's budget and all -- but that doesn't mean he's off the public relations train. Brown's latest attempt to connect with the city in light of the "Fully Loaded" scandal is this profile in the Washington Informer, in which Brown channels The Rock and talks about his love of hot yoga. more ›

Photo and review by DCist contributor Valerie Paschall more ›

The story usually follows the same line -- a night club is the scene of a violent incident, the District responds by temporarily shutting it down and it invariably loses its liquor license and goes out of business. It happened at Club U, at Kili's Kafe and at Club 1919. And after a fatal shooting over the weekend at H20, the swanky waterfront club may be next. One man was shot and killed in an... more ›

Hope you didn't stay up too late debating the President's speech with friends last night, Washington. We stayed up a bit past our bedtimes ourselves, mostly pondering the rhetorical significance of the difference between the phrases "mistakes were made", and "where mistakes have been made". Either way, we take full responsibility for any mistakes that were/have been made in this morning roundup, which was completed with the known unknown of the amount of sleep we... more ›

Ramsey's Legacy Pondered: The Post has a front page story this morning mulling over exactly how outgoing Police Chief Ramsey will be remembered as he leaves his post. Often criticized for emphasizing public relations and merely reacting to crime issues instead of thinking ahead, but undeniably praised for bringing order to a corrupt department and out-of-control crime situation, council member Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3) probably assessed Ramsey's overall performance most accurately: "very mixed." Ford's... more ›

In case you had any doubts that Washington is little more than a swamp with marble buildings, venture outside for a quick check on your surroundings. In fact, head to the intersection of 20th and L Streets, NW for a prime example. Much like a swamp, it totally smells like ass. Literal ass. You know that buttered popcorn smell they blow all over theme parks and movie theatres? Imagine that, but with raw sewage; it's like WASA has set up exhaust fans under the street. We don't even want to think about what it looks like under there: complete horror show. more ›

is improving the District's rent control laws." Improving, really? It was late at night, but I was already skeptical that my management company would be compelled to bring such good tidings to my door unless they were going to be benefiting in some way. more ›

Washington being the government town that it is, it's almost inevitable that political adversaries would live in the same neighborhood, sharing in the duties of civic life while battling in the marketplace of ideas and policies during the work week. Most famous for being out of his element may be Karl Rove, whose District home sits squarely in a city that overwhelmingly voted against the man for whom he campaigned and advised. But when do... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Today will be mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. Stadium Planning Process Contentious: What do you get when you mix the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, Major League Baseball, the fragil egos D.C. government, and a red-hot real estate market in Near Southeast? The answer is a convoluted planning process described by the Post in an article today where the architect has conflicting instructions and city leaders can't seem... more ›

As I welcome you to my blog I’m asking myself the question: What is a blog anyway? Is it a modern high-tech version of the diary logging the experiences and observations of a local public official? Is it an almanac capturing my far flung and scattered interests in fields ranging from ornithology to baseball? Is it a disciplined effort to share with you a well-written piece on a daily theme? (Psst…Don’t take this as an example.) Or is it just a steady stream of consciousness floating by without even primary treatment[?]

Yesterday around noon we came across a group of crabs on Connecticut Avenue. Wearing hot-looking plush outfits emblazoned with the URL www.baltimore.org, the group was wrapping up singing a song when we discovered them. (We snapped these photos.) Later in the day a DCist reader sent us a link to a post on his blog with a camera phone photo of the crabs hanging out at Dupont Circle. more ›

Photo from the archives of Drew McDermott OK, you may be getting sick and tired of DCist writing about transit. Please blame Jo Becker and Lyndsey Layton and their cohorts at the Post for bringing into the public record so much great information about the ailments of the region's transit system -- ailments we've been looking at in one way or another since DCist launched last summer. Today, the Post's in-depth series comes to... more ›

Thanks to the distinguished gentlemen at the Cleveland Park Men's Club, we learn that the once-active-turned-defunct-turned-potentially-active Washington Socialites blog is back up and running. Oh Kelly Ann, how you torment us so. What has troubled you? Blogger burn-out? It happens to all of us. Or is this some convoluted and ingenious public relations scheme for you to do a double back flip, oust Liz Smith from Page 6 and set up shop as queen of all gossip? more ›

>> Itching to display your own art? Artdc.org is seeking entrants for a group art show in Takoma Park scheduled to begin May 21. For the exhibit, titled "What Does It Mean to Emerge?," Artdc organizers will show the best artists within a 150-mile radius of the D.C. area. Entrants must be registered at artdc.org with a completed profile including username, interests and webpage, if available. The exhibit organizers are also seeking musicians and master... more ›

According to the Post, PNC Bank -- the Pittsburgh-based financial corporation that recently bought Washington's own troubled Riggs Bank -- announced yesterday that it plans on hitting the District ground running in early May with extended service hours, no ATM fees, and a series of new branches. This plan comes amidst increasing bank competition in the Washington region and in the wake of last month's purchase of Riggs' 51 local branches for roughly $650 million.... more ›

The Post must hate being scooped in their own backyard, but DCist has to give credit where it's due. The New York Times scored big this Sunday with an expose on the Bush administration's public relations tactics. It seems that paying journalists to toe the president's line on policy issues wasn't enough, as the administration has taken to writing, producing and disseminating its own news stories. The NYT reported that government agencies across the board... more ›

What are the secret passions of Washington's busiest chefs? A new, limited edition calendar lets D.C. diners see perhaps more then they ever wanted to of their favorite chefs. Head chefs and sous-chefs alike from three of the District's most fashionable restaurants strip down to their skivvies in a new calendar, while showcasing their passions outside of the kitchen. Put together as a promotional tool by simoneink, a boutique consulting and public relations firm that represents TenPehn, DC Coast and Ceiba, the calendar is causing quiet a stir. more ›

In the second of his lunchtime online chats to talk about issues facing our transit system, WMATA chief Dick White will be interacting with transit riders this Friday. The first chat seemed to go very well, though some of the responses from White seemed to be lacking critical details but had at times plenty of passive public relations structural constructions. But that is natural for any public entity or private company that's under fire from customers. WMATA seems to be better understanding the commuter rage that has boiled over on a regular basis over the past year. These chats are a good step in the right direction. more ›

It must be the week of "Stayed tuned for details" as it seems that Richard White, WMATA's chief executive officer, is using the same public relations tactics as Linda Cropp. Just as Cropp, the D.C. Council chairman, says she has a new way to finance the proposed baseball stadium telling everyone to stay tuned for details, the region's transit chief says he has big changes to announce next week. But he isn't shedding much light on what he has planned. more ›

DCist realizes that a lot of you out there probably have today off for Columbus Day. So enjoy your day off if you do have it off, if not, have a good day at work. WTOP has a fully run-down of what's open and what's closed. And WMATA is running train and bus service on modified schedules. more ›

A day after flood waters shut down a metrorail operations room, a week after it admitted it was running out of electronic farecards and a month it was attacked for reducing late-night subway service to two-car trains all while increasing fares, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority seems to continue to anger riders. It is now arresting violaters of its no food and drink regulations. The Post reports that Metro Transit Police detained an Environmental... more ›