Good morning, Washington. Think good thoughts for Tian Tian, the National Zoo's male giant panda and the biological father of Tai Shan/Butterstick. Tian Tian underwent eye surgery yesterday to remove inflamed tissue from one of his third eyelids. He's expected to make a full recovery, but in the meantime he'll have to live with the shame of being the one to expose this whole pandas having third eyelids monstrosity. DCist has always held a firm editorial stand that pandas are adorable, but after learning this fact we may have to convene our board to reconsider. more ›

Good morning, Washington. We'll be standing by for a good chunk of the day to see what the Metro Board decides to do about the proposed fare hike - the Board is meeting at 11 a.m. for a session that is expected to produce a final vote on the fare hikes, which could go into effect as soon as January. Board members have indicated they would likely pass a fare hike that is slightly less than the current proposal. more ›

Though it is not yet recognized as such by the jazz audience at large, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival's organizers have achieved their goals of mounting a world class festival by assembling a roster of top flight talent, which includes Latin jazz legend and festival artistic adviser Paquito D'Rivera (pictured). These jazz greats will grace stages across the city over the course of the nine day festival, which begins on September 9 with a Taiko... more ›

As we head into the weekend, we'd like to make a small public service announcement. Though we've been enjoying unseasonably cool temperatures the past week, the heat is coming back, and we'll be back to our usual late August sweatbox by tomorrow. We realize that the heat and humidity can make you cranky and irritable. But we beseech you to try to keep your temper cooler than the air outside. We fully grant you your... more ›

Hey Washington -- ever feel like you just don't have enough to worry about when it comes to walking down the street in your own neighborhood? Sure, there's the muggings and other crime, the street harassment, the killer Metrobuses, the screwed up pedestrian signals, the bicyclists vs. the drivers, and the occasional jaywalking sting, but really, who couldn't use one more thing to add to the list of stuff that makes you never want to... more ›

In case you missed the news yesterday, the Washington Post has devoted an extraordinary amount of front page column inches to the record breaking temperatures D.C. saw yesterday. At 12:05 p.m. on Wednesday, the temperature hit 102 degrees at Reagan National Airport, according to the National Weather Service, breaking the previous all time high record for Aug. 8, of 101 degrees, set in 1930. The oppressive heat also had a number of other newsworthy... more ›

>> CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry spotted Dave Chappelle hanging out outside the White House this morning. He's reportedly feeling good despite his recent hospital visit, and joked about going after Tony Snow's job. [CNN Political Ticker] >> The former mayor of the town of Dumfries, VA has been charged with running a brothel out of a sports therapy clinic he owns in a Prince William County strip mall. Melvin Bray lost his... more ›

"Reefer gets you raped. And you won’t care!" Such is one of the hilariously overwrought statements blasted across the screen, 30s public service announcement-style, during Studio Theatre's hysterical production of Reefer Madness: The Musical. Based loosely upon the 1938 anti-marijuana propaganda film of the same name, the show’s setup involves a high school theater troupe dramatizing the devastating effects of reefer, using the tale of one high school sweetheart couple’s demise as its center.... more ›

Mayor Adrian Fenty held a press conference this morning to announce a slew of new cabinet-level nominations for his administration. Topping the list was his decision to go with current interim director of DCRA, Linda Argo, as his nominee to run the department. Argo was previously deputy director of DCRA, responsible for the agency’s public service enhancements. It's a somewhat uncharacteristic move from Fenty, who has tended to focus his hiring efforts on bringing in... more ›

Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. This week, I (carefully) picked up and began reading The Power Broker, the epic (and massive) Robert Caro biography of infamous New York master builder Robert Moses. Bob Moses, it turns out, was one of the best-trained civil service experts of the age when he first began working for the city. He was, as Caro describes him, a consummate idealist, passionately dedicated... more ›

"Working for the government" can mean Amtrak, White House or the Endangered Species Committee. It can also mean bor-ing. But now feds can prove they do more than fill out forms and draft legislation all day. Like doodle on meeting agendas and carp about busted staplers. The first annual Funniest Fed contest is open to civilian employees, military (both active and reserve) and the Legislative and Executive branches. They want this secret community of sarcastic,... more ›

As we reported yesterday, the District has released a brand-spankin-new city map including Metro stations, taxicab zones, snow and emergency routes and bicycle trails. And as the District Department of Transportation tells us, our fair city's bicycle lane offerings have increased from a mere 3 miles in 1999 to the 25 miles we enjoy today. But the more that bicycles become a primary mode of transport, the more that drivers and cyclists alike will have... more ›

The sad reality of Dan Tangherlini's departure from the helm of Metro has long since set in, and we have shifted from transit-geek depression to equally geeky curiosity over his potential replacement. As was reported on Tuesday and confirmed on Wednesday, D.C. native John Catoe Jr., currently second in command at the L.A. Metropolitan Transit Authority, has been asked to come home and run the trains and buses here in Capital City. The Post and... more ›

How much is public service in the District worth? This Tuesday the D.C. Council might tell us. In its last legislative session of the year, the council will be debating a number of measures and proposals, one that would provide funds for the trasitions of mayor-elect Adrian Fenty and council chair-elect Vincent Gray. But more than just provide them with the money needed to prep their teams for next January's handover of power, the legislation... more ›

Washington D.C. lost one of its favorite adopted sons over the weekend as Arnold "Red" Auerbach passed away at the age of 89. Best known as the patriarch of the Boston Celtics, Auerbach had close ties to D.C., the city he called home for much of his life. Auerbach attended George Washington University from 1937-1940, starring on the basketball team as the team's top scorer. In 1946, after stints in the Navy and as... more ›

This isn't so much a new feature as just a fantastic headline we had to share with you, courtesy WTOP. Clearly the story concerns a seriously mentally ill person, so we're especially glad no one was injured in the incident, which took place in Ocean City, Md. yesterday. Because that means we can giggle about the following:

Bergeno ran a red light at Second Street, almost hitting two cars. The chase ended when Bergeno plowed into three cars at a red light at 36th Street. As police surrounded his disabled car, Bergeno brandished a blender at officers on Coastal Highway near 37th Street.

Who would have thought? Clearly not Sidney Davis. more ›

These beds have usually been urinated on - imagine adults still bed-wetting, aren't there doctors you can go to for this! Why do you think someone else wants to bring home your filthy urine-soaked bed, much less sleep on it. Filthy people who live in posh neighborhoods, dress up pretty, look good on the street perhaps but I have seen the other side of you! These people are disgusting!

God, we're so sick of Snakes on a Plane that we want to kill anyone and everyone that makes a "something on a something" joke. But then we realized that there was no way we could ever win this fight, and, hell, if you can't beat them, we might as well join them. And with that, you have the theme of this weeks' Gothamist network post. Austinist makes it easy for us, with Candidate on... more ›

Just a little public service announcement for our readers who drive. If you by any chance need to initiate or renew your vehicle registration this month and require an inspection, you'll need to get to the SW Inspection Station earlier than normal. The Half Street SW station will be observing code red heat advisory service hours beginning today and at least through Wednesday, which means they'll be opening at 5 a.m. and closing at 1... more ›

Last month, Inside Higher Ed had a story you might have missed about a local effort to establish a U.S. Public Service Academy. Two veterans of Teach for America, Shawn Raymond and Chris Myers Asch, have put together a proposal for an elite national university modeled after the U.S. Armed Services academies (West Point, Air Force Academy, etc.), but instead of military service, students would receive a federally-subsidized education in exchange for 5 years of civilian public service. You can download their entire proposal here. more ›

We knew that speeding tickets were unusually common in the District, we knew that the city was making some decent bank off of the violations, and we even suspected racism, or at least wardism, in the placement of automated speed cameras. But just in case you leadfeet had begun to forget the danger of motoring quickly through D.C., we now have the National Motorists Association to remind us. From their website:Nothing can ruin a vacation... more ›

Good morning, D.C. Check out this lovely shot of the Capitol by Grundlepuck. The statue looks sad, or at least concerned — perhaps it's contemplating the fate of Rep. Bob Ney, the self-proclaimed "Mayor of Capitol Hill." According to the Post, Ney's just been further implicated in the Abramoff scandal. Duncan Drops Out Of Race: The Democratic field in the race for the Maryland governorship. Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan has withdrawn from the race,... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Andrew Wiseman more ›

If there is one thing that elected officials know, it's that they probably won't get rich while they remain in government. Well, unless they swindle the taxpayers of loads of money and jet off to a country that has no extradition treaty with the U.S., of course. But that notwithstanding, how much are certain elected officials really making? And is it enough, or is it too much? Today The Common Denominator, an independent local newspaper,... more ›

Welcome to the second day of spring, Washington — and, if forecasters are right, to what might be the last snowy day of the season. That's right: parts of the region are expected to get as much as three inches of snowfall beginning this morning and ending around midnight. It just a week ago that we were cheerfully reflecting on the pleasant weather and how it would probably never be cold again, ever. We were... more ›

Is there anything that particularly frustrates you about the District's police force? If so, today WTOP is giving you the chance to throw a hardball at D.C. police chief Charles Ramsey, who will be fielding questions and complaints online and over the phone starting at 10 a.m. DCist only wishes the city's police force were wracked with corruption and instances of police brutality, because in all honesty, clean cops don't exactly make for gripping headlines. "Ramsey a Nice, Honest Guy!" wouldn't really have newspapers flying off the racks. more ›

The lipstick hasn’t even dried from the Washington Post’s kiss off of a Pentagon-organized march commemorating Sept. 11, and the Washington Times already has stepped in to sponsor Freedom Walk. more ›

We crossed Dupont Circle after our staff meeting last night, marveling at how in D.C., even parks full of people relaxing are still somehow frantic. As we crossed the circle, we saw our hands-down favorite bunch of street performers. We don’t know their official name, but they are a squadron of joyous, soulful trombones with percussive accompaniment. They’re out there in the heat and the cold, performing a colossal public service by lifting the spirits of hundreds of people every night they perform. more ›

This weekend was certainly a test for the Adams Morgan-18th Street lack-of-parking experiment. The heat, humidity, coupled with the new restrictions for sure frustrated outsiders looking to find a parking space on 18th Street NW, seen here in this photo posted by FurCafe in DCist Photos. As the Post reported last week, the restrictions are part of a pilot program where on Friday and Saturday nights through September, parking is prohibited in the southbound curb... more ›