Come mid-2013, a new $300 million 11th Street Bridge will cross the Anacostia River. But what will happen with the old bridge that the new spans will replace? You'd be surprised to see what one D.C. office has in mind. more ›

The annual National Night Out is set to kick off this evening, with a host of neighborhood gatherings sponsored by the Metropolitan Police Department to choose from. The yearly event is designed to raise awareness about street crime and encourage residents to meet their neighbors by joining in on any of the planned events, or just by staying outside in their front yards or porches late in an effort to deter criminal activity. Mayor Fenty... more ›

>> Mayor Adrian Fenty has chosen Clark Ray to serve as the city’s director of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Ray was previously the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services. >> D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier has called for her third summertime "All Hands on Deck" initiative for Monday and Tuesday, to coincide with Tuesday's National Night Out. The last "All Hands on Deck," when Lanier requires all MPD... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Tired of putting those great costume ideas on the back burner till October? Dying for a chance to wear a costume without wearing a jacket over top? Three Stars vets New Rock Church of Fire feel the same way. Tonight, join NRCOF, D.C.'s The Gaskets and Richmond's The Invisibles at the Rock & Roll Hotel for July-O-Ween. Incognito fun, rip roaring rock from all three bands, DJ sets, drink specials, a costume contest... more ›

>> "Hundreds of guests at the Washington Plaza Hotel were evacuated this morning after smoke filled the hotel's basement because of an overheated sump pump." [WaPo] >> "The greens at East Potomac Golf Course are looking more brown these days due to a mix up by a government contractor who mistook herbicide for fertilizer." [WJLA] >> "Sajani Shakya, a 10-year-old Nepalese girl who jeopardized her status as a “living goddess” by traveling to the... more ›

There's been all kinds of crazy stuff found on Google's new StreetView application, which we wrote about before - guys who appear to be peeing on the side of the road, climbing fences into houses, and so on. While D.C. won't be getting StreetView for a little while longer, there is still some strange stuff to be seen with good ol' Google Maps. Joyriding has long been a problem in D.C., where (usually) kids steal... more ›

Ever since he took office after eight years of Mayor Anthony Williams' tenure, the question has burned in our minds: Will D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty continue Williams' tradition by opening the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation's public swimming pools with a cannonball dive? He's been asked the question a number of times already, but always with a different answer. First Fenty said maybe his twin sons, Matthew and Andrew, would do the honors. Then... more ›

>> At the the Guy Mason Recreation Center tonight there will be an open house to discuss DDOT's Glover Park Transportation Study. 6:30 to 8 p.m. [via FreeRide] >> Trippy Japanese instrumentalists Mono stop by the Rock and Roll Hotel with Grails and World’s End Girlfriend. $10/$12, 8 p.m. doors. >> The American City Diner & Cafe hosts a special screening of the still great Mike Nichols film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring... more ›

Well you can't say that we, along with every other local prognosticator, didn't warn you of the coming winter storm. Now feel free to look outside and share a mutual groan that the foretold snow event has so far materialized into something more like steady flurries or maybe just an unpleasant dampness which TV weathermen, in an effort to keep viewers interested, assure us could turn into a freezing deathtrap at any time! None... more ›

UPDATE: We've now gotten word from intrepid boy reporter Kriston Capps that the D.C. Council's Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation voted to table Bill 16-734, in a motion brought by At-Large Councilmember Carol Schwartz, which carried 3 to 2 with Marion Barry, Schwartz and surprise vote Vincent Gray against Kathy Patterson and Phil Mendelson. What does this mean for the future of Williams' library plan? Hard to say. Tabling a bill is usually a... more ›

Here's your early hump-day roundup. more ›

And a good Friday to you, Washington. It's just about the weekend, a great time to continue that celebrating or mourning that you've had going on for the last few days, depending on what side of the political aisle you're on. Today will be a sunny day, with highs around 70. The temperature is slated to hit the same mark on Saturday, only it will be a partly cloudy day. Sunday will see highs in... more ›

It's shaping up to be a beautiful day here in Washington, with a high around 70 degrees and mostly sunny skies. Here's hoping the great weather can brighten the days of Montgomery County election officials, who are reporting that they won't have a final count of all provisional ballots in the county until sometime next week, thanks to mistakes which forced many early morning voters to cast the paper ballots. We know the idea that... more ›

For nearly a year, DCist has been following the conflict developing in Shaw between proprietors of new restaurants and bars and neighborhood churches, which oppose the opening of new establishments that allow drinking. Area churches have relied, so far, upon a provision in the law which grandfathers existing liquor stores and taverns, but which does not allow new establishments, "within 400 feet of a public, private, or parochial primary, elementary, or high school; college or... more ›

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams testified before the City Council's Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation today in favor of his proposal to build a brand new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at the site of the old convention center, a few blocks from its current site. We've debated this issue before at DCist. But we thought it might be fun to do a little point/counterpoint with the Post's Benjamin Forgey, writing today in response... more ›

Local corporate darlings XM Satellite Radio announced yesterday that their first quarter revenues were up over 100 percent compared to last year, but the company's stock fell over 5 percent on Thursday, as the company revealed it was under investigation by the FTC based on, according to the Washington Business Journal, "its marketing and telemarketing activities, billing practices and customer complaints." Any XM subscribers in the DCist audience? Have you been getting harrassed recently? more ›

There's no question that something needs to be done with the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, which, after 30 years of neglect and mismanagement, is in about as good a shape as a D.C. group house populated solely by young men in their first two years out of college. The carpet is threadbare, nothing works like it's supposed to, and it's really a pretty depressing place to read. Not exactly qualities you hope for... more ›

Right now both the Nats and DC United are planning to leave RFK Stadium in the next few years. That will leave his landmark empty and unused. The probable outcome is that it will be knocked down. Instead, I suggest building and hosting greyhound racing once a week inside the stadium. A track could be built pretty easily and without a lot of cost. It would allow use to continue to use the stadium in some fashion and enjoy a sport that is a lot of fun to watch. Unlike other greyhound parks, RFK could be turned into a kid friendly avenue where people who come to the park are educated about pets and their care, etc. Since there is nothing like this anywhere nearby, the dogs could be sponsored - potentially raising money for other government programs.

Good morning, Washington. The Post reports today that an agreement has been reached on the development of the National Capital Medical Center. Howard University and city officials yesterday told the paper that a deal is complete outlining the placement of the $400 million hospital on the site of the former D.C. General Hospital in Southeast. The city will contribute $212 million toward construction, though Howard remains noncommital on how much care will be made available to the uninsured. more ›

DCist can finally claim it has reached a journalistic zenith -- in a first, we received a tip from a well-placed source that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams is set to make an announcement today concerning his political future. While we tried to tease more info out of our source -- is Williams running for re-election, or is he stepping aside? -- the most we can say is that today is the day that will decide the future of the two-term pol and the three candidates seeking to take his place. According to the Post, who also picked up the story, Williams is set to announce at noon at the Hillcrest Recreation Center in Southeast. WTOP already jumped on the news -- they claim Williams won't run again. We're betting the same. more ›

At first, the Ward 6 Democrats had simply organized a forum to discuss the state of the city's schools. Now they may be hosting the first, if most informal debate between mayoral candidates Adrian Fenty and Linda Cropp. Both Fenty and Cropp have announced that they plan on making an appearance at the forum -- set for 7 p.m. tonight at the Eastern Branch Boys & Girls Club, 261 17th St., SE -- which will... more ›

It seems that while national politics may soon get a lot more interesting with an impending nomination to the Supreme Court and the fireworks to follow, local politics is entering that summer lull devoid of news or fodder for blogs like our own. more ›

Happy Thursday, D.C. Well, if another day of high humidity and the threat of thunderstorms could be "happy"... In good travel-related news, scheduling your restroom trips on flights to and from Reagan National Airport just got easier: the restrictions on leaving your seat within thirty minutes of takeoff or landing have been lifted in the wake of a restructuring of the Department of Homeland Security. Created in response to the 9/11 attacks, the regulations... more ›

>> Proving once again that country legends, unlike most rock stars, actually can age well, Wanda Jackson (pictured right) makes an appearance on the Black Cat mainstage tonight, where she will no doubt trot out classic hits like "Big Iron Skillet" and "Let's Have A Party." But with over 50 albums worth of songs to choose from, including some backed up by the Oak Ridge Boys, let's hope she performs a few obscure numbers from her songbook. DCist is hoping for "Please Don't Sell My Daddy No Wine." With Rosie Flores. Doors at 9 p.m.; $18 adv., $20 at the door. more ›

In a third meeting of a series, the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, the D.C. Office of Planning and the D.C. Department of Transportation will be presenting general concepts and a planning timeline for the South Capitol Street corridor and the proposed site for the new baseball stadium. Public comments will be heard as well. So if you have some thoughts about South Capitol Street, head over to the King Greenleaf Recreation Center at 201 N St. SW tomorrow evening. more ›

With the weather warming up it's time to start thinking about lining up your athletic plans for the spring and summer. If you're interested in soccer, frisbee, or basketball, hurry over to District Sports - registration deadlines for most of their leagues are this week, and it looks you might be able to register for a couple even though the deadlines were earlier this week. If you're interested in kickball, you have until March 20... more ›

This sounds promising -- tonight at Club Five, area bands Medications, Citygoats, and The Aquarium (all of whom DCist is a fan of) are holding a benefit for GreenSkateLab. GreenSkateLab is a volunteer community effort to build a free, public and environmentally-friendly multi-purpose space for skateboarding, arts and science. At its conception, The Tony Hawk Foundation and AOL awarded the project grant money to get it on its feet; unfortunately, D.C. public schools, who have... more ›