Morning Washington. The winds have subsided and we're back to a typical February day: mild and sunny. We're not quite away from winter yet though: we might see some snow Monday night into Tuesday. more ›

Following Giant's bah humbug decision to severely limit the Salvation Army's Red Kettle bell ringers time outside of their grocery stores, the charity has seen a significant drop in donations this holiday season. Salvation Army spokesperson Ken Forsythe says bell ringers raised $270,000 this year compared to $667,000 last year. Yup, that's a 59.5 percent drop. more ›

For this editor, the presence of Salvation Army bell ringers manning change tins outside of supermarkets and retailers is just as much of a sign of the upcoming holidays as turkey, tinsel, lights wrapped around lampposts or maniacal traffic on those days when every single person in this city is trying to get out of town. But NBCWashington.com reports that those bell ringers might not be around as much this season, at least not outside of one major D.C. grocery chain. Giant Foods has apparently instituted a new policy which will slice the amount of time charitable groups can solicit outside its stores. This holiday season, you'll hear bells at the Giant on only six days in both November and December, and for just four hours on each of those days. Previously, the Salvation Army and other groups were able to collect donations ten hours a day, six days a week throughout both months. Why the change? Giant said that they don't want the bells to "hinder their [customers'] shopping experience." Nothing in the NBC story about whether Giant's statement actually included a "bah humbug" or not. more ›

Written by new DCist contributor Thomas Richards more ›

Good morning, Washington. We're sure that with many of you off for Veterans Day yesterday, you may have taken today off as well. Enjoy your four-day weekend and a rainy Friday. more ›

Lots of stadium news as the day of the D.C. City Council vote on the baseball stadium proposal is here. The Post reports that Mayor Anthony Williams has lined up enough votes to get his proposal for a South Capitol Street stadium passed by the council. The two crucial votes, Ward 1's Jim Graham (left) and Ward 8's Sandy Allen, have been secured. In exchange for their support, Williams will fund library improvements (Graham's request) and build a recreation center (Allen's request). more ›