Good morning, Washington. We hope not too many of you were making your way into the city from Montgomery County this morning, as two separate water main breaks forced road closures in Takoma Park and kids to get the day off from school in Germantown. We'll admit it -- we're pretty envious of the students at Fox Chapel Elementary School, who get to spend the day doing whatever they please while we had to show......

Good morning, D.C. The federal government is observing Veteran's Day today, which means Washington is much quieter than normal this morning. The chilly, wet weather certainly isn't helping make the work day, for those of us who are at our desks, any more inviting. Keep in mind that post offices, banks, schools and local government offices are closed for the day as well. Coal Train Clean-up Continues: Workers are still out cleaning up the site......

Good morning, Washington. In case you didn't believe us when we first told you that this tax office corruption scandal was going to get bigger and badder as the week went on, just check out the trio of stories on offer from the Post this morning on the widening scandal. First and foremost, it turns out Harriette Walters and Diane Gustus allegedly worked together to steal $4 million more than originally thought, bringing the grand......

It's hard to believe that a musical could get you hooked on phonics. But spelling suddenly becomes irresistible in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," the touring production of the Broadway hit, now playing at the National Theater. The pleasing, goofy show takes an amalgam of precocious, oddball kids and makes you root for them all. There are archetypes for sure -- the obsessive Asian kid, the nasal, self-important geek -- but each one......

Good Morning, Washington. In an apparent attempt to rule the D.C. media landscape through terror and intimidation, the Washington Post has published the scariest local news story we've ever read this morning: apparently, these disgusting-looking creatures called camel crickets are infesting area basements due to the lack of moisture in the ground thanks to the region's rather serious drought. Described as "a mix between a spider and a cricket" and accompanied by disturbing photographic......

No matter how you feel about a city known for its hippie culture or holier-than-thou aging baby boomers, you sort of have to love Takoma Park, Md. Commonly referred to as "The People's Republic of Takoma Park" or "The Berkeley of the East", the commuter suburb right on the border of the District is not only charmingly beautiful, but the people who live there wear their political proclivities on their collective sleeves so seriously they......

>> Larry Flynt has 30 solid leads on potential congressional sex scandals, and was especially shocked to learn something juicy about a yet unnamed senator. [CNN] >> Via Matt Yglesias, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports the latest hilarity in the Duke Cunningham saga: First, he's snitching to the FBI, so look out, Brent Wilkes. Second, he apparently was miffed that Wilkes got the “younger and cuter” of the prostitutes Wilkes hired for them on......

>> The young women killed in last night's Beltway accident have been identified, and two of them graduated from high school only hours before. [AP and WTOP] >> A Judge ruled that rapper 50 Cent cannot be compelled to testify in the civil case against NBA star Allen Iverson stemming from a 2005 scuffle at Eyebar. [WaPo] >> A woman was humiliated by a TSA employee for trying to take her son's tap water-filled......

The most comprehensive, reliable, and eclectic farmers’ market in the Washington metro area is the Takoma Park Farmers’ Market. Located just across the D.C.-Maryland border, where Carroll Street NW meets Laurel Avenue, the market surpasses all other local farmers’ markets in quality, variety accessibility, and endurance. Last week my wife and I bought apples, free range pork loin and a beef marrow bone while 20 mph winds and 35 degree temperatures whipped furiously at both......

Washington, if you need to get the election out of your system, why not get in touch with your inner science geek? As reported on NPR yesterday, the planet Mercury will make a relatively rare transit of the sun today. If you can find a (miraculously rain-and-cloud-free) place to watch safely today, from 2:12 p.m. until sunset, you will be able to see the little black dot of Mercury, among a lot of fainter black......

Good morning, Washington. Well, as good as it can be -- it's back to work after a day of honoring the presidents. Luckily we have some news for you, including an indictment involving an Oprah scam and Maryland and Virginia trying to figure out just what to do about their roads. And for those of you looking forward to the next big celebration or day off, just remember that St. Patrick's Day is only a......

Last Monday, the Post profiled ousted American University president Benjamin Ladner. Gina Maria Schulz, who served as "Personal Assistant to the First Lady" -- yes, Ladner's wife -- described the man as such: "He was the most ethical man I ever met." Ladner himself has this to say: "I do feel I've done what I've done with intentional integrity." How the Post's reporters didn't break out in hysterics is beyond us, given the emerging news......

With The West Wing in the off season, there aren't any melodramas dedicated to D.C. on the horizon. No big deal really, since we prefer the escapism provided by shows set in more affluent environs like The O.C. It's really just nostalgia for the days of 90210 coupled with wishes that a club like the Bait Shop existed when we were in high school. We wonder what such excitement would be like in the District.......

>> 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......

CNN has just released a report on the "hottest" zip codes in the Baltimore/Washington area--those zip codes that have seen the largest median price increase in the last five years. Given the continuing real estate boom in the area, its surprising that the 10 zip codes all lay in Montgomery County, with four in the sprawling, massive D.C. suburb that is Silver Spring. DCist suspects that this is due to the development of Downtown Silver......

DC Art News alerted us to this posting from grammar.police about a most unusal sclupture at the National Cathedral. That's right, it's Darth Vader from the Star Wars saga. Does this mean that fallen Jedi warriors are held in high regard by the Episcopalian church? To find Vader and other gargoyles, check out the Cathedral's web guide to its sculptures. There are some other odd items in the Cathedral, like Woodrow Wilson's remains and a......

Apparently the powers that be decided that this particular weekend would be the weekend when all the festivals in the world converged on the D.C. area. In searching for fun things for our beloved readers to do, we kept seeing Festival of This and Festival of That and the Festival of This Kind of Music and the Funky Food Festival, etc. So you know what? We�re just gonna list them all. DCist: your one-stop shopping......