You all said almost too much good stuff this past week. Here's a wrapup of some of the best comments, as well as the semi-prized best avatar and commenter name awards. more ›

Good Morning, D.C. Remember the news we told you about back in August, about an investigation into a potential prostitution ring at D.C. firehouses? Well D.C. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin acknowledged yesterday under fire from the D.C. Council that "sex for overtime" allegations in his department are "potentially true." The Council also expressed concern about the abnormally high rate of disciplinary action against African American firefighters in the department. African Americans were the subjects of... more ›

Do you have the option of taking public transportation or riding a bike to work, but still choose to drive for personal reasons? The D.C. Council is asking people like you to pledge to give up your car for just one day tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 18, for its first annual Car Free D.C. Day. If you'd like to take the Car Free Pledge, head over to Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells' site to sign... more ›

Good morning, D.C. Yesterday was just about the most beautiful day, weather-wise, that the city has seen in a long time, and today we're expecting more of the same. So is there anything on God's green Earth that could cause us to lose the attendant sunny dispositions we all naturally have as a result? Oh, drat. It's Thursday. Metro General Manager John Catoe will appear before Metro's Board of Directors today and recommend raising minimum... more ›

Welcome back to work, Washington. We don't know about you, but we spent an awfully long time in the sun this weekend consuming too much food at various street festivals, so forgive us if we're still groggily pondering Saturday's news in WaPo that the fare change about to be proposed by Metro General Manager John Catoe is an "average increase" of 45 cents. That kind of increase would theoretically raise the base fare of a... more ›

Yesterday's legislative action in the D.C. Council, typical of end-of-session days, was jam-packed with votes. Here's a few more you may have missed: >> The Council moved ahead on a bill that restricts interest rates levied by the so-called payday loan industry, an issue we've looked at before. The bill passed on an initial reading, and if implemented would place a 24 percent annual percentage rate cap on interest charged by lenders. The Examiner notes... more ›

The D.C. Council is meeting for the final day of its summer session as we speak, and as we mentioned in this morning's roundup, a confirmation vote for deputy mayor for education Victor Reinoso has been postponed until at least September. But other key Fenty school takeover appointments are expected to be confirmed today, including Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Allen Lew, acting director of the new Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization. Yesterday, Lew... more ›

On Monday we told you about a bill before the D.C. Council that would lift restrictions such as mandatory driving and written tests for District drivers over the age of 75. Now the Mayor's office has released a statement that Mayor Adrian Fenty has temporarily lifted the driving test without waiting for action from the Council. more ›

Happy Friday, D.C. It's sunny out, this weekend is apparently going to be gorgeous (72 degrees!), and on Thursday, the D.C. Voting Rights Act passed the House of Representatives. In order to avoid a repeat of last time, Democrats broke the voting rights measure into two bills -- one that would add the extra seats in the house and the other a PAY-GO bill to fund them. They were both written so narrowly that Republicans... more ›

It's a slow news day around the city, which might be the only reason the poor Old Naval Hospital on Pennsylvania Ave between 9th and 10th Streets SE is getting some notice. The building has been sitting vacant for close to a decade now, falling into disrepair, but not, it seems, out of memory just yet. Though plans for the building have been idly tossed around — a new mayor's mansion, a library — nothing... more ›

You can just about make out the strains of the Carpenters' classic tune "We've Only Just Begun" humming in the air down around the new stadium development in S.E. these days. Wait, no, that song is about falling in love. Whoops. I think we meant something more like "I Hate You" by Slayer. It's so easy to get those two mixed up. Yesterday, at its last meeting before taking their summer recess, the D.C. City... more ›

Last week, we had a nice long chat about the maddening idiosyncracies of the D.C. taxicab system. The Examiner reports today that at least some of the difficulties associated with cabbing around town might be gone in the near future. Cab Commission Chairman Causton Toney has said that his organization is "seriously considering" the elimination of the zone system in favor of metered fares. The city is awaiting the results of a six-month study comparing... more ›

Much of Washington went to bed last night thinking the stadium lease deal was finished, rejected by a D.C. Council that remained unable to come to an agreement on a cap for stadium costs. We chose today's pic last night thinking this, only to read before shutting off the computer that the Council had reconvened. We'll get a kick out of seeing whose papers did and did not change their headlines in time, but we feel bad for all the columnists with wasted copy. more ›

The students may not be in the classroom, but District officials and activists are still working to find ways to address the problem of the city's crumbling schools. Legislation currently working its way through the City Council's Finance and Education Committee's would allow the city to borrow up to $1 billion for much-needed school repairs, an issue that has repeatedly dogged D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and D.C. Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey and may well become... more ›

Safety tool or unwarranted invasion of privacy? Necessary law enforcement device or shameless moneymaking scheme? These may be some of the questions that city councilmembers ask today in a hearing dedicated to the issue of cameras in law enforcement. The Council's Committee on Public Works and the Environment, chaired by Carol Schwartz (R-At Large), is debating legislation introduced by Schwartz, Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), and Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6) concerning the District's six-year old program... more ›

Today will be mostly sunny with highs around 40. The National Weather Service has issued an advisory warning commuters to watch out for icy patches on roads as temperatures dipped below freezing last night. The photo is a fish at The Reef in Adams Morgan. more ›

Today will be partly cloudy with highs in the 40s. The above photo of Chinatown was taken by Drew McDermott, and posted on his photoblog yesterday. The Council is planning a final vote today. Stadium Deal To Be Approved Today: The Post reports a letter from Major League Baseball sweetening the deal for the city has swung the vote of Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp, who said yesterday she would probably vote to support... more ›