The mid-November start to the NCAA basketball season tends to get lost in the universe of sports coverage. This is probably due to the staggered opening nights around the country, but can also be attributed to competition with other sports -- college football entering its stretch run, the NFL in midseason, even the NBA's opening weeks garner more attention than college hoops. We're not about to let this exciting time slip through the cracks. With... more ›

>> D.C. Council members have rejected a plan to give a developer city-owned land worth $6 million on which to build a new Radio One headquarters. [WJLA] >> Five new restaurants are coming to Columbia Heights. [Prince of Petworth] >> Traffic was temporarily halted at Union Station this afternoon as Amtrak Police investigated a report of a suspicious package near Gate A in Union Station. Regular service had resumed by 4 p.m. [WaPo] >>... more ›

>> Pope Benedict XVI will make his first visit to the United States as pontiff in April next year, with his first mass to be held at the new Nationals stadium here in D.C. [AP via WTOP] >> Four people who were stabbed Sunday afternoon during a soccer game near RFK are expected to be OK. [AP via WJLA] >> The Maryland House of Delegates this week will take up Gov. Martin O'Malley's plan... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Brett Gellman The Maryland Terrapins (4-5, 1-4 ACC) enter Byrd Stadium for their home finale tonight when they take on #8 Boston College (4-1, 4-1 ACC) in an Atlantic Division showdown. The Terps are reeling from a three game losing streak after falling to UNC 16-13 last Saturday while the Eagles national title hopes fizzled after Florida State stunned BC 27-17. Both teams look to rebound after the disappointing losses. While... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Brett Gellman The Maryland Terrapins (4-2, 1-1) take on the 19th ranked Virginia Cavaliers (6-1, 3-0) in a nationally televised homecoming contest tomorrow night at College Park in what is shaping up to be the best ACC matchup of the entire day, and yes, that includes Miami-FSU. The Terps, who are coming off a much-needed bye week, squeaked out a 28-26 victory against Georgia Tech two weeks ago after Travis Bell’s... more ›

By DCist contributor Brett Gellman The Maryland Terrapins (2-2, 0-1 ACC) are coming off one of the most disappointing losses of the Friedgen era after surrendering a 21-point lead in the second half of last Saturday's game at Wake Forest. Late in the third quarter with Maryland up 21-3, Terps QB Jordan Steffy threw a red zone pass which was intercepted by Wake CB Alphonso Smith and subsequently returned for a school record 100 yard... more ›

It isn't just your imagination -- the D.C. metro area's underground water pipe system is in fact busting more often than Elliott Gould. This morning's WaPo has the details on the record-setting rates at which Montgomery and Prince George's counties' water pipes have leaked and broken down in the past month. In may in those two counties, 42 water pipes have broken, including the two water main breaks yesterday that left 2,200 residents in Bethesda... more ›

"Martin O'Malley signed the nation's first living wage law on Tuesday," read the Post this morning. Seems a little unfair, seeing as how the District passed its own living wage legislation back in January of 2006, a law which mandated that any firm receiving a District government contract in excess of $100,000 must pay its employees a minimum of $11.75 an hour. The Maryland law is similar; state contractors are required to pay workers $11.30 per hour in metropolitan areas such as Baltimore and D.C. and $8.50 per hour elsewhere. Governor O'Malley also happened to be a member of the Baltimore City Council back in 1994, when the city passed a landmark living wage law. more ›

The Maryland women's basketball team won't have a chance to repeat as national champions. The Terps lost to Mississippi in the second round 89-78. Maryland came into the tournament as a 2-seed, and their early exit is something of a disappointment, especially considered they returned almost their entire team from last year's title run. Foggy Bottom folks still have something to cheer for, however, as the Colonials beat Texas A&M on Monday and will face... more ›

So you survived the coldest night of the season. Now enjoy a healthy serving of wacky traffic. Water somehow made its way onto several area streets and is gumming up the works in fine fashion. Waking up with temps in the teens makes today's high of 39 sound positively toasty! more ›

Dear Neighbors, Is there any chance you guys could get on this? It seems like it could be important. The House of Representatives passed legislation yesterday that would commit $1.5 billion over 10 years to improve the Metro transit system as long as the District, Maryland and Virginia guarantee to match that money. The vote was 242 to 120, just exceeding the needed two-thirds majority. The District has approved a measure to dedicate 0.5 percent... more ›

Today's evening commute could be a wild one as around 180,000 demonstrators are expected to gather on the Mall this afternoon, many after marching through the downtown area from Meridian Hill Park. The National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice is expected to draw large crowds of supporters in cities across the nation (and has already begun to do so -- some 300,000 gathered yesterday in Dallas). The march through the city will begin around... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Today and tomorrow look likely to be rainy. You know when the weather was better? That's right, the good old days. Also better: the children of the past. Today's Post reports that six Manassas high school students have been disciplined after they were discovered participating in sexual activity in the school's auditorium. And WTOP reports that no police charges have yet been filed against the P.G. County student who on Wednesday attacked... more ›

Be warned, Washington -- with the fair days of spring come the soakers and we know many of you are allergic to rain. Today is looking to be rainy with highs in the mid-40s. The rain is even scaring off commuters near the White House, as shown in this desolate DDOT traffic camera shot from 7:20 a.m. showing H Street NW at Lafayette Park. Just Say It's So, Tony!: According to friends of D.C. Mayor... more ›

Good morning, Washington. The weather today is supposed to be frigidly chilly this morning with temperatures later rising into the 40s, according to Capital Weather. Drew McDermott's recent photo of the Virginia Square metrorail station entrance seems timely considering this morning's first item ... more ›

The Maryland State Court of Appeals has ruled that presidential candidate Ralph Nader was unfairly denied a spot on the state ballot and elections officials must include him as a candidate with the Populist Party. The Post reports that the court ruled that 542 disputed signatures are valid giving Nader enough signatures to put him on the ballot. While the news is sure to rankle folks at Kerry headquarters, Maryland is not a battleground state... more ›