File this under "lame." WJLA has had a story up on their web site since yesterday about how a Fourth District Police Commander was apparently having an extramarital affair, and that his 14-year-old daughter accidentally stumbled upon the graphic photographic evidence. Their sad attempt at a news peg includes that he "might" have sent the woman he was having an affair with some emails while he was at the office, and that the emails between... more ›

Compiled by DCist Contributors Josh Kramer and Sarah Stonesifer The Eagle - American: >> AU is fine-tuning their free HIV testing program to accommodate students' schedules. They've also switched from an anonymous testing program to a confidential one. The changes aim to bring the school in line with the District government's HIV testing initiative. >> The American University bus drivers were approved by the Undergraduate Senate to have their own union, a debate that had... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Here at DCist, we pride ourselves on providing a forum for law-abiding citizens to discuss issues facing our city, like development and crime, in as open and honest a manner as possible. We may give you our opinions from time to time as a way to get the ball rolling (OK, all the time), but we're always open to hearing from those of you who disagree. Except for right now. Anyone... more ›

>> Idaho Sen. Larry Craig will announce his plans Saturday amid calls from his GOP colleagues for his resignation. [AP via MSNBC] >> What would you do if a homeless person set up camp on your stoop? [Prince of Petworth] >> Fewer people will be driving out of town this weekend than is typical for Labor Day. [WaPo] >> The MPD has advised that there will be an authorized fly - over the District... more ›

>> The city is suing Dynamic Corp., the contractor who was performing renovations on the Georgetown Public Library branch when it burned down in April, for $13 million. [WTOP] >> Work crews have started dismantling the old Verizon Center scoreboard, with the new state-of-the-art one promised in time for the start of the Wizards' fall season, which begins Oct. 9. [Free Ride] >> One in four adults read no books at all in the... more ›

Brookland neighborhood blog stop, blog and roll points to a pretty horrifying crime story we missed: A woman was sexually assaulted and beaten inside her basement apartment on the 900 block of Perry Place NE Friday night, and then subsequently driven by the suspect to several ATMs around the neighborhood and forced to withdraw money. The assault occurred as the woman was entering her apartment -- she was grabbed from behind, forced inside, beaten and... more ›

Good morning, D.C. If you live in Wards 1 or 2, don't forget to turn out to vote today in the special election for District I member of the State Board of Education. There's only one name on the ballot, that of veteran education reporter Mary Lord, but as we mentioned before, there's also a write-in candidate, first-year teacher in DCPS Jason Crawford. Check out each candidate's web site and decide for yourself. If... more ›

Long after the official fireworks display had ended last night, the District's neighborhoods cracked and popped as residents of all types took to the streets with fireworks of their own. The city's DIY fireworks culture isn't anything new -- we reported on it last year -- but its opponents seem to have gotten much more vocal. Over the last week, residents have taken to neighborhood listservs to decry the July 4th tradition, arguing that the... more ›

A couple of odd and/or disturbing crimes that happened in the District this morning are making headlines. >> Metro Transit Police are investigating a stabbing outside the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro Station that took place early this morning. There are conflicting reports about exactly what happened. ABC7 says the unidentified victim told police he was stabbed from behind while he was going down the escalator at the metro entrance at 7th and H Streets NW. But... more ›

>> A suspicious package at the National Postal Museum next to Union Station caused the area to be evacuated during the lunch rush today. Luckily -- or perhaps, unluckily, if you work for the bomb squad -- the offending package turned out to contain only a soiled diaper. The area was reopened by 1:30 p.m. On behalf of the city, DCist would like to thank you, fearless, put upon bomb squad members, for keeping us... more ›

It wasn't long ago that we were concerned about a crime resurgence in the District, or a troubling increase in Washington homicides. But while a number of high profile crimes, including some well-publicized Northwest murders, have fueled anxiety among some D.C. residents, crime statistics from the MPD continue to indicate that 2006 could be a banner year for crime reduction in the city. Through today, there have been 48 homicides in the District in 2006,... more ›

For the past two months, we've been sounding the alarm over crime statistics that we felt indicated a significant increase in robberies and homicides in the District. In January, we focused on increasing robberies, assaults, and thefts while noting that there were two more homicides in January of 2006 than in January of 2005. In February, we noted that crime moderated somewhat (particularly assaults), but we got kind of nervous about the ballooning homicide tally.... more ›

Although we've already reported on the drop in homicides in the District, an analysis by the Metropolitan Police provides us with a better picture as to the nature of homicide in our city. The MPD is very much pleased with the drop in homicides in 2004. There were only 198 murders in 2004, which is the lowest number of homicides since 1986. In the all-time high in 1991, 482 people were killed in the District.... more ›

This week, the Metropolitan Police has been leafleting cars parked in Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and the U Street corridor to inform car owners who park in areas with high rates of car theft about a new program to monitor their cars. Watch Your Car is a national program where car owners who don't use their cars between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. place decals in their windows. If police anywhere see cars with the... more ›