A new report from the Urban Institute says that while the D.C. area weathered the late-2000s recession "relatively well," the region still endures a stubbornly high unemployment rate and a poverty rate of about 8 percent. more ›

Today, the Washington Examiner returns to a theme we've noticed (and scratched our collective temple at) a number of times over the past year. It seems that Fannie Mae and the Urban Institute have conducted a survey showing that many District families are leaving the capital for the suburbs, due, according to the Examiner piece, to poor schools, excessive condo construction, and high housing costs. Says the article:Most housing booms are “primarily driven by the... more ›

Pinpointing development patterns in a growing urban area is not an exact science. If it were, no one would ever go belly up after betting on a hip neighborhood for their new restaurant or investment property, and we wouldn't have to argue about what value a baseball stadium might or might not bring to the city. We can identify a couple of general rules, however. For instance, in a rapidly growing, quickly congesting city, a... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Today will be mild again -- with highs in the 60s -- but there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, so pack an umbrella. The photo above of the Gallup office door with a reflection of the National Portrait Gallery was taken by Flickr user Katmere. We couldn't check the headlines over at the Washington Examiner because it appears their website is down. more ›

Lawyer Abducted in Alexandria, Escapes Shallow Grave: This is just too weird. A lawyer, a stun gun, a shallow grave, a dispute over a will, a 75 year-old man standing near the shallow grave when the cops arrive. It sounds like it could make for a good side plot in "The Sopranos." No, this is not Jersey. It's Alexandria. Just read the Post's account of this odd drama to keep all the details straight.... more ›