Alright, I'll admit it. I wasn't maniacally refreshing the Washington Times website early this morning. Fortunately, the folks over at SocialStudiesDC were, as they were able to catch this headline gaffe of massive proportions. more ›

Breaking right now from the Washington Times: Former Vice President Dick Cheney is at The George Washington University Hospital this morning to undergo elective surgery on his spine. Cheney visited GWU Hospital something like 643 times over the course of the Bush administration, typically taking his massive motorcade along for the ride, the Secret Service keen on shutting down nearby streets. But now that he's no longer in office, we're curious to hear from Foggy Bottom denizens about whether any security presence is even noticeable around the hospital today. Can you tell Cheney is in the house? more ›

Yesterday evening, White House press secretary Dana Perino had to make a final announcement regarding outgoing Vice President Dick Cheney: He hurt himself while helping with his move to McLean, Virginia and pulled a back muscle. Yes, Cheney, with his history of heart trouble, was apparently helping with the move. His doctor said he should use a wheelchair for the next few days—which means he'll be attending the Inauguration in a wheelchair. "The vice president is looking forward to being there for tomorrow's historic inaugural activities," Perino said. more ›

Vice President Dick Cheney puts his troubled heart in the care of George Washington University Medical Center (check out The Colonialist's photos of Cheney waving to the crowd as he left yesterday afternoon), but the Liaison Committee on Medical Education has since put the medical school for which the hospital serves as a training ground on probation. The Post characterizes the probationary status of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences as no laughing matter: it is the only medical school currently on probation, and only the fifth put on probation since 1994. The problems cited by the committee include areas ranging from curriculum, to administration, to facilities management. The school remains fully accredited while it works to improve to the point where its probationary status is removed. more ›

For those of you who live or work near The George Washington University Medical Center, heads up that Vice President Dick Cheney is heading back there today to see his regular heart doctor. The Associated Press is reporting that Cheney experienced an irregular heart beat this morning, and has since canceled a campaign event on behalf of John McCain and "scheduled a hospital visit to 'restore his normal rhythm.'" Cheney is well known to Foggy Bottom residents for clogging traffic around Washington Circle with his enormous motorcade whenever he goes in to GWU for his many heart-related procedures. The Vice President has had four heart attacks. Folks around GWU should expect the Vice Presidential motorcade sometime this afternoon. more ›

Every blogger in America is scrambling to pull together some kind of background information on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain named as his running mate this morning. The hits are generally these: She's been governor for a little under two years; she used to be a sports reporter and later mayor of Wasilla City; she took second place in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest; she's super pro-life. She's also being investigated by the Alaska state legislature on allegations that she fired her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper for personal reasons. more ›

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine refused to answer any direct questions this morning about whether the Obama campaign has told him they are considering choosing him as running mate. Kaine, who has been named as one of Obama's top three or four choices for VP over the last week, appeared on the "Hands Across the Potomac" show hosted by WTOP's Mark Segraves, alongside Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. more ›

CNN is reporting that the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is on fire. From the looks of it firefighters have already gotten the worst of the flames, which began as an electrical problem on the 3rd floor, under control, but a small amount of smoke is still coming out of the building. No injuries have been reported. more ›

Good morning, Washington. It's news of the weird day today on DCist, as the Post tells the bizarre story of two 2nd-year engineering students from U-Va. who have been charged with the kidnapping of a man in Tysons Corner and demanding $500,000 in ransom. Both the two kidnappers and the victim are Chinese nationals who had been living with host families in Virginia while attending college. Police arrested Guanyu Lu and Baichuan Shu, both 19,... more ›

>> Both the White House Christmas Tree and the Capitol Christmas Tree arrived in Washington today. >> D.C. fire officials are warning people not to overload electrical circuits in their homes this holiday season in the wake of a fatal garage fire over the weekend. [WTOP] >> Vice President Dick Cheney experienced an irregular heartbeat Monday and will be heading to George Washington University Hospital to have it checked out -- in case you... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Recent increases in gun-related crime in the city seems to be today's main topic of news, just as the Supreme Court may announce today whether it intends to take another look at D.C.'s handgun ban. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has scheduled a press conference this morning to address the District's position on its gun safety law, but in the meantime the Washington Post is questioning the law's effectiveness and just last... more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Sarah Stonesifer The Diamondback – University of Maryland: >> Hartwick Towers, an off-campus apartment building, was the scene of a fire on Friday, Oct. 12. The fire has come under scrutiny by both students and city officials, as the building is not equipped with sprinklers and fire alarms did not function during the fire. Students were left on their own to find alternative housing until they were let back into their... more ›

Morning, Washington. We hope you were out enjoying the fantastic weather, especially since the environment has been front and center in the news this weekend. As you must have heard, our former Vice President turned Global Warming Guru had to shove over the Oscar on his mantle to make space for half of a Nobel Peace Prize. Maybe after the news you were inspired to go check out the 20 amazing houses built on the... more ›

Just like with the late-night votes in the D.C. Council on whether or not to finance the construction of a new stadium a few years back, we all hoped to wake up this morning and find out that the Senate had voted again and decided that voting rights for the District was a go. No such luck. We did, however, pick up a new champion for the cause. Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) was the only... more ›

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... more ›

>> D.C. is the fifth most overpriced real estate market in the country. [Examiner] >> Four teenage girls were arrested today after Frederick police said they found 33 pounds of marijuana in their car. [NBC4] >> A police chase led a fleeing driver in a white Cadillac to drive on the wrong side of I-295. [WTOP] >> The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the union representing 10,000 Amtrak workers, has reached a tentative agreement on... more ›

>> "A federal appeals court ruled today that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, must report to prison shortly to begin serving his 30-month sentence for lying to federal investigators about his role in leaking a CIA officer's identity." [WaPo] UPDATE: Man, we honestly thought that first comment was a joke for a minute! Bush has commuted Libby's prison sentence. >> Please Add L2 to NextBus, K? Thx [The... more ›

>> Vice President Dick Cheney is claiming that, for the purposes of securing classified information, his office is not part of the executive branch. Exactly which branch are you in then, Mr. Vice President? [Raw Story] >> Are you ready for another severe thunderstorm alert? The National Weather Service just issued one from now until 10 p.m. >> There's a book launch party tonight for Murray Waas' The United States vs. I. Lewis Libby. Somehow... more ›

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison today and fined $250,000 for lying to investigators about his role in leaking the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame. The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney was convicted of two counts of perjury, one count of making false statements to FBI agents, and one count of obstructing justice three months ago. more ›

Brenda L. Belton, who was fired last year from her job as director of the Office of Charter School Oversight amid allegations of embezzlement and fraud, has indicated she will plead guilty to five counts, including theft from a program receiving public funds, conversion of public money, bankruptcy fraud, and federal and local tax evasion. Belton stands accused of wrongfully paying herself more than $418,000, and wrongfully obligating the government in seven separate contracts worth... more ›

>> Music junkies raised in an era of candy-coated pop or Seattle-based indie should check out a screening of The Day The Country Died: A History of Anarcho-Punk 1980-1984 at the Black Cat tonight. The flick features rare performances caught on tape before the era of ubiquitous personal video recorders, along with interviews from artists and activists. $5, 9 p.m. more ›

>> Students at George Washington Middle School in Alexandria have been locked inside the school since around 2:30 p.m. today, after some students said they may have seen another student with a BB gun, school officials said. [WaPo] more ›

>> Aramark, the ballpark concessionaire at RFK and other stadiums, is eliminating trans fat from its menu, and adding a number of "healthy" options such as veggie hot dogs, pasta salad and fruit cups. In related news, Baseball has been officially declared the least fun sport in America. [Baltimore Business Journal] >> Reigning MLS Defender of the Year and D.C. United backline stalwart Bobby Boswell is holding a launch party for his blog tonight... more ›

A trial that has captivated Washington has come to an end. From CNN: Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been found guilty on four of five counts in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial. Libby, 56, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The five-count indictment against the former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney alleges perjury, obstruction of justice and making false... more ›

>>The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw its biggest one-day drop in five years today, coming on the heels of today's other big news about an attempt on Vice President Cheney's life by a Taliban suicide in Afghanistan. The sell-off began in Asia overnight and continued across Europe, when two exchanges in Shanghai that track the Chinese stock markets both fell nearly 9 percent -- that largest drop in a decade. [WaPo] >> As if... more ›

>> D.C. Board of Education Vice President Carolyn Graham enjoys making cartoon dress-up dolls on the Internet while at work. But really guys, who doesn't? [Yeas and Nays] >> The bloggers at Free Darko join Deadspin in talking about our very own Agent Zero. "More bottomless riddle than one-note lightweight," indeed. [Deadspin] >> After being profiled in the illustrious New York Times, the Capital Club decides it's not so illustrious after all. [Wonkette] >> Mayor-to-be... more ›

We've been looking forward to the launch of Patrick Gavin and Jeff DuFour's new daily Beltway column, "Yeas and Nays", for a few weeks now, largely so we could finally be sure just what sorts of topics the two would be covering under the somewhat inscrutable decscription of "people, power and politics." C'mon guys, that could be about anything from the current brouhaha at The New Republic to what kind of toilet paper Vice President... more ›

Is it too early to be thinking about the fall TV season? Well, the FOX network says no and we agree. So what if it's not even Labor Day yet? FOX officially kicks off their new season tonight with the season premiere of Prison Break at 8 p.m., and the series premiere of the new, D.C.-based show Vanished at 9 p.m. And, we gotta say, it’s not a moment to soon. Vanished revolves around the... more ›

, a group of short plays being workshopped for the Capital Fringe Festival, the debate is less over whether the topic is valid and more on whether these works have anything new to say. more ›

Saturday at the Fringe brings audience goers political polemics, aerial artistry, deconstruction chic and a tour of some D.C. neighborhoods. When you have to navigate, don't forget to use our special Fringetastic new Google Map. The best way to get to the show on time! Theatrical Performances: Frozty the Abominable Snowman, Landless Theatre There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found! For when they placed it on his head, he... more ›