Now here’s an interesting development: the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has gone online. Again. The last time the Memorial was in the news regarding the Internet was in September, when a “Turk Defacer” hacked into thewall-usa.com and used it to promulgate Turkish nationalism. And, in fact, the Memorial’s presence online has already been established through thewall-usa.com and other websites, where you can find tons of information on everything from the Memorial’s creation to the hometowns of......

Flickr user polytropos had a number of excellent photos from down at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial over the weekend. With today being Veterans Day, and just two days shy of the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Memorial, there was no doubt today's photo would come from that set. It was this black and white shot, not of the wall itself, but of the directory of names, in black and white with a......

>> The National Park Service said that most of the unidentified oily substance found on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in September has been removed. [AP/WJLA] >> The Laura Sessions Stepp Emergency Broadcast System has been activated. This is not a test. [why.i.hate.dc] >> A 25-year-old Bethesda woman died in a house fire early this morning. [WaPo] >> WaPo Editors: hy-per-link. Look it up. [Notions Capital] Photo by FrogMiller......

Written by DCist contributor Benjamin Schuman-Stoler Last week in our “revisiting sites we’ve walked by a hundred times" series we presented the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This week, we’ll look at that huge phallus in the exact center of the original D.C. map -- the Washington Monument. Screaming nothing but glory and testament, it is the classic D.C. monument. But we know its background isn’t as simple as its geometric profile. The National Park Service commissioned......

Written by DCist Contributor Ben Schuman-Stoler We all know about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, but probably mostly as a stop on the round-the-Mall tour we give visiting family and friends. If they ask, we tell them that a young woman won a competition in the '80s. They say, “Wow, that’s interesting. What a great memorial.” But it remains an emotional site, its message solemn and powerful, which we were reminded of when two acts of......

>> Still unable to identify the oily substance that was found on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial earlier this month, the U.S. Park Police today said that it was in fact vandalism that put it there. Clean-up is expected to be slow in an effort to avoid permanent damage to the memorial. [WaPo] >> Senate Minority Leader McConnell: "My opposition to this bill rests instead on a single all-important fact: it is clearly and unambiguously......

Good morning, Washington. Does your commute include the Wilson Bridge? If so, enjoy this morning's trip — it's the last speedy one you're likely to have this week. As Fox 5 details, some of the traffic around the bridge will be redirected beginning at 10 a.m. this morning. But the worst will be saved for overnight on Friday, when traffic will be reduced to a single lane. Hateful Vandalism Galore: What the hell is going......

As we mentioned earlier this week, sometimes we don't envy Washington's urban planners. Their challenges often encompass issues as varied and complicated as economic development, land use planning, sustainability, design and social justice. Add to that the design politics associated with the symbolism invested in the nation's capital, and planning for D.C. becomes a unique urban problem to tackle. Not that it stops us from trying. Yesterday, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission......

It's no secret — the National Mall, for all its historical significance, isn't exactly the prettiest place in the world. Broken water fountains, patchy grass, ugly security fences and totally nasty restrooms are amongst some of the many problems with what should really be a gorgeous space. The National Park Service is here to change that, and they're going all Web 2.0 on our asses through an online campaign asking the public their opinions on......

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund announced yesterday that their proposed Visitor Center received the final go-ahead from the National Capitol Planning Commission, which oversees the approval and design of monuments and memorials in D.C. The privately funded, $100 million complex will supplement Maya Lin’s 1982 Memorial Wall, with exhibits and programs to tell the story of the Vietnam War and commemorate the soldiers who fought it. The Visitor Center will be built just west of......

In a redeveloping city, where space is scarce and small squabbles over any piece of property has the potential to turn into a large heated community debate, the city's lack of available national monumental space could dominate the District's urban development discourse for much of the 21st century. On Monday, Post columnist Fred Hiatt, making the case for a "third-century Mall," gives us some historical perspective. As the nation has grown, so has the National......

Today will be mostly sunny blustery and cold with highs around 30. This photo of Lafayette Park was taken by Thomas Michael Corcoran. D.C. Government: Rolling in Dough: D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi announced yesterday that the D.C. government had a surplus of $318 million in 2004 and has amassed $1.2 billion in savings. After withholding most to accommodate for expected increases in healthcare for city employees and other expenses, Gandhi is......

Nightime visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will see a new lighting setup for the wall, which has been undergoing work since June. Work on the eastern portion of the memorial is now complete; now work shifts to the western portion. The new lighting scheme will better illuminate the 58,000 names on the wall, one of D.C.'s most haunting memorials.......