Written by Morgan Hargrave It is usually not a good sign when a museum’s first display details how popular it used to be. It seems the National Museum of Health and Medicine is decades removed from its glory days, when it was called the Army Medical Museum and resided in a series of more prestigious locations around D.C. It attracted between 450,000 and 765,000 visitors per year during the 1960s before being moved away from...
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Good morning, Washington. Usually, we get pretty excited about coming in to work only to discover that the big, unwieldy and potentially troublesome meeting that was scheduled has been canceled. That's often a gold star kind of day that deserves a special trip out for a fancy coffee, and maybe doing a little jig behind the closed door of your office, right? But we have to express some serious disappointment that this meeting appears to...
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...
Despite the brightly shining sun and lovely breeze currently making its way through downtown Washington, you might want to bring along an umbrella today -- CapitalWeather.com is predicting a 60 percent chance of showers and possible thunderstorms later this afternoon. But don't think of it as an inconvenience. Think of it as a chance to gleefully splash in puddles just like you did when you were young -- you know, like the last time we...
Good morning D.C., and thanks for sticking with us. We realize that there may be some confusion about our legal status as a website in light of our failure, to date, to post the HD-DVD decryption key that 95% of the web seems to now be busy defiantly reproducing. Rest assured: we are still an internet website. As soon as we figure out a way to photoshop the 16-byte hexadecimal number into a picture...
Good morning, Washington. Looks like we have two new D.C. Council members this morning: Muriel Bowser, a 34-year-old ANC, took the Ward 4 seat vacated by Mayor Adrian Fenty, and Yvette M. Alexander, a 45-year-old former insurance regulator, took the Ward 7 seat left behind by Council Chair Vincent Gray. Both women ran in extremely crowded fields, but received the endorsements of their predecessors which allowed them to stand out from the pack (and raise...
>> Metrobus driver and five passengers injured in bus crash. No charges filed. [NBC4]
Hey there, District. We'll admit, we woke up a little on the grumpy side this morning when we looked out the window and remembered we're supposed to have thunderstorms and sporadic showers for the next 72 hours. But those frowns turned upside down when we took a look at the ten-day forecast and realized that what the weather gods aren't asking for much patience -- after today, we can expect average to above-average temperatures...
If you've been itching for a day of pampering but can't seem to justify the cost after sending in that check to the IRS, DCist found the perfect excuse. Thursday, Washington women are invited to Beauty Night Out, a event highlighting style and beauty trends along with facials, hair consultations and cocktails. Best of all, a portion of the proceeds from the to do benefit Dress for Success, a program to help disadvantaged women flourish...
Well Washington, it's been a fun week, but this Friday the 13th leaves us a little jittery. To combat any bad mojo, we decided to start the day on a bright note are share a snapshot of DCist headquarters, or at least a reasonable facsimile therein. Reader Lara Marks-Finder sent us this yummy scene in response to the Post's Peep diorama contest. She also accurately depicts the inner workings of D.C.'s other top-notch blogs....
Good morning, Washington. We really wish we had some good news to share in regards to the local weather forecast, but it's starting to seem as though the more often we refresh the weather page, the worse the predictions actually get. So new rule this morning. We'll only talk about kittens and lollipops and pretty pretty ribbons until we get at least two days in a row with sunshine. Our strategy is clear: annoy the...
>> Was your commute this morning a mess thanks to a failure on the part of WMATA to plan for the DST switch? [DC Metblogs] >> Remember when we asked you about police presence in your neighborhood? Don't forget to fill out the MPD's official Community Survey before it closes on Wednesday, so you can tell them what's going on where you live directly. >> Army Surgeon General has requested early retirement in the...
Yesterday's snow storm didn't add up to much as expected, but some of the melted snow on the ground froze overnight, causing a number of suburban school districts to alter their schedules today. Lucky bastards. In the end, only 1.3 inches of snow fell at Reagan National Airport, and with sunny days today and tomorrow with highs in 40s, most of that will likely disappear in short order. Better luck next year, snowpocalypse. Jail Time...
Good Morning, D.C. Are you one of those people who counts on regular weather patterns to plan your week and travel? Ha! After a week of wintry mix horrors and an odd weekend in the 50's, temperatures are back in the 30's today, with winds causing spotty power outages in our area. If you miss the fluffy white stuff, then hold your breath for about 24 hours and enjoy a wet snow front tomorrow. But...
And a glorious Friday to you, Washington. Granted, it's not exactly pleasant out right now, but we're going to boldly agree completely with the National Weather Service about tomorrow: highs in the mid-50s, with plenty of sun (peeking through a few clouds). We'll take it. After the week we've had, we would have taken Antarctica, just as long as we got to sleep in a little and not have to think about work for at...
>> The DC Independent Film Festival (DCIFF) opens tonight with a special tribute to Academy Award winning Executive Producer John Daly (Terminator, Platoon), and DCist will be there. Daly will be presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the film industry. Having trouble choosing between which of the 139 films being offered this year? DCist will have a slew of reviews over the course of the festival. We're especially excited about DCIFF's move...
It's another nice day out there, Washington. Or, is it? Actually forecasters are calling for rain (but no wintry mix here) in the late part of the day, so bring your umbrella even though it doesn't seem like you really need one right now. And while you're searching the depths of your closet for one, consider this question: Now that the plans for a new Madame Tussauds wax museum in downtown Washington are officially coming...
Watch where you step this morning, Washington! The Examiner brings us word that the D.C. Emergency Management Agency lists manhole cover explosions, like the one that brough traffic to a standstill around the National Mall last Wednesday, as one of the District’s 18 major hazards, alongside urban crime, hurricanes, terrorism and floods. See, D.C. has the second–largest underground power system in the country, which means underground fires which can cause those manholes to explode are...
And a good Friday to you, Washington. It's just about the weekend, a great time to continue that celebrating or mourning that you've had going on for the last few days, depending on what side of the political aisle you're on. Today will be a sunny day, with highs around 70. The temperature is slated to hit the same mark on Saturday, only it will be a partly cloudy day. Sunday will see highs in...
MONDAY Gary D. Cole built a career thriving at the apex of contradiction—CIA lawyer turned theatre artist, staunch conservative at Cal-Berkeley, a Bush campaign supporter who never let his politics get in the way of producing vital art. Those worlds collided after a Presidential appointment to the NEA was withdrawn because he once produced Poona The Fuckdog (a funny, smutty little play local theatre-goers may remember being produced by Cherry Red Productions). Cole retraces his...
Last month, Inside Higher Ed had a story you might have missed about a local effort to establish a U.S. Public Service Academy. Two veterans of Teach for America, Shawn Raymond and Chris Myers Asch, have put together a proposal for an elite national university modeled after the U.S. Armed Services academies (West Point, Air Force Academy, etc.), but instead of military service, students would receive a federally-subsidized education in exchange for 5 years of civilian public service. You can download their entire proposal here.
Forgetful drivers be warned -- this is not the week to not wear your seatbelt. The Metropolitan Police Department has announced that through June 4 they will be stepping up enforcement of the city's seatbelt laws, violations of which can result in a $50 fine and two points on your license. The District Department of Transportation has reported that seatbelt usage in the District stands at 89 percent -- leaving 11 percent of drivers...
The District has seen good times in the last few years. Business is booming and neglected properties and neighborhoods are seeing new investment. Crime has plummeted over the past decade, and corruption in the government has faded even as the city's coffers have filled with new tax revenues. The ebbing of many of the city's old problems has combined with the election year to place a new and intense focus on fixing the city's...
It was a tantalizing prospect. The news that Walter Reed Army Medical Center would close in 2011 had District residents and officials dreaming of the possible uses for the 113 acres of land located between 16th Street and Georgia Avenue in residential Northwest Washington. Getting their hands on the land was always a longshot, however, and news organizations are reporting today that the Feds have lowered the boom on the idea -- deciding instead to...
The owners of Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse in the downtown Capital Hilton recently learned what Lorelai and Rory Gilmore have known all along: regularly scheduled Friday night dinners are contentious affairs.
Momentum is building for the push to develop and improve the Columbia Pike corridor, stubborn Giant notwithstanding. A recent article in the Washington Business Journal notes that a significant piece of the development effort could begin to take shape as early as May of this year. An unidentified developer is prepared to close on a property at the corner of Columbia Pike and South Walter Reed Drive, across the street from the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, and turn it into a condominium complex with over 40,000 square feet of retail, the bulk of which could be a new Harris Teeter grocery store. The presence of a new, upscale grocer will likely put pressure on the Columbia Pike Giant, whose insistence on maintaining its low-slung, big box design has impeded efforts to increase the walkability and density of the commercial strip.
So, here's the story so far: yesterday we posted about a campaign to name Lincoln Ross' "Come to Washington" the official anthem of the District. Many commenters chimed in with other options, and it was suggested that we take a vote. So we did (current results are above). And then other people kept chiming in. Here, then, is what we're going to do. Below are additional suggestions that have been made. We're going to...
We here at DCist are all about community development, and certainly the knowledge contained in our public libraries is a valuable resource that should be kept well maintained and freely available. Reading is FUNdamental, no? We just wish that for once, a government task force could report back to the mayor without bringing along a nine-digit number. The latest to issue a draft report thusly was the Mayor's task force on D.C.'s public libraries, which...
Good morning, Washington. It's back to to work after a long weekend (though we know of, among others, certain embassy employees and corporate drones who had to go into the office yesterday). Though we're pretty sure we didn't need a survey to tell us this, a quality-of-life survey shows affordable housing and traffic are main concerns for District residents. Here is a run-down of other D.C. headlines this morning: Possible D.C. Parking Fee Price Hikes:...
Good morning, Washington. As if the Christmas lights and plastic santas weren't enough to satiate our holiday decorating needs, now we're getting word of an abundance of nativity scenes with live animals -- camels to be exact. As cute as this sounds, something about your lawn ornaments spitting on you just doesn't seem like a good idea. And aren't camels desert-roaming beasts? With the beginning of winter behind us and Christmas and Hanukkah fastly...
