Major roadwork is scheduled on the Outer Loop starting Friday night and lasting until Sunday afternoon, which will reduce traffic to one lane in preparation for next week's shift to moving traffic onto the second span of the Wilson Bridge. In addition to the lane closures, ramps at the Route 1 Interchange to and from the Outer Loop will be closed, and detours from the Telegraph Road Interchange and the Springfield Interchange will be in......

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......

>> "Florida's top police agency said Wednesday its investigation into former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's lurid Internet communications with teenage boys has been hindered because neither Foley nor the House will let investigators examine his congressional computers." [AP via TPM] >> "A New Carrollton mother accused of leaving her five young children in filth pleaded guilty in the case on Thursday." [NBC4] >> "A D.C. Superior Court judge today sentenced a former D.C. police......

After an interstate bridge collapse in Minneapolis killed four people yesterday evening, authorities in the Washington metro area are reassuring drivers that the region's bridges are safe, and there's no reason to think something like that could happen here. The Minneapolis bridge was in the midst of being repaired, and there are several major bridges in D.C. also undergoing construction, including the the Wilson Bridge and the Douglass Memorial Bridge -- though the latter has......

Good morning, D.C. There's no denying it's hot enough to cause real discomfort, but is it too hot to reasonably believe that two young girls willingly got inside the closed trunk of their father's car to play? That is one of the questions before a Massachusetts judge in the case of a D.C. man who pleaded not guilty yesterday to reckless endangerment and assault charges after police responded to a neighbor who spotted the two......

Good morning, Washington. You know, it didn't seem like that much of a storm. But apparently last night's brief thunder and lightning wrought more than their fair share of havoc: lightning struck a shopping center in Maryland, badly damaging it. In fact, WJLA had footage of the shopping center's laundromat last night — it had been completely obliterated. We had no idea! Still, it at least appears that the power system wasn't too badly affected:......

>> 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] >> If you use the Wilson Bridge to get home, it's time to think about alternate routes. Two southbound lanes of the Beltway are closed after a sinkhole opened around noon. Crews working on the Virginia side......

Good morning, Washington. As you might imagine, the news is still dominated by coverage of the tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech on Monday. Many of the shooter's writings have been found and are being pored over; with classes canceled for the week and many students heading home, it seems likely that today's news cycle will focus on the killer and his motives. Governor Kaine has also ordered an independent investigation into the school's......

This chilly April weather appears to have frozen more than just flowers overnight here in Washington -- local news coverage has turned cold and stopped moving as well. It's a bit of a slow news Friday so far, so we'll take this as an opportunity to give a shoutout to the hard working copy editors on the WaPo's Metro desk. We couldn't easily skim through all of the days' stories if you didn't write such......

>> You might want to pick up your porn before heading to the beach this summer. Ocean City has passed a moratorium on sex shops of all kinds. We can only see this as a boon to Washington's own hard-working purveyors of such merchandise. Not that anyone at DCist has any idea where such stores might be. [WTOP] >> One D.C. blogger has already had it up to here with clueless tourists on the Metro.......

Hey Washington, are you suddenly feeling cheerier than usual this morning, without knowing for sure why? Well check it out: Congressional Democrats have gone ahead and returned to a rules change that allows nonstate representatives to vote on amendments. The nonstates included in the rule, which was also in place from 1993-1995, are American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Now it's on to getting full voting rights!......

Happy Friday, Washington, and welcome to the newly redesigned DCist.com. Yes, our benevolent overlords in New York have been rolling out their new design city-by-city, and today it's our turn. We're still getting used to it ourselves, and of course we already know you'll give us your full and honest opinions in the comments. So go crazy — we're all halfway there already, and so is the weather forecast today. You might actually need that......

DCist wishes to send warm fuzzy thoughts and to express solidarity with Martha this morning, upon hearing that she has again been seriously injured and is currently undergoing treatment at the Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research center in Delaware. Martha, the female half of the D.C. area's most dashing Eagle couple, has already suffered some serious indignities this year. After being injured in a mid-air fight with another female eagle back in April, Martha eventually......

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to another beautiful fall day. Let's start it with a question for the group — which of the following better exemplifies the proud tradition of local news: WTTG's repeated pre-commercial teases last night warning that "this teddy bear is responsible for the deaths of thousands"? Or this snippet of audio from The Simpsons? Richmond Nixes Transportation Funding: The Virginia Legislature's special session is off to an unproductive start, as the......

Good morning, D.C. How are you feeling this morning? Tired? Did you stay up late to watch the old Wilson Bridge be demolished? Yeah, us too. After waiting for what seemed like forever (due to, it turns out, some real geniuses who broke through the fence to get closer to the action) , the Bridge was finally blown, though we have to admit to being somewhat disappointed with the spectacle. Sure, the explosions were loud......

So it's been a while since we've run this feature because, well, there just hasn't been much transportation news over the past few weeks. Area lawmakers are on summer break and the city has more or less switched on the standard August cruise control. This week, however, brings us the demise of the Wilson Bridge and thoughts for the future of the Green Line. Photo by trentroche......

When the new span of the Wilson Bridge was first opened, the Washington Post published an editorial asking, "What's next?" Given this area's staggering growth rate, we're all in serious trouble if another 35 years goes by without another new bridge. Yet there is no active planning for another Potomac crossing.That may be true for the Potomac, but when it comes to D.C.'s other river, plans are moving rapidly forward for reconstruction of the 11th......

We promise you, Washington, we’ll let go of this soon. Very soon. By November 7th at the latest. Yesterday, George Allen placed a telephone call to S.R. Sidarth to apologize yet again for the slip of the tongue that has sent his campaign into a tailspin. Allen’s critics remain unimpressed, including the 50 protesters that greeted President Bush’s arrival at an Allen fundraiser yesterday with signs that included, "Hey, George, macaca is a bad word."......

Travel Might Suck Today: A word to the wise -- Amtrak and Greyhound might seem like mighty good options in the coming days. As you've no doubt heard, British officials report that they have broken up a plot to blow up airplanes flying from London to the U.S., sending both countries into a security frenzy, writes NBC 4. Things are so bad that passengers are now forbidden from carrying any liquids or gels onto......

This past weekend, Beltway traffic began moving entirely on the gleaming new span of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, the completed first half of a project to replace the old river-crossing with 12 shimmering lanes, arcing from Virginia, through a sliver of District, into Maryland. Almost immediately, reports NBC 4, demolition began on the old Wilson bridge. That old bridge was a pain. It was cramped and usually jammed. Planners hadn't anticipated the crush of traffic......

Discussion of recent crime activity continues today, but not in an encouraging way. The Post focuses on Chief Ramsey's comments yesterday, which noted that criminals are increasingly leaving their own neighborhoods and coming to wealthier places in the city, including areas of the National Mall. Ramsey says this is new and striking behavior, but it's hard to imagine that no one saw this coming. Luckily for Ramsey, the mayor is back and ready to begin......

Good morning, Washington. WaPo relays that the debate over D.C.'s cab fares is getting feisty, while WJLA tells us that the film industry is bringing some bucks to Virginia. On that note, for all of you documentary film buffs out there, today is the start of the fourth-annual SilverDocs film festival over in Silver Spring. From today until June 18, you can revel in the glory of the documentary. From one that follows the inspiring......

A day late, a buck short. If it had run when it was supposed to, Transit on Thursday would have brought you big praise for Mr. Customer Service, talk of toll lanes on I-95, some trouble on the Wilson Bridge, and an official insult to D.C.'s drivin' skillz. Photo by Burnt Pixel......

Well folks, today is 06/06/06. If you're unaware of the old wives tales associated with this date, Livescience.com may shed some light on it. And since it's somewhat hard to avoid an entire day, just watch out for any folks named Damien, the apocalypse, or devilish things today. Officers Placed on Leave after D.C. Jail Break: In what sounds like a Hollywood storyline, the D.C. jail break continues to make news. WJLA tells us that......

Good morning, D.C. Seeing as we're in the midst of the annual summer spike in crime, you might be feeling a little vulnerable right now. Well, good news! It turns out that we can at least stop worrying quite so much about terrorist attacks — according to DHS, anyway. In order to justify the recent cuts to anti-terror funding for the District, the agency has begun explaining that we simply aren't that likely to be......

Good morning, Washington. So... did you participate in Bike to Work Day? And wasn't it surprisingly pleasant? We hope the answer to both questions is yes. Here's one more reason to pick up the habit: yesterday WTOP reported that Metro will be replacing its old bike racks with ones that are more spacious and secure. Wilson Bridge Dedicated: The Post paints the scene at yesterday's Wilson Bridge Dedication ceremony. Governors! Giant flags! Woodrow Wilson's Rolls......

Thanks to our friends over at FreeRide, we've learned that Sue Palka, Fox 5's weathercaster, has some fans. More than just fans, though, she has a fansite. Why? According to the site, "She's smart, she's sassy, and (we bet) she can drink you under the table. Does she get the weather right? Who cares? It's always sunny when Sue's around!" Maybe. But we've always been big fans of Michael Gargiulo and Shawn Yancy. Williams Demands......

Good morning, Washington. Marine Corps Marathon registration opens at noon today, so those of you ready to take on the 26.2 should be ready to get your information in. There will be a number of DCists doing their best to join the field this year (the presale password is "dehydration"). Yours truly will not be among them, but we wish all entrants the best. At right is a photo of Wilson Bridge construction; no reason......

Enjoying your grey and drizzly morning, Washington? Well you're in luck. Our current perfectly reasonable precipitation is predicted to turn into an ill-tempered thunderstorm by this afternoon. If only we could prescribe psychotropic drugs and anger management classes for the weather. Alas. We'll just have to settle for some slightly upsetting headlines. Police Find More Guns In Shooter's Home: The Post brings us the latest developments in the investigation of Monday's shooting at the Sully......

Good morning, D.C. In addition to scattered showers and thunderstorms, today brings news that the Circulator bus line is nearing its millionth passenger. Not too shabby — although the city's busiest buslines put up those kinds of numbers every month and a half (probably less, given the age of the linked numbers). But officials say that Circulator ridership has been increasing steadily; assuming the service survives the looming Tourmobile legal apocalypse, its planned route around......