By DCist Contributor Matt Pelkey On the Fourth of July you light fireworks, on Memorial Day you grill hunks of meat, and on Labor Day you grill more hunks of meat. But how should you celebrate Emancipation Day this Monday? The voting rights march leaves little excuse for perverting another holiday into reason for a meaningless leisure activity. But if for some reason you can’t be at the march, make up for it by heading…

By DCist Contributor Matt Pelkey Taxes. Yeah, we said it. Taxes, taxes, taxes, taxes. Nobody wants to think about them, nobody wants talk about them, but over the next two weeks, D.C.’s procrastinators will all be doing them. Luckily, the Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) will once again prepare your D.C. individual income tax returns for free, and today it added three and a half hours to its work day for the next two…

While most of us are eagerly awaiting the start of May sweeps, the network suits are already thinking ahead to next fall and tinkering with the pilots of new shows. If you’re just a tiny bit nuts about television, like, ahem, some of us are, pilot season is a pretty exciting time to see what shows are in development and what might actually get picked up to air come September. D.C. is, of course, well…

That somewhat dubious distinction goes to local George Washington University. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education and as reported in Forbes magazine, GW has the highest tuition of any college in America. Incoming undergrads can not only expect to learn in the heart of the nation’s capital, but they (or, more likely, their parents) can expect to pay a very, very pretty penny to do so. The financial snap shot isn’t pretty:George Washington University…

A bit of disheartening news today for local runners. According to an email sent by Richard Zeichik, National Director for the AIDS Marathon Training Program, the group will discontinue its popular training program in the D.C. area in 2007. It seems that the group’s partner, the Whitman-Walker Clinic, has chosen to sever its ties with the organization. From the email: After nine incredible years of producing the AIDS Marathon Training Program on behalf of Whitman-Walker…

Editors Note: Yesterday afternoon a 27- year old Mason student fell to his death from the third story of the Johnson Center. This post was written yesterday afternoon, before the current facts were known, and is in no way meant to be insensitive. DCist extends every condolence to the young man’s family and the Mason community. George Mason University, located in the middle of beautiful congested Fairfax, Virginia, is, apparently, one of the unhappiest college…

It feels like it’s been a while since anyone truly famous has graced our fair city with their presence, but it looks like that drought comes to an end today. According to an email we received yesterday, Matt Damon and Robert DeNiro are in town (actually in Fairfax, Virginia) today taping a special episode of Chris Matthews’ Hardball. Before you berate us for not passing this tip on earlier, tickets were only available to Mason…

Written by DCist Contributor Christopher Durocher. If the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has a month to call their own, it’s October. The month begins with National Coming Out Day and ends with Halloween — the gay equivalent to Christmas. It’s fitting, then, that the Mayor’s LGBT Advisory Committee used this month to present to Mayor Anthony Williams its Committee Report and Recommendations, a nine page document highlighting issues of concern to the…

Heads up to anyone who may be thinking of even trying to get on the Red Line today, you’re in for one heck of a wait. WMATA is reporting that a man was struck and killed by a train at the Bethesda station. DCist tipster Blake sent us word of the incident which occurred at approximately 9:10 a.m. According to the official WMATA statement:Eyewitnesses report that the man jumped in front of the six-car train,…

By DCist Contributor Morgan Hungerford. DC is not a city of sample sales and trunk shows, so when we have one fashion-related event worthy of attendance it is Very Exciting; when we have two it is a Big Deal. And three? Well, you lucky, things, let’s just say you’d better take advantage. Tonight is the Third Thursday MidCity Shopper Social; shop the U Street Corridor and 14th Street for special deals at Junction. Wild Women…