The Armed Forces Retirement Home, also called the Old Soldiers’ Home, sparked a battle with area residents in late 2005 when it released plans for commercial and residential development of its bucolic estate in north-central Washington. Now, a community nonprofit is in the fray, fighting to create a park on a portion of the home’s land, closed to the public for over 50 years. Officially established late last summer, Washington Central Parks wants to use…

Last June, days of heavy rain flooded the downtown area, sticking the IRS building with a $30 million cleanup bill and costing millions more in disruption of business. Government officials met yesterday to discuss how they might prevent a Deluge ’07 (or, more realistically considering we’re already in the midst of the summer storm season, a Deluge ’08 or ’09) from wreaking as much havoc as Deluge ’06 most certainly did, especially in regards…

Most unsigned bands are lucky to have a few dozen fans at their concerts. Now there’s a chance for local artists to bring their music to a much larger audience—the greater D.C. metropolitan area. WTOP radio is now broadcasting iChannel, an Internet radio station that features unsigned artists, on its HD Radio channel, 103.5-2. Bands can submit their music to iChannel, which will evaluate it for “playability” (read: they want radio-friendly tunes). Those that make…

Unless you enjoy wasting your weekend sitting in traffic, you may want to avoid driving downtown on Saturday. Three street-closing events—the National Asian Heritage Festival, the National Police Week 5K race, and the DC101 Chili Cook Off (which will feature two DCist staffers as judges, stay tuned for more details!) — will be joining forces Power Rangers-style to snarl traffic. Pennsylvania Avenue will be closed between 3rd and 6th streets NW from 2 a.m….

The fire that gutted Eastern Market this week left the historic Capitol Hill marketplace facing an estimated $20 to $30 million in repairs. Undaunted, this Sunday vendors will set up shop for the weekly flea market, and the streets surrounding the building will play host to the 44th annual Market Day festival. The free, kid-friendly festival, which is organized by the community service group Friendship House, will feature arts and crafts, music, food, and…

Beware, there’s a vigilante pothole filler on the loose, and he’s strewing gravel all over D.C. streets. If you bicycle, skateboard, or rollerblade, keep your eyes open and your first aid kit handy. I was on my bike yesterday, coming up P Street to its intersection with 14th Street NW. There was no cross traffic on 14th Street, but the light was red. No matter, I thought, until I saw a cop parked ahead of…