Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. For much of the past year, this column has taken a hard look at many aspects of District life, from crime and schools, to transportation planning and development, to the uneven distribution of growth in the city, and found them wanting. It’s never difficult to be critical of the way things are done in the District, and yet there are obviously many…

On Sundays, DCist publishes opinion pieces about life in D.C. The views expressed below are solely those of the author. On Friday night, MLB and District officials announced they had reached an agreement on the lease for the new stadium, leaving a City Council vote on December 20 as the last obstacle between the design and the construction of a new home for the Washington Nationals. Come that long-awaited day, it will have been a…

We’re finally within 365 days of when District residents head to the polls to choose their next mayor, and what better way to celebrate than an old-fashioned debate? Yes, tonight marks the official beginning of the 2006 campaign season, and all five officially-announced mayoral candidates will be taking each other on in what promises to be a battle royale over school modernization, taxes, development, crime, and affordable housing. Ok, it may not be that exciting….

Editor’s Note: DCist Good Deed is an occasional feature in which we turn the blogging spotlight on some of the organizations and people who work to give something back. If you know of a good cause that needs a little light, send it this way. In the midst of the many hurricane relief efforts happening around town, the nonprofit Martha’s Table quietly celebrated 25 years of helping some of the city’s neediest citizens. DCist was…

In the shadow of a real Inauguration, let’s turn our eyes to the fictional administration in “The West Wing,” shall we? It’s Leo’s first day back at work, in a new office with no furniture and no secretary. Everyone rushes around trying to solve various problems, and it’s not really made clear what the point of the episode was at all. If anyone can tell us, please do so. We’re stumped. The big story of…