The Smithsonian Folklife Festival begins on June 29.

It’s already banned in D.C. by the DMV.

Good news for people who are envious of the West Coast’s hamburgers. Umami Burger is coming here.

It may not be “D.C. news” in the most rigid sense of the phrase, but we’re sure that there will be plenty of people in town who are very excited about this afternoon’s big news: a California judge has overturned the state’s controversial Proposition 8 amendment that had banned same-sex marriage since 2008. (As a jurisdiction that proudly boasts marriage equality, the District welcomes you back to the club, Cali.) You can read an entire…

When the D.C. Council passed the five-cent bag tax last year, it was hailed as a bold environmental move, part of a new era of progressive politics in the District. Now the California state Assembly has passed “a bill that would ban single-use plastic grocery bags — the first of its kind in the nation, according to lawmakers and environmentalists,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “Shoppers would have to bring reusable bags to the store…

by DCist contributor Brett Gellman While the California Golden Bears defeated Washington State by a whopping 63 point margin in the second week of last season, the Maryland Terrapins suffered defeat from the unlikeliest of foes in an ugly loss to Middle Tennessee State. Both teams were scheduled to face each other the following week; Cal, the obvious favorite to win. Who could have predicted that Maryland would possess a 28-6 advantage in the…

Although it now appears California’s Proposition 8 will pass by a slim margin – our sister site LAist reports a 4.2 percent difference in votes – opponents of the measure aren’t throwing in the towel yet. A statement on the No On Prop 8 web site says, “we expect that there are more than 3 million and possibly as many as 4 million absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.” We reported in September…

As Capital Pride weekend approaches, this morning the Washington Blade reports that Mayor Adrian Fenty is ordering a review of the city’s legal options in anticipation of same-sex couples in D.C. heading to California next week to get married. Nearly one month ago, the California State Supreme Court struck down a ban on same-sex marriage; the court’s decision goes into effect Monday at 5 p.m. PDT. Interim attorney general Peter Nickles has been directed to…

DCist’s highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Major Release: There Will Be Blood We should have held our tongues on our top 10 for the year until the actual end of the year. Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film slipped in just under the 2007 wire in limited release last week, and the director channels John Huston, Stanley Kubrick, and his own wild-eyed imagination…

The world premiere of Sanctuary, a new work for amplified, computer-modified percussion ensemble by Roger Reynolds (b. 1934), took place at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday evening. It was an event, the sort of concert that gets noticed by Alex Ross: alas, the element that would have sealed its place in history, an angry riot by perturbed listeners, did not happen. The mistake that caused the failure to obtain a true succès de…