The contractor was looking for a plumbing leak “that threatened highly sensitive equipment,” according to NBC4.

The 160 people who no longer work at LivingSocial’s D.C. offices first heard about the layoffs from reading the news, says one person who was laid off by the daily deals company today.

Fall leaves have lingered on trees much later than normal this year, leading to slippery conditions all over the city. Metro once again had to place speed restrictions on all trains passing through above-ground stations over the weekend, and we spotted more than a few people stepping carefully through wet and leaf-covered sidewalks this morning after last night’s storm. Seems like a good time to remind everyone how fall leaf collection works in the District….

After reporting last week on a slew of misaligned walk signs plaguing the city, we couldn’t stop spotting them everywhere. At Florida Ave. and R St., NW, and Pennsylvania Ave. and 8th St., SE, all eight pedestrian signals were pointing away from oncoming foot traffic — surely a dangerous state of affairs. While we originally speculated strong winds were responsible, several readers tipped us off on the most likely culprits: construction and delivery trucks. After…

Our friends over at OffSeventh are, if you pardon the expression, losing their shit over some pet owners’ inability to pick up after their pooches. They’re up in arms over a monumental amount of dog waste occupying a strip of sidewalk on 9th Street. The city is littered with signs warning people to curb their dogs, or face a weighty ticket. Yet it’s clear that a few dog walkers still aren’t scooping the poop….

This week will see the beginning of a significant warming trend, as the District begins to shake off winter’s icy death grip in favor of spring’s friendly handshake. Yes, a season that’s much easier to bring to large social gatherings and you’re more likely to feel comfortable introducing to your parents is just around the corner. So you know that can only mean one thing: Something new to terrify us all to the core. This…

Good morning, Washington. In case last week’s single-tracking of the Blue Line wasn’t enough, it looks like there will be more Metrorail delays this weekend. WMATA’s website tells us that Red, Blue and Green Line riders should expect delays starting Friday night and going through Sunday at midnight. Though it’s a pain for those of us still in town, better they do this when most folks are out of the District as opposed to, say,…

Being a pedestrian city, DC has its share of pedestrian accidents, with about 3,000 hit a year. The city has been trying to make sure it’s safe to walk, in part by installing 1,300 pedestrian countdown signals and starting a pedestrian safety program. However, some of those countdown signals seem to be malfunctioning. A few months ago, I was walking at 16th and U when the countdown signal seemed to skip from about 15 to…

As we reported on Friday, the Moms on the Hill (or MoTHs, whose activities we are documenting at Ionarts) and their friends continue their efforts to get the money and donated items they have collected thus far to the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. News reports on WTOP last night speculated that perhaps no evacuees were coming to Washington, but today we have learned (as reported in the Post) that 400 evacuees will arrive…

This will be a much-needed weekend of rest for D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams. Beyond the usual daily toil of making sure the city doesn’t descend into a state of uncontrollable anarchy, Mayor Williams took to the streets this week to engage in a little old-fashioned manual labor. On Tuesday Williams donned protective attire and sprayed away graffiti in Dupont Circle, part of his response to the millionth call the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center has received…