Mayor Adrian Fenty, Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso announced their plans to “right-size” D.C. public school system today that will include the simultaneous closure of 24 schools. School closures have been high on the to-do list for several years now as student enrollment has dropped from 55,000 to an estimated 49,600 students this school year. The new school closure plan differs from a previous one offered by former Superintendent…

We’ve arrived at another Friday, Washington, so welcome to it. Some sad news to note off the bat, however, as the Post brings word that the last movie theater left in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, the AMC Loews Dupont 5, will go the way of Visions and the Janus 3 before it and close its doors forever in January. We can certainly attest that the last few times we went to see a film…

As we mentioned in the Roundup this morning, Mayor Adrian Fenty has fired D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey, and announced this morning at a press conference that he would be replaced by Michelle Rhee, in a new position as D.C. Schools Chancellor. The Post has a good story up already with some details of Rhee’s background: she’s the the founder of New Teacher Project, a nonprofit group based in New York that trains mid-career…

Despite the brightly shining sun and lovely breeze currently making its way through downtown Washington, you might want to bring along an umbrella today — CapitalWeather.com is predicting a 60 percent chance of showers and possible thunderstorms later this afternoon. But don’t think of it as an inconvenience. Think of it as a chance to gleefully splash in puddles just like you did when you were young — you know, like the last time we…

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics changed its tune yesterday and reversed an earlier decision by stating that Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s school takeover plan cannot be the subject of a referendum. Once again, it comes down to the Home Rule Charter: attorneys for the election board said in papers filed yesterday that because Congress and President Bush have approved an amendment to the city’s Home Rule Charter that gives the mayor direct control…

On Saturday D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Notron and Mayor Adrian Fenty reached a quick agreement with Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) to remove the hold the senator placed on the District schools takeover plan on Thursday. “We have a handshake agreement. That’s what old friends can do,” Norton told the Post. Cardin had said he placed the hold as a political maneuver to pressure the District to negotiate on a long-standing disagreement involving the District’s plans…

Good morning, D.C. It was an eventful weekend across the District, with big to-do’s tying up traffic in every direction. We hope you didn’t spend too much time stuck in it. While we’re genuinely thrilled to hear that Oprah Winfrey’s commencement speech at Howard University was a big hit and was reported on all over the world, we’re pretty disappointed to have it be Monday morning and still have zero reports from any of our…

Well, it’s Monday again and it seems the malaise caused by Georgetown’s Saturday loss has subsided a bit. A dash of cherry blossoms and a pinch of kite festival always helps mend a broken heart. At least some Georgetown fans are finding a bit of solace in their prospects for next year. Solace came in another form at a Sunday mass for supporters and students in Atlanta when the presiding priest said, “I must admit,…

Have you been dying to get a few minutes to ask D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty questions about his controversial plan to take over the District’s public schools? Washingtonpost.com will give you a chance this afternoon at 1 p.m., when they moderate an online chat with the Mayor about his proposal. You can submit your own questions for the Mayor here. We’d really like to know what the Mayor thinks about Colby King’s idea to…

What’s up, D.C.? Remember those halcyon days of 70 degrees a few weeks ago? Yeah, now hit yourself over the head* to induce amnesia and get ready for another chilly day. Tonight we could even see a few more flurries. (*Note: the DCist legal department does not advise this treatment for extreme cases of it’s-actually-winter-itis) State of Emergency: Yesterday, the District’s Board of Education passed the “Emergency Student Achievement Act of 2007” in an attempt…