Officials found a mix of diseased bluegill, sunfish, and bass at the pond at Constitution Gardens.

A restaurant overlooking the pond Constitution Gardens? Terraced landscaping on the grounds of the Washington Monument that face a newly renovated Sylvan Theatre? Both are part of winning design proposals in a competition to redesign two iconic sites on the National Mall.

Twelve design proposals to redesign three sites on the National Mall go on display today as part of a contest to rejuvenate and enliven America’s front yard.

Roll Call had a subscriber-only story up yesterday about today’s kick-off of an effort on the part of non-profit Trust for the National Mall to raise $350 million to revitalize Washington’s top tourist destination. Students from Ann Beers Elementary School in Southeast are getting things going today by planting 3,000 daffodil bulbs in Constitution Gardens. Citing maintenance needs due to heavy use like cracked walkways and patchy grass, the Trust will be working alongside the…

In a redeveloping city, where space is scarce and small squabbles over any piece of property has the potential to turn into a large heated community debate, the city’s lack of available national monumental space could dominate the District’s urban development discourse for much of the 21st century. On Monday, Post columnist Fred Hiatt, making the case for a “third-century Mall,” gives us some historical perspective. As the nation has grown, so has the National…

In case anyone was wondering whether yesterday’s standoff between the man in the red van near the White House was a distressed constituent from out of town, sure enough, he was. In fact, the man, Lowell Timmers, is from Cedar Springs, Mich., a small exurban town north of Grand Rapids called Red Flannel Town USA. The town’s biggest event, Red Flannel Day, says that Cedar Springs has “small-town charm and home-grown characteristics.” Yesterday’s episode may…