Yesterday we threw together a list of the people in the District we considered influential, taking after a similar annual list put together by GQ that compiles the movers and shakers on the federal side of the city. One of our nominees was Dorothy Brizill, a well-known civic activist and political gadfly who runs DC Watch, the closest thing we have to a citizens’ inspector general. And as we expected, last night she offered us…

In a town where motorcades are less a spectacle and more an annoyance, Mayor Adrian Fenty’s modest security detail has never raised many eyebrows. But now Fenty has done away with it altogether — and no one really knows why. According to a Post report, Fenty has decided to ditch the police security detail and drive himself around during the month of August instead. And beyond simply shedding daily armed protection, Fenty has also been…

Last week we considered how Marion Barry’s supporters would defend against the recent accusations that he failed a drug test late last year, a revelation that could land him in prison for 18 months. Today’s online newsletter from DC Watch features more debate on the matter, and new approaches to backing the former mayor. The Post today described Barry’s longstanding struggles with drugs, alcohol, and women, noting that the Ward 8 council-member has consistently lost…

Many of us snickered upon hearing the news — Marion Barry, the District’s mayor-for-life and most infamous crack addict, had been caught again, victim of his own inability to stay away from illegal drugs. Just the same, some of Barry’s defenders started coming out of the woodwork, celebrating a man who while imperfect was still a reason for hope for many of the city’s residents. In today’s edition of DC Watch’s widely read online newsletter,…

Leave it to community activists Dorothy Brizill and Gary Imhoff to come up with ideas for D.C. while on vacation. After returning from a European vacation last week, Imhoff wrote in his introduction to DC Watch’s regular email newsletter about a surprising discovery the two had while on the Portuguese island of Madeira — the small island was totally covered by a public and free wireless internet system. A number of local municipalities have built…

Yeah, so it used to be “Transit on Thursday.” In the midst of some monumental changes here at DCist, we took the radical step of moving the column up two days. Hell, we may even have it twice a week, if enough transit-related news should warrant it. Anyhow, consider this your one-stop shopping for news related to getting around town, though we will leave the on-time traffic reporting to Michelle Sigona of Fox 5…

More than two years after 400-plus peaceful protestors were illegally arrested in Pershing Park during anti-globalization protests, a new District law protecting public assembly and the freedom of expression has gone into effect. The First Amendment Rights and Police Practices Act of 2004, whose enactment was spearheaded by Councilwoman Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3), was signed on Jan. 27 of this year and took force on April 13. The law declares that protestors have the First…