>> A Calvert, Md. dog saved its owner by performing the Heimlich manuever on her. Everybody loves an adorable animal story at 5:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. [AP] >> Giant local employer Fannie Mae expects it will lay off hundreds of workers in the wake of huge federal fines imposed in their accounting scandal. We’re sorry, unsuspecting Fannie Mae employees. [Examiner] >> Rounding out Washington’s Sports Coverage is Jordan Baker’s preview of the upcoming panda…

Today, the Washington Examiner returns to a theme we’ve noticed (and scratched our collective temple at) a number of times over the past year. It seems that Fannie Mae and the Urban Institute have conducted a survey showing that many District families are leaving the capital for the suburbs, due, according to the Examiner piece, to poor schools, excessive condo construction, and high housing costs. Says the article:Most housing booms are “primarily driven by the…

The District has seen good times in the last few years. Business is booming and neglected properties and neighborhoods are seeing new investment. Crime has plummeted over the past decade, and corruption in the government has faded even as the city’s coffers have filled with new tax revenues. The ebbing of many of the city’s old problems has combined with the election year to place a new and intense focus on fixing the city’s…

Any blogger worth their salt should know that the -ist family’s executive editor, Jen Chung, loves pandas. So Jen, here you go. We know you can’t see pandas at the Bronx Zoo (but there are red pandas there — our red pandas here in D.C. died after eating rat poison buried in their enclosure), so here’s the next best thing. We’re sure pandas in their natural habitat don’t have to deal with the construction…

Mayor Williams has made it known: He is not happy with Fannie Mae, the home mortgage loan giant that pulled out of an agreement to develop a new office complex at the Waterside Mall site in Southwest D.C. In fact, Williams and other city officials are trying to figure out if the District has any way get some money back. And one member of the D.C. Council says Fannie Mae could potentially pay $200 million…

Amid the media attention focusing on last week’s Inauguration, the Congressionally chartered home mortgage loan giant Fannie Mae announced it pulled out of its plans to move some of its staff to Southwest D.C. Hailed as one of the key pieces to spur redevelopment in the vicinity of the Waterside Mall on M Sreeet SW, a Fannie spokesman says “[t]he decision is one of several actions Fannie Mae has taken to reduce future costs in…

Lawyer Abducted in Alexandria, Escapes Shallow Grave: This is just too weird. A lawyer, a stun gun, a shallow grave, a dispute over a will, a 75 year-old man standing near the shallow grave when the cops arrive. It sounds like it could make for a good side plot in “The Sopranos.” No, this is not Jersey. It’s Alexandria. Just read the Post’s account of this odd drama to keep all the details straight….

Now that the proposed baseball stadium in Near Southeast is getting a lot of attention, other projects along the Southeast and Southwest waterfronts are being highlighted. The Post gives an update on the plans of Fannie Mae, the home mortgage giant, to consolidate its downtown and Upper Northwest offices into one large new headquarters building near the Waterfront metrorail station. Fannie Mae plans on moving into new quarters at the Waterside Mall on M Street…

DCist has heard nothing but glowing reviews for the National Building Museum’s exhibit on affordable housing, which will close this Sunday, August 8. The positive review in the Post, said the displays “demonstrate a renewed commitment to social housing by a significant portion of the architectural profession, and they illustrate a new variety and sophistication in affordable housing design. The photo is of D.C.’s LeDroit Park, one of the 18 designs on display at the…