Mark your calendars: WMATA put out a release earlier today announcing the dates of a series of six public meetings at which you can voice your opinions about the proposed Metro fare hikes, which would go into effect in January. The full set of proposed increases is here, but the basics include raising the base fare of Metrorail from $1.35 to $1.65, keep bus fares the same as long as you use SmarTrip cards (add…

>> DC Arts Commission auditions for musicians who’d like to play outside metro stations start tonight, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Metro headquarters, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC. >> Check out our Reader, Meet Author feature for a list of cup-runneth-over literary events for tonight. There’s Colin Channer at Vertigo Books, Susan Vreeland at Phillips Collection, Christopher Hitchens at Politics and Prose, and Irvine Welsh at Wonderland. >> The Rock and Roll…

Dust off that guitar, break out the hammer dulcimer, or put on those tap shoes because on May 10 and May 12, Metro’s Art in Transit Program and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities are holding open auditions for live performances at Metrorail stations. The auditions are being held as part of Metroperforms!, a program bringing live performers to yet-to-be-determined Metro stations through the summer (we first told you about it last year)…

Part of DCist’s continuing coverage of Deluge ’06. When you headed out in your car yesterday, you probably felt a bit like Noah boarding the ark. You checked your two headlights, two windshield wipers, two pairs of shoes, and, if you were Rush Limbaugh, two Viagra. As the rain takes a breather, let’s learn about two D.C. cases involving flood victims that, together, will be necessary for anyone considering suing the city when the…