Of all the city government’s agencies and departments, it’s usually the big names that get the lions share of criticism from residents. The schools, the DMV, the public libraries, the Department of Public Works — it’s these that we’re all quick to point to as proof of government incompetence. But with the fire that destroyed an entire building in Adams Morgan on Monday, it was the Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) that came under fire…

>> The city is suing Dynamic Corp., the contractor who was performing renovations on the Georgetown Public Library branch when it burned down in April, for $13 million. [WTOP] >> Work crews have started dismantling the old Verizon Center scoreboard, with the new state-of-the-art one promised in time for the start of the Wizards’ fall season, which begins Oct. 9. [Free Ride] >> One in four adults read no books at all in the…

Good morning, Washington! So c’mon: be honest. Did you bike to work today? With scattered showers predicted across the region, we suppose it’s understandable if you didn’t. We hope you feel at least a little guilty anyway, though — particularly those of us who did end up biking through potential drizzle. We guess we’ll give a pass to Paul Wolfowitz though — even if he did ride his bike to work today, he won’t…

There’s so much going on across the Ist-a-Verse that it’s almost impossible to keep track these days. Fortunately, we do it so you don’t have to! Londonist took a walk through Oliver Twist’s London, thanks to a gorgeous map layer for Google Earth. They also caught up with modern-day fictional London, with the Fantastic Four and 28 Weeks Later. It was a week of insanity over at DCist. They started the week off with…

Upon hearing about a water main break near Florida Ave. and Euclid St., NW, this afternoon, it was hard not to wonder how the break would impact water pressure should firefighters need to douse a blaze. As we mentioned earlier, there are more details emerging about the impact broken hydrants had on Monday’s fire at the Georgetown Public Library. Fire officials are complaining that they were forced to try three hydrants near the library before…

As I rode home last night, I took a quick detour past Eastern Market. Some 22 hours after the fire that ravaged the market’s South Hall had been reported, firefighters remained, hosing down the building and testing the its structural integrity. A crowd had gathered outside, most blankly staring at what would be an empty shell for the months to come. This morning, fencing had been erected around the building, decorated with U.S. and D.C….

Welcome to May, Washington. It’s beautiful outside and will stay that way throughout the week. In fact, checking WUSA’s weather forecast this morning, we smiled at all the pretty suns and mild temperatures. The clearest meteorological message, though, is the helpful “Warm” and “Nice” written neatly across the image. Not too shabby. It’s also nice weather for balloting. Today, voters in Wards Four and Seven head to the polls to elect new D.C. council members….

>> After the fire at Georgetown Public Library, DDOT warns that Wisconsin Ave. Southbound is still blocked at 34th Street NW, Northbound Traffic is blocked at Q Street NW. East-West Routes are and will continue to be congested >> Scads of dead or dying fish are surfacing in the Shenandoah River, again. [Washington Times] >> Arlington’s Booeymonger really means it when they say their parking is for 20 minutes only. [Andyland via DC Blogs]…