Good morning, Washington, and happy St. Patrick’s Day. One day into the tournament, we hope your NCAA bracket is shaping up well. We know it is for the GW Colonials — they eked out a three-point win over UNC Wilmington in overtime last night. Their next game will be against Duke at 1:10 on Saturday. Maryland Mulls Response To Utility Rate Hikes: Last week we discussed the steep electricity rate increase that will likely face…

Good morning, Washington. We start with this photo on Flickr of L Street posted by Burnt Pixel, aka Keith Jenkins, the photo editor of The Washington Post Magazine. From the streetscape, we think that it was taken outside the Post’s main office. Speaking of the Post, congrats to Steve Coll, who was the only person from the news organization to score a Pulitzer yesterday. As FishbowlDC puts it, the Post “got shut out” although Coll’s…

Marion Barry Teaches Chemistry?: As Wonkette pointed out yesterday, Marion Barry went back to school and taught chemistry to a bunch of Ballou High School students as a visiting dignitary-turned-substitute teacher. While Wonkette makes light of Barry’s history putting certain chemicals in his body, as the Post reports, the former mayor-turned-Ward 8 councilman actually has a “bachelor’s and master’s degrees and some doctoral credit in chemistry.” While Barry did talk a bit about chemistry, he…

Baseball Deal Reached: Dust off those would-be Washington Nationals relics: Anthony Williams and Linda Cropp are friends again! The mayor and District Council chairman reached a deal last night that is putting the dream of returning Major League Baseball to the District of Columbia back on track. Cropp, who is pushing for a privately financed stadium, will yield on her demands somewhat. The Post reports: Under the new proposal, which the 13-member council is to…

Happy Friday, everybody. The weather today will be more of what we’ve seen this week: partly cloudy, highs in the 40s. The photo above shows promotional materials for the Washington Nationals in a display case at Buffalo Billiards, where baseball supporters held a pep rally last week. We’ve posted a few photos from our happy hour last night. Yeah, More Baseball: The Post reports today that Baseball President Robert A. DuPuy has rejected a…

Opening of Blue Line Stations Marks Halt in WMATA Construction: For the first time since construction started on the region’s metrorail system in the late 1960s, expansion has come to a halt. After completing the original system and a new in-fill station, the Blue Line extention to Largo Town Center — set to open this weekend — marks the first time that WMATA is not at work on a metrorail line. The Post takes a…

People Like Sandwiches: No, people love sandwiches. The Post reports that the carb craze is over and people are flocking to places that have been cashing in on the renaissance of sandwich making. From the Post: A proliferating number of sandwich chains such as Potbelly Sandwich Works, Panera Bread, Corner Bakery and Cosi that offer such items as tuna and Swiss cheese on multigrain bread, a grilled Italian panini on rosemary-onion focaccia, or tandoori chicken…

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….

While the infamous white van from the D.C.-area sniper saga of 2002 is still in our memories, we have a new van to worry about. The arsonists in the Hunters Brooke fire may have driven a blue van to do their deed. Firefighters noticed that a blue van was driving away from Hunters Brooke (an example home at right) when they were arriving on the scene of the massive subdivision fire, the Post reports. There…

Maryland Subdivision Goes Up in Flames, Arson to Blame: It appears that arson had a role to play in the fires that destroyed or damaged 30-some homes south of the city in an affluent Charles County subdivision early Monday morning. Since the homes were still under construction, there were no injuries. The FBI says it is looking into the possibility that environmental extremists could have played a role in the torching of the Hunters Brooke…