For a region that often runs in terror at the mere sight of snow, Washington and its environs managed the weekend’s snow-dump with a relatively calm and mature demeanor. This DCist was shocked to awake yesterday to cleared roadways and open businesses, though power outages were reported in some areas and local airports struggled to get air traffic in and out. Today should proceed regularly — an unfortunate truth for those of us whose employers…
Given that MLB is still trying to seal the deal on the new, $535 million stadium, and, conseqently, finalize the $450 million sale of the Washington Nationals to a new owner, DCist is nothing but surprised at how badly the league’s strategic planners and negotiators have approached their dealings with the city. We recognize that MLB is a government-sanctioned monopoly and can act pretty much as it wishes, but can’t they try and sell themselves…
We’ve all heard the news — the negotiations between MLB and the District over the new stadium aren’t going particularly well. The City Council is increasingly annoyed with a stadium that is fast exceeding expected costs, while MLB continues being its own worst enemy by refusing to consider even the most basic financial concessions to the city. In a private meeting with the council yesterday, MLB chief negotiator Jerry Reinsdorf both surprised and angered the…
So, is that tall, festively-decorated spruce tree you have in that public building a Christmas tree? A seemingly innocuous question has District officials in a tizzy, with some demanding that their trees be recognized as “Christmas” trees while others prefer the PC, non-denominational “holiday” designation. The D.C. National Guard opts for “Christmas,” the District Department of Transportation chooses “holiday.” So which should it be? Metro Adds Signs to Escalators: Finally, Metro heard our pleas. According…
We always thought Metro was safe. Really safe. We may have been wrong. Two recent incidents on Metrorail have area commuters questioning Metro’s ability to respond to or prevent criminal activity, or, more seriously, terrorist attacks, notes NBC 4. In one case, a woman was groped by a man, and in another, a woman had her iPod and SmartTrip card stolen by a group of teenage girls. Both incidents occurred on the Red Line,…
All Star break. By September. Shortly after World Series. Nov. 16-17 MLB owners meeting in Milwaukee. And so, the latest in a growing list of deadlines gets scratched from the list. You didn’t REALLY think the Nationals’ new owner would be announced next week when MLB owners meet in Milwaukee, did you? Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced yesterday morning that there will not be a vote among the owners next week, and there is no…
August came and went, the Nats inaugural season is coming to an end, yet no developments have come in the long-running bidding war for the ownership of the team. Last we checked, eight contenders were in the running, and bids as high as $450 million were rumored. Since then, silence. Until now. Conflicting information exists regarding how many bidding groups are still in the running (ESPN’s Peter Gammons says it’s down to three, the Post…
It looks like August might be a busy month in D.C. baseball, though not necessarily on the field. Recent news reports and rumors indicate that the current owners of the Nationals — Major League Baseball’s 29 teams — may well announce the winner of the bidding process for the ownership of the team later this month. Eight groups are competing for what may be one of the most expensive teams ever sold, with the highest…
Budget Negotiations Almost Complete: D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and members of the City Council are set to wrap up negotiations over the city’s $4.94 billion 2006 budget today. After District CFO Natwar Gandhi verified in recent weeks that the city’s finances were doing better than expected — he predicted a $90 million windfall over the next two years — members of the Council proposed that the surpluses be directed towards schools and social programs or…