Courtesy National Zoo The National Zoo announced way back in April that “Happy,” its 28-year-old Nile hippopotamus, would be leaving this year and moving to the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin. Well this morning we received word that Happy sneaked off in the dead of night on Monday and is already in Wisconsin, arriving at about 3 a.m. this morning. Did we mean so little to you, Happy, that you had to run away…

When the Dismemberment Plan decided to call it quits in 2003, D.C. lost the one hometown act that just about everyone could agree on. The years since have been filled with high expectations for all of the band’s former members, though none of the post-breakup projects have managed to incite the level of excitement that always seemed to surround the Plan. As you’ll probably recall, the first out of the gate was Travis Morrison with…

The Washington Wizards did what they had to do last, beating the Indiana Pacers on the road 98-95. The win cemented the 7th seed in the East for the Wiz, setting up a rematch of last year’s exciting series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs clinched the 2nd seed in the East by virtue of their win over Milwaukee and Chicago’s loss in New Jersey. Here’s how the series will shakedown, schedule-wise: Game 1…

Good morning, Washington. After five straight days of frost warnings, temps will claw their way back into the 50s, though you’ll still need a parka as you head off to work. We guess it could be worse; the Nationals could be driven out of town by a foot of snow. The Cleveland Indians have been forced to cancel several games and play this week’s home games in Milwaukee by the fluffy stuff. Yikes, if…

A tumultuous weekend for the Washington Wizards took an unexpected turn for the worse on Sunday when All-Star Caron Butler fractured his right hand in a 121-107 win against the Milwaukee Bucks. Bulter was trying to contest a dunk by Ruben Patterson and hit his hand on the backboard. His availability for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs is very much in doubt at this point. “Caron is going to be…

In a city of monuments to great Americans, it’s easy to think that the more recent monumistas began the trend of honoring foreign heroes. But for nearly a century, a statue of Polish freedom fighter Casimir Pulaski has made its home at 13th St. and Pennsylvania Ave., in what is now known as D.C.’s Freedom Plaza. The plaza, designed in 1980, is mainly a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement,…

MONDAY >> The week kicks off with a smorgasbord of indie fare at Warehouse. New York singer-songwriter Peter Silberman, aka The Antlers, emotes Jeff Buckley-style, while Richmond garage rockers A Roman Holiday dabble in death metal, with a visit from their labelmates, Illinois screamo duo The Midwestern. $10, 9:30 p.m. >> This is one of their last gigs before they join TV on the Radio for a nationwide tour, so come catch San Francisco hip…

Gilbert Arenas left the court at the Verizon Center yesterday as fans serenaded him with chants of “MVP! MVP!” after hitting yet another game winner at the buzzer. The Utah Jazz were Agent Zero’s latest victim, falling 114-111 in an incredible Martin Luther King Day matinée. Arenas, who tied a Verizon Center record with 51 points, traded three pointers with Utah’s Memet Okur down the stretch, but got the ball last and made Utah…

Can it get any better for Gilbert Arenas right now? The Wiz may have lost at Toronto yesterday, but if you’ve been paying attention, that was almost inevitable after the week Gilbert (and the team) just had. It started early last week when Arenas was named Player of the Month for December. It continued on Wednesday when Agent Hibachi scored the game winner as the buzzer sounded against budding rival Milwaukee. On Friday he…

When the NBA schedule was released before the start of the season, I doubt many people circled the four games pitting Washington against Milwaukee. Too bad, because they are missing one of the NBA’s best budding rivalries. These two teams, each led by a former second round pick turned All Star, have played some incredibly exciting games in the last two years. Last night’s 108-105 Wizards win was more of the same. Gilbert Arenas,…