The big day you’ve been waiting for with the excitement of a child all year is almost here — the day that Santa Claus the Department of Public Works suspends residential mechanical street cleaning for the winter. Residents will be able to park freely without fear of being ticketed for being on the wrong side of the road after this Friday, Nov. 30, when “No parking/street cleaning” restrictions will be lifted. A date has not…

>> The ICC has been given the green light by a federal judge who denied a request by environmental groups. [AP via WTOP] >> The District’s Department of Public Works has launched a new campaign trying to get local youths not to litter so much. Maybe if they spent some of their energies putting some more trash cans on the streets, that would help. [WaPo] >> An interview with one of the D.C. firefighters…

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…

>> Still unable to identify the oily substance that was found on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial earlier this month, the U.S. Park Police today said that it was in fact vandalism that put it there. Clean-up is expected to be slow in an effort to avoid permanent damage to the memorial. [WaPo] >> Senate Minority Leader McConnell: “My opposition to this bill rests instead on a single all-important fact: it is clearly and unambiguously…

For many, the bars-as-far-as-the-eye-can-see on 18th Street in Adams Morgan is exactly what has made the neighborhood the center of the District’s nightlife. For others, it’s the very reason the neighborhood has started going downhill. According to the Post, the D.C. Council will vote tomorrow on whether to limit the number of taverns on the strip, potentially imposing restrictions that could force owners to close shop. Longtime area residents have complained that more and more…

The D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Works and the Environment voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward on legislation that would place a 3-year moratorium on single sales of alcohol at stores located between 700 to 1400 block of H Street, NE — the same area that developers have dubbed “The Atlas District,” which is now home to a number of new bars and restaurants. The proposal still requires approval by the Council, but the committee’s…

On Friday the Washington Post ran a story about the city’s plans to step up their graffiti removal tasks after a recent rash of tagging in Wards 1, 2 and 4. The graffiti began appearing six to eight weeks ago, stretching from the Logan and Shaw neighborhoods to communities in upper Northwest along Georgia Avenue and 13th and 14th streets. Banneker Community Center near Howard University, under renovation, was among the places hit. But the…

Yesterday the WashTimes ran a story on a bill being introduced by D.C. Council member Jim Graham that would give budgetary oversight of the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority to the D.C. CEO CFO, Natwar Gandhi. This morning, the WaPo follows up with a story comparing the bill to Fenty’s school takeover plan — essentially the WASA board, much like the D.C. school board, would become mere advisors to their own budget process, while Gandhi’s…

Our friends over at OffSeventh are, if you pardon the expression, losing their shit over some pet owners’ inability to pick up after their pooches. They’re up in arms over a monumental amount of dog waste occupying a strip of sidewalk on 9th Street. The city is littered with signs warning people to curb their dogs, or face a weighty ticket. Yet it’s clear that a few dog walkers still aren’t scooping the poop….

It might be one of the most disheartening experiences in Washington. You leave your house one day, walk out to your car, and you see a big piece of paper on the windshield. “Please tell me the clubs have just gotten more aggressive with their advertising,” you think to yourself, but no, it says, “DO NOT MOVE THIS CAR.” You rush to the street side of your vehicle only to find 40 pounds of orange…