If you don’t want to pay a toll, just don’t leave the city. Information is sketchy at best, but the federal government may soon propose a toll on cars entering the city via the 14th Street bridge, reports The Examiner. According to the story, the proposal seems to be nothing more than another one of those fabulous pipe dreams feds float from time to time for improving our city. Like Sen. Sam Brownback’s “flat tax”…

>> 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…

Good morning, Washington. Here at DCist, we pride ourselves on providing a forum for law-abiding citizens to discuss issues facing our city, like development and crime, in as open and honest a manner as possible. We may give you our opinions from time to time as a way to get the ball rolling (OK, all the time), but we’re always open to hearing from those of you who disagree. Except for right now. Anyone…

We do hope you had a pleasant, relaxing, not too horribly hot weekend, Washington. Even if you didn’t, chances are your Monday morning is shaping up to be less of a hassle than it is for the staff of Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA). Webb finally admitted over the weekend that he owns the gun that his aide, Phillip Thompson, was arrested for carrying into the Capitol in March. What kept him from clearing up…

Morning, Washington. Hypochondriacs of the city, grab some Valium, because the area seems to be teeming with illness lately. The good news, we think, is that the Maryland Department of Health has determined that three of the reported E. coli cases were not related to contaminated spinach, though it’s not clear where they picked up the bacteria. The Department is still investigating four cases, including the death of one woman, but with any luck, we’ll…

If you click your way to the Metropolitan Police Department’s website, you’ll find a sidebar on the right side of the page labelled MPDC News. It is there that the police proudly proclaim that agressive speeding dipped below three percent in January, thanks to extensive investment in photo radar enforcement technology. One click in a different direction, however, takes you to the crime statistics page, where the rosy lows the police have achieved for moving…

With six days until their February 15 deadline, the effort to keep Heurich House open to the public continues to gain momentum. From the Heurich House website, here is a run-down of the upcoming events that are being held to raise funds for this great cause. Friday, February 10, 5:30 – 7:30pm American University Department of History Hosts Reception $15/$10 with university, museum, or preservation non-profit ID. Pay at the Door. The Department of History…

This will be a much-needed weekend of rest for D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams. Beyond the usual daily toil of making sure the city doesn’t descend into a state of uncontrollable anarchy, Mayor Williams took to the streets this week to engage in a little old-fashioned manual labor. On Tuesday Williams donned protective attire and sprayed away graffiti in Dupont Circle, part of his response to the millionth call the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center has received…

Oh my. Looky here! We’ve found the Holy Grail for the metropolitan blogging world: a parttime blogging position that will be PAID. Not with cigarettes, booze or minimal beatings — but with actual money! And you don’t even have to talk about politics. Read now; you can thank us later. Elizabeth Spiers, the newly appointed head honcho over at mediabistro.com (a site dedicated to resources for everything, anything, and anyone media-related) is looking for a…

Terror Threat Lowered: We aren’t in an orange mood any more. The Department of Homeland Security has lowered the terror threat to financial institutions in Washington, New York and northern New Jersey. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the terror threat has gone away, the Department of Homeland Security reminds us. That move has let the Capitol Police to dismantle security checkpoints on roadways leading to Capitol Hill. Also, the AP, via WTOP, reports that…