Dec 27, 2006
The Year in D.C. Media
It’s been a busy year in the world of D.C. media. People have come and gone, newspapers have struggled to salvage their readership, and blogs are more the rage than ever. Blogging’s the New Black Everyone’s blogging these days, and the D.C. media is no exception. The Post led the charge in 2006, throwing blogs at every issue that came its way — 29 to date. While some have received rave reviews — the D.C….
Aug 24, 2006
D.C. Politics Roundup: Mea Culpa Edition
Brown Not Out: Well, we’re a little red-faced today. Yesterday we guessed that mayoral longshot Michael Brown was bowing out of the race. He did, after all, send us an email in which he announced that a press conference held yesterday would include “major announcement regarding his plans for the future.” Coupled with his fast-shrinking campaign finance account, we thought, “This guy is toast.” How wrong we were. Brown didn’t duck out of the race….
Aug 21, 2006
All the Campaign Info You Could Want
We’re three weeks from the September 12 District primaries, the contest that will decide who will square off against who in November’s general election (even though Democrats invariably win the majority of contested seats, the Republican and Statehood Green parties also field candidates). And given the sheer number of candidates running in some races — the Ward 5 seat is being contested by 13 people; Ward 3 by 10 — getting all the information necessary…
Jun 14, 2006
A Year Later, We Find Another Bagel Shop
It was around this time last year that we collectively mourned the fact that the District just doesn’t have very many good bagel shops. Spare the few options most of us could name off the tops of our heads, we realized that within the confines of the city, there seemed to be a relative paucity of bagel providers. And now, a year later, we add one more bagelry to the list, and it’s in an…
May 22, 2006
District Hires High-Priced Librarian
Last week we reported that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams takes in $152,000 in compensation, a salary some viewed as excessive and others as not excessive enough. But if this is how much we currently judge the city’s chief executive to be worth, what would we pay, let’s say, the chief librarian? A lot more, as news has it. The Common Denominator reported on Friday that the D.C. Board of Library Trustees decided to hire Ginnie…
Oct 12, 2005
City Council Proposes Strengthened Rent Control
Facing a growing shortage of affordable housing in the District, members of the D.C. City Council yesterday introduced legislation that would strengthen existing rent control laws, reports The Common Denominator. Eleven members of the council joined sponsor Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) in endorsing the legislation, which would limit increases on rent for certain properties to 10 percent per year and restrict the increase of rent on individual units in rent-controlled buildings. The legislation would amend…
May 16, 2005
Gandhi: Stadium Cost to Top $1 Billion
You may be sick of stadium stuff, but there’s big news. As in a billion dollars big. Facing pointed questions last Friday at a D.C. City Council hearing convened by Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), District CFO Natwar Gandhi admitted that the total cost of building a new stadium for the Nationals could well top $1 billion. According to The Common Denominator, Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), who supports building a new stadium adjacent to RFK…
Mar 06, 2005
Neighborhood Roundup
A quick roundup of what’s going on in our neighborhoods … Palisades In an article sure to further feed the passions of people with real estate interests near MacArthur Boulevard, the Post highlights the Palisades, a neighborhood this DCist used to call home. We’ll pick out a few fun descriptions: “Architectural variety” … “Arts and Crafts bungalows” … “folksy Fourth of July parade” … and neighborhood-grown grapes making wine that’s “not great, but drinkable.” We…
Nov 08, 2004
Common Demoninator Still in Trouble
The Common Denominator, D.C.’s “Independent Hometown Newspaper,” is still in financial trouble. Despite an outpouring of support from readers and others since the publisher in an Oct. 18 editorial cast doubt on the newspaper’s survival, The Common Denominator is still publishing for now, but needs an infusion of cash, fast. Among its needs, the newspaper needs to bolster its advertising and circulation departments and needs local ownership partners….
Oct 19, 2004
Local Newspaper in Financial Trouble
Citing financial troubles, the local newspaper The Common Denominator has announced they might not be able to print another edition. The newspaper, which billed itself as “Washington’s Hometown Newspaper,” sought to cover news and events within the District. In a heartfelt editorial published yesterday, Editor and Publisher Kathryn M. Sinzinger wrote “I can no longer promise that there will be a next issue of The Common Denominator,” describing her efforts to keep the paper afloat…