Ahhhh, the real start of summer: The consistently warmer temperatures … the first night you venture wearing skimpy clothes out … the year’s first Code Orange Bad Air Quality Day. However you prefer measuring the start of the season, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is predicting our first Code Orange air quality day today, meaning ozone levels are predicted to be extremely high and the air quality very poor. The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission…

It was many months ago that Kelly Ann Collins — best known for the thinking man’s blog, Washington Socialites, which she launched and lorded over — abruptly up and left the blogosphere. No explanation was given, and considering how short attention spans have become, none was requested. And just as quietly as she left, she has now returned, DCist has learned. Thanks to a tip from Big Head Rob, we today find that Kelly is…

Thanks to the distinguished gentlemen at the Cleveland Park Men’s Club, we learn that the once-active-turned-defunct-turned-potentially-active Washington Socialites blog is back up and running. Oh Kelly Ann, how you torment us so. What has troubled you? Blogger burn-out? It happens to all of us. Or is this some convoluted and ingenious public relations scheme for you to do a double back flip, oust Liz Smith from Page 6 and set up shop as queen…

Just a scant 11 days after some great press, it looks like Kelly Ann Collins has shut down the Washington Socialites. No specific reason is given; Kelly Ann states that she’s shut down her blog “to free myself up for life’s next adventure.” The Washington Socialites blog created both positive and negative buzz on the blogosphere and beyond. It landed Kelly Ann and former associate Windy on Z104’s Matthew Blades Program but also brought on…

So the U.S. Senate won’t be going nuclear after all that huffing and puffing. (At least not anytime soon, but …) All things considered, that’s probably for the best. The country witnessed how even a simple evacuation two weeks ago could be so magnificently botched — so just imagine what the fallout from the nuclear strike would have looked like. Another Airspace Violation?: Speaking of potential evacuations … Another daring pilot either did his patriotic…

There’s been a flurry of speculation and rumors spinning about in New York and D.C. over the future of Gawker’s Wonkette politics gossip blog. With Ana Marie Cox, the site’s editor off writing a novel, Gawker has propped the blog up with a series of guest editors. According to a source close to the Gawker family, it has been a forgone conclusion that Cox would be leaving Wonkette permanently after she finishes her book this…

The rapidly developing D.C. blogosphere was the subject of a story in today’s Express, who profiled Kelly Ann Collins in an article on page 32 for their Outlook page. If you missed it, today’s entire Express (PDF) is available for download from their website. In addition to Kelly Ann Collins’ Washington Socialites, the article mentions DCist (or our Cinco de Mayo party at least), the Cleveland Park Men’s Club, DC SOB (no URL), and the…

Today might be a slow day at work (no loss — it may rain, and just in time for what looks to be a great weekend). After all, we here at DCist expect that everyone celebrated the Cinco de Mayo in style. How else could you recognize Mexico’s 1862 victory over the hated French than with copious amounts of Mexican-themed drinks? Whether or not you joined DCist at our own Cinco de Mayo happy hour…

Well it’s not exactly the FEC, but it looks like one local blogger is being chased by John Law. The Washington Socialite’s Kelly Ann Collins has been served a cease and desist letter by Perkins Coie for publishing the hacked contents of Paris Hilton’s now-infamous Sidekick. The letter claims that the materials are copyrighted and that Hilton has a “privacy interest” in the materials; the letter is most likely one of many arriving in various…

Today will be partly cloudy with highs in the 40s. If you came to our happy hour thanks for stopping by, if not, go see what you missed! If you’re a blogger the MeetUp.com D.C. blogger meetup for March is this Wednesday, and with a couple notable RSVP’s already promises to be an interesting time. This weekend we took a walk around Second Street NE and reported on the controversy swirling around the FEC and…