The big news out of New York yesterday was that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plea to extend the city's two-term limit so he could run again was approved by the City Council. Sound familiar? It should. In 1994, District voters approved a two-term limit on the mayor, members of the D.C. Council and members of the Board of Education. Seven years later, the D.C. Council voted to repeal the term limits, effectively saving the jobs of... [continue]

While the East Campus of St. Elizabeths hospital is owned by the District and still in use as a mental health facility, the West Campus, built by Congress in 1852 (originally under the name Government Hospital for the Insane), was by and large abandoned by 2002. It's still under the control of the U.S. General Services Administration, but few people these days get a chance to explore the abandoned 176 acre hospital grounds, which through... [continue]

Thanks to reader Stephanie Pendergrass, who snapped these photos of a tree that fell across K Street NW between 20th and 21st at around 3:15 p.m. Stephanie says the tree landed on a van and an SUV, but she didn't see anyone injured. Probably best to expect delays on any bus lines that travel along K Street, including the Circulator, and to plan alternate driving routes for those of you who commute by car. What... [continue]

Jonathon Church as the Marquis de Sade in Forum Theatre's Marat/Sade. Photo by Melissa Blackall. Asylum director Coulmier personally welcomes you as you step into the septic green confines of the bathhouse at Charenton, silently congratulating yourself on the liberal Enlightenment values that have brought you here to watch Coulmier’s lunatics perform a history-play penned by his most notorious patient, Donatien Alphonse François de Sade. It’s therapy, for them and for him, this playacting.... [continue]

The Post finally picked up on the Murky Coffee brouhaha this morning, and it appears it's been a topic of conversation at other locally owned coffee shops around town. We snapped this photo at Big Bear Cafe in Bloomingdale today. Thanks to Catherine Andrews for the tip.... [continue]

You may have read Eric Weiss's story in Sunday's Washington Post, which described the District's attempts to improve pedestrian safety and encourage walking and mass transit use as a "war against workers who drive into the city." There's not much more to say about it that David Alpert and Ryan Avent haven't already said. This sums it up nicely (from Avent):Essentially, Eric Weiss went around the suburbs asking folks to bitch about the District’s efforts... [continue]

The Skipping Hippy took advantage of one of the beautifully blue and cloud filled sky days that we have been having lately to snap this image of the recently re-opened Fort Reno park. EXIF... [continue]

Photo by katmere It started with the ping pong table outside Comet. Then it was the benches and patio table outside Marvelous Market. Now venerable local bookstore Politics and Prose has been dragged into the ongoing saga of ANC 3F04 Commissioner Frank Winstead's war against there being any reason for people to congregate on the sidewalk along a stretch of upper Connecticut Ave. NW. The bookstore's weekly email newsletter was sent out overnight, which... [continue]

We're all for finding novel ways to motivate D.C. public school students to get good grades and go to college, but something about this story in the Examiner strikes us as odd. A group of students are lobbying the D.C. Council to revive legislation that would establish a system of cash rewards for student achievement. The bill, which as it's currently written would provide valedictorians $3,000 apiece and students who have improved the most $1,000... [continue]

National Geographic Bee moderator Alex Trebek congratulates the 2008 National Geographic Bee champion, Akshay Rajagopal of Nebraska. Photo by Rebecca Hale, courtesy National Geographic Yesterday evening here in Washington, 11-year-old Akshay Rajagopal of Nebraska won the 2008 National Geographic Bee without missing a single question -- only the second time that's ever happened in the Bee's 20-year history. You can watch a video of the the final questions by following this link. The winning... [continue]

The SAVOR Beer and Food Festival takes place this weekend and for the past week, D.C. has been crawling with several top figures in the beer crafting industry. To kick off this week's beer festivities, DCist got a chance to sit down and talk with Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster, food and beer pairing expert, author, and — though maybe not as glamorous as the St. Pauli girl — the face of top-notch, traditional beer... [continue]

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association sent around word today that Bicycling Magazine has named Washington, D.C. the #1 most improved bicycling city in America (you can download a pdf of the story here, since it appears it's not yet available on Bicycling.com). The news was timed well with WABA's efforts to remind everyone to sign up for Bike to Work Day (coming up on May 16). As Tanya Snyder notes over at City Desk,... [continue]

Team DCist came out in force for Saturday's 2008 Servathon, presented by Greater DC Cares and Fannie Mae. About 3,200 volunteers spent the day painting, cleaning and pruning the campuses of 39 D.C. public schools. Team DCist was dispatched to Harriet Tubman Elementary in Columbia Heights, and we all had a blast sprucing up the courtyard, repainting the playground, and brightening up some dull brown lockers in classrooms. Thanks to everyone who participated, especially our... [continue]

Only at the Helen Hayes awards will you have three acceptance speeches referencing the word "girdle." The celebratory, at times irreverent ceremony took place in front of a sold-out crowd at the Warner Theater last night. The big winners of the evening were Synetic Theater, the edgy dance-dominant Rosslyn troupe, solidifying its place as one of the most innovative companies working in the area right now. Five out of the group's six trophies were for... [continue]

Spring is in the air, and that means it's time for innumerable happy hours, barbecues, and various other events that involve drinking beer. Brasserie Beck was scheduled to open it's outdoor patio tonight, but it seems the rain may spoil the fun. They should be open tomorrow night if tonight is rained out. The setup is a brand new 4-draught system imported from Belgium, and as such, there will undoubtedly be some kinks that still... [continue]

We can hardly believe it ourselves, but the Harris Teeter in Adams Morgan celebrated its grand opening this morning. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the store, only about five years in the making, took place at a little after 10:30 a.m., with Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham, and countless Harris Teeter officials on hand to deliver run of the mill remarks and welcome to the store to the neighborhood.... [continue]

If you spend any time on Bloomingdale or Eckington blogs or email lists, there could be no question in your mind that residents of the up and coming neighborhood(s) (Bloomingdale was just treated to a profile in the Washington Post) want more retail and services. They want a full service, sit-down restaurant, by all means. But now that plans for an enormous new dining and nightlife complex in the long-fallow Old Engine Co. 12, a... [continue]

"Judas was a dick, but he deserved better." It's one theory anyway, and is sort of the point of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, the intriguing new work being staged by the gutsy Forum Theater and Dance at H Street Playhouse. The play is set in purgatory, where a prosecutor on a mission (Julie Garner) has decided to try to get Judas Iscariot's (Jason McCool) crimes against God re-tried, so he can escape from... [continue]

Yesterday the New York Times published a review of new District hotspot Marvin, the Belgian-themed bar and restaurant sitting just north of the intersection of 14th and U streets NW: Named for the “Sexual Healing” crooner, Marvin is a new Belgian bistro and lounge in the Shaw neighborhood where Gaye was born. Those taking an evening off from the darts-and-Dockers bar scenes in Georgetown or Adams Morgan say it feels more than a few Metro... [continue]