Results tagged “heat”

Some welcome relief from the heat comes from D.C.'s Department of Parks and Recreation, which announced many city pools and spray parks are extending their hours through Wednesday night. Thirteen outdoor pools are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the next three evenings, and other facilities are open later as well. Check the full list extended hours for the DPR facility nearest you.

The D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency has issued a Heat Alert for today, while the National Weather Service prefers to call its recommendation a Heat Advisory. Whatever you call it, it's hot as balls out there, and it's only going to get hotter — highs are expected to reach 100° at some point today, with the heat index making it feel like 105°.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 5 p.m. this evening. Some of the intense storm activity that could pop up midday today includes hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter, wind gusts up to 70 mph, and lightning. Capital Weather Gang finds the silver lining: "... the cold front causing the storm threat should clear out all this muggy air. We'll feel much more comfortable for the weekend, before shower chances return early next week." Works for us.

It's a really slow day for local news, so allow me to indulge in a little PoP-style observation and question session. I'm not often downtown during the day, but on the occasion I have a meeting in the middle of the day, I usually install myself someplace nearby with free wireless internet to get back to work as quickly as possible. Today, I picked the Cosi at 14th and H Streets NW. They have salads, wifi, and a spacious upstairs section in which it's easy to find a seat.

The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority sent around word this morning that too many people, especially in Southeast, have been opening up fire hydrants during the heat wave over the past few days, and water pressure in some areas is now very low as a result. The agency says they'd really, really like it if you would stop opening up those hydrants and playing in the resulting spraying water.

The public is reminded that unauthorized use of hydrants is illegal. Such activity will cause low water pressure and service problems for customers and can damage the underground water infrastructure. Loss of adequate water pressure can have a negative impact on fire fighting when firefighters are unable to get enough water to suppress fires. Opening hydrants also poses a safety issue for young children who could easily be hurt from the high water pressure.

Continue reading "WASA Begs Residents to Stop Opening Hydrants"

Looking for a way to beat the heat this evening or tomorrow? The District Department of Parks and Recreation has opened up ten outdoor swimming pools and four spray parks from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. both today and Tuesday.

It's hot, and it's going to get much, much hotter over the weekend. Hot enough that the District Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency opened its cooling centers for the first time this year today, from noon until 6 p.m.

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to a world with a new home run record. That's right: Barry Bonds hit his 756th career homer last night against our very own Washington Nationals. We're sure there are some mixed feelings among the Nats today about being immortalized in a video clip that'll likely be replayed for decades to come. Four Shot During National Night Out: Last night was the National Night Out, a crime-prevention event where citizens...

We love the high contrast black and white and near vanishing point in this shot by Flickr user akkleis. This pergola shades a walk in the ten acres of gardens at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, which also houses a museum with rare book, music, and art collections. The museum itself is closed for renovations until 2008, but the gardens are open for an $8 admission fee. EXIF.

For those of you who love the Warehouse Arts Complex as much as we do, some bittersweet news just came in from owners Paul and Molly Ruppert. As you've already heard, Warehouse will close its cafe and music venue at the end of this month, thanks to skyrocketing property tax bills. Not that we had any doubts, but we're pleased to learn that the Rupperts are organizing a closing night gathering to say goodbye to...

FRIDAY: >> Palace of Wonders is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a literal circus of performers both tonight and Saturday. Acrobats, burlesque performers, magicians, freaks and rope trick artists are just some of the acts that will take the stage, and fortune tellers will be on hand near the bar. Tickets are $15 in advance (click here), and $20 at the door. 7 p.m. to midnight tonight, 7 to 2 a.m. on Saturday. We recommend...

We told you about the sad news earlier this week that Warehouse will be shuttering its music venue, as well as the bar and cafe, come July 30, when the entire place will close for a month for vacation. Now the Warehouse has let us know it is looking for potential investors and advisers who can help draft not-for-profit status paperwork -- depending on which route they end up taking. If you can help them...

What was once an entertaining season for the Washington Wizards has quickly gone down the proverbial drain so fast most people are afraid to ask "What's next?" In the last 12 days, the team has lost Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas for the season, lost the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, lost the Southeast Division crown to the Miami Heat and also lost six in a row, with four of those...

The recitals sponsored by the Vocal Arts Society are usually very well attended. Their latest concert, by Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey, did not have the same draw as some of their other events, but those who made it to the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater on Monday evening were rewarded with some excellent singing. In 2005, Kelsey represented the United States at the BBC Singer of the World competition, and he has been appearing at Lyric Opera of Chicago as a member of that company's young artists program for the past three years. His voice is a superb instrument, with some maturing to do but of exceptional promise, combining a full sound, a broad and well-balanced range, and impressive breath support.

The Washington Wizards found out last Friday that they'd be without Caron Butler for the next 10 or so days, not exactly the type of thing you want to hear with the Miami Heat breathing down their necks for the division lead. As we're sure you all remember, the team was 0-3 without Butler earlier in the season. Lucky for the Wizards then that the struggling New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets (aka the...

The Miami Heat took control of a close game last night by repeatedly feeding Shaquille O'Neal in the post and The Diesel responded by scoring 10 of his season high 23 in the fourth quarter, leading the visiting Miami Heat past a depleted Washington Wizards team, 92-83. With Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison out with injuries, the Heat ran multiple defenders at Gilbert Arenas all night, holding him to 15 points on 3-15 shooting....

Although the DCist Food and Drink team would prefer to associate the word "turnover" exclusively with "apple," we also recognize that staff "turnover" is an inevitable fact of the blogging world. Two writers recently left us for print publications, and three others retired from service. In short, we've run low on qualified Food and Drink writers. When we need to restock, it's not as simple as heading to the local Whole Foods for wild-caught salmon...

Of all the rivalries in recent sports history, few have been as one-sided as the Wizards' struggles against their Southeast Division antagonists, the Miami Heat. Indeed, it's not clear you can even call it a rivalry, since in actual rivalries both sides sometimes win. D.C.'s hoopsters, by contrast, have been losing for a long time now. Sixteen straight games, including a four-game sweep in the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals, and sweeps of the regular season...

Let's start with the good news this morning: this excessive, unrelenting, soul-sucking heat is expected to come to an end tomorrow, say the guys at Capital Weather. And we say they better not just be leading us on. However, today is yet another day in Scorcher '06 -- and may even be the hottest one yet -- with highs once again flirting with triple digits. Heat-related Problems Continue: With near record temperatures, people are...

So, who took place in yesterday's National Night Out? I have to admit that a combination of the heat and roundup duties kept me from joining my neighbors and local police officers in the barbeque and walk of the area that took place last night. But surely some of you participated in your own neighborhoods' Night Out events. How was it? Area Survives Heat, For Now: Today's Post covers the heatwave in the Metro section's...

Happy Hot as Hell Tuesday, everyone. Yes, it's going to 100 degrees today, with a heat index up around 110. The best advice is to stay inside whenever possible during what we like to call our Heat Emergency, but if you have to be outdoors, the National Weather Service advises drinking plenty of water, planning activities outside for the morning or evening and wearing loose, light-colored clothing and a hat. It's unfortunate that the current...

Hey there, Washington. How was your weekend? Ours was OK. Yeah, just OK. Oh sure, we're fine. We guess we're just a little troubled by some of today's headlines. As if the looming Heat Emergency, which has given us a Code Orange Air Quality day today and will place the heat index close to 110 through much of the week, wasn't disturbing enough, we alse read in the Examiner that the growth of online news readers nationwide has plateaued. According to a study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, about three in 10 adults, or 31 percent, regularly read news online, which is roughly the same as two years ago. Wait a minute. DCist began almost exactly 2 years ago. Suddenly it all makes sense! DCist is such a force to be reckoned with in the online news community, we've actually swallowed all of the growth of the Internet over the last 2 years. Who would have thought? Well this changes everything. Here's a special shoutout to all of our loyal readers who made this day possible.

Butch Walker is a man who wears many hats. As a recording artist, he’s been in several bands including 80s rockers Bad Boyz and Byte the Bullet (SouthGang), Floyds Funk Revival, The Floyds, and the Marvelous 3. Flying solo he released two albums, 2002’s Left of Self-Centered and Letters in 2004. Most recently, Butch put out an album with his backing band titled The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let’s-Go-Out-Tonites. On top of his own music, he’s written and produced songs for artists such as Pink, Avril Lavigne, Lit, Hot Hot Heat, Bowling for Soup, and SR-71, and is currently a judge on the second season of Rock Star: Supernova, the winner of which he will produce as well. But Butch is not just a man with a guitar and an ear for great music, he is THE man, as he proved last night at the 9:30 Club.

So yesterday was pretty miserable, huh? When temperatures in the shade come just short of triple digits, you know we've hit the part of the D.C. summer that sends Capitol Hill and the rest of the city's transient population scurrying off to their August vacation getaways. We wish we could say the worst is over. But... Heat, Air Quality To Get Worse: Amidst some banal man-on-the-street meteorology (alternate headline: "Some Dislike Heat, Others Don't"), the Post tells us that today's forecasted high temperature will be slightly higher than yesterday's — that's right, it'll be an even 100F in the shade. Poor air quality will come along with the heat: tomorrow is expected to be a code red day. Residents are encouraged to avoid using engines unnecessarily. To aid in that effort, Maryland and Virginia metrobuses won't be charging a fare. Mayor's Crime Plan Proceeds: Yesterday we mentioned Mayor Williams' plan to ask for a special session of the city council, with the aim of passing emergency legislation within two weeks. WTOP now reports that his plan is proceeding quickly: the mayor is expected to introduce his legislation tomorrow afternoon. Its provisions will reportedly include moving the curfew for juveniles up by two hours to 10 p.m., increasing the number of active surveillance cameras in the city, better notification when juvenile criminals are released, and changes to how and when bail is offered to repeat offenders. But although the legislation has come quickly, its passage may not: the Post reports that some of the measures may face opposition from council members. Va. Gang Activity Declines: NBC4 brings good news from Virginia. Apparently the regional gang task force's efforts over the past three years are now paying dividends, reducing the number of annual gang-related crimes to 1400, down from a peak of 1700 (which, admittedly, occurred during the task force's first year on the job). Briefly Noted: D.C. prisoner escapes during transport (in presumably cool-looking black jumpsuit)... Maryland has tainted beef and tainted heroin, may be getting more expensive cigarettes... House allocates $1.5 billion for Metro, provided that Va. and Md. match it... Police had murder suspects' addresses prior to Georgetown slaying... Crime emergencies seem to actually work... This Day In DCist: One year ago we were writing about efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland, the new stadium's potential for delays, and D.C.'s plentiful running options. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user alex.DC

Heat several thousand half-naked suburbanites and tattooed hipsters in a few D.C. city blocks. Slowly add two local bands until the overpriced Bud Light kicks in and the flashing ensues. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add remaining reemerging mainstream artists from the last decade and mash-up well. Then Smell My Face. Saturday marked the 2006 DC 101 Chili Cook-Off, sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation. And while I’m sure many kidneys were saved from...

What's new(est) with Wolf Parade? These brothers of Brock, peers of Pitchfork and travelers on the Arcade Fire turnpike are going strong. Yet they also maintain that aura of youthful poverty and subsequent spiritual wealth that's critical to their frenetic, idealism-tinged sound. Their EP drew buzz and their debut long player, Apologies to the Queen Mary, confirmed it. The group’s got almost as many side projects as members, with Arlen's AIDS Wolf and Krug's Thunder Cloud (or is it Swan Lake?) and Sunset Rubdown. Hell, they even picked up Dante DeCaro, formerly of Hot Hot Heat. These Canadians sure know how to stick together and be prolific. Speaking of which, where's the next Arcade Fire album...

The first two times the Celtics and Wizards matched up this year the refs decided the games on dubious calls down the stretch. Last night they let the players decide the game and unfortunately for Washington, Paul Pierce had the ball last. Pierce, who led the NBA in scoring for the month of February, made a deep, off balanced 22 footer over Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler as time expired in OT to give the...

Yesterday DCist broke the news that Rep. Henry Bonilla, a Texas Republican, was looking to rename 16th Street NW after Ronald Reagan -- adding one more dedication for the nation's 40th president to the 67 that already exist in 24 states. Word spread fast -- before the end of the day, Rep. Tom Davis III (R-Va.), whose committee would review the legislative proposal, encouraged Bonilla to "name anything else he has to look at his...

Something weird's going on, D.C. Yesterday a 38 year-old Catholic nun identified as Sister Liann was kidnapped from behind Our Lady Queen of Peace Convent in Southeast. She was then driven about two miles away and released unharmed. Police are looking for the suspects, a man and a woman, but no one seems to have any hunches as to what the assailants' motives might have been. As a neighbor interviewed by the Post asked, "Who would abduct a nun — an idiot?"