The smell of Red Bull wafted over H Street NE last night as gamers lined up for the midnight release of Grand Theft Auto IV, one of the most anticipated video games in history. By 11:45 p.m., about 50 people were in line at the GameStop at 817 H Street NE, for the release of the newest in the popular and controversial video game franchise, which is expected to gross $400 million in its first......

Via City Desk, the Dupont Current (not available online) has a short piece about how the Logan Circle advisory neighborhood commission has given the go-ahead for the P Street Whole Foods to continue selling single-sale beers in the grocery store. The decision reportedly comes after eight months of such sales at the Whole Foods “without major conflict,” but the Current notes that just around the corner on 14th Street, the reputable Barrel House Liquors is......

>> The biggest D.C. government corruption scandal ever? [WaPo, updated from earlier story] >> Will there finally be enough places to lock up our bicycles? [WJLA] >> An Emerging Columbia Hts.-Petworth Food Split? [Free Ride] >> Bloomingdale Farmers Market not a given for next year? [In Shaw] >> Could H Street NE put a cap on the number of bars that can open there? [City Desk] Photo by sally henny penny......

We told you long ago, in 2005 that is, that the District planned to roll out 788 new bus shelters as part of a $150 million deal with Clear Channel Outdoor. The shelters are finally starting to slowly creep across the city. On 8th Street between Capitol Hill proper and H Street NE, at least four shelters have been ripped out and are in the process of being replaced with the fancy new digs.......

Sad but true: the Post has some great coverage of the closing night at Common Share on Friday. The bar, located on 18th Street NW south of the Adams Morgan strip and just north of Florida Avenue, was one of the cheaper places in the city, with beers going for $2. While there are rumors that the bar may reopen elsewhere, possibly the H Street NE strip, we'll sure miss the inexpensive brew and laid......

>> Heading over to check out semi-crazy ambient rockers Deerhunter play with Clockcleaner tonight at the Black Cat seems like an entirely reasonable thing to do. 9 p.m., $10. >> NYC's Beat the Devil host a CD release party at the Red and the Black with Brandon Butler and Revival. Doors 9 p.m. $8. >> The charity organization Bartending for Change hosts a benefit for Food For All at a happy hour from 6:30......

FRIDAY: >> We will be hard pressed to find a better drinking buddy this Friday night than Freddy Noe, son of Booker Noe and great-grandson of Col. James B. Beam. For those not in the "Noe," this is the family that gave us Jim Beam. Whiskey fans can pay homage to Freddy, Master Distiller Emeritus and Jim Beam brand ambassador (uh, where can we apply for that job?), from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on......

We kid. Kind of. According to the Washington Business Journal, the Uline Ice Arena and the surrounding area may be the next frontier in development in the District. The arena, which is just north of Union Station and hosted the first Beatles concert in the U.S. in 1964, is being looked at by developer Douglas Jemal as the anchor for a new entertainment district along the lines of the popular East End/Verizon Center area. While......

>> "Michael Vick agreed Monday to plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, a deal that leaves the Atlanta Falcons quarterback facing up to 18 months in prison and puts his NFL career in jeopardy." [AP via WTOP] >> Rep. Robert Filner (D-Calif.) was charged with assault and battery following an incident at Dulles International Airport Sunday night. [WJLA] >> Taxi GPS doesn't eliminate fare zone confusion. [Free Ride] >> "Four years after a......

The depictions and roles of women in hip-hop debate has raged on and off for several years now with varying degrees of depth. Most of the arguments posit that the relationship between women and hip-hop isn’t positive by using lyrical content and music videos by male artists as exhibits A and B. After the requisite freedom of speech assertions made during the rebuttal, the talk dies down again and the status quo remains. Often lacking......

Dr. Granville Moore’s Brickyard officially opened its doors this weekend, and with much avail. Located at 1238 H Street NE, this Belgian influenced pub has a great deal to offer, which was obvious with the number of people who showed up for the “soft opening.” Chris Surrusco, formerly of Rustico’s in Alexandria, is a proprietor and the beer connoisseur. He had estimated about 50 or so covers each night and was pleasantly surprised to see......

Yesterday's legislative action in the D.C. Council, typical of end-of-session days, was jam-packed with votes. Here's a few more you may have missed: >> The Council moved ahead on a bill that restricts interest rates levied by the so-called payday loan industry, an issue we've looked at before. The bill passed on an initial reading, and if implemented would place a 24 percent annual percentage rate cap on interest charged by lenders. The Examiner notes......

FRIDAY: >> Let it be known - any country with a holiday that translates as "party of music" (or "music party") is OK in our book. In celebration of the French holiday Fete de la Musique, as well as the summer solstice, French and American musicians will be performing at La Maison Francaise tonight. Local guitar and cello duo Janel and Anthony*** will play from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the auditorium stage, but......

By DCist contributor W Jacarl Melton At the time when Jaguar Wright's 2002 album, Denials, Delusions and Decisions, was released, the industry term du jour, "neo-soul," was used to describe any singer who presented themselves as part of the vanguard who shunned the trappings of mainstream urban music. But the Philadelphia-based Wright resisted this categorization, and wound up standing out from those who were being viewed as artistic oddballs. Tonight she'll be supported by the......

Despite the brightly shining sun and lovely breeze currently making its way through downtown Washington, you might want to bring along an umbrella today -- CapitalWeather.com is predicting a 60 percent chance of showers and possible thunderstorms later this afternoon. But don't think of it as an inconvenience. Think of it as a chance to gleefully splash in puddles just like you did when you were young -- you know, like the last time we......

FRIDAY: >> We told you all about the Buzzlife White Party at Five yesterday, so follow the link for more details. >> ArtOutlet presents its first ever Flash animation film festival, called Flick, at Warehouse. Tim Bracken opens the event with an alt-country set at 7 p.m., with screenings from selected artists beginning at 8. $5 suggested donation, also Saturday. SATURDAY: >> Like we mentioned in this week's music agenda, the artwork of Mingering Mike,......

>> Anyone born before 1985 can surely appreciate the simple joys of 8-bit electronic entertainment. Filmfest DC presents a documentary about a complex Iowa man fighting to retain his title as World Champion of Donkey Kong. King of Kong delves into the unique lives of people involved in this epic battle. [4000 Wisconsin Ave. NW, $9, 7 p.m.] >> Unbuckled alums Pela join Metropolitan and Five Four at Rock and Roll Hotel tonight. [1353......

If Thursday's show at the Red and the Black was any indication, this year's 6 Points Music Festival looks to be a good one. The local fest, in its fourth year but only its second with a wider reach, aims to someday be a D.C. version of South by Southwest and helped its cause by bringing a diverse indie bill to H Street NE. The show began with Brooklyn's The Lisps, followed by Chicago's Scotland......

Over in what they refer to as the “Atlas District” – known more commonly by the rest of Western civilization as H Street NE – the Rock and Roll Hotel is slowly coming into its own as a venue. They have a diverse array of solid lineups checking in over the next month or so, and last night they hosted one of their better ones, an evening of music from local act Junior League and......

So, it seems like George Mason may have used up much of the region's supply of NCAA tourney magic in last year's dramatic run. Of the seven regional teams in this year's tournament, only Georgetown survived the first weekend to make the Sweet 16 – stay tuned to DCist for more hoops coverage as the city unites behind the Hoyas. And before you ask: no, I'm not the least bit bitter about having a bracket......

Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. Joe Englert wants a parking garage. So it says in the Washington Business Journal, on page four of a six page testament to the change he’s helping spread along H Street NE, once one of the District’s proudest thoroughfares and now in the midst of a facelift. When he hasn’t been opening businesses there himself, it seems he’s been grooming and instructing......

Last night, Northeast D.C. saw a robbery, a high-speed chase, gun shots directed at police, an injured cyclist, and a barricade situation, all rolled into one. Police cars, flashing lights and emergency vehicles woke up many residents late last night around a normally quiet stretch of Capitol Hill. NBC 4 notes that investigators have said the incident "started around 9:30 p.m. after three suspects robbed a man at gunpoint at 41st and Benning Road Northeast......

In all honesty, it's tough to wholeheartedly recommend going out on New Year's Eve at all. We love the spirit of the holiday, but paying around $100 a person for a regular night of dancing dressed up with champagne is enough to make anyone feel like a schmuck. It's a safe bet most of us at DCist will be hitting various house parties to ring in the new year with friends at a more reasonable......

FRIDAY: >> In "sucks but it's true" news, the H Street NE scene, while awesomely fun, can still be a dangerous part of town. Argonaut bartender Luis "Quike" Morales was reminded of that fact the hard way late last month, when he was shot in the head while walking home from work. Amazingly, Quike survived, but his mounting medical bills are more than any service industry salary could handle. So head on down to the......

FRIDAY: >> We interviewed Josh Lefkowitz when he was in town performing at the Fringe Festival, and now he's bringing his thoughtful/hysterical monologue, Help Wanted: A Personal Search for Meaningful Employment at the Start of the 21st Century, to the Woolly Mammoth stage. Tickets are $15, and the show runs through Oct. 8. Details and showtimes are available here. >> Soft Complex has a debut EP, Barcelona, and it's damn well time for them to......

FRIDAY: >> Seems like everyone's talking about the new nightlife options on H Street NE these days, thanks almost entirely to local bar Tsar Joe Englert. Englert's latest creation, Showbar Presents the Palace of Wonders (though we hear a lot people refering to it simply as the Freak Show Bar) has been open for a few weeks already to mixed buzz — the decor is cool, the drinks are standard, and the food is......

Chinatown may have a new movie theater, a bowling alley, the Verizon Center, Hooters and a lot of new stylish apartment buildings, but it doesn't have a supermarket. And given the news today, that won't change anytime soon. WJLA is reporting that gourmet grocery store Balducci's has decided not to locate a store in the popular neighborhood, opting instead to improve their existing locations. The article notes that Safeway is planning a store at Fifth......

It’s spring, the season for all those bare tree branches to sprout gorgeous green leaves, for daffodils to pop up along Dupont Circle, for those of us with a green thumb to try and flex it in any way we can. For the past few years, Joe Carmack's Garden District store on 14th Street has been one of those places ready to help city gardeners get primed with perfect plants for the season. The store's......

March for Life Takes to National Mall: The National Mall will be a few hundred thousand people more crowded this morning, as pro-life activists participate in the annual March for Life, reports WTOP. Large sections of the Mall will be closed to traffic, including the area between Pennsylvania Avenue and Independence Avenue from Third Street to Fifteenth Street. District officials have announced that starting at 7 a.m. they will turn on their 19-camera CCTV......

For those with a keen eye, you might be able to figure out that the farmer's market pictured here is not D.C. ... it's Palmdale, Calif. But that doesn't matter. As Frozen Tropics points out, the fresh farm market on H Street NE is celebrating its one-year anniversary on Saturday. The anniversary was actually last week, but there will be a birthday cake to celebrate the occasion tomorrow. Buy a variety of items including (but......