Well ain't this a kick in the pants? The Washington Redskins, faced with having to take the same long cut to the playoffs that they did the last time they found themselves all but eliminated and facing a slew of teams suddenly willing to play dead, took their act on the road to Minnesota and won 32-1421, in a game that was only briefly tense and was basically decided by an alert eye on the......

I doubt anyone is at the "Gilbert Who?" stage yet, but anyone who's been watching the Washington Wizards play since Agent Zero went down would be hard pressed to deny that the team has been just plain fun to watch these last few weeks - perhaps because with the big gun out, they are playing like a team. Last night three players had double-doubles and a total of six players scored in double figures......

Just in case you were still tap, tap, tapping your fingers in anticipation of what Sen. Larry Craig would decide to do about his scandal-ridden Senate career, the wait is over: Craig has changed his mind about resigning and will remain in the Senate through next year. He made his decision this afternoon, shortly after a Minnesota judge ruled Craig could not withdraw his guilty plea to disorderly conduct in a men's restroom at a......

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to a world of omnipresent peril. That's what it seems like, anyway, given the constant stream of recalls that we've been facing lately. This morning's additions to the list of things that are trying to kill you and your family: children's cribs and Mattel toys. Oh, and microwave popcorn — but then, that stuff's so delicious that you probably already suspected its deadliness. Firefighter Sex Ring Press Conference: WUSA......

The Washington Times brings us the most, ahem, alarming piece of news we've seen this morning: that D.C. fire officials are investigating whether some firefighters have been running a prostitution ring out of several of the city's firehouses. Around a dozen employees from at least four firehouses are being investigated for involvement in the prostitution ring, which fire officials first learned of after a criminal investigation last month into claims that a sergeant exposed himself......

Once again, the country is in a tizzy over a conservative Republican senator doing naughty things. According to a Post report, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Id.) was arrested earlier this month in an airport bathroom in Minnesota after he became a little touchy with an undercover police officer. (Similar allegations were made against him here, though they allegedly occurred in a Union Station bathroom.) Our favorite part? That during an interview with police after the......

As we mentioned briefly yesterday, the second fire in two years at Capitol Lounge has been found to have resulted from the same reason as the first: a cigarette, which was left burning in a trash can behind the building. Last week's fire caused about $100,000 of damage to the Lounge as well as the Trover Gift Shop next door. Now The Examiner reports that D.C. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin is calling for a new......

Good morning, Washington. Well, it couldn't last forever: this week's temperatures are edging up after all. And while things are still relatively pleasant, tomorrow's high of 98 still sounds unappealing to our recently-spoiled selves. D.C. Goes After Posters: WJLA brings encouraging news for anyone who's been sorry to see a lingering ad for a years-passed protest event: the city government is cracking down those who illegally post notices on traffic and utility boxes. Among......

We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We're not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness – we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week. After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Bostonist did a little research and found that Massachusetts......

>> A federal administrative appeals court has struck down the District's drug-pricing control law, saying it violates federal patent law. The ruling is considered a major win for the pharmaceutical industry. [WaPo] >> The city has agreed on a settlement of $1 million to about 120 protesters who were improperly detained by police during demonstrations in D.C. against the invasion of Iraq, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in 2002. [AP via......

People around the country have long complained that politicians are full of it. Now their workplace is too. The story, apparently broken by Roll Call, is that on Wednesday, workers found at least three piles of poo (yes, actual poo) in the hall on the Senate side of the building, and possibly some more in a gallery overlooking the Senate chamber. There have been piles of questions about this - some have speculated it was......

FRIDAY: >> DCist Exposed opening reception, OBVS. 6:30 - 9:30 p.m., at Warehouse. >> If you're looking for more hip art happenings afterward, head over to the Hirshhorn After Hours party, which goes until midnight. It's a celebration of the opening of Virgil Marti and Pae White's new site-specific installation in the Hirshhorn lobby, which is the latest in the museum's Directions series. Ian Svenonius is spinning and it looks like there'll be a number......

>> Do college students like having fun? Well, DO THEY!? Sounds like a job for Laura Sessions Stepp! Pull-quote highlight: "[Professor Frederic D.] Homer and graduate assistant Rodney Wambeam wanted to know what students meant when they said they were in college to have fun. They wanted to know why students rarely included classwork in that definition. What they heard surprised them." That means if Stepp, herself, was surprised, it could potentially bring the total......

Seeing as we've already effusively reviewed them twice, we figured that it was about time to step back and solicit your thoughts on The Hold Steady and their magical concert abilities. Were you at their Black Cat show Saturday night? Did you swig Budweiser and Jim Beam along with the band members? Were the songs lighter-worthy, or yawn-inducing? Did you find their presence powerfully earnest or overrated? A quick spin around the blogosphere shows that......

This entry was written by contributor Ben Clark. D.C. shows its love for politics in many ways, but nothing is quite as wonktastic as waiting in line for a citywide premiere of a documentary about Al Franken. Last Friday I made the trek to the only movie theater in the city that still serves beer for the premiere of God Spoke, sponsored by American Family Voices, to enjoy some Coulter- and Hannity-bashing with inebriated fellow......

Coach Joe Gibbs, despite having posted a career win-loss record that is just to die for, has never once won an opening week game on a Monday night. It makes you wonder why he’d willingly go through it again, especially after last night’s dispiriting loss to the Minnesota Vikings and their newly befuglified uniforms—squandering both a home game and a match against a very beatable team. In a game set against the backdrop of September......

This graffiti's sentiment notwithstanding, today the Democratic voters of the city will express their concerns and hopes for the city through their ballots, and, in the process, likely determine what most of the city's government will look like for the next few years. You can find your polling place here, and the Post's election guide here. Redskins Fall To Vikings: You probably don't need to be told, but we'll say it anyway. Last night the......

Geezers need excitement. And for two of them, Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell and former Redskin/now-Viking QB Brad Johnson, ESPN's Monday Night Football premiere will be providing it as these two NFC foes duke it out at FedEx Field tonight at 7:30 p.m. For Washington, who miffed and mussed and stunk their way through the preseason, all eyes will be on the offense. Widely deemed a depthless liability toward the end of last year, a heavy......

The Washington Redskins kick off their regular season tonight against the Minnesota Vikings at FedEx Field. Last week, the Richmond Times-Dispatch took a look at what the Redskins organization — including players, coaches, and staff members — wolfed down during the squad's three-week training camp in August: That group of 140 or so people, 88 of whom are players, chewed through 1,200 pounds of sliced deli meats, 1,500 pounds of chicken breasts, 1,200 pounds of......

It was five years ago today that the U.S. was hit by the deadliest attack in its history, leaving almost 3,000 people dead and launching a global crusade against terrorism. In that time, much has been said about securing the homeland to avoid another attack -- and billions more have been allocated to actually doing so. District residents have observed the march towards security both as residents of the city and the nation's capital, most......

As this is Washington, prepare for a protest tomorrow: -- the Post reports that the largest protest regarding the Israel-Hezbollah conflict is to occur tomorrow. It's expected to draw tens of thousands of people to surround the White House. Police Investigate Shootings: Last night Southeast saw four distinct shootings. Three of the shootings occurred around 9 p.m. in the area of Minnesota Avenue and Naylor Road. NBC 4 relays that three adult males and a......

Today at the Fringe, ethnicity is explored through dance, a pair of cabaret acts make their debut, and some drenched French whores finally get their star-crossed production off the ground. But first, it looks like we spoke too soon about ticket availability for the One-Man Star Wars Trilogy--an alert DCist tipster dispensed the bad news last night--sold out straight up and down. A pity, because Charles Ross is headed to Edinburgh after the Capital Fringe......

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......

Last night DCist ventured north to Charm City for a three band lineup made in blogger heaven. L.A.'s Cold War Kids, Denmark's Figurines and Minnesota's Tapes 'n Tapes brought the music that all the indie kids have been gushing about to a great little club called Fletcher's. The review in 20 words or less: Cold Ware Kids were really, really good. Figurines were not. Tapes 'n Tapes pretty much rocked. Fletcher's is a tiny (probably......

MONDAY >> Hockey Night, the Minnesota band making waves for drenching their songs in the sounds of classic rock and mid-90s Pavement and Dinosaur Jr, visit Iota tonight. You can read an interview with them over at You Aint No Picasso to catch up on the bluzz. Rumor has it a few DCists may be in attendance, so don't forget your blogger bingo card. $10, 8:30 p.m. >> Has science done anything to you lately?......

The small crowd at Iota on Sunday knew exactly why they were there, and it wasn’t for Easter cocktails garnished with peeps. They came for the Minnesota-based eclectic rock outfit Cloud Cult, who are a rare presence in these parts. And it’s too bad that they are a rare presence because they put on one helluva show. Opening act 302 Acid started things out slowly. In fact, it’s questionable whether they went anywhere. As their......

The blossoming shrub that was the Washington Redskins' successful 2005 season bore fruit yesterday, as it was announced that the team will play in the inaugural Monday Night Football game of the 2006 season. The synergy is practically PTI-tastic, as it will also be the first MNF game for area sports curmudgeon Tony Kornheiser. And because Monday Night Football moves from ABC to ESPN this year, nobody will be watching the game without buying something.......

Despite defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first game back after the All Star break (that's seven of their last ten if you're counting at home), the Wiz seem to be making a lot of noise off the court as well. Today is the NBA's trading deadline, and even though the names Jared Jeffries and Etan Thomas have come up in a few rumors (one had Thomas going to Chicago for Mike Sweetney), the......

We've all heard the news -- the negotiations between MLB and the District over the new stadium aren't going particularly well. The City Council is increasingly annoyed with a stadium that is fast exceeding expected costs, while MLB continues being its own worst enemy by refusing to consider even the most basic financial concessions to the city. In a private meeting with the council yesterday, MLB chief negotiator Jerry Reinsdorf both surprised and angered the......

(DCist would like to welcome our new college basketball correspondent Hayden Alfano) Maryland’s men’s basketball team used a full-court press defense to force 22 Minnesota turnovers, pulling away in the second half for an 83-66 victory over the Golden Gophers last night as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Travis Garrison paced the Terrapins with 18 points, becoming the fourth player to lead the team in scoring in the first six games. Regardless of the......