Boy howdy, yesterday sure was quite the hootinany over at the D.C. Council, as members scrambled to push their pet bills through before this year's session finally, finally comes to a close. Here's a quick rundown of what went on, gleaned from the WaPo and Examiner: >> We told you this was in the works before, but the council finally did pass a nice pay raise for themselves and incoming Mayor Adrian Fenty. From the......

It may have been buried towards the bottom of a Post article this morning, but this little piece of news is sure to please some people: In other action, the council approved an emergency bill that allows exceptions for businesses that are within 400 feet of a school, college or District-operated recreation area applying for liquor licenses. D.C. law prohibits such proximity, but the bill will allow exceptions for businesses in commercial areas.It's been a......

From ambassadors of China's goodwill to international webcam sensations, the pandas at the National Zoo are used to the white-hot spotlight of celebrity. But now, some in D.C. want to take that fame a step further and elevate them to the lofty heights of becoming the city's official symbol. Today's Christian Science Monitor reports (echoing very closely a March 15 article in the Washington Times that we somehow missed) that members of the D.C. City......

WUSA 9's Sports Director Brett Haber can sleep a little bit better tonight. Last week Haber indicated that his inside sources had told him that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig had chosen Bethesda developer Ted Lerner to be the new owner of the Washington Nationals, and that a decision was to be expected as early as Friday, April 28. Haber may have been a few days off, but the story held -- Lerner's group has been......

With estimates in the tens of thousands, immigrants and their supporters took to the Mall yesterday in a massive show of force in favor of progressive immigration reform. As the Post notes, quite a few of the marchers were taking their first steps into political activism, a step that is having a noticeable impact on Capitol Hill. Area bloggers have started sending us their experiences from the march, so if you have any to......

In case you've had your fill of numbered streets and avenues named after states, the District just might have some new thoroughfare nomenclature for you. According to the Examiner, the D.C. Council is considering legislation that would rename various city streets after U.S. territories in the Pacific. According to the legislation, M Street in Southeast between 11th and Water Streets would become "Guam Avenue" and "Samoa Avenue." An as-of-now unnamed circle west of 12th Street......

What is a spending cap, as defined by the D.C. Council and D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams? Depends on how you define "is," apparently. The Post is reporting today that Williams has identified an additional $20 million to cover cost overruns on the construction of a new stadium for the Washington Nationals, a revelation that has some members of the council crying foul. It was only three weeks ago that the council endorsed the stadium lease,......

Mornin', Washington. We hope you had as much fun as we did at Unbuckled last night. Thanks to the Hard Tomorrows, Olivia Mancini and the Housemates, and our own DJ Leafblower for providing a night of great music. Most of all, thanks to all of you for coming out. We had a blast. Hospital Proposal Hits Roadblock: The Post reports that Mayor Williams' plans for building a hospital in partnership with Howard University has run......

When I was 14, I was a bit of a troublemaker. I'd vandalize, start small fires, throw water balloons at my neighbors -- the usual. Apparently the bar for youthful rebellion has been set a little higher these days. NBC 4 is reporting that a 14-year-old robbed a Chevy Chase Bank in Bethesda yesterday by passing a teller a note hinting that he had a gun. He was caught shortly thereafter. Well, if there is......

District political types and local journalists long waited for today -- the day the D.C. City Council would finally vote on the contentious stadium lease, the day on which D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams was to prove once and for all if he could round up key votes at key moments. Alas, it was not to be. As we reported late yesterday afternoon, Williams asked Council-chair Linda Cropp to postpone the vote on the stadium lease......

We are just getting word that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams is now requesting that the long-awaited vote on the stadium lease -- originally scheduled for tomorrow -- be postponed so "small technical changes" can be made to the agreement. In a brief press release, Williams noted: We continue to work aggressively to get assistance from the federal government, from private developers and from Major League Baseball to put together the best deal possible for the......

Fear no longer, social drinkers -- that glass of wine with dinner won't land you in jail for the night. Today the D.C. City Council passed emergency legislation establishing .05 as the blood alcohol content level below which a driver is presumed not to be intoxicated. The measure, sponsored by Carol Schwartz (R-At Large), passed on a 9-3 vote. Only Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6), Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3), and Phil Mendelson opposed the legislation, while......

At first, the Ward 6 Democrats had simply organized a forum to discuss the state of the city's schools. Now they may be hosting the first, if most informal debate between mayoral candidates Adrian Fenty and Linda Cropp. Both Fenty and Cropp have announced that they plan on making an appearance at the forum -- set for 7 p.m. tonight at the Eastern Branch Boys & Girls Club, 261 17th St., SE -- which will......

Safety tool or unwarranted invasion of privacy? Necessary law enforcement device or shameless moneymaking scheme? These may be some of the questions that city councilmembers ask today in a hearing dedicated to the issue of cameras in law enforcement. The Council's Committee on Public Works and the Environment, chaired by Carol Schwartz (R-At Large), is debating legislation introduced by Schwartz, Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), and Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6) concerning the District's six-year old program......

D.C. Auditor Releases Report Critical of Mayor: In a 17-page report detailing three instances in which no-bid contracts were awarded to consultants for different city projects, D.C. Auditor Deborah K. Nichols chastised City Administrator Robert Bobb, at right, and D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams for "management behaviors that did not conform to the high ethical and professional standards expected of government officials and employees in the performance of their official duties." The report, dated June 3......

Ward 6 residents have filed a notice to recall City Councilmember Sharon Ambrose. The notice, filed by ANC Chairperson Mary Williams, reveals the controversy that has surrounded Ambrose's term on the city council. Recent ANC meetings -- particularly meetings of ANC6D -- have dissolved into shouting matches. Among the issues drawing local resident's ire are Ambrose's "yes" vote for the construction of the new stadium, her support for the sale of the Randall Homeless Shelter......