Happy Almost Holidays, Washington. With both Monday and Tuesday counting as a holiday for the federal government this year, most of D.C. is staring down a nice, long holiday break today. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, federal holidays are great for a lot of other reasons besides a day off - you don't have to feed parking meters, for instance. But The Examiner reports that that fact isn't stopping people from shoveling coins into......

The Associated Press brings the heartbreaking tale of a stolen car taken from near 10th and S Streets NW on Wednesday with a blind kitten inside that needs medical attention. Two employees from Homeward Trails Animal Rescue were getting ready to take two foster animals to the vet -- a dog, and Wonder, a kitten born without eyes. They said they were standing outside the car at about 4 p.m. for just a few moments,......

The Associated Press is reporting that former Va. Gov. Jim Gilmore has officially announced he is a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. John Warner. Gilmore announced his candidacy by posting a video to YouTube. The formal announcement sets up Gilmore as the presumed Republican nominee for the seat, as the other leading candidate, Rep. Tom Davis (Va.-R), announced last month that he would not seek the seat. Gilmore will......

The Associated Press is reporting that seven cars of a freight train have derailed over the Anacostia River. No injuries have been reported. Six of the seven cars are in the river, and another is hanging off the trestle. Coal and some hydraulic fluid and oil ended up in the river, but the fire department says it's been contained. We'll update again when we learn more. UPDATE 4:45 p.m. Thanks to an anonymous reader......

The Associated Press is reporting, via the Examiner, that a Department of Homeland Security employee has been placed on leave after wearing a Halloween costume that was racially insensitive - even though it won "most original" in the agency costume contest. Deciding what costume to wear for Halloween can be tricky enough, but deciding what to wear to an office Halloween costume party in D.C. is tough business. You certainly wouldn't want to wear the......

Ten hours in to the 24-hour D.C. taxi strike, it's looking like a large percentage of drivers in fact stayed home. As people make their way out of offices to head home and tend to children anxious to begin trick or treating, what will they find? Based on streets we've seen around town virtually devoid of D.C. cabs, we'd say that if you have your own car, your drive will most likely be a lot......

The Associated Press is reporting that a dark cherry red Peterbilt tanker truck hauling gasoline was stolen at gunpoint this morning in Baltimore. ABC News follows up with word that police believe it to be a straight-up robbery and not connected to terrorism in any way, but that the Joint Terrorism Task Forces from Washington and Baltimore are assisting local Police in the investigation as a precaution. The suspect was last seen driving the truck......

The National Transportation Safety Board released its findings this afternoon from an investigation into the January derailment of a Green line train near the Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center stop. The accident, in which the fifth car of a six-car train jumped the rails and hit a wall in the tunnel, injured 20 people and left around 60 passengers stranded in the tunnel for nearly 45 minutes. The Associated Press has the first word on the......

View Larger MapView Larger Map We've long been concerned with the dangers of exploding manholes, and this morning one such explosion has disrupted electricity to businesses and residences in an area of downtown just north of Sherman Circle, in the 900 block of Farragut St. NW. The Associated Press says that Pepco has been notified and crews should already be on the scene. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported. Anyone seen anything down there?......

The Associated Press has discovered the one thing State Department employees are more frightened of than a backlog of passport applications: wasps! Cicada-killer wasps to be precise, which have infested areas around the State Department's headquarters at the Harry S. Truman building on C Street NW. A memo obtained by the AP tries to calm the fears of Stateys regarding the menacing looking wasps by pointing out that they are "generally not aggressive and do......

Previously on DCist, we declared that no jail could hold Marion Barry, albeit a tad prematurely. For those of you not following the case, federal prosecutors were seeking jail time for Barry for violating the terms of his probation after he pleaded guilty in 2005 to misdemeanor charges for failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2004. The terms of the deal mandated that he comply with all federal tax laws -- and then......

Washington has had a love-hate relationship with the Segway for some time now. Certainly, they are useful modes of transportation -- who among us begrudges the UPS man, or even the tourists, from trying to zip around our city's streets in a more efficient manner? But at the same time, pretty much no matter what you do, if you're riding one, you look like a douchebag. This isn't to say the technology isn't cool, or......

Who ever said members of Congress never do anything for our fair city? The Associated Press reports that 61-year-old Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R - NJ) was approached by a group of young men in Georgetown last night when he felt someone grab his wallet from behind. But when Rodney Frelinghuysen comes face to face with crime, he doesn't back down. Instead, he eats a banana, and an amazing transformation occurs. Frelinghuysen IS Bananaman! The seven-term......

A month and a half after former Secretary Lawrence M. Small read the writing on the wall and left the Smithsonian Institution with his tail between his legs and an investigation committee on his back, the Smithsonian board of regents has begun its search for his replacement. The Associated Press reports that the search committee, formed yesterday but not fully yet, will include six board members, including Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and one of Chief......

A trial that has captivated Washington has come to an end. From CNN: Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been found guilty on four of five counts in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial. Libby, 56, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The five-count indictment against the former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney alleges perjury, obstruction of justice and making false......

The Washington Post reports what some of you who've been out using Metro today may have already heard: six-car train on the Green Line derailed just before 4 p.m. this afternoon near the Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center stop, injuring 20 people, one of those seriously. The Associated Press has more, describing the 45-minute wait approximately 60 people had before being reached by fire crews and helped out of the tunnel. This from AP:The accident happened......

The Associated Press has the early word on scheduling for President Gerald Ford's state funeral and public viewing, though they have yet to be approved by the Ford family and therefore are not final. Officials were preparing tentative plans for President Gerald Ford's body to lie in state this weekend and expected a funeral service after New Year's at National Cathedral capping days of mourning in the capital. U.S. Capitol Police officers said they were......

It's shaping up to be a beautiful day here in Washington, with a high around 70 degrees and mostly sunny skies. Here's hoping the great weather can brighten the days of Montgomery County election officials, who are reporting that they won't have a final count of all provisional ballots in the county until sometime next week, thanks to mistakes which forced many early morning voters to cast the paper ballots. We know the idea that......

There are lots of good reasons to ride Metro when moving about the city. It's cheaper and easier than buying and maintaining a car, it's good for the environment, and it teaches patience. Perhaps the best reason to be a regular user of rail transport, however, is because placing oneself on or near a roadway in the metropolitan area will get you all smashed up with a probability approaching 1. The Associated Press reports today......

L'Affaire Abramoff and the Culinary Scene If you've been following the Jack Abramoff/Tom Delay ethics scandal, you may have caught the piece in the New York Times yesterday that went into depth on the connections between the scandal and Abramoff's (former?) downtown restaurant, Signatures. The article goes into depth on complimentary meals given to various political heavy hitters at the restaurant. The Times mentions that Abramoff is selling the restaurant, and we've heard that there's......

Since others might do a better job explaining the style and substance of President Bush's State of the Union address, we thought we'd do a sampling of newspaper and news agency ledes from around the nation and world (and we'll add more through the morning as they become available): (Photo of the State of the Union Address from the White House)......

Major networks across the board will sacrifice a crucial night of the November sweeps period in the name of civic duty. Election Night coverage starts at 8 p.m. on most broadcast networks and presumably continues on through the wee hours of the morning. Here's your handy-dandy guide to Election Night viewing. ABC News: Peter Jennings anchors Vote 2004 with the help of George Stephanopoulos and Terry Moran. Former Salon.com writer Jake Tapper will have regular......

It wasn’t pretty or fun to watch but Joe Gibbs and the ‘Skins ended their 4 game skid yesterday with a close victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Those fans that view the glass as half full will note the career high 36 carries for beleaguered running back Clinton Portis that resulted in 171 yards. Those that view the glass as half empty will point to the shaky play of QB Mark Brunell......