Through a pre-coffee haze this morning, we were a little confused by an AP story up on WTOP about how the Smithsonian is looking for someone to move in and take over its Arts and Industries Building. Why did it seem so ... familiar? Oh right. Because the Washington Post wrote the same story back in May. So why did the AP pick up on it today? Because the The Smithsonian Institution issued yet......

The Smithsonian announced yesterday that they've officially formed the committee to find the replacement for Olga Viso as the new Director of the Hirshhorn. The group of eight includes local art collectors and Hirshhorn trustees, a couple Smithsonian officers, and the Director of SFMoMA, though we can think of at least one more loud voice that might want in on the decision. We'll be interested to hear who they come up with before Viso leaves......

>> "The Smithsonian Institution today replaced Gary M. Beer as chief executive of the museum complex's embattled business unit after an inspector general's report found that he had abused his institution-issued credit card and billed $95,000 in expenditures that were unauthorized or lacked evidence of a business purpose." [WaPo] >> Video of Marion Barry getting measured for his wax statue at the new Madame Tussauds wax museum. [Reliable Source] >> Some Orange Red line......

Hope for a last minute hail mary. After the highs and lows of almost getting an installment of Live Earth in our town, then having Congress stomp all over it, Al Gore's figured things out in the final hour and is adding the District to the globe-crossing concert. Live Earth will take place tomorrow, from 9 locations around the world. The purpose of the massive undertaking is to raise worldwide awareness of climate change. Musical......

>> OK, Joyce Carol Oates really IS going to be at Politics and Prose tonight, where she'll read from and sign copies of her latest novel, The Gravedigger's Daughter. Get there well before the 7 p.m. start time to stake out a seat. >> The Smithsonian Latino center presents From Mambo to Hip Hop: A Bronx Tale, a 55 minute documentary about how the South Bronx' Boricua community makes its own brand of music......

The Smithsonian Institution continues to bleed to save itself as Sheila P. Burke, the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, resigned yesterday. Burke was the second in command to Lawrence P. Small, who resigned as Secretary back in March. The Washington Post reports today that the Board of Regents isn't taking the call for restructuring lightly, and Burke took the hit after her $1.6 million in compensation from outside activities came to light. The Regents......

As if things couldn't get any more rocky for the Smithsonian Institution, it is the subject of yet another controversy. The AP reports that an ex-Smithsonian official says the institution toned down an exhibit on the effects of climate change in the Arctic out of fear that the exhibit would draw the ire of Congress and the Bush administration. Among other things, the script, or official text, of last year's exhibit was rewritten to......

Intellectual property junkies, and we know you're out there, have another case to salivate over. As the Examiner AP reports, the Smithsonian Institution, which houses over 6,000 images of its historical treasures in a publicly accessible online database, got the IP version of a shot across their bow from Public.Resource.Org, which recently downloaded every single photograph and made them available on its Flickr stream. What's the problem? The Smithsonian claims it retains any "possible copyright"......

The Smithsonian Institution is searching for a public or private partner to redevelop and rent the historic Arts and Industries Building, since, according to the Smithsonian's facilities director, William W. Brubaker, the Institution "does not have funding now or in the foreseeable future to rehabilitate" it. The 126-year-old building, the second-oldest next to the Smithsonian Castle, has been closed for three years "in preparation for renovation" since the roof began collapsing -- but no work......

The Smithsonian Institution's woes have been front and center in the news lately, and now it has sent its first victim to the chopping block. In the wake of last week's fairly crushing – though not entirely surprising – report on the state of the museums, Secretary Lawrence M. Small has submitted his resignation, announced today by the Board of Regents Executive Committee. Some have noted that Small may only be the first of the......

When it comes to Friday night plans, there's a happy medium between sitting home alone with a beer and a Netflix envelope and staying out till 3 a.m. in Adams Morgan. The Smithsonian provides middle ground for those of us who prefer to end our weeks by going out and enjoying a relaxing dose of culture. Friday evenings you can find live jazz from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe. Think harmonic......

Written by DCist contributor Lindsay Gibson. Just as we learn that tourists spent record dollars in the District last year, the Smithsonian Institution is lamenting a drop in attendance to their museums during the same time period. Apparently visitors willing to shell out cash are balking at the Capital's fine free attractions. Some buildings were closed during Deluge '06, but museum officials are primarily placing the blame on the series of crimes against tourists this......

The Smithsonian Insititution announced Monday that it will install a Common Wireless Access System in phases over the next two years, a step which means both free wireless Internet and improved mobile phone reception in and around their museums. The announcement comes 2 years after non-profit Open Park began a push to provide Wi-Fi across the National Mall, which resulted in three hotspots in the area — a good start, but without the Smithsonian's cooperation......

If you haven't made your way down to Gallery Place today, you're missing quite the celebration. The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery opened their doors today after a six year renovation. Dancers, puppet-masters, Andy Warhol impersonators and live bands are ushering in the new era for the former Patent Office Building. Oh, and the free ice cream is nice, too. After the ribbon cutting ceremony this morning, residents and tourists......

We spend plenty of time complaining about the state of the region's public transit network, be it delays on Metrorail, unpredictable arrival times for Metrobuses, or just too much traffic along area roadways. But at least we don't have to hitchhike to work. Today the Post features an entertaining feature on John Schindel, a Stafford County man whose decade-old DUI conviction has left him at the mercy of fellow motorists to get him to and......

The Smithsonian's 39th Annual Folklife Festival kicks off today on the Mall and is typically one of the best reasons to venture down to the Mall during the height of the summer tourist season. "Oman: Desert, Oasis, and Sea" seems to be the most buzzworthy of the featured programs this year. What do you know about Oman (besides that its capital is Muscat)? Way back in the day, this DCist chose Oman for a middle......

Today will be mostly cloudy with highs in the 50s. The blogger meetup is tonight. This photo by Matt Billings is of the U.S. Capitol. Anthrax Update: After a brief anthrax scare yesterday, the Post now reports "analysis of more than 70 samples subsequently taken from filters, surfaces and machines at both mailrooms showed no trace of anthrax bacteria, living or dead." Officials are investigating the possibility that an earlier, positive, test was contaminated.......

In news that is sure to please DCist's mother, officials at the National Zoo are on pregnancy watch. That's right, Mei Xiang, the lovable panda, may be pregnant. The Post is reporting that it has been 122 days since Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated with sperm from Tian Tian. And the time is about right when the panda should show signs of pregnancy. Zoo officials are hopeful, but have described their efforts as a "long......

The Smithsonian's National Zoological Park is seeking to increase the number and variety of animals on display after their collection has decreased by half since 1992, the AP is reporting. The change comes at a time when the Zoo has recently begun a director search, perhaps indicating that institution is turning over a new leaf in its history, after a number of notable animal deaths at the zoo from neglect, accidental poisoning or attacks from......