A commenter forwarded this story to the DCist tipline, and we also got a press release from ABC News announcing the same program: a "50 States, 50 Days” election coverage project co-produced by ABC News and USA Today. ABC News and USA TODAY will launch an unprecedented news project on Monday, September 15, to report from every state in the nation during the 50 days leading up to the presidential election. ABC News’ anchors and......

Black Friday, the be-all, end-all of go-crazy shopping days (well, not for those celebrating "Buy Nothing Day"), is less than two turkey-filled days away. But in our blind rush to leave a tithe at the alter of mass consumerism, we often lose our thrifty ways. Not to worry - for those of us with office jobs, that raise is right around the corner, coming soon to help ease those credit card bills come January. Right?......

One of the best things about covering hockey is that you get the summer off. Just ask USA Today's Gary Graves, TV Analyst Darren Pang or the anonymous Western Canadian hockey experts on this conference call. All of them are really excited to watch what happens when Alexander Ovechkin plays with newly signed free agent center Michael Nylander. But as Ovechkin kindly told these vacationing reporters when they asked him how he felt about it,......

Tons of people told us about the large tree that fell over near Dupont Circle last night, crushing a parked car and causing the street to shut down. This photo was posted to the DCist Flickr pool, so we thought we'd go ahead and share it, though we still haven't heard back about what caused the tree to fall -- we're guessing old age. >> "...by reducing Thursday drinking, overall drinking on campuses would......

While most of us are eagerly awaiting the start of May sweeps, the network suits are already thinking ahead to next fall and tinkering with the pilots of new shows. If you're just a tiny bit nuts about television, like, ahem, some of us are, pilot season is a pretty exciting time to see what shows are in development and what might actually get picked up to air come September. D.C. is, of course, well......

Earlier this summer, we also took a listen to the newest release from our Unbuckled headliners, Middle Distance Runner. Our Chris Snyder's fondness for the album, Plane in Flames, has spread throughout the blogosphere. Even big timers like USA Today's Pop Candy have taken notice of these local lads. Join us tomorrow night at Unbuckled to celebrate two years of DCist and this band on the rise. Until then, here's what Chris had to say......

The long holiday weekend meant lots of local hoops action to go around for fans of every school. I spent the weekend in Philly, where Villanova has taken over the headlines from the rudderless 76ers. The Cats beat #1 UConn earlier in the week but were determined not to overlook Georgetown on Sunday, especially since the Hoyas also have a win over #1 to their credit this season. Unfortunately Georgetown couldn't match the energy and......

In a development that will force Washington area residents to trek out to BWI for our cheap flights, we bid farewell this week to budget carrier Independence Air. For an airline that started as an underdog in a tough industry, Independence's problems included leasing small regional jets that didn't turn as much of a profit as the larger aircraft of Jet Blue or Southwest, rising fuel costs, and a unique business model that many in......

When you ask someone about restaurant service in D.C., you'll get endless opinions. Some will claim that service in D.C. is uniformly abysmal. Others will point to phenomenal experiences -- but at a price. Recently, two area favorites have been at the center of service-related discussions: Cleveland Park's Palena, where local Chowhounds have complained of very slow service, and Arlington's Ray's the Steaks, which has policies that at least one local food fan thinks are......

Good morning. If you're looking for something to do tonight, today is the date of the monthly iPod DJ night at Cafe Saint-Ex. Yeah, yeah, after being featured in the Post, USA Today and WUSA's 11 o'clock news, it doesn't quite have the same cachet as the early days, although we have heard attendance has declined to reasonable levels after a peak. Tonight at 12:01 they'll be asking DJ's to switch to French music to......

A faithful DCist tipster sends us this camera phone image from the 24th Street Barnes and Noble in Billings, Mont. While no other national newspapers aside from USA Today and The Wall Street Journal have seemed to have made their way into south central Montana, just below Shotgun News is ... The Washington Times. So we guess if you're itching for the Post on your next trip through Big Sky Country, try to find......

Strange things can be found in the area's rivers, from frankenfish upstream and downstream, to things like USA Today distribution boxes and a Civil War-era sword (as recovered during the recent Capital River Relief clean-up.) Now add blue barrels. WTOP reports that near Great Falls and other places, more than 50 sealed blue barrels have washed ashore. And they've been found in other areas of the Potomac and the Anacostia. Environmentalists say while both rivers......

In an article that reminds us a little bit of USA Today's recent shocking discovery that iPods are popular, a Post front-page article today delves into the underbelly of Saint-Ex's regular iPod DJ Night. We kid, we kid. We're glad the iPod DJ nights got some good press -- we're totally a fan of the monthly events, and couldn't be more pleased that local bloggers Seeking Irony and WeirdCurves got quoted. But at the same......

Three Washington-area projects have been recognized by the American Institute of Architects as winners of their 2005 Honor Awards. The Gannett/USA Today Corporate Headquarters in Tysons Corner is among the recipients of the AIA's Honor Awards for Architecture, while the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative Framework Plan and Cady's Alley in Georgetown are among the projects awarded the AIA's Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design. One of 13 buildings chosen from more than 400 entries,......

The presidential debates are finally over, so let the punditry begin. The Post's Howard Kurtz who offers his usual rundown of what the major media outlets are saying in Media Notes, reporting: The Tempe debate lacked any sense of electricity -- at least compared to the Yankees/Red Sox game on Fox, which undoubtedly cut into the candidates' audience. These guys know each others' moves. There was no obvious turning point. And the pundit reaction was......

Things like today's full DNC convention schedule, an op-ed written by a DNC convention blogger about the "Free Speech Zone" titled "Mr. Kerry: Tear Down This Wall!", and a column by Ann Culture spiked by USA Today, (Choice quote: "My pretty-girl allies stick out like a sore thumb amongst the corn-fed, no make-up, natural fiber, no-bra needing, sandal-wearing, hirsute, somewhat fragrant hippie chick pie wagons they call "women" at the Democratic National Convention.")......