Category Archives: News

News, The Daily Feed
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This Just In: Senator Ensign is a Douchebag

Photo courtesy of
‘Monistat & Summer’s Eve’
courtesy of ‘mag3737’

Yeah, the very same Senator Ensign who decided that the price for DC’s voting rights was a complete stripping of firearms controls in the District of Columbia has proved himself a douche in other capacities: he’s admitted cheating on his wife. Usually I’d say “Nah, let him and his family deal with what is a painful issue.”

Instead, I think I’ll delight a little bit in the schadenfreude. Man, only the Germans would have a whole word for delighting in the embarrassment and suffering of others.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Two People Killed by Trains Over the Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘The Evening News’
courtesy of ‘Bogotron’

This weekend was a deadly one for Metro riders as two people were struck by trains in separate incidents.  The first took place on Saturday at the Potomac Ave station when a man was run over on the orange line.  He was alive when rescue workers arrived but later succumbed to his injuries.  The second incident occurred on Sunday at Bathesda where a women intentionally jumped in front of a train.  Both deaths delayed service for several hours as police investigated.

Alexandria, News, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Slow Downs on the Metro this Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Moving Red Line’
courtesy of ‘Amberture’

WMATA is warning customers to expect delays on the red and blue lines this weekend due to track maintenance.  Trains will be single tracking between between Van Ness-UDC and DuPont Circle stations, and between Van Dorn St and Braddock Rd stations. Delays on the red line will take place all weekend, while service on the blue line will return to normal during the evenings.

News, The Daily Feed
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Real World DC is now Official

Photo courtesy of
‘Real World DC House’
courtesy of ‘squidpants’

MTV seems to be late to their own party. Today, after days of buzz about the Real World, and where its house would be, MTV has confirmed that Real World 2010 will be filmed in DC this summer. If you’re shocked, still, perhaps someone nearby will get you some smelling salts. MTV is promising “from sexy hook-ups to blood-boiling fights,” which has me looking for the nearest bucket to vomit in.

News, The Features, The Mall, WTF?!
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Breaking: Shooting at the Holocaust Museum

Photo courtesy of
‘CIMG1828’
courtesy of ‘e_tothe_ipi’

A spate of gunfire erupted at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum this afternoon, with two men injured and transported to area hospitals. The shooter is reported to be James W. Von Brunn, a white supremacist. Both Von Brunn and a member of the USHMM Security Force were taken to George Washington University Hospital in critical condition.

14th Street has been shuttered in the area (between Constitution and D St SW), leading to major traffic snarls around the artery (link to Traffic Camera at 14th & E) as police response and investigations continue. A third man has been taken to the hospital, according to WTOP, after being injured from flying glass.

Update 23 [5:10p] We’re going to wrap our live coverage at this time. We’ll pick up additional updates in a new entry later this evening.

Update 22 [4:42p] The US Holocaust Memorial Museum is confirming the death of Officer Johns, a six-year veteran of the Security Force at the USHMM. The museum will be closed tomorrow in honor of Officer Johns. In addition, flags will be flown at half-staff at the Museum.

Update 21 [4:40p] The Washington Post has republished the 1983 article about Von Brunn’s sentencing, with some details about the attempted kidnapping of the Federal Reserve Board.

Update 20 [4:32p] WUSA9 identifies the security guard as Stephan Tyrone Johns. He was fatally wounded at the Holocaust Memorial Museum this afternoon just a bit before 1pm.

Update 19 [4:22p] Many thanks to Karen, who pointed us at Von Brunn’s Wikipedia User Page biography, which largely mirrors the site from earlier today.

Update 18 [4:18p] Former Secretary Cohen and his wife Janet Langhart are on CNN now. They’re talking with him about his viewing. He was right out front of the Museum when it happened. He was 30-40 feet away when the incident occurred.

Update 17 [4:05p] WUSA 9 is reporting that the Security Guard at the Holocaust Museum has died, due to his injuries sustained at the scene. CNN has confirmed this as well.

Update 16 [3:25p] Clinton Administration Defense Secretary William Cohen was in the entry to the museum when the incident occured. His wife Janet Langhart was to have performed her one-act play, an imagined conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, this evening at the Museum. Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Norton “Disappointed” in Obama

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_8246’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

With the Voting Rights Bill on hold, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton has expressed some displeasure with President Obama over his unwillingness to help with the situation. According to WTOP’s Mark Segraves, she reached out to President Obama’s offices several times for assistance and got just the cold shoulder instead. Would Obama’s help have come in handy against the Ensign amendment? It’s possible, but I think that with major political capital projects like Health Care Reform, the Nationalization of General Motors, and TARP funds, he’s had other things to do.

All Politics is Local, Crime & Punishment, News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Eleanor Holmes Norton: Voting Rights Can Wait

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_2721’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

Mike DeBonis (Loose Lips of the City Paper) has the news that Eleanor Holmes Norton is killing this year’s Voting Rights Bill, mostly thanks to the inability of Steny Hoyer to get his party in line over the removal of the Ensign amendment. The Voting Rights Bill may come back in another Congress, but for now it remains a continuing elusive dream for the District of Columbia.

The Ensign amendment, designed to remove all of the District’s current firearms registration laws and revert to the Federal standards, was transformed into a national referendum by the NRA, who promised to grade legislators on their vote. With political pressure weighing on centrist Democrats who support 2nd amendment rights, the Ensign amendment passed handily and put a boat anchor on the bill. Unable to remove it in Conference, Congresswoman Norton has requested that the Bill be tabled until some time in the future.

If you’d like to register your displeasure, you can contact the office of Senator John Ensign, below. Perhaps we can arrange for a mail-in campaign where we send him something to symbolize the disenfranchisement of the District on a Federal Level?

Senator John Ensign, Nevada
119 Russell Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6244

Entertainment, News, Penn Quarter, The Daily Feed
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Romantic Comedies Love DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Hollywood east’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

The stars will be falling on DC over the next 14 weeks as a romantic comedy (bleh) is filmed in Adams Morgan, Penn Quarter and DuPont.  The Examiner reports that Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Reese Witherspoon will be staring in the as of yet unnamed movie. The directors state that they were drawn to their filming locations by the unique architecture of the city.  Sets will focus more on the internal neighborhoods and less on DC’s monuments and iconic buildings. Filming is set to begin on June 14 at Nationals Park. Supposedly, they’re looking for extras and local production assistants.

News, The Features
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Celebrating DC

Photo courtesy of
‘(heart) D.C.’
courtesy of ‘rockcreek’

When we started We Love DC last year, we knew that loving DC wasn’t something new, but we felt that it needed a new voice. In the last year, we’ve come to love our city even more, and we hope that we’ve made you love it a bit more, too. We’ll be celebrating our first year of existence with a party over at Science Club on 19th Street on July 1st, 2009 from 7pm until they kick us all out on the street for loving our city too much. Don’s awesome photobooth will be there, and the great bar staff at Science Club will be pouring tasty libations all evening long.

We’d like our celebration to also help make the city we love a better place, so we’ll be asking for a voluntary donation of $5 at the door to benefit Bread for the City, which provides comprehensive services to tens of thousands of low-income DC residents. Donations are tax-deductible and besides – we’re going to have drink specials to save you a few bucks once you get in the door, so consider a contribution to those less fortunate. Bread for the City staff will also be in attendance, if you’d like to learn more about their services and ways you can help.

We Love DC’s First Anniversary Party
1 July 09, 7pm ’til we pass out
Science Club
1136 19th St NW
Washington DC

News, Special Events, The Features
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Discussions: Pakistan, the USA and Terror

Photo courtesy of
‘Candlelights at Leopold’s’ courtesy of ‘Unlisted Sightings’

With the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, the ever-tense relationship between Pakistan and its eastern neighbor was once again headline news. Pakistani government officials condemned the attack, but the incident raised questions again about links between the Pakistani Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Islamic terror networks. How does the history of the ISI- and its partnership with the CIA during the 1980s-affect its actions and worldview? How do the United States and Pakistan look on their partnership in today’s circumstances? These pressing questions will be considered and discussed tonight by a panel of experts at the International Spy Museum.

Present will be Shuja Nawaz, Director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council of the United States and author of Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within; Bruce Riedel, senior fellow, foreign policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution, former CIA officer and senior adviser to three U.S. presidents on Middle East and South Asian issues; and Ambassador Teresita Schaffer, the Director of the South Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, who has written extensively and testified before Congress on Pakistani issues.

To get an idea of tonight’s discussion, we obtained from the ISM a quick Q&A session with Shuja Nawaz. Continue reading →

Essential DC, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Here Come The Stormz

Photo courtesy of
‘Hurricane Isabel’
courtesy of ‘John Griffiths’

Yeah, I was going to say here come the ‘Canes but the thing is? I’m from North Carolina where the ‘Canes have a whole ‘nother sporty meaning… but point is: This week marks the start of the 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season! WOO HOO! This year, the National Weather Service predicts a near normal period with nine to 14 named storms, four to seven of them becoming hurricanes, and one to three will be major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

Pepco, your much-hated power company sent along some handy tips for your power survival: 1) Keep Pepco emergency numbers accessible to report outages or wires down. For outages, call 1-877-PEPCO-62 (1-877-737-2662). 2) Make sure Pepco has the latest phone number registered in our automated Outage Management System, to identify your location and quickly locate the source of trouble. Customers can update numbers online at www.pepco.com or call Customer Care at 202-833-7500.

Other more general tips for the season include: 3) Prepare an emergency survival kit. This would include a flashlight, battery-powered radio, fresh batteries, essential medication, nonperishable food, and enough fresh water to last several days. 4) Develop a contingency plan. Decide what to do in the event of a lengthy power outage such as seeking temporary shelter with family or friends. I personally am covered since my total worry-wart Mother (love you, Mom) gave me this for Christmas.

Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Blue Ridge Opens Today

blue ridge logo

Good news for Glover Park residents, as they’ve all got a new eat place in the ‘hood as of today. Blue Ridge, which seats 185 guests inside and in its unique rear garden and deck, is housed in a carefully restored century-old row house in Glover Park, and will showcase a menu that embraces seasonal, sustainable, and locally sourced ingredients from the Mid-Atlantic. Blue Ridge will offer guests lunch and dinner daily, with weekend brunch both Saturday and Sunday. (Three cheers for SATURDAY brunch, love it.)

“Barton’s approach to the Blue Ridge menu – straightforward, unfussy, and ingredient-driven – fits perfectly with the mission of creating a restaurant that could have existed 100 years ago,” says Owner and Managing Partner Eli Hengst. “There are no ‘essences’ or superfluous explorations on the Blue Ridge menu, just honest food and cocktails rooted in American tradition with a simple, rustic design as the canvas for good food and conversation.”

Uniquely down home in both food and decor, Blue Ridge is a welcome addition to the DC dining scene. The dining room incorporates reclaimed church pews, as well as custom dining and farm tables made by Ken Hoffman, a local vendor at the historic Eastern Market in Washington, DC. I’ll have a first look for you soon, I’m sure, but until then, let me know what you think in the comments.

Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Burger Beat: Obama at Five Guys

Photo courtesy of
‘When life gives you lemons…’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

First it was Ray’s Hell Burger, now it’s the Five Guys over by Nats Park, according to Mark Knoller of CBS:

“Obama’s lunch order: one cheeseburger and one fries for me. lemme get the jalapenos and tomatoes and mustard. “thats it for me.””

He bought lunch for some of his entourage, and Brian Williams of NBC paid his own way. So, Michelle Obama’s been to Good Stuff, The President has been to Ray’s Hell Burger and now to Five Guys. Can we suggest Palena in Cleveland Park, Mr. President, for date night?

(Seriously though, no one gave a shit what President Bush ate, and we’re all suddenly fawning all over ourselves because the President likes a good hamburger. Has news gone too far? Are we really just that obsessed with the guy? It’s kinda like stalking in some weird, peculiar and yet somehow completely awesome way. I just like that the President’s leaving the White House once in a while to engage with the city around him. That’s pretty awesome in and of itself.)

All Politics is Local, News, The Daily Feed
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Referendum Hearing Set

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

As a follow-up to Tom’s Daily Feed and my Feature:  WaPo reports that the DC Board of Elections has set a June 10 date for a hearing on the proposed marriage referendum that was filed earlier this week.  The Board is said to be expediting the application process in order to give pro-referendum groups enough time to collect signatures, if the item is approved.  They will  have only until early July to get the requisite 21,000 signatures for their item to be put on the ballot.

News, People, The Daily Feed
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Blago’s Condo

Photo courtesy of
‘Gov. “Hot Rod” Blagojevich @ Illinois State University’
courtesy of ‘soundfromwayout’

After failing to sell Obama’s vacant senate seat, Rod Blago is trying his hand at real estate in the DC area.  He and his wife have listed their DuPoint Circle condo for $570,000.  So, if anyone is looking for a “spacious 2 bedroom, 2 bath” with “hardwood floors throughout, balcony [and] fireplace” and doesn’t mind the stench of scumbag, there’s an apartment out there for you!

All Politics is Local, Life in the Capital, News, The Features
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Prop 8 and You: How California’s Marriage Debate Affects DC

Photo courtesy of
‘DC “No on 8” March’
courtesy of ‘ann gav’

Proposition 8 is not a strictly Californian issue. It is an initiative of national consequence and its underlying strategic principles are redefining the same-sex marriage debate in DC. To restate the obvious, the results of the Prop 8 vote flew in the face of political convention. The population of a relatively liberal and historically gay-friendly state voted for a heterosexual definition of marriage. To many, it signaled a break between popular ideology and the viewpoints of elected officials.

The result of the Prop 8, along with the passage of similar ballot initiatives in Florida and Arizona, has lead many gay marriage opponents to believe that they’ve found their adversaries’ Achilles’ heel:  when put to the question, populations will vote against legalizing homosexual marriage. With  momentum in DC gathering for legalization, this idea has already begun manifesting itself.  As Tom reported this morning, a group called “Stand 4 Marriage D.C.” has applied for a marriage definition referendum with the Board of Elections.  If the application is approved, they will need to collect over 20,000 signatures to have it placed on the ballot next year.

Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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“DC” Group Wants Marriage Referendum

Photo courtesy of
‘lift your fist’
courtesy of ‘m hoek’

A group calling itself “Stand 4 Marriage D.C.” (the substitution of the number in exchange for a three letter word is really what makes them jerks. That is, unless they want polygamy? I’m so confused.) has requested the paperwork necessary to start a referendum in the District on the subject of marriage. They’ll need 21,000 signatures of registered DC Voters in order to get the question on the ballot, which could come as soon as this Fall.

Who’s behind this? Marylanders. Bishop Harry Jackson of Beltsville is powering this new group, and is acting as its spokesman. What’s not clear, though, is how he thinks he’ll be able to get around the DC provision that referendums can’t violate the Human Rights Act, which this would likely fall under. The 180 day clock for those signatures started yesterday, after which the referendum petition must be reviewed by the Board of Elections before it could go on a ballot.

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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13 Aquatic Specimens Die at Zoo

Photo courtesy of
‘Stingray City, Grand Cayman’
courtesy of ‘petersbar’

11 of the National Zoo’s stingrays and a few arowanas died this morning, according to the Zoo staff. The water in the Amazonia exhibit had reached a dangerous low oxygen level, and asphyxia is the likely, if not the confirmed, cause of death. The Zoo is adding oxygen meter readings to their schedule as well as water-quality tests.

The 55,000 gallon aquarium dates to the early 1990s, where it’s been home to a healthy and reproducing stingray population, which was sadly decimated by the decrease in oxygenation. Here’s hoping they’ll rebound well.