Popular: The posts that got people talking, ranked by your recommendations and comments.
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The Manhattan Project
Photo by Bullneck The Catholic Church is shaking things up these days, huh? The same Church that silenced Galileo Galilei has acknowledged that aliens could maybe exist. Further, the Church says that xenomorphs might not require redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church is only talking astrobiology in theoretical terms right now, but what's preventing the Vatican from launching its own national space program? Could we see, you know, a mission...
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Go Home Already: Shouts and Murmurs
Photo by Command Z The Silver Spring Penguin covers the annual Silver Spring Thanksgiving parade, complete with local politico spotting.NPR's Carl Kasell to retire at the end of the year, Fishbowl DC reports. 'He will continue his second role as official judge and scorekeeper of the weekly NPR news quiz "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!",' though.WashTimes runs optimistic article about Howard Theatre renovations, despite reality reported therein: they've only raised $1.6 million of the estimated...
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Man Stops Traffic at 17th and K to Demand $200 Million
UPDATE 3:49 p.m. Traffic is moving again on K Street NW. Police have concluded their preliminary investigation, moved the van out of the street, and cleared the area. UPDATE 3:12 p.m.: K Street remains closed between 17th & 18th Streets NW. Police are still on the scene conducting a search of the man's vehicle, which is a U-Haul van. UPDATE: WUSA9 has a few more details now, including that the guy apparently threw a couple...
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Compromise Uncertain on Same-Sex Marriage Law
Photo by Kevin H. With a D.C. Council vote on same-sex marriage just over a week away, a compromise proposed to assuage concerns expressed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington remains uncertain. Last week, D.C. Council members David Catania (I-At Large) and Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) sent a letter to Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl proposing that the church follow the lead of Georgetown University in offering benefits to spouses or "legally domiciled adults." The...
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Morning Roundup: Second Helpings Edition
Photo by rstavely Good morning, Washington. Still smarting from the outcome of that fairly stupid 'Skins v. 'Boys game? Well cheer up, it's one of the shortest work weeks of the year, and in just a couple days you'll be in the warm embrace of your own dysfunctional family. Hopefully the turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie yet to be consumed can help dull the pain just a little. Developer Lacked Proper License for Gray's...
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Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
Photo by Command Z Good morning, Washington. Given that the Metro system was already unusually full by yesterday afternoon, we're guessing that D.C. is going to be a bit of a ghost town today. If you're unlucky enough to still be stuck in the office, we hope the empty halls and cubicles at least provide a peaceful day before you cut out early. Pollin Remembered: The Post has a lengthy and glowing reflection on...
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Fire at 17th and L NW Forces Evacuations
Photo courtesy Deborah Goss A fire broke out this morning inside an Indian restaurant in the 1700 block of L Street NW, leading to the evacuation of several nearby buildings. The fire at I-The Indian Experience, located at 1708 L Street NW, began in the kitchen and extended to some duct work, D.C. Fire/EMS spokesperson Pete Piringer said. Firefighters were called to the scene for a report of smoke conditions, and evacuations began after...
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Judge Throws Out WTU Suit Over Teacher Layoffs
Photo by M.V. Jantzen In a blow to the Washington Teachers' Union, the D.C. Superior Court today rejected the union's bid to reinstate the 266 teachers who were fired by DCPS in October. The teachers were laid off as part of a large reduction in force (RIF) that DCPS has maintained was necessitated by a $4.4 million budget shortfall. According to the Post, Judge Judith Bartnoff argued that the WTU failed to prove any...
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Ballou HS Rocks the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Ballou Senior High School Majestic Knights marching band, under the direction of leader Darrell Watson, are the pride of D.C. today after their performance in the Macy's annual Thanksgiving Parade. Ballou's band is a D.C. institution that has even inspired a documentary, and they are the first school from the District ever to perform in the parade. The students have been preparing for this performance since their selection was first announced in April of...
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Controversy Over Rhee Now to Include Sex, Congress
Photo by David Clow - Maryland A congressional report issued yesterday by two ranking Republicans suggests that schools chancellor Michelle Rhee performed "damage control" for her now-fiance Kevin Johnson during investigations into Johnson's alleged sexual misconduct and misuse of Americorps funds at the St. Hope charter school he founded in Sacramento. Johnson, an ex-NBA player, is currently mayor of Sacramento. Rhee confirmed that the couple got engaged earlier this month. According to the New...
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Sculpture Garden Ice-Skating Rink Remains Closed
Photo by christaki Outdoor ice-skating at the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden rink may be a uniquely Washington activity for working off extra holiday calories, but it won't be an option this Thanksgiving weekend. According to the ice rink's guest services office and a note on their web site, the Sculpture Garden rink remains closed due to "technical difficulties with the ice-making equipment." A representative explained that while they hope repairs will be...
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Vegetate to Close at the End of the Month
We'd been hearing the rumors that Vegetate, the popular vegetarian restaurant on 9th Street NW in Shaw, would soon be forced to close its doors, and now the Convention Center Community Association has posted this farewell message from owners Dominic & Jennifer Redd, confirming the news. Fans of the restaurant will be relieved that the Redds say they are planning on opening in another location as soon as they find one. We're writing with...
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Suspect in 9-Year-Old's Murder Found Dead in D.C. Jail
The man who was arrested and charged in the Nov. 14 killing of 9-year-old Oscar Fuentes has been found dead inside his cell in the D.C. Jail, according to a report from WTTG/FOX5. Josue Pena, 26, had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Fuentes, who died after being shot through the door of his Columbia Heights apartment. The Washington Post reported earlier that paramedics had been called to the jail for...
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Morning Roundup: Rain Won't Go Away Edition
Photo by philliefan99 Good morning, Washington. If you're starting to get that sinking feeling that your drive home tomorrow for Thanksgiving is not only going to be a fustercluck, but a wet, slick, rainy mess at that, we don't have good news for you. The Capital Weather Gang is calling for this rain to continue pretty much for the rest of the entire week, with the worst of it expected on Friday, when windy...
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DCist Preview: Bebel Gilberto @ 9:30 Club
During a recent interview, we asked vocalist Bebel Gilberto what she wanted her audience to come away with after a performance. With characteristic flair, she responded, "Love and passion, of course." Those romantic sentiments prevail throughout Gilberto's new recording, All in One, which she will be supporting in concert tonight at the 9:30 Club. Her first release on the Verve label, the album was recorded in Jamaica, Brazil, and New York, with her new...
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Today in Crime Trend Stories
Couple of headlines on local crime trends from the broadcast outlets worth looking at today. First up is WRC/NBC4's story from last night on snatch 'n' grab robberies on Metro, but given that "special" NBCWashington.com treatment this morning by calling it, "Metro Opens Doors ... For Robbers." Scared yet? Of course you are, but don't worry, the story is really about how robbers are targeting Metro commuters to make quick grabs for purses, cell...
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D.C. Police Seek Suspect in Series of Bank Robberies
The Metropolitan Police Department has released security camera images of a man wanted in a series of recent bank robberies. Police say the suspect in question may be responsible for the Nov. 21 attempted robbery of a Bank of America branch in the 3500 block of Georgia Avenue NW, and a Nov. 14 robbery of a PNC Bank branch in the 3300 block of 14th Street NW. In both cases, the suspect produced a...
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Planned Bus Line to Philly, Wilmington Still Not Off the Ground
Earlier this month, we told you about a new discount bus service that planned to start offering non-stop service from D.C. to Wilmington, Philadelphia and Boston. Originally, TransportAzumah planned to launch all of its new D.C. lines by today, but an ominous message has since appeared on the company's web site reporting that all trips from D.C. have been canceled until further notice. That's bad news for folks who had been hoping to take...
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Gallery
Study Snacks at The Tombs: Books not Needed
For years I had read that Georgetown student hangout The Tombs served one of the better burgers in the city, and for years I meant to put that claim to the test. But a trek to G'Town for a bite at a subterranean college bar owned by the Clyde's Restaurant Group? I always found something better to do. When I finally visited, I discovered something even better than cooked-to-order burgers, which were juicy thick ones...
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Photo of the Day: November 25, 2009
The turkeys are coming, the turkeys are coming! Or fleeing, as is the case here. Synapped reminds us that our upcoming feast isn't great news for the turkeys....
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Secret History: Chisel's 8 A.M. All Day
Our occasional series "Secret History" features profiles of classic D.C. albums as a way of looking back at the District's contributions to music over time. This installment finds DCist speaking with members of Chisel about their debut LP, 8 A.M. All Day (Gern Blandsten, 1996). Before the Pharmacists ever prescribed their first dose of politically-infused, Thin Lizzy-informed indie rock, Ted Leo headed up the D.C.-by-way-of-South Bend neo-mod-punk outfit Chisel. Filtering post-punk and hardcore through...
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Wizards Owner Abe Pollin Dies at 85
Abe Pollin Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin has passed away at the age of 85, the Washington Post is reporting. In addition to owning the Wizards, the Mystics and the Capitals, Pollin's work in developing the real estate deal that became the Verizon Center and Gallery Place retail complex has largely been credited with turning D.C.'s Chinatown neighborhood around. Pollin was also a longtime Washingtonian, having graduated from George Washington University in 1945. From...
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Increased Urban Walkability For The Win
Walking to The Passenger last night, my mind drifted toward thoughts about the development of the area north of H Street along 7th Street NW. Perhaps it was destiny, then, that I stumbled over this photograph of Mt. Vernon Square taken in 1992 by Jack Boucher for the Historic American Buildings Survey of the Library of Congress, which DCist flickr contributor rockcreek shared with our image pool yesterday. It's a good reminder of how...
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Cafritz Suffers Second Fire
Cripes, Peggy Cooper Cafritz can't seem to catch a break. After her Chain Bridge Road mansion burned to the ground over the summer, she had another fire just a couple of weeks ago in the Georgetown apartment where she's been staying since, the Reliable Source reports today. Luckily, this most recent fire was confined to the laundry room, "but smoke invaded every cranny, and all her clothing had to be cleaned to remove the acrid...
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Are the Redskins Actually Less Popular This Year?
Photo by frank.thorp. The first paragraph of Reed Albergotti's Wall Street Journal story today about the decline in popularity of the Washington Redskins tells you pretty much all you need to know about what he thinks, at least of our city.In a town drawn up by a Frenchman, a place brimming with people who hail from somewhere else and who don't agree about much of anything, the Washington Redskins managed to attain something any...
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Go Home Already: The Inside Story
Photo by geoff.greene Forbes says women in D.C. on average make more money than they do anywhere else in the country, which would be nice if this wasn't one more list that ranks the District of Columbia as it compares to states, instead of cities. But at least this is promising: "On average, women make 80% of men's earnings, but in D.C. they earn 92.2% as much as their male colleagues."Betsy Rothstein, former gossip...
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Week Around the Ists
Gothamist was saddened after seeing why Sad Panda is so so sad. DCist caught up with the dapper gents and ladies who took to the streets in high style for the D.C. Tweed Ride. Torontoist Googled its city. Googled it hard. Seattlest sputtered in disbelief at a grassroots campaign in favor of a proposal to dig the world's largest open-pit mine. LAist wondered if the city's drivers are ready to go Dutch--as in be...
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Gray Could Beat Fenty, Poll Finds
Photo by KCIvey Yesterday the Washington Post asked a number of local political watchers, myself included, if we thought Mayor Adrian Fenty would be re-elected in 2010. Some said yes, others said no. I stressed that without a credible challenger – and none has yet stepped forward – Fenty would cruise to a second term. Well, if that capable challenger ends up being D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray, Fenty may have to start looking...
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Listen to DCist on WAMU at Noon
Tune in to WAMU 88.5 FM (or listen online) today and catch DCist Editor-in-Chief Sommer Mathis as a guest on The Kojo Nnamdi Show. Sommer will bring you her expertise on everything to do this weekend in and around D.C. for those souls sticking around for the holiday. Her segment begins around 12:30 p.m....
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President Obama Pardons the White House Turkey
President Barack Obama pardoned his first White House turkey, Courage, a little while ago. The White House has since released video of the ceremony (see below), during which Obama called Courage "a good looking bird." The president was in a joking mood, noting that "there are days when I'm reminded why I ran for this office ... and then there are days like this, when you pardon a turkey and send it Disneyland." Obama also...
