Our photographers must have had their drama hats on over the long weekend, as we've seen a number of awesome staged shots in the DCist pool, like yesterday's wading man. Flickr user akkleis happened upon this "terrible accident" from the balcony of the National Building Museum. Won't someone help him up?... [continue]

Check out this mysterious shot from Flickr user gbmcinephoto. The subject itself is great: where is this person going? What has his day been like? Is it the end of the day and he just wants to escape? Or did he just wake up, no doubt worrying his day is not exactly off to a great start? Great mood, tone, and framing; it's an image that really pops out and makes you think for... [continue]

Remember all the way back in the late summer of 2007 when we held a little contest called Touch Up D.C.? The general premise was this: inspired by a regular feature on our sister site, Londonist, we asked you to take an iconic image of our city and "touch it up" into something funny, freakish, or just plain wonderful. So here it is, August again, and judging by the energy being poured into our comment... [continue]

We understand that there's Washington, and there's D.C. There are plenty of people who live and work in Washington, but not all of them know much about the District. So we've all been enjoying reading today's article from the Post's David Nakamura, in which he exposed that point through some hilarious interviews with some of D.C.'s Democratic superdelegates. There are 75 at-large superdelegates appointed by DNC Chair Howard Dean; 15 of them live in Washington,... [continue]

The Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs is officially launching a new blog next week associated with its Collegiate Off-Campus Housing Initiative, called ThisShouldBeIllegal.com. The basic idea of the web-based program, according to DCRA spokesperson Michael Rupert, is "to try and get college kids to make sure they are being rented to legally." Under D.C. law, your landlord is required to have a business license, and the process of obtaining one prompts an automatic safety... [continue]

America's Next Top Model just might be a transgender woman. Us Magazine reports that Isis, a former receptionist originally from Prince George's County, Md., will compete in the upcoming season of Top Model, which premieres September 3 on the CW Network. Isis told the magazine, "My cards were dealt differently," regarding her identity as a transgender woman. When pressed if she'll be a role model, she said, "I like to help people, but I'm here... [continue]

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has put out a report that says that many cities are not doing enough to inform citizens about the results of health inspections at restaurants. Predictably, the District is pretty high on the list of cities that the center feels need to be doing more. The report scolds D.C. for forcing people who want to obtain restaurant inspection reports to file Freedom of Information Act requests. CSPI... [continue]

Blogger Jeff Simmermon (he of the Murky Coffee iced espresso saga and a former DCist contributor) is asking people to help him gather some much-needed cash for the family of Marisol Caceres. As you'll recall, Marisol was found strangled in her apartment in Northeast last week, and her father has since been arrested for her murder. Jeff is a friend of Marisol's brother, Jose Andrade, and says the family is in desperate need of assistance.Marisol’s... [continue]

While it's no secret that The American Federation of Teachers, the parent union of the local Washington Teachers' Union, isn't thrilled about the merit pay proposal being negotiated between the WTU and DCPS, the AFT had thus far stayed on the sidelines of the controversy. Not so much anymore. DCPS teacher and local blogger DC Teacher Chic reports today that she was called by a pollster from the Hart Research Group, who asked a series... [continue]

Earlier this afternoon D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty made his first public appearance in several days (since re-injuring his fractured foot) to announce that he had secured funding to keep the D.C. Public Library system open full-time. Last week DCPL head Ginnie Cooper said that staff budget reductions would force the library system to shutter its branches on Fridays and reduce hours on other weekdays. At the time, Mayor Fenty said he was committed to locating... [continue]

The Metropolitan Police Department sent around a flyer today with this photo of Felipe Antonio Caceres, asking the community for their help in locating him. Caceres is the father of 12-year-old Marisol Caceres, who was found dead earlier this week in at apartment at 60 Hawaii Avenue NE. The flyer emphasizes that Caceres is missing, that he is wanted for questioning only [emphasis theirs], and that he "should be approached with caution as he may... [continue]

Many of you pointed out in the comments that the re-posting of the Mt. Pleasant assgrabber rant on Craigslist has also been flagged for removal. What's wrong with you, Craigslist community? To make up for it, here's another gem, courtesy reader Matthew Mateo:Virginia License Plate JLP 2948 - Honda Accord - w4m (Sterling, VA) Yesterday, the drive home at 5:00 p.m., intersection of Nokes Blvd and 28. You: Late 30s, early 40s, well dressed, sitting... [continue]

So the D.C. Public Library system is facing a $2 million reduction in next year's staff budget. The word is that all city libraries will probably have to close on Fridays, as well as reduce hours on weekdays and close completely five kiosk branches that serve needy neighborhoods. This is bad news. Mayor Fenty has said, however, that he is committed to finding the money to keep the libraries open at their normal hours. And... [continue]

Jonathon Church as the Marquis de Sade in Forum Theatre's Marat/Sade. Photo by Melissa Blackall. Asylum director Coulmier personally welcomes you as you step into the septic green confines of the bathhouse at Charenton, silently congratulating yourself on the liberal Enlightenment values that have brought you here to watch Coulmier’s lunatics perform a history-play penned by his most notorious patient, Donatien Alphonse François de Sade. It’s therapy, for them and for him, this playacting.... [continue]

The intersection of U Street, 16th Street and New Hampshire Ave. in Northwest has long been a perilous spot for pedestrians and cyclists alike. It's just a weird confluence of two major thoroughfares plus a diagonal avenue that runs one-way, in opposite directions, for one block only on either side. If you've ever tried to cross U Street on foot there, you know just how unpredictable the flow of traffic can be. Last year... [continue]

The Politico is reporting that conservative commentator Robert Novak -- known variably as the "Prince of Darkness" or the "Douchebag of Liberty" -- was cited for hitting a pedestrian with his Corvette in downtown Washington today:A Politico reporter saw Novak in the front of a police car with a citation in his hand; a WJLA-TV crew and reporter saw Novak as well. The pedestrian was hospitalized but there were no details about the person’s condition.... [continue]

WMATA just sent out images of their brand new Metrobuses. The new red and silver color scheme looks pretty sweet. Keep an eye out for one of the 22 new 60-foot articulated buses when they make their debut in August, on lines yet to be announced. The rest of the press release stats are below the jump.... [continue]

At approximately 2 a.m. on Thursday, 18-year-old Derrick Green was found shot in the head in an alley behind the 1300 block of Vermont Ave., very close to Logan Circle. Green lived only about a block away, in the 1300 block of 14th Street NW. He was pronounced dead on the scene when police and EMS arrived. So far the police have no suspect or clue as to a motive in the case. NBC4 uses... [continue]

The Post finally picked up on the Murky Coffee brouhaha this morning, and it appears it's been a topic of conversation at other locally owned coffee shops around town. We snapped this photo at Big Bear Cafe in Bloomingdale today. Thanks to Catherine Andrews for the tip.... [continue]

A year ago, we geeked out over the possibility that Google Maps would soon include its Street View feature in D.C. area maps. Google has indeed collected Street View imagery for Washington, DC, but still no launch date has been announced for the feature. In the meantime, we've got something a little cooler – or at least something with a comparable "gee whiz, that's neat" factor – to tide us over. On Tuesday, Google announced... [continue]