Congratulations to everyone at DCist, which celebrated its fifth anniversary last night with a hilarious cake.

Photo by woodley wonderworks / CC BY 2.0

That may be because G Fine Art's closing, in a struggling economy, did not come as a surprise.

"I felt it coming ever since this Fall--not necessarily with her gallery, but in general. I felt the economy shifting," says artist Ryan Hackett. "Nobody is in a good financial place, and artwork sells the most when the economy is booming. Rent is a tough thing in D.C. I know just from my experience having [art] spaces that I could not afford one right now."

He adds that "Annie's been really a successful gallery in D.C. and that's the scariest place to be in a time like this, because she's spent a lot of time building up a business. She's showing a lot of artists in museums, and when the economy hits the extra money to collect art, it's not there."

Hackett had a solo exhibition at G Fine Art last September. He said that he has benefited greatly from Gawlak's reputation as an incubator of young talent. "Everyone that has worked with her has loved it," he says. "She only worked to support and help my work flourish rather than control it to make it something it was not. I could have made things that were more commercial, but she was more concerned with the work and the integrity behind it."

Past tense. Was.

But Gawlak, who can no longer afford the higher rent in the building, is seeking a new, smaller space in time for next month's show, "El Museo Del Ghetto," featuring Jefferson Pinder and Jose Ruiz. But until a space is secured, the gallery is homeless--and that's how some of its artists feel, too.

"It's like moving out of your parents' home," says artist Chan Chao, who has shown at the gallery several times. "It's a personal loss... it was great to have a presence in the city and to be represented by one of the best galleries in the city. It's nice to have a home."

Gawlak was the head of the household: nurturer, educator, matriarch and friend. "She's a mother figure that really gets contemporary art. She sees what I'm trying to accomplish as an artist," Chao says.

Gawlak declined to speak to the City Paper, stating in an e-mail that "It only hurts the art world to speak of closings." And indeed, this closing has left the local art scene shaken. A Washington Post article speculated that the gallery may not be the first to fold.

"Reality checks can be depressing, especially when art spaces close," writes artist Maggie Michael in an e-mail. Michael has shown with the gallery since 2002. "I am hopeful that this may be a relocation version of closing, or a new form of space seeking or sharing. Many cities and communities are experiencing these shifts, closings and transitions, and good things can come of it."

"Maybe it will be a reinvention of the way that someone can run a business in the Washington area. There's always room for that," Hackett says. "The landscape will change like it always has."

By Maura Judkis.

Weisberg convicted Jacks on four counts of felony murder in the girls' deaths. Weisberg also found Jacks guilty of first-degree premeditated murder in the deaths of the three youngest girls but acquitted her on the premeditated murder of her oldest daughter. She also was found guilty on lesser charges, including child cruelty.

No word yet on what happened with yesterday's last-minute insanity appeal. More forthcoming.

AFI'd out after Silverdocs? Let Cillian Murphy resuscitate your interest. His work in the British zombie film 28 Days Later, which kicked off the Unholy Zombie Cinema Revival, is cutting edge even by George Romero's indeterminable standards. City Lights contributor Matt Siblo digs a little deeper in his pick for tonight, arguing that the movie's zombies "managed to provide a chilling and timely rumination on a post-9/11 society—while scaring the living crap out of you."

Do yourself a favor--read the entire 28 Days Later pick and watch some film clips. Then go see the movie.

Comes this dispatch, via Dr. Gridlock:

A Red Line Metrorail train derailed at 5:10 p.m. approaching Fort Totten in the Shady Grove-bound side. Trains are turning back at Brookland and Takoma....Metro says that shuttle bus service has been requested to bridge the gap between Takoma and Brookland.

There are reports of injuries. Developing.

UPDATE, 5:35 P.M.: This seems quite a bit worse than a minor derailment. WJLA-TV reports:

Metro confirms two trains have collided on the Red Line between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations. It happened close to the Fort Totten station, a Metro spokesperson said.

D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter said one train was on top of the other train.

This is "developing into a mass casualty event," Etter said. "We're expecting a number of injuries. We're not aware of any fatalities at this point."

Update, 5:46 p.m.: ABC News/News Channel 8 is reporting one fatality. Reporter Brad Bell saw the fatality being taken from the accident scene. At least nine people injured. The fatality appears to be a male. Many passengers still stuck inside metro cars. Fire Department spokesman Alan Etter confirms one dead on WTOP.

Here is the official Metro alert:

"Metro reports that 2 train collided and one train is on top of the other train.  Metro reports massive injuries at this time. The green line and the red line are affected. Further information to follow."

It looks like the accident ocurred just beyond the Fort Totten stop.

5:54 p.m. Update WTOP is reporting that the derailment took place between Fort Totten and Takoma Park:

"The six-car train was heading toward Shady Grove when it derailed and then collided with another train around 5 p.m. Monday near the Maryland-D.C. border."

Metro Official: Passengers still being evacuated from trains.

6:02 p.m. Update: NBC4 reports the collusion occurred above ground, many more injuries:

"Officials have confirmed one fatality. There are numerous other injuries. Passengers trapped in the trains have been using tools to cut themselves from the wreckage.

A witness told Bensen that it appeared that one train car looked like it was on top of another train car.

Trains are not traveling between the Brookland and Fort Totten stations. Shuttle service is being established, but Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato advised riders to completely avoid the Red Line this afternoon and evening.

Trains are operating between Glenmont and Brookland and between Shady Grove and Brookland stations and from Glenmont to Takoma Metrorail stations for the remainder of the day."

6:06 p.m. Update: Two confirmed dead.

6:11 p.m. Update News Channel 8 reporter re: Witness: One car sheared another car in half. Now with Metro Official: At 5:05 p.m. two trains collided, not sure if dead is Metro employee, rescue workers still getting people off trains. Fire Department has to cut through train to get passengers out.

Front car sheered off.

6:18 p.m. Update: Washington Hospital Center may get most of the victims.

ABC/News Channel 8 reports:

"ABC 7's Brad Bell reports seeing several people with what appear to be broken limbs. He also has seen ambulances lined up."

Witness: Nine serious injuries--internal injuries. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin and D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier on the scene. Many people were able to walk off the tracks.

6:28 p.m. Update: TV news channel 8 reporting rescues may have been completed. Rescue workers now working on passengers. Civilians working on passengers, performing first aid. Good point: Mass Transit in need of funds.

6:30 p.m. Update: Two students appeared to have broken legs.

6:40 p.m. Update: Another picture, this one from channel 9 via Twitter:

6:41 Update: MOCO ambulances and emergency vehicles are coming on the scene.

6:43 p.m. Update: WCP  is reporting from the scene.

6:45 p.m. Update: From WJLA: People are still on the train. A bad sign: Medical Examiner is coming on the scene. Doors of train jammed requiring emergency personnel.

6:46 p.m. Update: Via twitter: One resident reports getting a warning regarding Metro Trains just before crash:

"Got a DC alert at 4:42 about mechanical issues and trains sharing a track. Crash didn't happen yet. Foreshadow?"

Correction: It was at 4:39 p.m. between Tenleytown and Van Ness. It was for mechanical problems.

6:56 p.m. Update: U.S. Park Police helicopter used to evacuate victim. One of the two dead was a driver on one of the trains from NBC-4.

Mayor Fenty to hold press conference at 7 p.m.

7:03 p.m. Update: WMATA has issued a press release:

"Two six-car Red Line trains collided at 5 p.m. today, Monday, June 22, resulting in two fatalities, including a female train operator. There were also several injuries, many serious, according preliminary reports.

Metro officials advise that people avoid the Red Line the remainder of the day. Trains are operating between Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations and between Shady Grove and Rhode Island Avenue Metrorail stations for the remainder of the day. (Please note that this is a change in locations.)

Shuttle buses are operating between Silver Spring and Rhode Island Avenue Metrorail stations to help customers get around the incident.

Emergency officials remain at the scene.

'We are extremely saddened that there are fatalities as a result of this accident, which has touched our Metro family. We hope to have more details about the casualties later today. Our safety officials are investigating, and will continue to investigate until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again,' Metro General Manager John Catoe said."

7:06 Update: Fenty press conference moved to 7:15 p.m.

7:08 Update: More than a 100 injured re: NBC-4. A bus with 24 "walking wounded" en route to George Washington University Hospital.

7:09 Update: Fenty press conference begins: "We are cooperating fully with WMATA," Fenty states. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin about to speak. "A little bit after 5 o'clock we responded," Rubin says. Called in fire departments from surrounding counties. Treated 70 patients including two with life-threatening injuries.

Four dead. Including one female train operator. This is the deadliest accident in Metro history. There was a previous crash in 2005 which caused scores of injuries. Two metro workers were killed in a 2006 crash. Wiki has a good rundown of previous accidents.

You can follow the liveblog of the press conference.

Officials still searching train for casualties.

7:19 Update: Fenty tries to end press conference. Official: If you are trying to find a loved one please call: 202-727-9099. Do not go to the scene.

7:24 p.m. Update: Chief Rubin says this was a three-alarm emergency that involved 200 rescue workers.

7:30 p.m. Update: Our own Mike DeBonis is reporting that the train that got hit had been stopped for 10 minutes. We will have a full report from our man on the scene soon.

7:32 p.m. Update: David Corn is taking some pictures of the crash:

Here is another from Corn:

7:37 p.m. Update: WMATA updates its press release:

"Two six-car Red Line trains collided at 5 p.m. today, Monday, June 22, resulting in four fatalities, including a female train operator. There were also several injuries, many serious, according preliminary reports.

Metro officials advise that people avoid the Red Line the remainder of the day. Trains are operating between Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations and between Shady Grove and Rhode Island Avenue Metrorail stations for the remainder of the day. (Please note that this is a change in locations.)

Shuttle buses are operating between Silver Spring and Rhode Island Avenue Metrorail stations to help customers get around the incident.

Emergency officials remain at the scene. Metro officials are also working with the National Transportation Safety Board."

7:40 p.m. Update: From DeBonis: Reporters have been moved off the scene. They've been moved 100 yards from crash site.

7:45 p.m. Update: Scores of rescue workers lined up along 2nd Street: NBC-4. Read WTOP's story here. WJLA updates its story as well. WMATA updates its press release.

7:58 p.m. Update: Two traumas are at G.W. The bulk of the victims are there via NBC-4.

Unofficial count of dead now 7--WUSA. Then there's this unconfirmed account via Twitter.

8:07 p.m. Update:From the Washington Post's report updated roughly 15 minutes ago:

"No details were available about the cause of the crash, the third time in the last 15 years involving the collision of two Metro trains. The last was in November 2004, when a Red Line train rolled backwards down a steep stretch of track, and smashed into another train at the Woodley Park station. Twenty people were injured in that crash.

'There will obviously be a very thorough investigation into what caused this derailment,' Metro spokeswoman Farbstein said of today's crash. She said there were 'many serious injuries' and that passengers were being taken to hospitals. 'Our hearts are with the families of those who have passed,' she said"

8:12 p.m. Update: WJLA reporting six dead:

"A Metro train slammed into the back of a stopped train on the Red Line during the height of rush hour Monday afternoon, killing six people and injuring more than 60 others in the deadliest crash in the transit agency's 33-year history. ABC 7 News confirmed there were at least six fatalities in the crash, including a train operator. Officials have only cofirmed four."

8:17 p.m. Update Fire Department via Twitter reports transporting 42 injured.

8:27 p.m. Update: Fenty is back before the cameras. He confirms six dead. But he cautions that is a "working number."

Rubin hails heroic efforts of D.C. fire fighters. Two fire fighters sustained minor injuries. Lanier says a "reunification center" has been set up. Call 311 if you are looking for a loved one. We are reporting out the press conference in full.

8:36 p.m. Update: WaPo finally updates its story to include the six dead.

8:56 p.m. Update: New number to call if you are looking for loved ones: 202-737-4404.

9:05 p.m. Update: Councilmember Jim Graham: Car "leapfrogged" other car. Lack of info regarding crash is due to the state of the cars. 76 injured.

9:07 p.m. Update: DeBonis reads through old NTSB reports regarding previous Metro crashes---issues of the car construction could be at play here.

9:12 p.m. Update: Check out our pictures from the crash site.

10:32 p.m. Update: This from unsuckdcmetro: "Just got a tweet from WMATA. "disruption cleared" FAIL #wmata"

11:30 p.m. Update: Darrow Montgomery posts some photos that capture the aftermath of the crash; Lanier, etc. look stressed out.

11:35 p.m Update: NBC-4 reporting that rescue workers are still looking for people in the twisted wreckage.

11: 45 p.m. Nine confirmed dead.

---By Mike DeBonis and Jason Cherkis

*photo courtesy of Channel 9 News, WNBC-4

Inspirational quote: "Good on Asian Fortune for dealing with an ages-old issue here...this could be 1880 for all I know!"

Inspirational quote of the week: "Get a woman on staff...women, women, women!"

The security guard who was shot is said to be in "grave condition." He has not been identified.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says all information is preliminary but she described the shooter as "what appears to be a lone gunman."

Lanier goes on to state: "Immediately upon entering, he was engaged by security guards and fire was exchanged." She added that a city police unit was about a block away when the call went out and responded to the scene. Park Police also responded.

The immediate area around the museum will be closed for "an extended period of time."

William Parsons, the museum's chief of staff, says the museum will be open tomorrow. He was clearly distraught over the condition of the security guard. "Never take your guard force and security people for granted," Parsons said. "They did exactly what they were supposed to do."

Parsons says the museum was full at the time of the shooting. He estimated the attendance at "a couple thousand."

Lanier says the area is in the process of being swept by bomb dogs per procedure. She confirmed the gunman was armed with a long rifle and said he did not attempt to conceal it when he entered the museum.

Fenty was asked if this would have an effect on D.C.'s gun laws: "I think that unfortunately these types of things happen throughout the country and throughout the world."

In closing up the conference, Fenty dubbed this "an extremely isolated incident."

*By Mike DeBonis.

Sgt. David Schlosser just gave a briefing on this afternoon's shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Museum. Here are the key points:

*A lone gunman entered the building around 12:50 p.m. The man was armed with a long gun, and it's unclear at this point whether it was a rifle or a shotgun.

*Shortly after entering, the gunman opened fire and at least one security officer returned fire. The shooter was wounded and is now in "pretty serious" condition, according to Schlosser.

*One of the security officers appears to have been wounded as well. No fatalities have been reported at this point.

*There is no reason to believe that another shooter is on the loose. The museum has been "cleared," and a secondary sweep of the building is underway.

David Unruh, who came to Washington for his 47th wedding anniversary, was waiting to enter the building when he heard at least five shots. The security guards thereupon ordered everyone to hit the floor. "It was terror. We were frightened," says Unruh, who glimpsed a large gentleman in a corner, trying to shield his children.

By Mike DeBonis

From tonight's pick by Caroline Jones: "One part kitsch, one part political satire, and one part glitter, the Kinsey Sicks, describe themselves as “America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet.” The group returns to D.C. on Saturday night with a new set of parodies, skewering everyone from Condoleezza Rice to Vanna White. What began 15 years ago with four guys attending a Bette Midler show dressed as the Andrews Sisters is now an off-Broadway revue that’s traveled around the country and the world."

Read the entire Kinsey Sicks pick for details.

PLUS: A stirring bonus segment in which Erik lobs a BIG ONE at CP's own glass house. No way are you touching that remote!

Don't touch that remote!

Read the pick for "Behind the Velvet Curtain" for more details.

In a youth conference today at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Gerald said that his staff was "the wind beneath my wings."

That wind, indeed, has generated some altitude for Gerald. Via the hard work of CFSA employees, Gerald cut the backlog of CFSA cases from 1,800 ten months ago to zero by December 2008. His agency also had a 25 percent staff vacancy rate, which he has slashed to four percent---more wind beneath his wings!

Gerald made clear that his agency still has some tough numbers to fight. Sixty percent of the kids in CFSA's care are 13 and up. Though clients have complex problems, Gerald insists they "have a right to a future." One of his primary objectives is to reduce the amount of home-hopping that the kids do. "Too many children are shuffled around in too many placements," he said. "Every time they move, we injure their future."

Reporting by Jason Cherkis