Turn Out The Lights: It always feels a little Christmas-y in Adams Morgan, thanks to the illuminated martini glass, music note, coffee cup, and shoe that have been hanging from lightposts in the neighborhood for the last decade. But like a tree that's dropped all its needles and needs to go out to the curb, [...]

You Don't Have To Go Home, But You Can't Stay Here: Nothing like some nosy House Republicans to bring a protest to an end. After last week's hearing in Congress, the National Park Service and U.S. Park Police began enforcing a long-ignored ban on camping in McPherson Square today, which could be the first step [...]

Slideshow McPherson Square, Jan. 30th.  © 2012 Matt Dunn

While the National Park Service has said that it has no plans to evict the McPherson Square or Freedom Plaza protesters, a lawyer for one McPherson group has filed a lawsuit that would prevent the Department of the Interior from evicting the occupiers without a trial. The Examiner reports:
The Park Service has already posted warnings [...]

Occupiers on the March: The distance, on foot, from Zuccotti Park to McPherson Square is about 230 miles. The few dozen protesters who made the trip or joined it along the way as it passed various Occupy encampments arrived in the District today—a day after the so-called "supercommittee" quit work on a budget deal, but hey, that's [...]

You Put Your Weed Application In There: Selling medical marijuana in the District will be risky; applicants have to sign a waiver that seems all but designed to be used as an exhibit by the U.S. Attorney in a future federal narcotics case, after all. But that didn't deter everyone—city officials allowed more than 50 [...]

1500 Maine Avenue, SW.   © 2011 Matt Dunn

City Paper contributor Franklin Schneider continues to earn raves for his recent cover story, "Panned in D.C.," including this blind item on the National Park Service's web site:
A recent article in the local Washington, DC press documented the activities of several persons who were panning for gold in Rock Creek Park. It is critical that park [...]

The issue: Shaw residents are infuriated by delays at the National Park Service (NPS). They want the agency to hurry up and develop three vacant, rundown properties in the neighborhood, including the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historical Site. Is NPS doing all it can?

No: Irate resident Ray Milefsky writes on the Shaw listserv: "You, [...]

Ask Jesse Rauch if the beloved, now bereaved, Screen on the Green has a shot at resurrection and you'll get a resounding, "Yes we can!"
"We will have Screen on the Green this summer," Rauch said in an interview with Washington City Paper. "And if we don’t, we’re gonna have 16,000 people with DVD players and [...]

I went to Meridian Hill Park on Easter for a story about the federal government's War on Pickup Soccer. Or something like that.
I lived in Mount Pleasant for 15 years, and used to bring doughnuts and bread and coffee and the newspaper there on weekends, because it was nearby and because in the spring Meridian [...]

Eventually, somebody will speak up and say: Stop Messing With The National Mall. In recent years, we've had to endure the WWII memorial monstrosity (it's memorial as clip art!). Now comes the news that the National Park Service has issued a planning document which calls for the removal of the U.S. Capitol's reflecting pool [...]

WTOP reports that 3.8 million feet trampled the National Mall during Obama's inauguration. That's what you get when you want an inauguration for the people! The National Park Service plans on assessing the potential damage in the coming days:
"A bond has been set aside for the National Park Service to refurbish the National Mall. The [...]

Watch out, drug-sniffing dogs: You've got some competition.
According to an MSNBC.com article posted this morning, a turtle fitted with a GPS device meandered into a remote area of Rock Creek Park and led a National Park Service employee to a marijuana-growing operation.
A National Park Service employee was tracking a turtle with the gadget for research [...]