'Bout weather, I'm loath to complain
But dammit I hate all this rain
A state of emergency
(Ida's insurgency)
Just was declared by Tim Kaine

And now for my best silver lining:
No need for more weather scheme whining
The WaPo's restoring
Its layout (still pouring)
Good news for all those who were pining

Read More "Photos: Tuesday, in Transit" »

People don't need much from a newspaper's weather page or from the forecast on the evening news. You want the graphic saying what the weather will be, along with the high and the low for the day. Preferably the presentation will give you an accurate picture of the next few days.

And that's all you need. Period.

For the longest time, the Washington Post understood this basic human need. The design of its local weather page reflected as much. Brilliant in its simple, info-delivering elegance, it gave you just the snapshot you wanted. I can remember mornings when I'd flip to the last page of the Metro section, and I'd glean everything I needed in less than two seconds. Not even the Internet can beat that kind of efficiency. The glorious layout is right here, may God rest its soul:

Somehow, the Post wasn't satisfied with perfection. Read More "Washington Post’s “Improved” Weather Page" »

We're going to front the retrocast in this edition. What happened between 6 pm on Saturday and 7 am Sunday? Something big, 'cause when I went out to check for our newspapers, I felt as if I was in another macroclimate altogether. Talk about a dry front moving in! Was the difference between walking through roof cement and a Newport breeze. We're looking at a mid-80s day on Monday then back to the low 90s. Those 90s---they're not going to stay away all summer!

Read More "Weekend in Review" »

Good thing the Washington Post's Martin Weil has stuck around through all the buyouts and attrition at the region's dominant daily. Without him, after all, we wouldn't have those periodic weather-checks in the paper. A few excerpts from the latest, which ran on Sunday:

Read More "Weekend in Review" »

First, the retrocast: At last, a little bit of authentic summer weather for the region, though not quite as hot and humid as we've been trained to expect. Good old weather beat writer Martin Weil at the Washington Post is reporting that July thus far has been five degrees cooler than normal. We've already nailed this story, however---right here.

Read More "Fenty, Barry, Weymouth—All in Weekend in Review" »

LL knew something was up.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

What a great weekend for all involved. Just a fine couple of break-out days, days to indulge in the early spring that this region belches up every year. They say that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, but the transition from king of the jungle to perennial doormat happens more quickly in D.C. Nothing like a few lines of throwaway weather talk to kick off the WIR!

From the New York Times comes this killer little bit of commentary on the free-agency moves of the Washington Redskins, which snatched up Albert Haynesworth of the Titans and DeAngelo Hall as well---both for bi bucks. Anyhow, let the New York paper take it away:

Guaranteed money: Granted, the Washington Redskins’ defense got a lot better, but giving Albert Haynesworth $41 million guaranteed — hours after guaranteeing DeAngelo Hall $22.5 million — left almost everyone else in the N.F.L. agog.

OK, but I think there's going to be a little reverse mojo going on here. For years, the Skins would acquire free agents, and the moves never got them anywhere, going all the way back to Deion Sanders and Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson and Laveranues Coles and the like. Back then, people thought, wow, this team is gonna be something special. As we know, they specialized in mediocrity. But now that everyone is slamming them for these pay-scale busting acquisitions, I guarantee that Dan Snyder is going to look like a genius come this time next year.

Folks: I am sure I missed something here, but why on earth is Adrienne Washington writing about national stuff now (in this case, a tepid analysis of Obama's health care plans)? Wasn't she supposed to be a local kid?

And a note to the WashTimes Webmaster: When you put announcements up on the site, like this one about the hiring of an editorial page editor, make sure you get the dates right. This story, available on the site Sunday evening, said, "The Washington Times on Monday named Richard Miniter as editor of the editorial pages and vice president of opinion, the latest of a series of dramatic moves to boost the newspaper's global impact."

But it wasn't Monday yet. I know times flies, especially when you're boosting your global impact, but this is crazy.

A little self-promotion here.

Barack Obama, he of "flinty Chicago toughness," felt it proper to chide Washington and its environs for its snow-wimpiness in January, you'll remember.

Looks like Obama's already a Beltway insider: Yesterday he canceled a schedule press conference with British PM Gordon Brown...because of snow.

How fast can MoCo close its schools? We're talking 4-8 inches here, a snow emergency declared by D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, and, no doubt, a run on milk at groceries everywhere.

But the big story of the weekend: Haynesworth? Is this guy worth $100 million? Will he finally be that one free-agent acquisition who actually makes a difference? At the very least, he'll psych up the fans. No matter what fan board you may have visited over the past month or so, NFL fanatics in all franchise cities wanted this guy. He was the answer to everyone's defensive problems. The standard line from Joe Fan: If we can get Haynesworth, plus a couple of second-tier free agents to fill in at [SOME KEY POSITION] and [SOME KEY POSITION], we'll be the team to beat. Not sure whether anyone's saying that about the Skins, though.

Read More "Weekend in Review" »

Big story this weekend was the weather (and not the Pro Bowl)---it felt like wintertime in D.C. for the first time in weeks. January, according to reports, was colder than usual, and February started out likewise. Yet somehow and for some reason, as the temps tilted toward 60 degrees on Sunday, people didn't get the memo and could be found in large, bulky coats. What's up with that. I am going to suggest that there's a certain demographic out there that doesn't watch the news, pick up a newspaper, or check out the Internet--these folks just assume that since it's winter, it's cold. No other possible explanation for it.

On news fronts, it's basically the economic crisis, and many things that don't matter nearly as much. Let's stick to the latter here.

Comments from the heroic pilot of that Hudson River-landing plane.

Can't believe that in the year 2009, they're still playing the Pro Bowl.

Well, there's a multiagency investigation of the cancellation of the Veterans Presidential Inaugural Ball, so how did Dionne Warwick's bash skate free?

What happened to a 36-year-old with paranoid delusions in a city with a patchwork system of care for the mentally ill?

WashTimes has the skinny on the unpresidentialness of "doom" rhetoric.

WaPo on the rise of homelessness among schools population.

The streets are clear, the schools are open. But guess what, all you flinty former Chicagoans and tough-skinned others? D.C.'s still whining about the weather. This time it's about the ice. On the Listservs, on the forums, in the streets, on the phone, folks want to know what's up with clearing it. Spots where the sun doesn't hit are still frozen over in a thick layer or, worse, black ice. Pat Collins' definitive report on Obama dissing D.C. did offer excellent advice (take baby steps, wear proper shoes). But still. D.C. needs someone to blame. How about the Dept. of Public Works?

Read More "We’re Not Flinty When It Comes to Ice, Either" »

Are we gonna get our first snow?

I was walking around Logan Circle today. I swear I saw at least two flurries. It's cloudy. It's cold. And the clouds look kinda purple. I got a C in basic meteorology. And people are predicting some accumulation.

What do you think we're gonna get? A pathetic dusting or something more serious???