SEARCH: Advanced Search

A Time for Patriotism

June 29, 12 a.m.

Earl Morse was a physician assistant at a Veterans Administration hospital in Ohio when the National World War II Memorial finally opened in May 2004, almost 59 years after Japan surrendered.

Holiday Concerts Are a Capitol Affair

June 29, 12 a.m.

The Fourth of July isn’t just an important day in the nation’s history. It also happens to be a significant day for the history of celebratory concerts in the nation’s capital.

Hill Talk: The Making of Capitol Hill Town Square

June 29, 12 a.m.

On behalf of a task force that has been studying ways to improve the Eastern Market Metro Plaza, designer Amy Weinstein will host a community meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the basement of St. Peter’s Church, 313 Second St. SE.

Modern Sculpture in a Stately Setting

June 25, 12 a.m.

Something strange is on display at Dumbarton Oaks. Alongside the stately architecture and formal gardens in Georgetown lie newly acquired pieces by contemporary sculptor Charles Simonds. While Dumbarton Oaks’ museums feature august pillars, ancient black-figure vases and Byzantine mosaics, Simonds’ works represent a departure into a realm not governed by strict artistic conventions.

Eastern Market Set To Reopen

June 25, 12 a.m.

Eastern Market will reopen on Saturday, more than two years after a fire gutted the historic structure and left vendors without a storefront. After $22 million worth of renovations, the market that was a part of Pierre Charles L’Enfant’s original city plan will welcome shoppers once again.

Hill Climbers: Young and the Restless

June 24, 12 a.m.

Lindsay Young knew this e-mail was trouble. A message from the staff director, arriving in Young’s inbox just after she had started as a staff assistant on the House Armed Services Committee, was a digital red flag. Sure enough, Young had accidentally sent her new boss a message, intended for someone else, which expressed some decidedly unprofessional romantic sentiments.

Artist Makes the Everyday Into Something Profound

June 24, 12 a.m.

A drink on an airplane tray table. A worn-out sign screaming “PEACHES!” on top of a building. A cooked chicken sitting on a table. These are the everyday objects turned high art by William Eggleston and on display at the Corcoran Gallery for the summer.

Capturing Holy Places in Very Down-to-Earth Venues

June 24, 12 a.m.

Camilo José Vergara, the photographer behind the “Storefront Churches” exhibit at the National Building Museum, said he doesn’t subscribe to a religion but respects Christianity and has some “religious feelings.”

Folklife Festival Returns to Mall Today

June 24, 12 a.m.

Many museum visits turn on observation alone: Visitors wander through hushed chambers and gaze at artifacts or artwork that they are forbidden to touch. The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which opens today on the National Mall, takes a more interactive approach to educating visitors on the various ways in which culture manifests itself around the world.

A Cause and a Friendship

June 23, 12 a.m.

It was a phrase in a Washington Post article — “There is always somebody who would be the miracle maker in your life, if you but believe” — that caught the eye of writer Katie McCabe in 1995.

Book Portrays D.C. as A Mecca for Hiking

June 23, 12 a.m.

“Within a 2-hour radius of the nation’s capital ... you can climb a 4,000-foot mountain, hike beachside trails, soak in the spray of waterfalls, and travel on foot across historic ground,” Theresa Dowell Blackinton boasts in her new D.C. hiking guidebook.

Where You Can Go When Fido Needs To

June 23, 12 a.m.

Navigating D.C. can be hard for tourists or recent transplants. It can be even more difficult if a canine companion is part of the equation.

A Time-Haunted Theater Treasure

June 22, 12 a.m.

Janice Hill, executive director of the Lincoln Theatre, knows she is not the venue’s only guiding force.

A Jazz Mecca Celebrates a Cultural Heritage

June 22, 12 a.m.

A soft light falls from the open doorway of jazz club HR-57, casting shadows across the slick pavement on a small stretch of 14th Street. A wiry man stands in the glow, shoulders slightly hunched, eyes bright but distant, a cigar in hand. There’s a smile on his weathered face as he listens to the strains of a Miles Davis tune floating into the rainy night.

Dutch Artist Gets Her Due After 400 Years

June 18, 12 a.m.

After the Dutch artist Judith Leyster died in 1660, her work — and her existence — was largely forgotten.

Celebrating A Skater Way of Life

June 18, 12 a.m.

In a roomy space on the second floor of the National Museum of the American Indian, there is a modest wall adorned with two vividly colored paintings hanging side by side. The first, loudly beaming with red and yellow rays, depicts a Native American warrior mounted proudly atop a stallion with his arms desperately outstretched. Blood-red letters underneath the figure say, “It’s a good day to die.”

Marcel Duchamp, Meet Warhol

June 17, 12 a.m.

The National Portrait Gallery is trying to bring Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol to the masses — of all ages.

What Would Abraham Lincoln Do?

June 17, 12 a.m.

It is common practice for politicians to draw on their most venerated predecessors — such as Presidents John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan — to defend policies or shape a message. The protagonist of a new play at the Keegan Theater does this in a more literal sense than dropping some quotes into a stump speech.

Students Bring History to Life in Competition

June 17, 12 a.m.

America’s past and future will converge this week as students from around the nation arrive in Washington to defend their entries in the annual National History Day competition.

How It All Went South

June 16, 12 a.m.

How did we get here?

As once-mighty firms crumble, industry stagnates and the economy continues to hemorrhage jobs, politicians and economists are sorting through the ruins of America’s economy to locate the causes of the worst recession in generations.

A Conservative Upstart Comes of Age

June 16, 12 a.m.

In 1969, when Richard Brookhiser was a high school student in upstate New York, his parents encouraged him to submit an essay to National Review.

Members, Moving On

June 15, 12 a.m.

When former Rep. John Rhodes lost his bid for re-election in 1992, the Arizona Republican remembers getting very little help moving on.

Sculpture Planned for Gallery’s Garden

June 15, 12 a.m.

The National Gallery of Art announced that it has commissioned a work by artist Roxy Paine for its outdoor sculpture garden.

Stamps That Gave the Nation Hope

June 15, 12 a.m.

“I owe my life to my hobbies — especially stamp collecting.”

Life Lessons Served Hot

June 11, 12 a.m.

After school most days, the basement of Calvary Baptist Church in Chinatown is abuzz with the sounds of vegetables being chopped, recipes being read aloud and young people laughing. Around dinnertime the smell of a fresh-cooked meal begins wafting from the parish kitchen as the high school students pull the results from the oven.

Newseum Photo Exhibit Details War’s Ravages

June 11, 12 a.m.

Photographer Ron Haviv is no stranger to suffering. For decades, he has trudged through conflict zones in Africa, South America and the Middle East with the mission of documenting man’s worst crimes against man. His demeanor is quiet and his attitude is humble. How could it not be?

Old Is New At Folger Library

June 11, 12 a.m.

When Juliet famously asked Romeo, “What’s in a name?” William Shakespeare was cautioning his audience against putting too much stock in how we label things.

A Library’s Global Reach

June 10, 12 a.m.

The Library of Congress takes its mandate as the research arm of the legislative branch very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that it isn’t content to stick to the confines of Capitol Hill.

Graham Pushes Value Of Civic Responsibility

June 9, 12 a.m.

Former Sen. Bob Graham thinks today’s young people lack political and civic responsibility. That belief has inspired him to write “America, the Owner’s Manual: Making the Government Work for You.”

Not Many Lessons in Edwards’ ‘Resilience’

June 9, 12 a.m.

The glamorous and tragic events in the life of Elizabeth Edwards, the cancer-stricken wife of former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), seem fodder enough for a page-turning read that would satisfy politicos and gossip hounds alike.

Andrew Johnson, Accidental Leader

June 9, 12 a.m.

If David O. Stewart’s latest book, “Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy,” was 25 chapters instead of 26, it might resemble something of a high-resolution snapshot — notably intricate in its illustration of complex detail, yet tragically frozen in time. But it isn’t.

Living Aloud on the Hill

June 9, 12 a.m.

Recently retired Hill veteran Cathy Travis was never shy about meeting the mighty and powerful.

Vietnam Center Draws Tiff

June 8, 12 a.m.

Plans for a proposed visitor center at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial led to a heated discussion among members of the National Park Service, community groups and the National Capital Planning Commission at a commission meeting last week.

City Aims to Buy Youth Club on Hill

June 8, 12 a.m.

In the nearly two years since the Boys & Girls Clubs closed its Eastern Branch location in Ward 6, the building has stood in disuse, a casualty of the youth organization’s financial woes.

Group Opens Quirky Sotomayor Push

June 8, 12 a.m.

Democracy in America reaches the people where they are. In the old days, voters could contact their elected officials through the mail, then by phone, then by fax, then by e-mail. Now, Grassroots Enterprise in Washington, D.C., has made it a little easier: Voters can e-mail their Senators directly through Facebook.

Library of Congress Notes Africa’s Obama Mania

June 4, 12 a.m.

When Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, he could not have known the way his catchphrase, “Sí, se puede!” would decades later become the cry of so many more than the Mexican-American laborers he represented.

Intern In the Know: D.C. a City of Inexpensive Cultural Treats

June 3, 12 a.m.

When you’re spending most of your time on Capitol Hill, mired in the day-to-day drama of Congressional legislation and policies, it might be difficult to remember that there is more to life than deadlines, press releases and leading constituent tours.

A Boozy Socialite’s Morality Tale

June 2, 12 a.m.

Adultery, booze, gossip, name-dropping — it’s all just part of the game in a new book about the young, fabulous and wealthy in Washington, D.C. But perhaps the juicy novel should also be required reading for interns and new Hill staffers.

Art Blooms in Navy Yard

June 2, 12 a.m.

The Navy Yard is quickly becoming a hot spot to be this summer. In addition to being home to Nationals Park, the up-and-coming neighborhood is hosting Artomatic, a large-scale art show that features more than 1,000 artists.

Intern in the Know: The City Is Alive With the Sound of Free Concerts

June 2, 12 a.m.

Washington can be an expensive place to live — especially when you’re a summer intern being paid in workplace experience. So while the five-star restaurants and trendy bars might be a little out of reach, interns can listen to live music virtually any time throughout the summer without paying a single cent.

Bedford, Va., Honored in Wartime Documentary

June 2, 12 a.m.

In 1944, a band of soldiers from Bedford, Va., known as Company A, left their small town to fight for their country on the shores of Omaha Beach. Out of 30 soldiers who remained in the company on D-Day, 19 of them never came back.

Tallulah in Her Element

June 1, 12 a.m.

Long before celebrity bad girls Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie gained notoriety for their outrageous behavior, there was Tallulah Bankhead.

Sculpture Blooms in Botanic Garden

June 1, 12 a.m.

Most visitors to the Botanic Garden expect to see a variety of plants, flowers and other living greenery. But with its new exhibit, the garden is broadening its horizons to sculptures made of everything from iron and ceramic to wood and glass.

Intern in the Know: Free Outdoor Movies Abound in Metro Region

June 1, 12 a.m.

Despite the melodrama following HBO’s announcement that it would no longer sponsor the capital city’s beloved summer pastime, Screen on the Green, an intern can still keep a full calendar of free outdoor movies this summer.

Walking Tours Offer Sense of Hidden D.C.

May 26, 12 a.m.

In Washington, every building, statue and park seems to have its story. Throughout the year, millions of tourists from all over the world pour into our nation’s capital to tour the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. But one local nonprofit group, Cultural Tourism DC, is setting out to remind residents and tourists alike that there is much more to Washington than the National Mall.

Morton’s Moves Past Steak Fare

May 26, 12 a.m.

Morton’s newest cookbook goes beyond recipes for steaks. In fact, there really is something for everyone.

In This Iran-CIA Thriller, Everyone Is Disaffected

May 26, 12 a.m.

“The Increment,” a new thriller by David Ignatius, would be a fun summer read if it didn’t feel so damn realistic. The novel tells the gripping story of the United States’ inevitable march toward war with Iran, with behind-the-scenes intelligence maneuvering and gripping car chases. It’s so realistic that at times readers can feel as if they’re overhearing real conversations inside the CIA.

Campaigning Explained

May 26, 12 a.m.

Most campaigns are quickly forgotten, according to Larry Sabato, the oft-quoted director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. The 2008 presidential election, however, was different.

Film Brings Smithsonian’s Characters, Relics to Life

May 21, 12 a.m.

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, Attila the Hun and Ivan the Terrible faced off on the National Mall, look no further than the new film “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.”

Leon Kass to Deliver Humanities Lecture

May 21, 12 a.m.

For Leon Kass, life truly is one big picture. He calls himself a “humanist” — perhaps because there is no other term broad enough to describe his diverse body of work, but most likely because the driving force behind his professional journey, as he puts it, is a deeply rooted desire to understand what it means to exist as a human being.