If you build it, they will come: How Takoma Radio WOWD went from dream to reality, with nearly 100 DJs, hours of programming, and a deep love of music.

Takoma Radio Celebrates 10 Years in Tune with Its Community

How the local station went from dream to reality, with nearly 100 DJs, two paid staffers, and a deep love of music.

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After breathing in July’s hazardous wildfire smoke, we found ways to mitigate some of the more unpleasant effects of a wet hot D.C. summer.

We Melt With You: How to Survive Extreme Weather

After breathing in July’s hazardous wildfire smoke, we found ways to mitigate some of the more unpleasant effects of a wet hot D.C. summer.

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The latest Marvel flick keeps us caring about the virtuous, insecure whiz kid we met a decade ago now that he’s matured into a still-friendly but deeply lonely neighborhood Spider-Man. Critic Chris Klimek’s review:

Forgotten But Not Gone: Spidey’s Got a Brand New Day

Marvel's latest keeps us caring about the whiz kid now that he’s matured into a still-friendly but deeply lonely neighborhood Spider-Man.

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Our Carryout Critic tries Chop Shop, a fast-casual Thai Peruvian spot tucked away off a side street in NoMa. The signature Chicken Alla Brasa is flavorful, the sides are comforting, and the sauces are good enough to drink. Her review:

Carryout Critic Discovers a Panang Chicken Sandwich, Elote Loco, and Chicken Cry Sauce at Chop Shop

This NoMa gem successfully marries Thai and Peruvian flavors with authentic chargrilled rotisserie chicken and sauces you’ll want to devour.

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The Dashiells—whose members’ talent is exceeded only by their commitment to one another—are the stuff of a family sitcom. In the latest Swing Beat, columnist Michael J. West traces the history of this prodigious musical family, how they all ended up back in D.C., and the passion that unites them.

Swing Beat: Keeping Up With the Dashiells

The prodigious musical family—whose members’ talent is exceeded only by their commitment to one another—is the stuff of a family sitcom.

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Time spent in government custody can be traumatic for unaccompanied immigrant children. But, for one hour per week with the Young Center’s volunteers, they’re just kids. Read about the organizations providing immigrant families with support, services, and solidarity amid heightened ICE violence.

The D.C. Organizations Supporting Immigrant Families Amid the Federal Crackdown

These local organization are providing immigrant families with support, services, and solidarity in difficult times.

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Electronic act April + VISTA wrap up a tour for their latest record, Traditional Noise, on July 29 at Songbyrd. But first, the otherworldly local duo chatted with contributor Eliza Tebo about bonding over “the same weird music,”  nostalgia, and how to feed creativity:

April + VISTA Pair Noise With Nostalgia on Latest Record

The local electronic duo give fans something to talk about. They wrap up their tour for Traditional Noise on July 29 at Songbyrd.

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After the July 4 fireworks, D.C. briefly recorded the worst air quality of any major city in the world. Heat domes like the one in July are projected to become more frequent due to climate change. What can D.C. can do to protect residents? Full story republished from @insideclimatenews.org:

D.C. Air Quality Was Among the Worst In the World Twice This Month. What Can the District Do to Improve It?

While the city’s particulate pollution and ozone levels have declined, recurring spikes continue to pose a risk to vulnerable populations.

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This week’s page three photo @wcp.bsky.social

“Adrift is serious theater, but to describe it as such seems a disservice to the silly sincerity in its heart and soul,” writes critic D.R. Lewis. Lewis reviews Adrift: A Medieval Wayward Folly, playing at Round House Theatre through Aug. 2:

Happenstance Theater’s Adrift Finds Delight in Disaster

This is serious theater, but to describe it as such is a disservice to the silly sincerity in its heart and soul.

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The D.C. Taxing Authority Review Act would strip the city of authority over its own tax code. It's headed to the House floor for a full vote. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the bill “would render the District incapable of recovering from the debilitating impacts of COVID, federal remote work and DOGE.”

House Committee Advances the D.C. Taxing Authority Review Act

The bill would strip the city of authority over its own tax code; local officials say it’s an attack on democracy and Home Rule.

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In Living, Together: Reimagining Community in the Age of Disconnection, Samantha Paige Rosen and 21 contributors tackle communal living, co-ops, nomadic lifestyles, nontraditional and multigenerational familial structures. Communal living, Rosen says, is everywhere once you begin looking for it.

Living, Together: A New D.C.-Rooted Anthology Explores Communal Living

Samantha Paige Rosen’s anthology addresses co-ops, nomadic lifestyles, and nontraditional and multigenerational familial structures.

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Somebody’s Daughter’s debut EP, No Tricks, Promise!!, marks their arrival in D.C.'s DIY scene. For the doll band, the importance of the trans community drives their creativity. “Behind the cheery album art and pithy saying are five songs drenched in trans rage and love,” writes Caroline Liaupsin.

No Tricks, Promise: Doll Band Somebody’s Daughter Rides the Rising Tide of D.C.’s DIY Scene

The up-and-coming punk act announces their official arrival into the local music scene with the release of their debut EP.

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Her Private Hell from director Nicolas Winding Refn is a pure distillation of his favorite cinematic hang-ups, a stylish but empty and exhausting genre exercise. “It has a specificity of vision, all right, but watching it is still a humorless chore,” writes critic Alan Zilberman.

Her Private Hell Is Absolute Cinema (Derogatory)

Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest is a pure distillation of his favorite cinematic hang-ups, a stylish but empty and exhausting genre exercise.

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Since Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, an estimated 4.5M Americans have lost SNAP benefits—including nearly 7,500 here in D.C. As more cuts take effect, experts say food banks can’t fill the growing gap. Gail O’Hara breaks down what that means for food access across the DMV:

Oh, SNAP: How Program Cuts Are Impacting Food Access in the DMV

Last year, Congress passed Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. Since then an estimated 4.5 million Americans have lost food benefits.

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Baltimore-based indie artist Bartees Strange has a new mentor: Tori Amos. He opens for her Wednesday at Wolf Trap. Ahead of the show, Smart caught up with Strange about his creative evolution and why the release of his last album felt like the end of an era.

After Four Albums in Six Years, Bartees Strange Says a Chapter Has Ended

The Baltimore-based indie artist is learning from a new mentor—Tori Amos. He opens for her Wednesday at Wolf Trap.

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Comedian Winston Hodges went from 20 sets a week at D.C. comedy clubs to the top six in Kevin Hart’s Funny AF stand-up competition on Netflix. Contributor Bryce Taylor talks with Hodges about failed jokes, work ethic, and why D.C. might be a better place to start than New York or L.A.

Netflix and Kill: Comedian Winston Hodges’ Meteoric Rise from D.C. to D.C.

Following a top-six finish on Kevin Hart’s Funny AF and with a national tour ahead, Hodges is still betting on the city that made him.

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In D.C., there’s always something new and shiny vying for our attention and money. But what about the things that stay? We scoured Best of D.C. 2016 for the people, places, and spaces still holding it down and asked: Have they stood the test of time?

Best of D.C. 2016 Revisited

For our 2026 edition, City Paper travel back in time to reconsider some of the best people, places, and spaces from a decade ago.

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More than two weeks after disclosing a cybersecurity incident, DCHA has confirmed that a limited amount of sensitive data was compromised in the cyberattack that disrupted its systems last month. Contributor Suzie Amanuel has the story:

DCHA Confirms That Sensitive Data Was Compromised in Cyberattack

As the investigation continues, DCHA will offer free credit monitoring and identity theft assistance to impacted customers.

washingtoncitypaper.com

The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan’s “grandest, Greekest, most ambitious epic to date,” writes critic Chris Klimek. It demands to be seen on the biggest screen available to you. Klimek’s review:

Equine Intervention: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Is No Bomb

The IMAX auteur’s latest, grandest, Greekest epic demands to be seen on the biggest screen available to you.

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“Best Spot To Cry Publicly: Red Line” they’ve seen into my soul.

Washington City Paper@wcp.bsky.social · 3w ago

THE BEST OF D.C. 2026 IS HERE and we’re starting with our Editors’ Picks. We’re crying in public, reading about the city’s cutthroat real estate market, dancing at new clubs, learning about go-go, experiencing time travel via shopping, and sipping frosty $13 martinis.

THE BEST OF D.C. 2026 IS HERE and we’re starting with our Editors’ Picks. We’re crying in public, reading about the city’s cutthroat real estate market, dancing at new clubs, learning about go-go, experiencing time travel via shopping, and sipping frosty $13 martinis.

Best of D.C. 2026: Editors’ Picks

Check out the venues, museums, burgers, books, beers, gay game nights, and more that City Paper writers are loving right now.

washingtoncitypaper.com

On Tuesday, the D.C. Council passed the RESALE Act, which aims to rein in unscrupulous sellers on third-party ticket sites. The legislation also caps the resold ticket price at a 10 percent markup from the original price—a major win for consumers, venues, and artists.

Ticket to Paradise? The D.C. Council Unanimously Passes Law To Protect Consumers

The RESALE Act of 2025 aims to rein in unscrupulous sellers on third-party ticket sites and succeeded at capping resale ticket prices.

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Olney’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is a melodrama parody, but “a bloated book and song list interfere with it landing like it ought to,” writes critic Allison R. Shely. Read Shely’s review:

By the Pricking of My Thumbs, Something Wooden This Way Comes

Olney’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is a melodrama parody that doesn’t lean enough into melodrama or parody.

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Last month, we reported on a cyberattack at DCHA and an alleged message from hackers claiming to have accessed sensitive information. Two weeks later, it’s unclear whether hackers actually stole sensitive data. Suzie Amanuel has the story and tips from an expert on how to protect your data:

Residents Still Don’t Know If Their Personal Information Was Stolen in DC Housing Authority’s June Cybersecurity Incident

While DCHA continues to investigate the alleged cyberattack, a cybersecurity expert offers consumers tips to protect themselves.

washingtoncitypaper.com

Washington City Paper@wcp.bsky.social · last mo.

Yesterday, a message appeared on DCHA computers claiming attackers accessed sensitive information and threatened to release it within 72 hours, according to a screenshot shared with us. The allegations have not been independently verified, but DCHA is working to restore operations. Full story:

Locally owned feminist hot sauce brand, Female Rage, is slinging hot sauce and hot dogs on Thursday night at Garden District to raise money for DC Abortion Fund. “Hot Dogs for Abortions is us refusing to look away and is our mission in its most joyful form,” says Female Rage founder Emily Roe.

Eat a Hot Dog, Fund Abortion

Female Rage, the locally owned feminist hot sauce brand, hosts Hot Dogs for Abortions on Thursday to raise funds for DC Abortion Fund.

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"[What Became of Us] is a meditation on how accumulated memories and experiences eventually combine to form a whole person and how our places within our families and communities make us who we are," writes critic Stephanie Rudig. Rudig's review of Signature Theatre's production:

Parallel Casts Fill a Blank Slate in What Became of Us

Signature Theatre’s production features two different casts on alternating nights and emphasizes just how many paths a life can take.

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this week's page three photo @wcp.bsky.social

The Wet Hot American Summer gang tries to re-create the magic and chaos of their cult classic with Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. “That attempt, however, is such a failure that its only value is to study where it went so wrong,” writes critic Alan Zilberman. His review:

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, the Latest From the Wet Hot American Summer Gang, Is Just Lukewarm

Ingratiating and tedious, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass never finds the right tone or sensibility.

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Big round of applause for @taylorruckle.bsky.social who won an AAN Award last night for their local music coverage in @wcp.bsky.social aan.org/aan/announci...

Announcing Winners and Placement for 2026 AAN Awards • AAN Publishers

Willamette Week and Lookout Phoenix Lead a Field of Fantastic Journalism and Art Lookout Phoenix claimed three First Place awards in only its second year of full eligibility, but it was Willamette Wee...

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