Photo by Flickr user mathplourde 

Happy near weekend, Washingtonians! We've got you covered for plans from tonight through Sunday. Want to watch McCain's acceptance speech tonight? We've got a guide to parties. Plus, there's our regular weekend picks, and check back soon—we'll have a roundup of bars hosting specials for tonight's Redskins game!

While there's plenty to do this weekend, you may want to keep it inside—Hanna is heading to the East, and should be dumping plenty of rain on us on Saturday.  

The slow economy is hitting airports—passenger numbers are way down at both National and Dulles airports. 

Frozen Tropics considers the proposed Shell Station on Maryland Avenue. 

Beware! Filming for Blonde Charity Mafia has apparently started. 

Photo by Flickr user ktylerconk

Enjoying September thus far, fellow Washingtonians? Enjoy it a bit more with our weekly roundup of free and entertaining events, including free music, free book readings, and free movies.

A DC cop was caught smoking pot in Rock Creek Park. For shame!  

Ugh. Snakeheads. Ugh. Everybody remembers the terrifying creatures who infested the area a few years ago. Well, get this: a documentary crew was traipsing through the wood when they came across a pond that had a pair of adult snakeheads and ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE of their spawn. RUN! 

Sarah Palin's politics and pregnant teenage daughter have been the talk of the past few days, but Princess Sparkle Pony is more concerned about her fashion choices. 

Photo by Flickr user Sam Ruaat 

Welcome back, Washington! Hope your Labor Days were fantastic and you're ready to rock September. Out on vacation last week and miss some of our posts? Catch up with our Top Blog Posts of last week.

Are you a cyclist? Then you may be interested to know that DC police are setting up bike bait in hopes of catching bicycle thieves. The result? "Last week police put two unsecured bicycles on the 600 block of H Street in northeast D.C., and in less than an hour they were stolen five times."

Last week it was all about the DNC in Denver; this week the Republicans hit Minneapolis for their convention. Things are subdued, though, with Gustav hitting New Orleans.

Having housing problems? Hopefully your situation isn't as bad as this guy's, whose roommate was taking rent checks, keeping them for himself, and never paying rent, eventually leading to everybody's eviction. Bummer. 

Photo by Flickr user takomabibelot 

Happy almost-Labor Day weekend! Sticking around town this weekend? There’s a surprising amount of fun going on. Check out a living art exhibit, a free blues festival, a massive DJ dance party at the 9:30 Club, or a free NSO concert in our extended Where & When weekend guide.

In case you hadn't heard, Barack Obama officially made history last night when he was named the first African American presidential nominee for the Democratic party. 

Shame on Mayor Fenty—he was late for the DC delegate roll call at the DNC yesteday. Eleanor Holmes Norton had to fill in.  

Redskins player (and blogger!) Chris Cooley will be producing an independent film called "Ghost Don't Exist." 

The Washington City Paper faces even more editorial and staff cuts.  

A thief tried to steal a bike from a SmartBike rack in Shaw. He must not have noticed that those bikes are secured with hefty steal locks. Needless to say, he was unsuccessful, but the bike was pretty damaged. 

Photo by Flickr user Here in Van Nuys

Did you watch Hillary Clinton's convention speech last night? She called for unity, told her supporters to rally around Obama, and asked everybody to put aside any divisions within the party. She also used the line "sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits," which is either hilarious or totally lame—we can't decide.

Heading to the beach this Labor Day weekend? You might want to think about that again. Officials have determined that parts of the Bay Bridge need to be evaluated and rebuilt, so traffic could be pretty horrendous. 

FishbowlDC has photos from the Huffington Post luncheon at the DNC Convention. 

Are you, like us, a lover of yoga? Then you may be psyched to know that Lululemon, a yoga attire shop, is opening near Logan Circle.

Photo by Flickr user mymetrostop 

It's Tuesday—time for Todd Kliman's weekly chat. Got any Restaurant Week experiences you've been meaning to report? He'll want to hear about them! If your interests run more to the political, then you'll want to check out our annual survey of the Best & Worst of Congress, which we just put online today.

Our own Garrett Graff is covering the DNC out in Denver—read his coverage here—and Sommer Mathis of DCist.com is also doing a bang-up job of filling us in on the happenings out in Colorado.  

Yesterday was the first day of school for kids in the District. How'd it go? Not too bad at all, reports the Post.

What's up with all the stolen cars, wonders the blogger at 14th and You, noting an uptick in auto thefts. 

What's Up Arlington gives us the heads up on Planet Arlington, a world music festival taking place this weekend. 

Photo by Flickr user butler.corey

The Democratic Convention officially kicks off in Denver, Colorado today. We've got some folks representing the District there—Mayor Fenty is in town, and expected to push for DC voting rights.  Michelle Rhee is also there, chatting about school reform. The Post also has a long piece on her first year as chancellor, marking the first day of schools opening. 

A woman was killed in Langley in a hit-and-run. 

Did you watch the closing ceremonies for the Olympics (which may have been our favorite Olympics ever)? Tom Shales did, and he's got a review. 

H Street's Napa 1015 will be reopening soon.