Photo of temple flags at the Folklife Festival by Flickr user grace*c*

Catch a whiff of that 16-hour smoked brisket? The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival kicks off this week with a lineup of Lone Star-inspired food and wine events. Check out details here if you're looking for weekend fun.

Or if you're trying to plan your Fourth of July, check out our Guide to the Fourth. 

The Supreme Court struck down DC's gun ban—but the court’s decision will have little effect on gun violence in the nation’s capital, say experts. What's your opinion? Take our poll.

Something nobody likes to hear: Expect Metro delays all weekend.

DCist points out that the Washington Times web site redesign missed a minor detail.

At what point does a neighborhood have too many frozen yogurt outlets? That's what Apples and Bananas is wondering.

Photo of the DC Fish Market by Flickr user Bien Stephenson

Yesterday, Todd Kliman broke the news that Barton Seaver is leaving Hook. And another restaurant development: Colorado Kitchen will be closing. Busy day in the DC restaurant world.

The Supreme Court will issue its decision on the DC handgun case today.

Penn Quarter Living muses on a sidewalk display—is it public art, or a public nuisance? 

Chocolate+science=deliciousness? Check out this fascinating story from the Post on local candy giant Mars: "To save chocolate lovers from the agony of a potential candy bar shortage, McLean candy giant Mars is investing $10 million in a five-year project to develop cacao trees that fight drought, disease and poor harvests. Mars will announce today that it is partnering with IBM and the Department of Agriculture to sequence and analyze the entire cocoa genome."

The Metro is busy these days—DCist notes that it's been breaking readership records left and right.

Photo of the Grand Hyatt's pool by Flickr user fotinakis 

It's Home Renovations Day here at Washingtonian.com! Our Diary of a Fixer-Upper blogger (say that three times fast), Heather Goss, is hosting a live chat today at noon about her renovations process to her rowhouse in Columbia Heights. Ask her anything!

The Folklife Festival starts today down by the Smithsonian. Head on down starting around 11 AM; evening events start at 6 PM.

Mayor Fenty's wife is pregnant with her third child. Congrats!

Creative DC points out three great opportunities for local artists.

Washingtonian.com fashion contributor and photog Rachel Cothran is caught romping around town! 

There's free yoga in Rockville from July 1-3. Check it out. 

Photo of the National Air and Space Museum by Flickr user fotinakis.

As our own Harry Jaffe has long speculated, Len Downie finally stepped down from his post at the Post yesterday after 17 years at the paper. See Howard Kurtz's take here.  

It's Kliman Tuesday! Or that's what we call Tuesdays around here, anyways, when food & wine critic Todd Kliman hosts his weekly online dining chat. Ask him anything.

The Supreme Court has delayed its ruling in the DC gun ban case and scheduled a special session for this Wednesday.

What?! There's no "DC for Obama" t-shirt—even though Guam gets one? Outrage!

The City Paper wonders that if big layoffs at the development company of Victor MacFarlane—who also owns the DC United soccer team—mean bad news for a possible DC soccer stadium.

Photo by Flickr user dsearls.

Have you read our Readers' Best of Washington results yet? Find out the most popular dining, nightlife and more, as chosen by Washingtonian readers. 

Hope you brought an umbrella—thunderstorms (and maybe hail!) are being predicted for later today. Again. 

The Supreme Court may give its ruling in the DC gun ban case today. For a refresher, read Harry Jaffe's excellent article, "Do You Want This Next to Your Bed?" about DC gun rights.

The DCeiver notes that even the AP is down in the dumps these days.  

14th and You finds out what happens when you don't move your car for street cleaning. 

"Fuel costs may force Montgomery schools to reduce bus service, requiring more students to walk," reports the Post.

Comedian George Carlin has died of heart failure at age 71. 

Miss out on some of our blog posts from this week? Worry not—we're here to fill you in on what the most popular blog posts were from the past seven days. See below for our top five.

Photo of Arlington's Court House Plaza by Flickr user Helga's Lobster Stew.

The Post has a great article reporting that "When the 9/11 memorial is dedicated, it will change iconic building into something it was not intended to be: a tourist destination."

Raw Fisher reminds us that "The Supreme Court did not rule today on the D.C. gun ban case, so next week is the week." For a refresher, read Harry Jaffe's excellent article, "Do You Want This Next to Your Bed?" about DC gun rights.

Duke Ellington is currently the top choice for the design of the new DC quarter.  

PQ Living has a tip for a relaxing way to spend 30 minutes on the steps of the National Portrait Gallery. Give it a shot. 

WashCycle points out a great New York City map for bikes. Anybody out there up for creating a DC one? 

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