Imagine a 45-minute trip from Richmond to Washington—without taking an airplane. Now imagine Republicans and Democrats agreeing on the federal stimulus package. If the issue is high-speed rail, both could be possible. Yesterday, the potential for an economy-stimulating mass-transit project that could swiftly connect Virginia’s capital city to the nation’s capital drew congressmen and county and city officials of all political stripes to Richmond’s Main Street Station.

WASHINGTON It’s that time of year again, when a swath of the nation’s capital becomes awash in a sea of pink. The National Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off yesterday and runs through April 12, with more than a million visitors expected to stroll through the 3,700 cherry trees that circle Washington’s Tidal Basin and participate in a slew of festival events.

PORTLAND, Ore.—Thanks to Quincy Pondexter, even the supposedly vulnerable Washington Huskies didn’t go out early. Pondexter scored a season-high 23 points and fourth-seeded Washington took advantage of early foul trouble to Mississippi State’s menacing Jarvis Varnado to race past the 13th-seeded Bulldogs 71-58 in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.

Kevin Burke grew up hearing his elders talk about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil-rights movement. Now his own moment of pride has come with the inauguration of Barack Obama. He plans to be among the millions on the National Mall tomorrow. “It’s something that people will be talking about for years,“ said the 42-year-old Richmonder.

Obama inaugural balls are a moment to shine for women, designers.

Middle school kids can make some noise. For an hour yesterday at Richmond’s Binford Middle School, the rumble that comes as 450 or so students stomp their feet and slap their hands was encouraged.

WASHINGTON Early one cold November morning, actress Annie Wersching leads Kiefer Sutherland to an armored SUV with dark windows parked outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture building. After director Brad Turner yells “cut,“ onlookers snap photos of the star. Sutherland spots a participant in a charity run for Lupus on the Washington Mall and comments, “Why is that guy wearing shorts? It’s cold.“

WASHINGTON (AP)—At least 213 D.C. bars, restaurants and nightclubs have registered to serve alcohol later than usual and possibly serve food all night long during inauguration week. Businesses that weren’t restricted by neighborhood agreements for their operating hours were required to register by yesterday with the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. About 20 percent of the more than 1,000 bar and restaurant businesses in the city registered for the late hours.

WASHINGTON Presidents are “in” again, and that means Washington is a hot spot. With Barack Obama moving into the White House this month and the ongoing celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s life, the nation’s capital and its many tourism sites have been thrust into the spotlight. As the nation installs its first black president, dozens of exhibits and attractions are touching on the inauguration, the nation’s political and social history and its progress from the struggle for civil rights.

Sammy Baugh, who set numerous passing records with the Washington Redskins in an era when NFL teams were running most every down, died yesterday, his son said. Mr. Baugh, who was 94 and had numerous health issues, died at Fisher County Hospital in Rotan, David Baugh said. “It wasn’t the same Sam we all knew,“ his son told The Associated Press. “He just finally wore out.“

It took a geology professor with a deeply curious mind to revive old-time music in Lexington and Rockbridge County. That professor, Odell S. McGuire, died Dec. 8 in Lexington after a series of health problems, said his friend, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader James Leva. He was 81. Dr. McGuire, who came to Washington and Lee University in 1962 as a buttoned-up conservative, morphed into a clawhammer banjo-playing, environmentally conscious raconteur during the 32 years that followed.

From the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol, more people than ever will be able to witness Barack Obama’s swearing-in from the National Mall.

WASHINGTON—Barack Obama didn’t get all the way there Tuesday—not yet, anyway. He won the presidency, to be sure, in a solid victory that also saw his Democratic Party add to its majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. But he fell short of the kind of tsunami that would have immediately altered the political landscape and forged an enduring majority that could dominate the national agenda for years.

WASHINGTON (AP)—The Federal Reserve has ordered an emergency interest rate cut of a half a percentage point to cope with the worst financial crisis since the 1929 stock market crash. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues ratcheted down their key rate by 0.5 percent, to 1.5 percent. The action revives the central bank’s rate-cutting campaign which had been halted in June out of concerns that those low rates would worsen inflation. Since then, however, economic and financial conditions have dangerously deteriorated, forcing the Fed to reverse course.

WASHINGTON Presidents are “in” again, and that means Washington is a hot spot. With Barack Obama moving into the White House this month and the ongoing celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s life, the nation’s capital and its many tourism sites have been thrust into the spotlight. As the nation installs its first black president, dozens of exhibits and attractions are touching on the inauguration, the nation’s political and social history and its progress from the struggle for civil rights.