Blech, after all this stadium stuff recently, I feel the need to clense my digital palate, so I've returned to my original Near Southeast mission for a moment and have posted some new photos. My latest Capper Seniors #1 photos show that construction is moving along, and I've added a cool comparison to my New Jersey Avenue page from the SE Freeway (don't ask how I took them) showing the impact of Capitol Hill Tower and the DOT HQ on the Near SE skyline in the past 11 months. And I've documented some minor changes in the landscape of the Ballpark District (with the demolition of a few small buildings along Half Street) and the 8th Street Historic District. I also tossed in a few updated shots on my M Street, Capitol Hill Tower, and DOT HQ pages, too. (As always, scroll the pages and look for the  icon.) Speaking of the Ballpark District, Stephen Green of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development said today at the stadium hearing that the four finalists for the "master developer" gig were interviewed by the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation today, and that a team should be named by the first or second week in December.

From today's DC city council roundtable on the new baseball stadium: The Post reports that the city will submit the stadium lease agreement to the council for approval ("District to Submit Lease Agreement for Stadium"), which, as the article notes, "sets up another tenuous December for boosters of the $535 million stadium project along the Anacostia River in Southeast. After a bitter debate, the council passed the stadium-financing package last December by a 7-6 vote."  (Maybe the stadium can be paid for by selling a Nationals-branded line of Maalox to stadium supporters.) In better news for the pro-stadium folks, negotiators say that the lease agreement is close to completion, and DC Sports and Entertainment Commission chair Mark Tuohey told the city council today that baseball will pay $20 million for additional costs ranging from land acquisition to labor, insurance and materials. It was also said that the stadium will be going in front of the zoning board in early December. UPDATE: streaming video of the roundtable is now available on the DC council web site.