FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Maryland men’s lacrosse team is one win from its first national title since 1975. Maryland advanced to the title game with a 16-10 victory over No. 3 Duke before 31,774 at Gillette Stadium. The unseeded Terrapins (12-5) will face No. 1 Loyola (Md.) in the national title game on Monday at 1 p.m. Read full article > >

See the article here:
2012 NCAA lacrosse tournament: Unseeded Maryland beats Duke to reach title game

The convictions last week of two of Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s former campaign aides have scrambled local politics in the nation’s capital, dimming Gray’s influence and brightening the political prospects of some other city leaders. Read full article > >

Go here to read the rest:
Mayoral ambitions surfacing early in D.C.

MILWAUKEE — Evan Bradtke, a 20-year-old college student, spends time these days working out of a small, windowless room in a nondescript suite of offices a few miles outside Madison, Wis. Hour after hour he calls voters, urging them to turn out on June 5 to support embattled Republican Gov. Scott Walker . Read full article > >

More:
Wisconsin recall election: Scott Walker’s fate will have November implications

Why are we talking about Bain Capital again? The answer, it seems, is that the two presidential campaigns want it that way. The Romney campaign wants us talking about Bain Capital LLC because Mitt Romney says his time leading the firm prepared him for the presidency. Read full article > >

See original here:
Why neither Obama nor Romney wants to talk about Romney’s record

It takes two meetings, and much of a day, for editors and reporters to prepare the next day’s front page of the printed Post. It’s like a large team preparing a sit-down dinner, with a lot of discussion during the day over the menu, presentation, seating chart, dinnerware and decoration. Read full article > >

See the original post here:
The art of The Washington Post home page

When Rick Nielsen talks about his home town in northern Illinois, you might expect him to riff on one of his rock band’s hits. Maybe “I want you to want Rockford.” Or “Surrender, surrender . . . to Rockford.” The Cheap Trick guitarist and songwriter could even economize and simply invoke the group’s 2006 album, “ Rockford .” Read full article > >

Read the original:
Their Town: Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen rocks Rockford, Ill.

During the past decade, Washington has become a magnet for ambitious 20-somethings . Not only does the city offer good jobs and better-than-average public transit, it also boasts food trucks and, of course, cupcake shops. Read full article > >

See the original post:
D.C.’s growth is fueled by 20-somethings. Can the city grow up with them?

Earlier this year, a group of filmmakers came to Tim Schafer with a pitch to make a documentary about his video game development company, Double Fine . His people would make a game and they’d film the whole process. But nobody knew how to pay for it. Read full article > >

See the original post:
Kickstarter.com helps video game developers reboot old titles

Before she was 2, her mother recalls, Lori Anne Madison was reading her first book — Dr. Seuss’s “Hop on Pop.” At age 3, she competed in her first spelling bee. Now 6, Lori Anne is the youngest contestant on record to qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Her ticket to the competition that begins Tuesday was the word “vaquero,” meaning cowboy, which she spelled correctly to win the Prince William County bee. Read full article > >

Visit link:
6-year-old Lori Anne Madison, spelling bee qualifier, isn’t feeling any pressure

It’s a classic case of brinkmanship bargaining: Iran and the West, each seeking to squeeze concessions from the other side, have decided to extend their nuclear negotiations to another round starting on June 17, a few weeks before a punishing new round of sanctions takes effect. Read full article > >

Here is the original post:
The Iranian view on how to strike a deal

5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. Iced tea is made for summer. It's there to quench your thirst in the heat, to tote to countless cookouts, and to leisurely sip on a front porch swing. Best of all, it's a breeze to make. All you need is tea and water, plus a little sugar if you're so inclined. Here to steep you in a little tea know-how is David De Candia, the Tea Director for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf , a specialty coffee and tea retailer. Five Tips for Making the Perfect Pitcher of Iced Tea at Home: David De Candia 1. Use filtered water “While the type and cut of tea leaves is essential for ensuring a quality brew, many people don’t realize that the water is arguably equally important. Think of it like a canvas for a painting or the fabric for a dress. The type and temperature of water you use will greatly affect the flavor of your tea, just like the quality of silk will impact the way a piece of clothing hangs. It is important to always use filtered water – never distilled – when making iced tea, as well as filtered water in your ice. Temperature also makes a discernible difference. It’s ideal to use water that is just under boiling, around 190-195 degrees Fahrenheit. Although boiling water may remove some of the chemical flavors of tap water, it also removes many of its important elements and nutrients. I also recommend heating the water on the stove, not in the microwave, to ensure the temperature is consistent and even throughout.” 2. Keep it consistent “It is important to use a proportional amount of water and tea when preparing your beverage. A good standard to follow is one level teaspoon of loose leaf tea to every eight ounces of cold filtered water. If you are using a tea bag, one bag is proportional to 16 ounces of liquid. To ensure these proportions aren’t thrown off kilter when pouring the final product over ice, I like to use ice cubes made from the tea or with juice for a subtle tea infusion. This helps keep the tea from getting diluted. The rule of consistency also applies to temperature. Let the tea sit for 45 minutes at room temperature before chilling it, as abrupt changes can alter the delicate flavors.” 3. The tea isn’t always greener “Just because a tea has a higher price tag, doesn’t mean it will make the best iced tea. Stick with the basics and you’ll be pleased. High-end, specialty and delicate teas are meant to be consumed hot, which allows you to savor the special aspects and flavors of the tea leaves.” 4. Just say no to sun brews “Although sun-brewed iced tea may sound like the perfect summer treat, it is not the best way to get the full flavor of the tea leaves. The sun does not allow enough heat for full infusion. While the end product may look dark, it actually has very little flavor and will require sugar and lemon to brighten and sharpen whatever flavor is there. Properly brewed teas will have a clear, consistent color, lots of flavor and won’t need any add-ins. It should also be noted that sun brewing can also attract a lot of unnecessary bacteria in your beverage.” 5. Build up the flavor with broken tea “While many home brewers opt for the ease of using tea bags filled with 'dust' to make iced tea, it’s best to use loose leaf 'broken' tea for optimal flavor. Broken tea is hand-plucked and hand-processed directly from the grower and has a greater surface area to ensure a high quality, robust brew. In terms of the type of tea, I usually gravitate toward medium-bodied black teas. My general rule of thumb is to find a tea that has enough body and heft to it to stand up to the cool water. Because heat intensifies flavor, a tea when brewed hot that might come across as too strong on the palate might be the perfect choice for a refreshing pitcher of iced tea.” Take Our Poll Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. See all our best grilling advice at Grilling 101

Read the original here:
5@5 – Brew your way to iced tea perfection

The Senate held two votes Thursday on measures to ensure that student loan rates for millions of college students do not double in July — and at the conclusion of the legislative action, the issue remained exactly where it began: stuck. Read full article > >

More here:
Senate fails to agree on student-loan-rate freeze

To secure his standing as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney has disowned every sliver of moderation in his record. He’s moved to the right on tax cuts and twisted himself into a pretzel over the health-care plan he championed in Massachusetts — because conservatives are no longer allowed to acknowledge that government can improve citizens’ lives. Read full article > >

Go here to see the original:
Conservatives used to care about community. What happened?

As is the Going Out Guide’s weekly ritual, we compiled a list of our favorite events this weekend , featuring a concert from Drake, a festival for strawberry season and the start of one of Washington’s best summer events. Read full article > >

Link:
Drake, Delaplane Strawberry Festival: Things to do in D.C. this weekend

PHILADELPHIA – When Mitt Romney came to an inner-city charter school here Thursday to promote his new education agenda , he received something of a history lecture about the persecution of blacks in America and the struggles of African American children to meet the academic achievements of their white counterparts. Read full article > >

The rest is here:
Romney visits inner-city charter school in Philadelphia in outreach to black voters