From the announcement:

I'm pleased to announce that Mary Ann Akers will be joining washingtonpost.com after the holidays to write about the the colorful personalities and unique culture of Capitol Hill and politics at large. We're thrilled Mary Ann has decided to join us, and she'll be a centerpiece in our effort to ramp up to cover the 2008 election.

Mary Ann Akers comes to washingtonpost.com from Roll Call, where she writes the must-read "Heard on the Hill" column, a newsy, nosy and irreverent look at what happens behind the scenes on Capitol Hill and elsewhere in Washington. Her work exposes the grittier side of politics, the after-hours and everyday lives of politicians, and takes a lighthearted look at the key players and developments of the legislative and political landscape.

Mary Ann has a strong news background in both print and broadcast. She was a reporter for National Public Radio covering everything from politics and Congress to transportation. She covered several commercial plane crash investigations and the government’s response to 9/11. Before her time at NPR, Mary Ann covered Congress for the Washington Times and for the National Journal’s CongressDaily publication.

Mary Ann hails from High Point, N.C. She graduated from Guilford College in North Carolina and serves on the school’s Board of Visitors. She also serves on the board of the Washington Press Club Foundation.

We're still discussing an exact start date, but look forward to adding Mary Ann's talents to the combined political coverage of the newspaper and web site.

Expect another big get at post.com tomorrow...And we hear that The Hill may have some hires coming up too. Has The Politico's moment in the Buzz Sun ended, and now it's time for the other papers to show what their A-game looks like?