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May 22, 2008 - Many state board members say the State Superintendent of Education should have more of a role in how the District's underperforming schools are turned around.
Jessica Golloher reports...
May 22, 2008 - A website unites philanthropist and teachers who need support for educational supplies. Since the beginning of this school year, the site has helped raise more than 211,000 dollars in school supplies for DC public and public charter schools. The average donation from donors is 100 dollars.
Faryl Ury reports...
May 22, 2008 - A former Bank of America manager has pleaded guilty for his role in the D.C. tax scandal. 33-year-old Walter Jones pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to "conspiracy to commit money laundering." According to the plea agreement, Jones admits to depositing more than 60 fraudulent checks worth about $18 million.In return, he was paid about $370,000. Federal prosecutors believe at least $20 million was stolen by D.C. tax officials who wrote and cashed phony property tax refunds. Two other people have also pleaded guilty in the case. Several others are awaiting trial.
Patrick Madden reports...
May 22, 2008 - The DC region isn't likely to see any relief at the gas pump anytime soon. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in the DC region is $3.82 cents a gallon. Triple-A Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend says prices are going up a cent a day.
Matt Bush reports...
May 22, 2008 - (May 22) VOICES OF CULTURAL PRESERVATION A discussion entitled Afghanistan: Voices of Cultural Preservation will be held at Grosvenor Auditorium tonight at 6:30. Pivoting off of the new exhibition "Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul," National Geographic Live! hosts a panel and lecture on the ongoing efforts to preserve Afghanistan's rich yet endangered cultural heritage.
(May 22) WOMEN OF STYLE It's all about Women of Style at Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens tonight at 6:30. During this lecture and tour, learn about the glamorous Sicilian Duke Fulco di Verdura and the opulent jewelry he designed for glitzy clients, like Coco Chanel and Greta Garbo. Ward Landrigan, the CEO of the company bearing the Duke's name, discusses Verdura's colorful life, his timeless designs and the iconic women whom he draped in diamonds and decadence.
(May 23) CONCRETE ALCHEMY The exhibit Concrete Alchemy is on display at Art Wino tomorrow (Friday) from 6:00 to midnight, at the bar's new location at National Harbor. 15 artists visit three galleries in five cities over seven days; they land in Washington with their works, specializing in contemporary urban art with hints of graffiti, street art and the evolution of murals.
The glamorous jewelry and designs of Sicilian Duke Fulco di Verdura will be discussed during "Women of Style" today at Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens at 6:30 p.m.
courtesy of: The Houston Museum of Natural Science
May 22, 2008 - There are more than two dozen statues in the form of books dotting Fairfax County. Most of them are located at library branches. Artists decorated the four foot high sculptures in all sorts of colors and designs. The "Art in the Pages" project is a first time initiative and was paid for by several businesses and individual sponsors. Some of the figures will be auctioned off in September with the proceeds going to help public library programs.
Pat Brogan reports...
May 22, 2008 - Some state board of education members say they want to have input in how the District restructures its failing schools.
At a monthly State Board of Education meeting Wednesday, President Robert Bobb said members thought they would have a say on how the city would turn around at least 24 schools that failed to make adequate yearly progress five years in a row, as part of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Members suggested investigating other failed systems to see what sort of a role their boards played in restructuring.
Mayor Fenty has consistently maintained that once the DC Council gave him mayoral control of the system they gave him the ability to decide whats right for the system.
Jessica Golloher reports...
May 22, 2008 -
May 22, 2008 - Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is allowing to become law a controversial measure that some argue will lead to more drunken driving crashes. The measure will officially classify flavored malt beverages, including hard lemonade, as beer in the state tax code. O'Malley says he is allowing the measure to become law without his signature. He says this type of decision is the job of the legislature, not the governor or attorney general. Critics, including Attorney General Doug Gansler, argue the measure will lead to more drunken driving crashes because it will keep the fruity beverages relatively inexpensive and will keep them on the shelves of convenience stores, which opponents argue are not as good as liquor stores at catching minors who try to buy alcohol.
Gene Kuleta reports...
May 22, 2008 - Virginia's voluntary criminal sentencing guidelines ease discrimination, according to a national study. Sentencing guidelines were intended to prevent racial discrimination by standardizing punishments, rather than leaving them up to a judge's discretion and possible bias. Some states such as Minnesota adopted mandatory guidelines. Others, including Virginia, adopted voluntary ones.
The National Center for State Courts decided to study whether these different approaches led to different levels of discrimination. They found that the different guidelines, including Virginia`s voluntary ones, resulted in consistent sentences generally not influenced by race and economic status. The researchers noted that this contrasted sharply with the discriminatory sentencing documented before the use of guidelines.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
May 22, 2008 - Several measures designed to improve health care in Maryland are now law. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley today signed several dozen bills into law, including ones he says will improve health care in the state. One of the new laws sets up a seven-member authority to conduct a bidding process to sell the financially troubled Prince George's Hospital Center, which the county currently owns. O'Malley says selling the hospital system, which also includes Laurel Regional Hospital and other county-owned facilities, will help ensure that residents have good access to health care.
Gene Kuleta reports from Annapolis...
May 22, 2008 - As state lawmakers prepare to return to Richmond to work on funding road improvements, the Virginia Department of Transportation is getting ready to implement new regulations that are supposed to help the flow of traffic.
Tommie McNeil reports from Richmond on why it`s not too late for Virginians to provide input before the final draft goes into effect.
May 22, 2008 - Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is allowing a measure, which some argue could lead to more drunken driving crashes, to become law. The new law officially classifies flavored malt beverages, which some call "alcopops," as beer.
Rather than signing or vetoing the legislation, O'Malley is allowing it to become law without his signature. The effect will be that the beverages, such as hard lemonade, will continue to be taxed at the same relatively low rate as beer and will remain on the shelves of convenience stores. Delegate Bill Bronrott of Montgomery County says the governor missed a major opportunity to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors.
Gene Kuleta reports from Annapolis...
May 22, 2008 - The Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population has dropped so low that Maryland lawmakers voted today to cut this year's harvest of female blue crabs by more than a third.
Patrick Madden reports:
May 22, 2008 - Metro is creating emergency evacuation maps for each of its stations. Metro officials say the maps will help riders find alternate bus or rail routes in the event of an evacuation or lengthy service disruption. The maps will be customized for all 117 station mezzanines. They'll list all bus service available near the station and provide walking directions to the closest Metro station.
Meymo Lyons has more...
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