Join The Conversation! Talk about the news of the day with public radio fans on WAMU 88.5's The Conversation.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Your Amazon.com purchases support WAMU 88.5
Your purchases from the NPR Store support WAMU 88.5
July 14, 2008 - The District is proposing firearms legislation in response to the recent US Supreme Court ruling overturning the city's 32-year ban on handguns.
The bill bans handguns in most places except for homes with an exception for self defense, requires police to perform ballistic testing on every handgun submitted for registration, addresses the safe-storage and trigger-lock requirement and clarifies that no carry license is required for the home.
Interim Attorney General Peter Nickles says he expects a lot of public comment and even a lawsuit.
By this, Nickels says he means that many gun rights activists may be upset that handguns will be required to be unloaded and disassembled with an exception for self defense.
The measure will be introduced tomorrow at the council's special legislative session. It still has to be approved by the council.
Jessica Golloher reports...
July 14, 2008 - A 2006 survey of non-profit organizations found that as many as three-quarters of executive directors say they will leave their jobs in the next five years. Today, in Washington, A group in Washington is launching a program today to help train the next generation of non-profit leaders.
The Non-Profit Roundtable of Greater Washington, a coalition of local charities, has selected 25 leaders to be trained and mentored under the "future executive director's fellowship."
The Non-Profit Roundtable's Rosetta Thurman says that, after reviewing hundreds of applications, the group tapped a diverse, deep pool of people who are interested in the non-profit sector. The fellowship lasts nine months, and another class will receive training in 2010.
Patrick Madden reports...
July 14, 2008 - (July 14-22) ARTS AND EVERYTHING WORKSHOPS Workshops on everything from digital media to burlesque dancing are being taught at MLK Library during the Capital Fringe Festival, through July 22. Learn about incorporating multi-media into live performances, get down and dirty in the "Art of the Tease" dance class, or learn how to choreograph fight scenes a la Grand Guignol, the French Theatre of Horror. And if that's not scary enough, check out the class on writing political theatre.
(July 15) HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES Author Mark Stein discusses his book How the States Got Their Shapes at the Library of Congress Tuesday at noon. If you're a geography buff or just wonder why West Virginia seems to have a finger poking Pennsylvania, don't miss this fun and fact-filled lecture. It is packed with fascinating history that explains what happens when government leaders negotiate contiguous borders.
(July 15) AL GREEN AND AMOS LEE The R&B stylings of Al Green and Amos Lee are onstage at Wolf Trap Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. Green, a well-known star in the constellation of American gospel and soul music, pairs with the folk and jazz sounds of 30-year-old Amos Lee, who has shared a stage with Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Paul Simon. Their musical mix ensures an eclectic experience.
July 14, 2008 - The Senate moves onto the President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, while Republican Jim DeMint of South Carolina resists.
Meanwhile, committees work up 13 spending bills for next year - negotiating checks and balances in more ways than one.
Todd Zwillich reports...
July 14, 2008 - With Virginia's Special Legislative Session on Transportation behind them, Governor Tim Kaine and state lawmakers are moving on to other topics this week.
Tommie McNeil has a preview from the Capitol...
July 14, 2008 - A meeting is underway in Annapolis, Md., to determine how to spend federal funds to help reduce pollution into the Chesapeake Bay. Federal agriculture officials are working on a spending plan for about $372 million that has been set aside to reduce nitrogen as well as pollution runoff from farms into the Chesapeake watershed. The money could go to farmers to pay for planting pollution-reducing crops or to implement other practices to cut down on pollution. Priority will be given to farmers in watersheds where most pollution enters the bay -- including the Potomac, Patuxent, Shenandoah, and Susquehanna rivers.
Bill Redlin reports...
July 14, 2008 - The announcement of Anheuser-Busch Co.'s takeover by a giant Belgian brewer is raising questions over the fate of its properties in Virginia, including the Busch Gardens theme park. The company and it's subsidiaries provide thousands of jobs and millions in revenue to Williamsburg and surrounding communities. Now that Belgian brewing giant Inbev will be taking over the company, Representative Bob Wittman hopes that inclusive policies and social responsibility will continue. In a written statement, InBev said that it has not made any decisions about acquisitions outside of its breweries but that it's "very mindful of their important role in those communities and will seek to help preserve that role."
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
July 14, 2008 - The death of a six-month-old boy puts officials with the city's Child and Family Services agency on the defensive.
Council member Tommy Wells is chair of the committee that oversees CFSA. He called a hearing because he doesn't understand why the baby was not visited by a caseworker after a report of abuse.
Wells said he had already had conversations with the agency's director about the acknowledged backlog months ago. Sharlynn Bobo said that her office had the situation under control and that the proper safeguards were in place.
Bobo now says part of the problem was that her office didn't have the staff it needed to address the backlog, but that the agency had hired additional workers to address the backlog, secured an additional 20 cars to ensure that caseworkers are able to respond to possible neglect and trained workers in new investigative techniques.
Wells' office says Bobo presented a pretty "myopic view" of how they had addressed the issue and that systemic problems remain.
Wells suggested implementing his Child Welfare Safety Net reform plan that was approved as part of next year's budget. It includes an early intervention response system and mandated child abuse reporter training.
Jessica Golloher reports...
July 14, 2008 - For 34 years, D.C. has celebrated the French holiday of Bastille Day by holding Parisian-style waiter races in downtown Washington.
Patrick Madden reports...
Red, White and Blue ribbons festooned the street as the District of Columbia celebrated Bastille Day.
courtesy of: Martina Olbertova, WAMU 885 News Intern
privacy policy - terms of use - contact - sitemap - directions - rss - podcasts - jobs - community
Copyright WAMU 88.5 American University Radio | 4000 Brandywine Street NW | Washington, DC 20016-8082 | (202)885-1200
