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Saturday, July 4, 2009
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August 20, 2008 - (Aug 21) BREW AT THE ZOO
Raise a glass to conservation during Brew at the Zoo the fourth annual beer and hors d'oeuvres-laden event, at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park tomorrow night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. More than 20 microbreweries and area restaurants will be displaying their wares, with demonstrations and live music by a top local band.
(Aug 21) LATIN JAZZ AT PACA HOUSE Latin Jazz will breeze through "the Coolest Backyard in Town" as singer Sonya Vallet and her band perform at the William Paca Garden in Annapolis, tomorrow evening from 6 to 8 p.m. Enjoy hot jazz in the cool of this 18th century garden; stroll through the historic house before finding a spot to sit among the foliage. Then, spread a blanket on the lawn or enjoy a picnic on the terrace while being serenaded by this daughter of Madrid.
(Aug 23-Nov 22) SKYWATCHING And make your weekend plans now with Sean O'Brien, an astronomer at the Albert Einstein Planetarium. He'll be leading skywatchers at Sky Meadows State Park every month through November - the next watch-party is Saturday from dusk to 11 p.m. Take part in some public telescoping to witness the constellations' brilliance in dark, star-filled skies far from the city lights. The evening begins with a short night sky orientation to get you familiar with the astral landscape. Future star-gazing events will be held September 27, October 25 and November 22, 2008.
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August 20, 2008 - Maryland's attorney general has announced plans to sue the U.S. Army to enforce a federal cleanup order at Fort Meade. Attorney General Doug Gansler says the Army has failed to comply with an existing order by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to contaminants in soil and groundwater. The Army, the EPA and the Maryland Department of the Environment have been working for years to remediate pollution at Fort Meade. Now, Maryland plans to take the Army to court. A spokesman for Fort Meade did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Meymo Lyons reports...
August 20, 2008 - Seventeen-year-old Sikandar Porter-Gill has won a national Davidson Fellowship and a $50,000 scholarship for his work turning wastewater into energy. With the advice of mentors at the J. Craig Venter Institute where he works as an intern, Sikander developed a bio-catalyzed fuel cell -- essentially a battery powered by microbes that treats waste water and -- this was what made this project the first of its kind -- produces biofuels. Sikander says that could one day allow wastewater treatment plants to power themselves.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
August 20, 2008 - In Virginia, an attorney from Woodbridge has pleaded guilty to defrauding his clients out of more than $3.5 million. Prosecutors say 40-year-old Stephen T. Conrad pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal fraud charges in U.S. District Court. Conrad worked on personal injury and workers' compensation cases. Court documents say until last December he forged his clients' signatures and misappropriated funds coming from insurance companies against which claims were made. Records show Conrad used the money to pay for his mortgage, credit card bills and travel. He faces up to 20 years in prison, fines and restitution. Sentencing is set for November 14.
Meymo Lyons reports...
August 20, 2008 - About 30 states including Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia are facing budget cuts in 2009. Some say the poor economy will force them to cut services and increase taxes unless the federal government steps in.
A report by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees calls for a $50 billion relief package to plug the gaps in state budgets. Most states must balance their budgets every year, so their recent loss in revenue means they must cut spending or find additional money.
Charles Loveless, the legislative director for the employee federation, says the aid would help states avoid making cuts to Medicaid and education, while helping the nation's economy. Congressman Chris Van Hollen says the drop in Maryland's tax revenues could lead to a $800 million shortfall in the 2009 budget.
Congress passed a similar fiscal relief package in 2003. Van Hollen says he is hoping for the same bipartisan support this fall.
Kathleen O`Neil reports...
August 20, 2008 - Members of the Washington Teachers' Union have not reached a contract agreement with Chancellor Michelle Rhee even though schools are set to begin opening next week. A survey, commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers, suggests a majority of teachers do not support the Chancellor's proposal in its current form.
Under the proposal, teachers can choose one of two tracks. Under the first, they could make $100,000. But they would have to agree to go on probation for a year and risk getting fired. Under the second, teachers who want to keep their tenure would still get raises, just not as much. But a survey finding indicates more than 75 percent of union members feel they should not give up seniority rights and tenure protections. George Parker, president of the Washington Teachers' Union, says the survey is just a "snapshot" of the information available at that time.
Kavitha Cardoza reports...
August 20, 2008 - Approximately 100 colleges presidents say they want the legal drinking age to be lowered to 18, but their opponents, including an influential lawmaker from Maryland, are vowing to fight the effort.
It's called the Amethyst Initiative. The university presidents say keeping the legal drinking age at 21 encourages unsafe behavior among underage drinkers. The leaders include representatives from the University System of Maryland, Towson University and Washington College.
Delegate Bill Bronrott of Maryland, who is among the opposition, has worked on alcohol-related state policies for more than 20 years and currently chairs the Maryland House Committee on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
He says research, conducted after states raised the legal drinking ages to 21, has consistently shown positive results, specifically, a reduction in alcohol-related traffic accidents and fatalities.
Bronrott is reaching out to the college presidents involved in the Amethyst Initiative to discourage them from moving forward.
L. Baird Tipson, president of Washington College in Chestertown, Md., is one of them. He says he recognizes the positive effects of current law, but he also believes it encourages dangerous behavior by underage students who consume alcohol.
Tipson says lowering the drinking age to 18 would shift the consumption of alcohol by students to more-easily monitored and regulated locations, such as bars and taverns.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
August 20, 2008 - The D.C. Public Charter School Board has adopted an attendance and truancy policy after the killings of four girls revealed shortcomings in the current system. The board approved the new rules Monday. They require schools to report quarterly statistics to the independent panel. The decomposing bodies of Banita Jacks' four daughters were discovered in a rowhouse in Southeast Washington in January. The girls had not attended their charter schools for months, but there was no follow-up after Jacks said she was withdrawing them for home-schooling. Jacks has been charged with murder. Under the new policy, schools that do not maintain an attendance rate above 85 percent and a truancy rate below 20 percent could potentially face probation.
Meymo Lyons reports...
August 20, 2008 - Rail traffic between Washington and Baltimore was suspended earlier this morning after an Amtrak train struck a worker in Prince George's County.
Trains are running on time again here at the New Carlton station in Maryland. At around 5 a.m. a track inspector was struck by an Acela train near the intersection of Lanham and Annapolis roads.
Amtrak officials say the man was air-lifted to a local hospital.
No one was hurt aboard the train. The 25 passengers on board were transferred to another train.
The accident delayed both Amtrak service and trains on the MARC line for more than an hour.
Patrick Madden reports...
August 20, 2008 - Later this year, the DC Council will consider a bill to remove juvenile suspects from the District's adult jail while they await trial. While some prosecutors oppose such a move, advocates of the bill say the public is behind it. Liz Ryan of the Campaign for Youth Justice says she's bolstered by a recent survey of voters in DC. The survey found that more than two-thirds oppose pretrial placement of youths in adult jails. Ryan says national statistics show that teens held in adult jails have greater recidivism rates than those housed in juvenile facilities. But Jeffery Taylor, the U.S. Attorney for DC, opposes the change. He says only suspects charged with the most violent crimes are held at the jail. The poll was commissioned by the Campaign for Youth Justice and surveyed more than 800 registered voters.
Patrick Madden reports...
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