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Saturday, November 21, 2009
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August 26, 2008 - (Aug 27-Sept 28) RED, WHITE & BLACKLISTED Rep Stage opens its 16th season with the play Trumbo: Red, White and Blacklisted at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md., Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. Take a journey through the era of the "Red Scare" and the House Un-American Activities committee with the irrepressible filmmaker Dalton Trumbo in his determined quest for political and artistic freedom. Free screenings of his films "Spartacus," "Roman Holiday," and "Papillion" will be shown during the run. You can also check out the movie version of Trumbo's life at D.C.'s E Street Cinema through October 2nd.
(Through Sept 21) PERTAINING TO PATCHWORK The exhibit Something Pertaining to God: The Patchwork Art of Rosie Lee Thompkins puts beautiful textiles on display at the National Museum for Women in the Arts, through September 21. From quilts to clothing, covers to pillows, this exhibit showcases the acclaimed African-American artist from Arkansas, quilter Effie Mae Howard, who created her artwork under the pseudonym, Rosie Lee.
(Aug 29-Sept 1) IRISH ARTS AT GLEN ECHO Pondering plans for Labor Day but want to stick close to home? Irish-themed festivities at Glen Echo Park are just one part of the 38th Annual Labor Day Art Show Saturday through Monday from 1 to 5 p.m. Musicians and dancers will perform beautiful songs and toe-tapping jigs. Among them will be Billy McComiskey, the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance, and Pete Moss & the Bog Band. The art show opens with a reception on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m.
August 26, 2008 - The National Women's History Museum gets about 500,000 visitors every year. In order to see it, tourists from around the world don't have to leave home. That's because right now it only exists online. Joan Wages is the virtual museum's president. She and her staff are lobbying Congress for an piece of actual land at Constitution Avenue and 14th Streets. They expect a bill to be taken up this fall.
Stephanie Kaye explains...
August 26, 2008 - Drivers on a busy part of Interstate 66 in Virginia can now use the shoulder for an extra two hours on weekdays. The change took effect Monday. The goal is to ease congestion on I-66 between the Capital Beltway and Route 50. Before, drivers have been able to use the eastbound shoulder from 5:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. It will now be open until 11. The westbound shoulder has been open from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. each evening. It will now be open at 2 p.m. instead. Virginia's Department of Transportation says there's no significant difference in the number of accidents when the shoulder is open. But AAA Mid-Atlantic says the move compromises safety, because there's no place for stranded motorists to wait for help and because it limits the lanes available for emergency vehicles to get to trouble spots.
Matt McCleskey has more...
August 26, 2008 - Officials with the Maryland Department of the Environment say it will take days to clean up about 5,000 gallons of olive oil in the Baltimore Harbor.
Officials believe the oil came from Pompeian Inc., near Canton, Md. Members of the Coast Guard helping with the cleanup say they think vandals damaged a container holding the oil, though the investigation is ongoing.
The director of emergency operations for Maryland's Department of the Environment says the oil is not harmful to people but could be fatal for fish because it may deprive them of oxygen. Cleanup crews have used a vacuum truck and absorbent cloths to clean up the spill.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
August 26, 2008 - In a conventional 10-point grading scale, a grade between 90 and 100 is an A; 80 to 90 is a B. But in Fairfax County's rigorous six-point grading system, a 93 earns a B, an 83 is a C, and GPA's aren't weighted for AP or honors courses -- though they are more difficult. Many parents fear their children are put at a disadvantage by that system when applying to colleges.
On Monday, hundreds of rapt parents listened as college admissions officers weighed in at a round table. Some assured parents that more selective schools take into account different grading scales, others said they had doubts. Fair Grade, a group of parents opposed to the current grading system, says fewer students in Fairfax county receive top grades than in comparable school districts, because the grading scale depresses GPA's. The Fairfax County School System is currently sending out surveys to 104 colleges and universities to determine how those schools interpret the county's grading scale, and it is analyzing more than 1,000 transcripts to see how grades and grade distribution would be affected by a more conventional grading system. A final report will be released in November.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports..
August 26, 2008 - The Sierra Club has ranked the "greenest" college campuses in the United States, and two universities in D.C. are singled out for their poor environmental records. In the latest issue of Sierra Magazine, both George Washington University and Howard University were included in the magazine's list five schools cited for their environmental shortcoming. Howard was criticized for not having a recycling program and lacking, according to Sierra, green design or procurement policies. George Washington University was faulted for not requiring new buildings to meet environmental standards. G.W. spokeswoman Tracy Chario disputes the ranking. Sierra did praise the Trinity School in D.C. Last year, the school was criticized for its lack of green policies. This year, a spokesperson for the Sierra Club described the school as moving from zero to hero.
Patrick Madden reports...
August 26, 2008 - Todd Zwillich previews Senator Hillary Clinton's address at the Democratic National Convention, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner's keynote speech and how delegates may react to each appearance. He reports from Denver...
August 26, 2008 - Virginians in Denver are determined to help Obama win the state this November.
Melinda Wittstock caught up with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Denver...
August 26, 2008 - In Virginia, some state boards and commissions convene electronic meetings, but some people are concerned that the process could result in less input from the general public, especially when it comes to water and air quality issues.
Anne Marie Morgan reports from Richmond ...
August 26, 2008 - Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, but if your travel involves Reagan National Airport, you would be wise not to use Metro to get there.
A major overhaul of subway track will shut down Metro rail service to the airport. The transit agency plans to replace the track between the airport and Braddock Road station starting at 9 p.m. Friday. The work should be finished by 4 a.m. on Tuesday. Metro is offering free shuttle bus service every five minues between the airport and the Braddock Road station. But officials say to add an extra 30 minutes in travel time in the area. The assistant general manager at Metro says doing all of the work at once will prevent months of delays that would have occurred from single-tracking trains.
Bill Redlin reports...
August 26, 2008 - Investigators say a police officer from Maryland's Montgomery County was driving at least 26 miles per hour over the speed limit when he struck and severely injured a 12-year0old boy in Clarksburg.
A police spokeswoman says no charges have been filed against Officer Jason Cokinos and that has is back on duty. She says Cokinos received two traffic citations.
Cokinos was off-duty when his cruiser hit Luis Jofel as the boy was crossing the street. A final report on the accident is expected next month. According to the accident report the officer was driving at least 56 miles an hour on the 30-mile-per-hour road. The Washington Examiner says Cokinos' attorney declined to comment.
Bill Redlin reports...
August 26, 2008 - D.C.'s troubled summer jobs program may be over for the season, but District officials are still trying to get a handle on what went wrong.
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is updating the government's investigation into the problem-plagued Summer Youth Employment Program. Fenty says thousands of students who couldn't be verified have been purged from the program's payroll, saving the District about $700,000. At the peak of the program's mismanagment, enrollment was as high as 21,000. The program has been riddled with payroll problems all summer and ran about $31 million over budget.
Patrick Madden reports...
August 26, 2008 - Maryland voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama in this year's hard-fought Democratic primary. Now the state's Democratic delegates are hoping that runner-up Hillary Clinton will use her speech tonight to unify the opposing camps. The state's 99 Democratic delegates and 12 alternates are gathered in Colorado this week to patch up any differences before the fall campaign begins. Prince Georges County delegate Rushern Baker wants Senator Clinton to convinces her people to do the right thing.
Eric Niiler reports from Denver...
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