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Saturday, November 7, 2009
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September 15, 2008 - As John McCain and Barack Obama campaign across the country with their eyes on the White House, commentator Aleta Margolis, the Executive Director of the Center for Inspired Teaching, is asking them to also focus on the state of education in America.
You can find out more at inspiredteaching.org.
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WAMU 88 5 or American University.
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September 15, 2008 - A former Republican governor of Virginia is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Linwood Holton was the first Republican elected governor of Virginia since Reconstruction. He served in the early 1970s. His daughter, Anne Holton, is married to current Democratic Governor Tim Kaine, one of Barack Obama's earliest supporters in his bid for the presidency. The two Holtons are campaigning together today and tomorrow in southwest Virginia, Linwood Holton's home region. He was born in the town of Big Stone Gap. In recent years, Holton has endorsed other Democrats in races for governor, including his son-in-law Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.
Matt McCleskey has more...
September 15, 2008 -
(Sept 14-Jan 4, 2009) THE INDIAN PAINTINGS The National Gallery of Art fills its eastern galleries with The Indian Paintings of George de Forest Brush, through January 4th. These rich, stunningly beautiful images transport viewers to life among the tribes of the Great Plains. This much-celebrated series, usually hidden away in private collections, is rarely on view for the general public.
(Sept 13-Oct 25) CHRISTENBERRY Hemphill Fine Arts brings William Christenberry to its gallery through October 25th. A photographer, painter and sculptor born in Alabama in 1936, Christenberry brings mythical themes from his childhood experiences to expansive canvases and larger-than-life photographs that fill entire rooms.
(Sept 16 Reception & Lecture) TAKING THE CAKE The lecture Taking the Cake hits the podium at the Corcoran Gallery of Art Thursday evening at 7pm. What do cake and art have in common? Chef Duff Goldman, sculptor, artist, baker, owner of Charm City Cakes and star of the Food Network show Ace of Cakes, blends his creative and culinary background into works of art that are both inspirational and delicious.
The works of George de Forest Brush are on display at the National Gallery of Art through January 4, 2009.
courtesy of: Russell and Michelle Ball Collection
September 15, 2008 - The price of crude oil dipped below $100 dollars per barrel on Friday, but Hurricane Ike has caused prices to remain high at the pump. AAA Mid-Atlantic announced in a press release that gas prices could spike even higher, since most of the refineries don't have power and it could take weeks before they do. Consumers at a gas station in Bethesda, Maryland think gas stations and companies are using Hurricane Ike as an to raise prices.
Jessica Forres reports...
September 15, 2008 - Metro Transit Police are considering having train and bus riders use text messages to report crimes. Travelers are usually asked to call the transit police or alert train operators of any criminal activity. But Metro officials say that text messaging tips would save time and eased any fear of retaliation riders may have.
Before Metro launches a public text messaging program, the transit agency will test it among employees. Police departments in D.C. and Virginia's Fairfax County already have text message programs that let tipsters send information anonymously. Although Metro's crime rate is low compared to similar jurisdictions, authorities say serious crime is increasing, and juvenile arrests have almost doubled in the past few years.
Patrick Madden reports...
September 15, 2008 - Local power companies have sent more than 500 workers to help restore electricity to parts of Texas devastated by Hurricane Ike.
Foresters, mechanics and supervisors working for Pepco Holdings will assist with restoring power in southeast Texas, where millions of people are still without electricity. Pepco spokesperson Robert Dobkin says more than 100 workers left on Saturday. Virginia's Dominion Power has sent nearly 500 employees Texas.
Jessica Forres has more...
September 15, 2008 - Hundreds of people from all over the country gathered in D.C. this weekend to show their support for presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Jessica Forres has more...
September 15, 2008 - Not only has Virginia's General Assembly been unable to agree on how to fund new transportation needs for several years, but also higher gas prices mean fewer miles driven and less transportation-marked revenue from gas taxes. It's estimated that $3 billion are needed for transportation alone. The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority says that means parkways will go unwidened, bus and train service won't be expanded, and all of this while record demand is placed on public transportation, and traffic in northern Virginia continues to be among the worst in the country. The General Assembly remains driven by partisan and urban/rural divides, and Governor Tim Kaine has warned that 15-percent budget cuts across state agencies may be coming.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
September 15, 2008 - House Democrats' energy bill is set for the floor this week. Todd Zwillich has a preview...
September 15, 2008 - In Virginia, the U.S. Senate race is heating up as two former governors prepare to square off. Meanwhile, lawmakers in the Commonwealth are tending to state business.
Tommie McNeil has a weekly preview...
September 15, 2008 - Maryland's highest court will hear oral arguments today in a lawsuit over the wording of the referendum this November on legalizing slot machines.
Gene Kuleta reports...
September 15, 2008 - Virginia's State Board of Elections is ordering 200,000 additional voter registration forms to keep up with heavy demand this election season.
Board secretary Nancy Rodrigues says 250,000 registration forms usually last an entire year in Virginia. This year that is not the case. Since January 1, more than 200,000 people have added their names to Virginia's voter registration rolls -- bringing the state to nearly 4.8 million voters total. Almost 350,000 applications were distributed in July and August. Many were sent to county elections boards and the Department of Motor Vehicles, but groups trying to register voters also received tens of thousands of them. Now the state is asking for even more. Officials say they expect a rush of new registrants before Virginia's October 6 deadline.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
September 15, 2008 - An estimated one-third of college students in this country have to take remedial classes before they`re ready for college-level studies. In its reports, "Diploma to Nowhere," the group called Strong American Schools says colleges and taxpayers are spending up to $2.9 billion each year on classes that students should have had in high school. Former Colorado Governor Roy Romer, the chairman of the group, says the students have been misled into thinking they're prepared, only to find what they had learned wasn't adequate.
Just over 40 percent of community college students and nearly 30 percent of four-year college students need some form or remedial course work when they arrive on campus.
Meymo Lyons reports...
September 15, 2008 - D.C. Councilwoman Carol Schwartz says she will run as a write-in candidate in November's city council election after losing in her party's primary. For more than 30 years, Schwartz has been a player in D.C. politics. She has run for mayor several times, worked on the school board, and served several terms on the city council as an at-large Republican member. At an impromptu press conference Monday at her campaign's headquarters, she told a crowded room of supporters and news media, that she's not done yet. Schwartz was defeated in last Tuesday's Republican party primary, losing to newcomer Patrick Mara. She initially ruled out a write-in campaign, but said the negative tone of the contest -- and the urging of her supporters -- made her change her mind. Schwartz said she will run as a Republican.
Patrick Madden reports...
September 15, 2008 - D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has put together new regulations for handgun ownership in the District. D.C. council must still approve the measures, which acting attorney general Peter Nichols says were modeled after federal definitions and regulations used by other states. Ownership of automatic weapons is still banned, as are semi-automatic guns that carry more than 10 rounds of ammunition at a time. Residents can now register one hand gun per month with the city. The mayor also wants a child access provision, where owners will not be allowed to store a gun when they know a minor is likely to gain access to the firearm unless its in a securely locked container, or carried by the owner.
Matt Bush reports....
September 15, 2008 - The upheaval of some of the financial world's most famous institutions is being felt in the District. It's not Wall Street, but at Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street, the financial meltdown was on the minds of regulars Linda Mormon and Sonny Franklin as they waited for their half-smokes and milk shakes.
Both have lived in D.C. their whole lives. They say the current mortgage crisis is unlike anything they ever seen. Across town, some of the panic on Wall Street was shared by the students who run Georgetown University's credit union. Armando Cardosa is a junior from Miami Florida and the treasurer at the country's largest student-run bank. Cardosa says he and his fellow coworkers are concerned about what the financial crisis could mean for their job prospects. And as stock markets across the globe tumble, that disappointment seems to be spreading.
Patrick Madden reports...
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