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Saturday, July 18, 2009
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October 09, 2008 - Approximately two and a half thousand special education students have left D.C.s public school system because their needs were not being met but theres hope that a new special ed program will bring them back. Mayor Adrian Fenty and other leaders met yesterday outside the Garnett Patterson Middle School to announce some new measures; 16 elementary and middle schools will host pilot programs. Each of them will be staffed to provide comprehensive academic and behavioral support, to serve as mentors to students and parents, and to closely monitor teachers. It is hoped that the programs will satisfy the federal judge who is hearing the lawsuit against the District. He`s asked Chancellor Rhee to appear in person before the court to explain the new effort.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
October 09, 2008 - Regulators in Virginia have given the green light to a multi-state high-voltage power line proposed for the northern part of the state. The line would involve multi-story towers running from southwestern Pennsylvania across West Virginia and through Northern Virginia. State regulators approved the line over opposition from local groups such as the Piedmont Environmental Council who argued that while landowners in Virginia would have their land seized and scenic views would be spoiled, Virginians wouldn't see much benefit. Dominion Power insisted that power will go to Virginia, and the state regulatory commission agreed. The Virginia regulators' approval isn't the end of the process. Opponents of the line may appeal to the state supreme court, and final approval still hangs on the consent of officials in Pennsylvania.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
October 09, 2008 - Five years ago, Montgomery County, Maryland enacted the region's first smoking ban in restaurants. For years, Montgomery County Councilman Phil Andrews led to the fight for smoke-free bars and restaurants. But his effort was continually derailed by a simple argument -- that a ban would hurt the restaurant industry. The measure finally passed in 2003 - and five years later, and Andrews says he feels vindicated. Following Montgomery County's ban, several other counties in Maryland and the District passed similar measures. Twenty states are now smoke free. Virginia is not one of them.
Patrick Madden reports...
October 09, 2008 - The District of Columbia may start requiring families who receive adoption subsidies to provide proof that the children are being cared for. The proposal follows the deaths of two former foster children, whose bodies were discovered last month in a freezer in Maryland. Their mother, Renee Bowman, is suspected of killing them and is jailed in the abuse of a third child. Bowman had been receiving $2,400 a month in government adoption assistance.
Meymo Lyons reports...
October 09, 2008 - (Oct 11) MARYLAND BREWERS The 7th Annual Maryland Brewer's Oktoberfest brings more than 75 beers and local brewers to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium Saturday from noon to 8pm. The festival will include beer gardens, Baltimore's oom-pah-pah revelers The Edelweiss Band and match-ups for Best Beer Belly and the ever popular Wife-Carrying Contest.
(Oct 11) FESTIVAL OF BUILDING ARTS
The 15th Annual Festival of the Building Arts bangs away all day at the National Building Museum on Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Join the pros for some fun for kids and adults, with hands-on activities that celebrate the practical and artistic aspects of buildings. You can do a little bricklaying, nail-driving and drywall finishing, as you watch the boisterous ballerinas of Pas de Dirt perform with propane-powered backhoes at 11am, 12:30pm and 2pm.
(Oct 11-13) WINERY WALKS The Columbus Day Weekend winery walks take place Saturday through Monday at Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane, Virginia, starting at 11am and 4pm. You can explore the rolling hills and vineyards with nurturing naturalists from Northern Virginia's Audubon Society, meet vintners and view the fall palette of wildflowers and wildlife as you roam. Families and their furry friends are welcome - Fido and Fifi can join in the adventure on their leashes. Proceeds from the post-tour barbeque will benefit the Audubon Society.
(Oct 11) NAVY DAY Free family festivities mark the 21st birthday of the U.S. Navy Memorial during Navy Day off Pennsylvania Avenue from 10am to 4pm. Music, activities and interactive exhibits include the U.S. Navy Band and Ceremonial Guard, performances by the Singing Capital Chorus and tours of the naval ship and destroyer, the USS Barry.
Timonium, Maryland, hosts 75 brews and brewmeisters.
October 09, 2008 - The Maryland State Department of Education is encouraging schools to develop character education programs. The programs are meant to teach young people ethics and qualities like responsibility, good citizenship, kindness and respect.
Jessica Forres has more...
October 09, 2008 - A judge has ordered 17 men released from Guantanamo by Friday, and residents in the metro area are welcoming them with open arms. In 2002, local officials in Eastern Pakistan picked up a group of Chinese refugees and presented them to U.S. forces as terrorists in exchange for a bounty, The refugees quickly found themselves in Guantanamo. They are all members of a Chinese ethnic minority called Uighurs (WEE-gurs), and had fled persecution in China for their support of an independence movement there. After holding the men at Guantanamo for several years, the U.S. government acknowledged they posed no threat, says Susan Baker Manning, an attorney for the men. And yet, they remained at Guantanamo. They couldnt go back to China for fear of torture or death, the U.S. didnt want them and asked other countries to take them in. Manning says no other country would for fear of provoking China. The men would remain in Guantanamo for almost five more years. Following a Supreme Court decision allowing detainees to fully challenge their imprisonment, a court ruled this week that there was no basis for the men`s detention and ordered them released - here in D.C. into the hands of the Uighur community.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
October 09, 2008 - Todd Zwillich reports on lawmakers' Hollywood debuts...
October 09, 2008 - An appeals court has temporarily blocked the release of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay who were to be taken in by metro area residents. The 17 men are all Uighurs, a Muslim ethnic minority group in Western China. Members of the D.C. area's Uighur community had been making plans to shelter and care for the detainees, but on Wednesday the Bush Administration won a temporary stay preventing their release for another week.
On Tuesday, a court found that the administration had presented no compelling evidence for detaining the men. The government determined at least four years ago that none of them posed any threat, and that they were not enemy combatants. But they remained at Guantanamo because no other country would accept them. They were wanted in China for their support of an independence movement there, and attorneys for the men said other countries rejected them for fear of provoking China. The stay is temporary and the appeals court said it doesn't constitute a ruling on the merits of the case.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports..
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