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October 31, 2008 - As we approach the presidential election, D.C.'s culture and tourism leaders are launching a tribute to a president from the past, preparing for Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. Events will be rolled out in every ward in the city through next summer for the big day on February 12th.
Stephanie Kaye reports...
October 31, 2008 -
(Oct 31-Nov 22) PUNCH & JUDY, REDUX The Mead Theatre Lab presents an adults-only version of Punch & Judy at Flashpoint gallery in downtown D.C. tonight at 8pm, with late-night performances through November 22nd. Just in time for Halloween, the theater troupe dog & pony dc bring the grotesque spectacle of a charming cartoon psychopath to raw and ridiculous life in a live-action version of the original puppet show. This raucous and bloody good time is not one for the kiddies.
(Oct 31-Nov 1) OFRENDA Art Outlet gets plugged into the city with [Ofrenda: Dia de los Muertos], an art celebration, exhibit and offering at Almaz Restaurant off U Street tonight and tomorrow. Based on [Day of the Dead] traditions, local aritsts' shrines, altars and paintings will be on display, drawing the dearly departed back for a visit. Families and loved ones can feast on their favorite food and drink, listen to music and explore the second floor space, transformed for reverent and irreverent remembrance. The costumed can contribute their own personal offerings to the altars.
(Oct 31-Nov 1) HALLOWEEN FRIGHT FEST Barrel Oak Winery hosts a Halloween Fright Fest in Delaplane, Virginia, tonight and tomorrow starting tonight at 6pm. You can come festooned in your finest fishnet stockings and armed with your favorite lines from Young Frankenstein and Rocky Horror Picture Show during their cult classic double feature, enjoying bottomless buckets of popcorn and sample the wines on offer. The Saturday night event is all about recycling your Friday night costume while jamming out to the tunes of the Blue Book Value Blues Band. The cover charge will be waived for those in costume, including canine friends.
Ofrenda: Dia de los Muertos altar by Jennifer Beinhacker, on display at Almaz Ethiopian Restaurant October 31st and November 1st.
courtesy of: Jennifer Beinhacker
October 31, 2008 - Public Safety officials in Maryland have made a slight change to those "No Candy" signs they're asking sex offenders to display at their homes on Halloween night. Public Safety spokesman Mark Vernarelli says the new signs, no longer pumpkin shaped, were made only to give sex offenders and police departments a choice. Critics of the policy had said that the original pumpkin signs were just as likely to attract children who were too young to read.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
October 31, 2008 - With alcohol playing a part in nearly half of Halloween fatalities last year, safety advocates are working to ensure the party doesn't hit the road again this year. People 21 and older, who are too drunk to drive, can call 1-800-200-TAXI to get a free ride home. The SoberRide program runs from 10 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow and covers D.C. and parts of Northern Virginia and Maryland.
Kat Glass reports...
October 31, 2008 - Police around the Washington region will be on the lookout for folks who drink and drive over the Halloween weekend. James Crane, Metropolitan Police commander, says there are more drunk driving accidents on Halloween than New Year's Eve.
Kat Glass reports...
October 31, 2008 - Long lines and large crowds have been the rule at D.C.'s Office of Elections and Ethics as Election Day approaches.
Jessica Forres has more on how officials are trying to solve the problem...
October 31, 2008 - Perfectly timed for maximum Halloween impact, the new album by area bluegrass group Dead Men's Hollow arrived this month. And with song titles like "John Doe's Bones, "The Ballad of Dead Men's Hollow," and the title track, "Death Must Be A Woman," it doesn't let the season slip by unnoticed. The band will play a show at the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia on Sunday, November 2.
October 31, 2008 - Elizabeth Wynne Johnson shares scary stories from the halls of the Capitol.
October 31, 2008 - David Drucker, policital reporter for Roll Call, speaks with WAMU host Bill Redlin about what to expect in our area as Election Day approaches.
October 31, 2008 - The trial of a woman from DC who is accused of killing her children has been postponed indefinitely. Superior Court Judge Frederick Weisberg has put off the trial of Benita Jacks because Jacks refuses to be subjected to a mental evaluation at the District jail to determine if she is competent to stand trial. The judge now has ordered Jacks be taken to St. Elizabeths Hospital. She'll be evaluated there during the next 45 days. The trial was supposed to begin on December first but the new development has prompted Judge Weisberg to schedule another court hearng on December 19th. Jacks' attorneys want to mount an insanity defense. That's why the judge had ordered a mental evaluation be made at the DC jail. Jacks is accused of killing her four daughters and living with the bodies in her southeast Washington rowhouse. Authorities believe the children had been dead since the summer of 2007. Jacks been in jail since January. That's when the bodies were found. The case prompted Mayor Adrian Fenty to order a major shakeup within the city's Department of Child and Family Services Agency. Jim Asendio reports...
October 31, 2008 - The Virginia State Board of Elections is bracing for a record-high turnout on Tuesday. Already, the number of absentee ballots cast has eclipsed the final totals for 2004. Susan Pollard is a spokesperson for Virginia's Election Board, she says there were just over two hundred twenty-two thousand absentee votes cast in 2004.Saturday is the last day for Virginians to cast absentee ballots in the upcoming election.Absentee ballots sent by mail must be received by the close of polls on Tuesday.
Kat Glass reports…
October 31, 2008 -
On Monday a federal court found the senior Senator from Alaska guilty of seven felony counts for gifts he received but failed to report from oil interests. That makes him the 5th Senator to be convicted while in office. Prominent Republicans from John McCain to Mitch McConnell – who have their own political fortunes to worry about – didn’t waste any time distancing themselves. Not surprisingly, Stevens’ campaign for reelection has taken a hit. More surprisingly, he’s only behind by a single-digit margin. The Alaska Senate race may not have a clear winner for weeks, until all the absentee ballots are counted. That’s because most of the state’s absentee voters are military, who tend to vote Republican.
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson of Capitol News Connection reports...
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