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Friday, November 20, 2009
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December 17, 2008 - A top state senator in Virginia believes President-elect Barack Obama may be the force that finally gets new transportation funding passed in the General Assembly. A new economic stimulus package is expected to be one of the first things passed by Congress once Mr. Obama moves into the White House. Money for road projects will likely be included in such a plan. Richard Saslaw, the Senate majority leader from Fairfax County, thinks some of that money will come to the state. But he adds the only way in his mind to guarantee that is for state lawmakers to approve new state funds for transportation.
Matt Bush reports....
December 17, 2008 -
(Dec 17) HAPPENINGS AT THE HARMAN There are some free Happenings at the Harman, the newer of the Shakespeare Theater Company's two downtown D.C. stages, including an appearance of the [Friday Morning Music Club], today (not Friday!) at noon. A classical music-lovers gathering, Presenting Harlie Sponaugle, gets the audience involved as it promotes musical culture by experimenting with and revisiting classical standards.
(Through Jan 17) RED DIRT Accumulation, an exhibit of works in clay by Margaret Boozer, is on display at D.C.'s PROJECT 4 gallery through January 17th. Working magic with mud, Boozer's art stretches along the walls and takes over the entire floor, capturing the characteristics of clay as it dries, warps and cracks. An artist talk on Saturday, January 10th provides insights into her work.
(Dec 17-Jan 11) LAUGHTER THROUGH TEARS The world premier of Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears starring Theodore Bikel opens tonight at Theater J at the D.C. Jewish Community Center. With Yiddish music, stories and songs, it's a moving and beautiful show about one of the 19th century's pioneering authors.
Accumulation by Margaret Boozer, is on display through January 17th.
courtesy of: Margaret Boozer
Red Dirt Studios brings locals together at artist Margaret Boozer's workshops. Boozer will lecture on Saturday, January 10th, at PROJECT 4 Gallery in D.C.
courtesy of: Margaret Boozer
Theodore Bikel will also appear for New Year's Eve in the quartet "Serendipity 4" with Tamara Brooks, Merima Ključo and Shura Lipovsky at the DCJCC.
courtesy of: Serendipity 4
"Sholom Aleichem" with Theodore Bikel, appears for the first time at the DCJCC through January 11th.
courtesy of: Theater J
December 17, 2008 - In Virginia, problems at the polls have prompted Attorney General Bob McDonnell to propose eight new voting reforms. The proposal includes a request for smaller precincts, faster mail service for military absentee ballots and for local electoral boards to add one more official to relieve tired poll workers.
David Klatt reports...
December 17, 2008 - A national history lesson about Abraham Lincoln is being planned in Richmond, the former Capitol of the Confederacy. The people behind it are also promoting and recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement.
Tommie McNeil has more from the Richmond....
December 17, 2008 - Truancy is one of the early warning signs that students are more likely to drop out of school, get into trouble with the law and have issues with substance abuse.
In the third and final part of our series on truancy in D.C.'s public schools, Kavitha Cardoza explores how Washington and other school districts around the country are trying to reduce the number of students who routinely skip school....
December 17, 2008 - The D.C. Council has approved legislation requiring gun owners to register their weapons every three years and receive training by a certified firearms instructor. Tuesday's vote builds on legislation passed by the council in recent months following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that overturned the city's 32-year handgun ban.
Meymo Lyons reports...
December 17, 2008 - The D.C. Kids Count Collaborative report suggests some disturbing trends affecting young people from birth to 24 years in the District.
Kavitha Cardoza reports...
December 17, 2008 - In Maryland's Prince William County, volunteers with the Salvation Army's toy drive worry that, without last-minute donations, there won't be enough presents to go around this year.
David Klatt reports...
December 17, 2008 - Washington-area realtors say they're cautiously optimistic that the area's real estate markets will begin recovering over the next year. They cite a solid regional economy, low interest rates and government programs to help first-time buyers.
Compared to this time last year, home sales are up across the region, and prices are way down - 20 percent lower in some areas. If sales continue to rise, then prices will stop falling, and the market can stabilize and begin growing again, realtors say.
But there is reason to temper that optimism. Foreclosures in the metro area have begun to plateau, but they haven't quite started falling yet. And the hardest hit areas - Prince William and Prince George's counties in particular - have much further to go than Montgomery County or the District. Nobody knows for sure whether a second wave of foreclosures expected to hit other areas of the country will affect this region.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
December 17, 2008 - Colorado Democratic Senator Ken Salazar is rumored to be President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Secretary of the Interior, yielding speculation about who will replace him. And anti-war protesters joins in solidarity with an Iraqi journalist by organizing shoe throw at the White House fence.
Todd Zwillich reports...
December 17, 2008 - Restaurants, bars and nightclubs in the District will still be able to serve alcohol later than usual for several days around the presidential inauguration next month, but not quite as late as they first thought. They'll be able to serve food around the clock from January 17th to the 21st, but the D.C. Council is rolling back last call for alcohol from 5 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Council members modified their original legislation after receiving objections from some community leaders and from two U.S. Senators involved in planning the inauguration, Dianne Feinstein of California and Robert Bennett of Utah. They said extending the hours for serving alcohol could cause problems and overstretch police resources. The council also approved charging fees for establishments looking to stay open late during the inauguration. Nightclubs will have to pay $250 for each night they extend service, bars and restaurants, $100.
Matt McCleskey has more
December 17, 2008 - A man from Loudoun County, Virginia who left his newly adopted toddler locked in his SUV for nine hours on a 90-degree day has been acquitted of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors charged 49-year-old Miles Harrison, of Purcellville, after his 21-month-old son, Chase Harrison, died of heat stroke because the father forgot to drop the boy off at day care and instead left him in the parking lot at his office in Herndon.
Meymo Lyons reports...
December 17, 2008 - The current state of early childhood education in D.C. reveals a huge discrepancy between income groups.
David Klatt reports...
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