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"Art Beat" with Stephanie Kaye - Thursday, February 5, 2009
Stephanie Kaye

February 05, 2009 - (Feb 6-Mar 15) A DELICATE BALANCE Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance arrives at Arena "Re-Staged" in Crystal City, Virginia, tomorrow night through March 15th. It's the tale of a retired married couple already living with an alcoholic aunt whose delicately-balanced life is disrupted when their daughter and two friends move in.

(Feb 7) PLAY IN A DAY The Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District presents Play in a Day at Imagination Stage, Saturday night at 8. Six local theaters will scramble to write, rehearse and stage a complete show within 24 hours.

(Feb 7) THE ANALOG ARTS ENSEMBLE The Analog Arts Ensemble performs at Honfleur Gallery in historic Anacostia Saturday night at 7. Contemporary selections from Beethoven to Roussel will be featured.

(Throughout Feb) V-DAY AT AFI SILVER The AFI Silver Theater brings cinema for sweethearts to the big screen in Silver Spring throughout the month of February...from the 1930s screwball comedy It Happened One Night (the first film to sweep the Oscars) to the quirky postmodern love story Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Commentary: No Fan Of Rush Limbaugh

February 05, 2009 - Conservative Talk Radio's Rush Limbaugh has millions of fans but you can be sure that fellow broadcaster and commentator Fred Fiske is not among those who call themselves "Dittoheads."

The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WAMU 88.5 or American University.

What do you think?

Go to: www.conversation.wamu.org and click on "Commentary Forum."

Budget Cuts Could Mean More Gridlock In Northern Virginia

February 05, 2009 - It's midday on westbound I-66 in Arlington, and traffic is already getting heavy. In a few hours, it will slow to a standstill.

There were plans to add another lane to this oft-congested highway. But according to Virginia Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer, those plans are being shelved. The Virginia Department of Transportation is facing $700 million in budget cuts as the state's economy continues to worsen. This is the second time in three months that Virginia's transportation budget has been slashed. Dozens of projects across the state are in jeopardy, as VDOT looks to close a more than $2 billion budget gap. VDOT is also considering a reduction in the funds it gives to localities.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board will meet later this month to make a final decision on the cuts.

David Schultz reports...

Suburban Maryland's Politics Freeze Infrastructure Repairs

February 05, 2009 - Water mains in Maryland's Prince George's and Montgomery counties burst in record numbers last month -- 611 in all. Both counties share responsibility for bringing that number down, but local leaders often find themselves frozen in disagreement.

David Klatt reports...

Power Breakfast - February 5, 2009

February 05, 2009 - Two senators try to bridge a partisan divide over the economic stimulus package. House Democrats travel to a retreat in Williamsburg, Va., though not all of them are excited about the trip.

Todd Zwillich reports...

Police Investigating Body Found On Ramp To I-270

February 05, 2009 - Montgomery County police are investigating the death of a man, whose body was found near a ramp to southbound I-270 in Germantown early this morning.

A motorist alerted police around 4:00 this morning. The body was spotted on the side of the ramp from eastbound Father Hurley Boulevard that leads to I-270 south.

That ramp was closed for several hours and disrupted the morning commute. The ramp was reopened around six hours later.

The Montgomery County Police say the man appears to have suffered trauma and they are investigating the case as a homicide. The man's identity has not been released.

Rebecca Blatt reports...

Lessons to Learn for Arts Non-Profits

February 05, 2009 - The national recession is having an impact on local non-profits, including the AFI Theatre in Silver Spring. The movie house is preparing for tough financial times ahead, laying off Director Murray Horwitz. He leaves behind some advice for other arts non-profits. Horwitz says although the AFI Silver is strong in box office sales, corporations that rent the center for events have cut back severly. He was in charge during the resurrection of the historic theater in 2003, and is also a member of WAMU's Community Council.

Stephanie Kaye reports...

Miller Says - Magna ''Needs New Set of Lawyers ''

February 05, 2009 - The president of the Maryland Senate says the state's slot machine bidding process is in disarray, and he wants the commission overseeing the process to consider starting over. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller also lashed out at Magna Entertainment Corp., which put in one of six bids for a slot machine license, but failed to put up the $28.5 million licensing fee. Miller says Magna ''needs a new set of lawyers.''

Meymo Lyons has more...

Study Shows Economic Boost from Inauguration Could Be a Myth

February 05, 2009 - With the record crowds that flooded into the District for the festivities, it stands to reason that this year's Inauguration was a lifesaver for the local economy. There was certainly money to be made off all the excitement surrounding the Inauguration, and if you take a trip to the Focus Sports Obama superstore in downtown D.C., Ayesha Williams will tell you that there's still money to be made. But Rob Baumann, an economist at the College of Holy Cross in Massachusetts says, based on data surrounding Inaugurations over the past 50 years, the District as a whole isn't likely to see any significant economic boost from the huge crowds.

Jonathan Wilson reports...

Expo Pushes Green Jobs Despite Recession
Sabri Ben-Achour

February 05, 2009 - The Second annual Green Jobs Expo is being held today in Woodley Park, but as many interested job seekers found, the green job market isn't recession proof. Recruiters say most of the available jobs are highly skilled engineering ones. Other "green" jobs are repurposed old jobs, a plant worker who makes Priuses, a building inspector who tests energy efficiency. For these jobs, prospects may improve after the recession.

Sabri Ben-Achour reports...