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Friday, November 20, 2009
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March 26, 2009 - (Mar 26-Apr 19) FIREBELLY THEATER Firebelly Productions presents the Pulitzer (PULL-it-zer) Prize-winning play "Crimes of the Heart", opening tonight at Theatre on the Run in Arlington and running through April 19th. This warm-hearted, irreverent and imaginative story tells the tale of three young sisters from Mississippi, betrayed by their passions in the early 1970s.
(Mar 27-Apr 26) CROWNS Hold onto your hat...Arena Stage brings Crowns back to D.C., opening tomorrow at the Lincoln Theatre, and running through April 26th. This popular musical returns in an all-new production, as the "hat queens" of the South tell the tales of their lives, with audiences following the threads like the straw, silk and lace woven into the fabric of their flamboyant hats.
(Mar 27-Aug 2) DUCHAMP Inventing Marcel Duchamp opens tomorrow at the National Portrait Gallery, and runs through August 2nd. The dynamics of portraiture illustrate the important legacy and continuing influence of French-American artist Marcel Duchamp as he overturned traditional ideas about art and reinvented modern portraiture.
(Mar 28 & 29) TEATRO DE DANCE Teatro de Danza presents the work of four Salvadoran choreographers at the American Dance Institute in Rockville, Maryland, Saturday and Sunday. Seven repertory favorites and a world premier incorporate the indigenous, pulsating, high voltage dance of this group from El Salvador.
Photo: Enoch Chan
March 26, 2009 - D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty's proposed 2010 budget significantly cuts equipment and training funding for the D.C. National Guard. Budget documents say the District government, which funds about 40 percent of the guard's budget, wants to renegotiate guard funding with the federal government. Major Gen. Errol Schwartz told the D.C. Council earlier this week that the proposal leaves the guard with only $66,000 for non-personnel expenses. The budget also eliminates all funding for the guard's Youth Challenge Program and the Youth Leaders Camp, funded this year by $670,000 from the District and $2.2 million in federal matching funds.
Erin Stamper reports...
March 26, 2009 - A recent report gave Virginia an F when it comes to protecting teen victims of dating and domestic violence.
Eilis O'Neill reports...
March 26, 2009 - From time to time, Commentator Fred Fiske pauses to take stock of the technological advances and social movements he experienced over the past eight decades. Today, he considers what he says was one of the most significant advances.
March 26, 2009 - The clock runs late on the budget. Todd Zwillich has the latest from Capitol Hill.
March 26, 2009 - A final vote on a death penalty bill is expected today in Maryland's House of Delegates. The bill would limit the use of the death penalty in Maryland to murder cases with biological evidence or conclusive videotaped evidence. Maryland's Senate passed it earlier this month, and Senate President Thomas Mike Miller has said the Senate is too divided to consider much change to what was already a compromise measure. The House rejected several amendments yesterday that could have jeopardized the likelihood of a bill passing.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
March 26, 2009 - Officials in Virginia's Arlington County are offering grants to people who want to plant trees or develop tree education programs. The goal of the new program is to plant trees in the effort to keep temperatures down and to beautify and make the county a more inviting place to live. The grants from money collected when developers failed to meet tree-planting requirements are being awarded to people and businesses who submit a strong letter of intent and application. There's $37,000 in the fund, with grants being handed out in the fall.
Pat Brogan reports...
March 26, 2009 - The Maryland Senate is set to consider a bill today to require installing environmentally friendly sewage disposal systems when old systems fail and in new development in some areas. Senator Mike Lenett of Montgomery County is sponsoring the bill. He says it's necessary to protect the Chesapeake Bay.
The measure requires people living in certain areas to install disposal systems that have the best available nitrogen removal technology when their sewage systems fail. It also applies to new development in areas deemed critical to the health of the Bay.
There is state aid available to help homeowners with the cost. Those who violate the measure would face fines of up to $8,000.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
March 26, 2009 - Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot is supporting legislation to help victims of the Bernard Madoff investment fraud across the state. The measure is intended to soften the blow of the scam. It would allow victims to reflect their losses in amended income tax returns for the previous five years. The change to state law would follow revisions to federal law outlined this month by the Internal Revenue Service. Maryland is thought to have approximately 140 victims of the Madoff fraud -- a relatively small number compared to some other states where thousands were affected. Franchot says the cost to the state would be minimal while the benefit to the victims could be significant. Rebecca Blatt reports...
March 26, 2009 - The City of Alexandria wants to regulate the tour buses that bring tourists to Old Town but the effort is pitting neighborhood residents against the tourism industry. For many years, large motorcoaches have navigated the narrow streets of Old Town Alexandria without being subject to any rules. But now, city officials want to change that. Several ideas are being considered but one of them already has bus drivers and neighborhood residents at odds. The city wants to eliminate 26 parking spaces along Jamison Avenue next to a cemetery and convert them to bus-only areas. Neighbors in nearby Old Town Village are against the plan. But Andres Cruise, a driver for D.C. Trails, says residents aren't seeing the big picture. Alexandria's traffic and parking board will consider the proposal next month. Michael Pope reports...
March 26, 2009 - The group "Souls4Soles" is criss-crossing the country, looking for a few gently-used shoes. Stephanie Kaye reports...
March 26, 2009 - The National Park Service is making last minute preparations for the start of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. David Schultz reports…
March 26, 2009 - D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton says District residents who haven't made the analog to digital television transition can still receive help. Eligible households with expired coupons can contact the U.S. Department of Commerce for replacements.
The date for the digital conversion was reset from February to June. Funds are available to provide enough coupons for everyone who was on the waiting list and for most households that are eligible.
The application is available at www.DTV2009.gov or by calling 888-DTV-2009.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
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