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Friday, November 20, 2009
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April 01, 2009 - Federal Stimulus money for education is now available to states, but not without conditions.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
April 01, 2009 - (Apr 1) MAMI WATA The beautiful and seductive water goddess, Mami Wata, is the focus of a traveling exhibition that opens today at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art. The necessary yet dangerous deity is examined in "Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas," which explores five centuries of the visual expression of this water spirit. Selected high-resolution images for publicity only may be downloaded from africa.si.edu/exhibits/mamiwata/press.html. The password is water. Call Kimberly Mayfield at (202) 633-4649 for more information.
(Apr 2) JEWELRY WORKSHOP Pyramid Atlantic Community Arts Store presents a jewelry workshop tomorrow night from 6 to 9. You can learn designs and techniques using color, shape and texture, along with basic wire-wrapping to make bracelets and ear bobbles.
(Apr 2-8) THE PROPOSITION The movie, The Proposition, is introduced by a professor from the University of Maryland in an interactive presentation tomorrow night at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring. The Australian Frontier is the setting for this 2005 film that mixes the Western with a heart of darkness. The movie runs through April 8th.
April 01, 2009 - Officials with the Alexandria, Virginia police department are about to start an enforcement campaign targeting motor coaches.
The crackdown comes just in time for tourist season when the vehicles have been known to block traffic and cause delays, especially along King Street. Fines will be given to motor coaches idling longer than 15 minutes, those double parked and motor coaches stopping to unload passengers in the traveled portion of any street. Penalties start at $50 and go up to $200 dollars.
Pat Brogan reports...
April 01, 2009 - Advocates for juvenile justice reform are rallying against a proposal to let different District agencies share the confidential records of young offenders. One of the guiding principles of the juvenile justice system is privacy. It’s illegal to publicize a juvenile’s criminal record, in part, because it could ruin one’s prospects for a job or admission into school.
But that’s exactly what Tameka Whitaker, a 20-year-old ex-offender, fears will happen if the district lets city agencies share juvenile records.
"People will look at you negative," she says. "They look at you like a juvenile delinquent. Everybody makes mistakes, and everybody learns from their mistakes."
Whitaker was at Merritt Middle School last night in Northeast D.C., where students danced to go-go music and held informal brainstorming sessions to come up with alternatives to the proposal.
Supporters of the proposal say allowing different agencies to communicate with each other like the police and the school system will make it easier to protect at-risk youth.
Patrick Madden reports...
April 01, 2009 - As Congress convenes to reconcile federal budgets this week, "Americans for the Arts" is lobbying heavily for the National Endowment for the Arts, bringing businessmen, activists, teachers and celebrities to Capitol Hill to push for funding.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies meets this week. They'll decide whether to give the National Endowment for the Arts its $155 million request, along with another $50 million dollars set aside in the federal stimulus package.
Stephanie Kaye reports...
April 01, 2009 - Dominion Virginia Power is seeking a 6.9 percent rate increase. The state's largest utility filed its request with the State Corporation Commission. The increase, if approved would eventually add about $7.54 to the monthly bill of an average customer.
Meymo Lyons reports...
April 01, 2009 - Todd Zwillich reports on a proposal from one lawmaker who wants to get Congress in shape...
April 01, 2009 - The names and Social Security numbers of about 8,000 Maryland state employees and retirees reportedly were lost in the mail this month. The Baltimore Sun reports Maryland's Employee Benefits Division received a torn, empty envelope in the mail on March 3. It came from the company that manages the health savings account program for state workers. It was supposed to contain a monthly invoice that would include personal information of state employees such as names and social security numbers. But the invoice was nowhere to be found.
Rebecca Blatt has more...
April 01, 2009 - Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a major regional carrier for Delta has grounded 60 of its 110 50-passenger jets after an internal audit raised safety concerns. The airline serves airports in Virginia, West Virginia and other states. A company spokesperson says the groundings will invariably cause some flight delays for passengers flying ASA. The inspection process will take 36 to 42 hours to complete.
Meymo Lyons reports...
April 01, 2009 - Attorney General Eric Holder says he believes the D.C. Voting Rights Bill will survive a Supreme Court review. Sources told the Washington Post that, earlier this year, Justice Department lawyers concluded that the D.C. Voting Rights Bill is unconstitutional. Holder asked for a second opinion, and after talking with a different team of justice department lawyers, determined that the bill is in fact constitutional and will withstand scrutiny by the high court.
Jessica Gould reports...
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