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Friday, November 20, 2009
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June 16, 2009 - The District of Columbia approved the start up of public charter schools years ago because of the historically poor performance of regular public schools. Charter schools are publicly funded but privately run, and they typically offer smaller class sizes and innovative programs. About one third of school age children in the District attend public charter schools. Advocates of these schools say there are still not enough charter schools to meet demand. One of the problems is that people who want to start charter schools can't find appropriate buildings.
Kavitha Cardoza reports...
June 16, 2009 - (June 16) Madeleine Peyroux Madeleine Peyroux will perform at the Lisner Auditorium June 20th at 8pm in D.C.'s Foggy Bottom. The singer has been hailed for her extraordinary range - she masters ballads from the 30's and nails the blues with sometimes-heartbreaking and other-times lighthearted renditions.
(June 17-28) Three Bonde Moms You can laugh with Three Blonde Moms at the Bethesda Theatre beginning tomorrow. This high energy comedic performance from three very different moms is about being a mom, having a mom, and pretending to be a better mom if you live nextdoor to a social worker. This girls night out runs through the rest of the month.
(June 17) George Washington Carver Nature Trail You can take a guided walk through the George Washington Carver Nature trail tomorrow morning at 10 at the Anacostia Community Museum in Southeast DC. The museum tour will use principles of Kwanzaa to explore insect communities, medicinal plants and the benefits of recycling.
(June 16) Vandaveer Local folk band Vandaveer will be performing at DC9 tonight at 9 in D.C.'s Shaw Neighborhood. This band has been described as folk-pop with a stripped down sound that harkens back to good-old fashioned rock music.
June 16, 2009 - Lawmakers in D.C. could decide later today whether to let judges issue civil injunctions against alleged gang members. There are competing crime bills before the D.C. Council. One would give the District the power to create so-called "safety zones", areas that judges could order off-limits to identified gang members. The other one doesn't.
Councilman Phil Mendelson says he stripped his crime bill of civil injunctions because the controversial approach needs, in his words, refinement.
Mendlesons tempered approach to civil injunctions isnt sitting well with D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles. For months, hes pressed Mendleson, head of the councils public safety committee, to act on the Mayors crime bill. Mendelson says he wants to make sure the criminal code is written correctly and avoids punishing innocent people. The council will take up the two bills later today.
Patrick Madden reports...
June 16, 2009 - House leaders receive a letter asking that health care reform goeasy on small businesses. The House Armed Services Committee mark up the defense authorization bill. And a new report will detail climate change predications for different parts of the U.S.
Elizabeth Wynn Johnson reports...
June 16, 2009 - After staffers at D.C.'s Department of Veterans Affairs hospital detained WAMU reporter David Schultz and confiscated an interview with a veteran who spoke to him, V.A. Secretary Eric Shinseki ordered a review of the agency's procedures.
As Schultz reports, the V.A. isn't saying much about the review...
June 16, 2009 - The president of Maryland's state Senate is raising the prospect of a state overhaul of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. Senate President Thomas Mike Miller says Prince George's County must do more to address what he called "total incompetence" at the WSSC. The Commission provides water and sewer services to $1.8 million people in Prince George's and Montgomery counties.
Miller put his concerns in a letter to Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson, which was obtained by the Washington Post. In the letter, Miller cites two recent spills of raw sewage. He says commissioners representing the Prince George's have, as he put it, "sat idly by."
Miller told the Post that he was frustrated over a delay in appointing a permanent general manager of the Commission. A spokesman for Johnson refused to comment on Miller's letter.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
June 16, 2009 - The Kaine administration put an optimistic spin on a 9 percent plunge in revenue while addressing legislative budget writers .The House Appropriations Committee appeared sympathetic and cordial to Finance Secretary Ric Brown as he detailed a $300 million hole in the 2009 state budget. Brown noted slight improvement in the wounded real estate market and told committee members things look less grim than a few months ago. Meymo Lyons has more...
June 16, 2009 - The D-C Council today rejected an effort to let the city try and disrupt gang activity with civil injunctions. The idea to let judges bar identified gang members from hanging out at specific places was first proposed by Mayor Adrian Fenty and supported by the police and city prosecutors. But the effort fell flat today at the council as many members raised concerns over the potential for abuse and racial profiling as well as the effectiveness of such a tactic. Patrick Madden reports...
June 16, 2009 - First Lady Michelle Obama renewed the administration's call for increased community service across the country at a luncheon in Downtown D.C. The First Lady had the keynote slot at the annual awards luncheon for Greater D.C. Cares. It's an organization that works with 500 local nonprofits -- making it the largest coordinator of community service in the region. Michelle Obama,told the crowd how much she appreciated and understood their work -- she herself once worked as the founding executive director of the Chicago branch of AmeriCorps. Jonathan Wilson reports...
June 16, 2009 - Grocery shopping could soon become a little more expensive. The D.C. Council has given final approval to a five cent tax on plastic and paper bags. The fee would be assessed on all non-reusable bags given out at grocery, convenience, drug and liquor stores. Shoppers can, of course, avoid the tax by bringing their own bag. The fee is designed to help clean up the Anacostia River. 4 out of every 5 cents collected will go that effort. Safeway has also announced that its donating 10,000 reusable bags to low-income D.C. families. If the Mayor and Congress sign off on the legislation, the bag tax could be in place by the start of next year.
Patrick Madden reports
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