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Thursday, March 18, 2010
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July 01, 2009 - (June 17th - July 12th 2009) The Year of Magical Thinking "The Year of Magical Thinking" captivates the Studio Theater through July 12th. When Joan Didion's husband dies and her daughter is hospitalized, her world begins to collapse. This play is the autobiographical account of her struggle to remain sane. Tonight's show starts at 7:30.
(July 1st) The Last Week of Artomatic This is the last week of "Artomatic", the giant exhibit that pops up once a year, sometimes only once every five years. It's a conglomeration of local artistic talent that takes over a vacant building or abandoned warehouse and fills it with art. 1,000 local sculptors, painters, singers, weavers, poets and musicians have each created unique installations in a multi-story building in Southeast D.C. On Friday and Saturday, it's open till 1 in the morning, otherwise it's open til 10 at night. "Artomatic" closes on Sunday. Who knows when it will return?
(July 1st) Poor Ellen Smith "Poor Ellen Smith" plays at the New Deal Café in Greenbelt, Maryland, Wednesday night at 7. The two-man band plays a mix of traditional and more modern bluegrass music.
July 01, 2009 - The mastermind behind the largest embezzlement scheme in D.C.'s history has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, but the District is still trying to recover some of it's losses from Bank of America.
From 1989 to 2007, Harriette Walters wrote herself $48 million in fraudulent tax refunds as a manager in D.C.'s tax office. Much of that money went to jewelry, clothing and gambling trips. In the charges filed against her, the District cited all the things that money could have gone to: programs to reduce homelessness, modernize 22 elementary schools or treat drug addicts.
Peter Nickles is Attorney General for the District. He says the District will be lucky if it gets back $8 million. Nickles has filed suit against Bank of America for $100 million, because one of its managers was a key co-conspirator. Bank of America wants to resolve the dispute through arbitration rather than remain in D.C. courts, where Nickles says it could be exposed to more liability.
A ruling on that question is expected in the coming days.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports....
July 01, 2009 - Elizabeth Wynn Johnson has "deep thoughts" on Al Franken's freshman year in the Senate and a preview of President Obama's upcoming forum on health care in Virginia.
July 01, 2009 - Blair Ewing, a member of Maryland's School board and a former member of the Montgomery County Council, has died. Ewing also served 22 years on the Montgomery County Board of Education, where he advocated desegregating schools and improving conditions for students from less privileged families. He served on the County Council from 1998-2002 and was appointed to the Maryland State Board of Education in 2007. In a statement, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett praised Ewing's honesty and integrity and what he called Ewing's "doggedness in pursuing the common good." Leggett ordered county flags to be flown at half-mast to honor Ewing, who was 75. He died Monday, reportedly of cancer.
Matt McCleskey reports...
July 01, 2009 - The driver of a Metro train that was hit from behind in a crash that killed nine people says the driver of the other train saved lives with her actions. Brian Brooks was stopped on June 22 when a train operated by Jeanice McMillan smashed into his. McMillan and eight passengers died. Federal investigators have said there's evidence McMillan applied an emergency brake before the crash. They're looking at an automatic system designed to prevent crashes.
At McMillan's funeral in her hometown of Buffalo, New York, Brooks limped to the lectern and in a steady voice told hundreds of mourners: "She saved lives." Others also called the 42-year-old McMillan a hero during the two-hour funeral. Her 19-year-old son Jordan was among those gathered.
Meymo Lyons reports...
July 01, 2009 - Metro is making another attempt to offer riders real-time information on buses via cell phone and computer.
The service is called "NextBus," and it tracks all of Metro's 12,000 bus stops over 355 routes. The service lets riders know when buses will arrive via phone, online or through electronic signs at the stops themselves.
Metro had tested the real-time program two years ago, but it was suspended because the system was only 80 percent accurate. This time around, officials are aiming for a 90 percent accuracy rate. Stephanie Kaye reports...
July 01, 2009 - Ex-offenders in the District are lobbying for protection under the city's Human Rights Act. At least 100 ex-offenders and their family members rallied outside City Hall earlier today. They were pushing for a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against someone because of their criminal record.
Inside City Hall, the former head of D.C.'s Office of Ex-Offender Affairs, Rodney Mitchell, told the D.C. Council that those returning from prison face numerous barriers. Barbara Lang, head of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, is critical of the measure. She says the business community is not opposed to hiring ex-offenders. Instead, she says, the city should focus on job training, education and other social services for ex-offenders.
Patrick Madden reports...
July 01, 2009 - Virginia health officials have confirmed the second death in the state related to the swine flu. Virginia's State Health Commissioner says that, while the cause of death as not been confirmed, the H1N1 virus appears to have been a factor.
Stephanie Kaye has more...
July 01, 2009 - Federal investigators say the Automatic Train Control System of D.C.'s public transit rail system failed before last week's crash.
The Metro signaling system is supposed to detect passing trains and transmit speed and stop commands. But National Transportation Safety Board investigators say problems began when a piece of equipment was replaced near the crash site five days before the June 22 collision.
Metro's Lisa Farbstein says the problem was so intermittent -- she called it a flickering -- that it was practically undetectable. She says Metro is now conducting the 30-day system overview that detected the problem on a much more regular basis.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
July 01, 2009 - Maryland health officials are warning residents to take precautions to deal with summer heat following two heat-related deaths. Health officials say a 23-month-old Howard County child died after being left for hours in a car seat, and a 74-year-old Prince George's man with heart problems was found inside a home where the temperature had risen to more than 99 degrees.
Health officials say the young, the old and those with chronic health problems are more likely to be affected by the heat, and they remind residents not to leave children and pets in cars, even if the windows are left slightly open. Elderly and chronically ill people should also be visited frequently.
Meymo Lyons reports...
July 01, 2009 - New laws take effect today in Virginia, from drivers who are young to drivers who "text." The state is sending its own message: put the phone down or pay up. It's banning texting and emailing while driving with a $20 penalty for the first offense. But police cannot pull drivers over just for texting. The driver must be making another violation before being cited.
A ban on smoking will not take effect until December 1st. But starting today, stores that sell novelty cigarette lighters to juveniles could face a $100 fine.
And those minors will have to attend school to stay on the road. Students can have their driver's licenses suspended for missing 10 consecutive days of school.
Stephanie Kaye reports...
July 01, 2009 - Virginia is liberalizing some of its gun laws starting today. Local police and municipalities are being required to attempt to sell the guns they collect in buyback programs. The new law exempts machine guns and sawed-off shotguns from resale.
Opponents argued this new law defeats the purpose of the buyback programs to give gun owners money for unwanted weapons and to get guns off the streets. The sales must be made to licensed gun sellers.
It's also easier for gun owners to get a "concealed carry" permit. Lawmakers overrode a veto by Gov. Tim Kaine, making it possible for people to complete the required firearms training online or by video instead of in person. Kaine objected to the legislation, saying there was no way to prove the person applying for the permit is the one who completes the course.
Stephanie Kaye reports...
July 01, 2009 - Ridership on Metro's Red Line is expected to jump considerably when expansions are completed at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. Metro's Medical Center station is expected to see a massive surge in traffic due to the 3,000 workers who will be moved to the hospital in 2011. The agency is working on ways to make sure that doesn't affect already congested vehicle traffic on Rockville Pike, which runs in front of the hospital.
Matt Bush reports...
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