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Monday, November 16, 2009
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July 08, 2009 - The National Arboretum in Northeast D.C. develops "cultivars," plants that have been selected and developed intentionally. Scientists there say that, in their current research, they need to keep an eye on possible future trends. At the National Arboretum, it can take up to 20 years before a seedling developed in their lab gets to market. So researchers are always anticipating future needs.
Scott Aker, is a horticulturalist there. He says they've been developing plants that can withstand more extreme weather as global warming is expected to become more of an issue. Also, says Aker, people will most likely have smaller houses and yards in the future.
Aker says researchers work hard to develop plants that are disease and pest resistant so gardeners don't have to use chemicals. The National Arboretum has developed approximately 650 cultivars.
Kavitha Cardoza reports...
July 08, 2009 - A Virginia State Representative says the I-395 HOT Lanes proposal is becoming a threat to some of the areas historic neighborhoods. Rep. David Englin says the most recent change to the state's I-395 HOT Lanes project centers on an overhaul of the rotary in Shirlington. He says that, while it's clearly aimed at alleviating traffic problems, the rotary redesign is likely to just push traffic into Shirlington communities least equipped to handle it.
But the I-395 Hot Lanes project manager Yung Ho Chang says Virginia Department of Transportation studies show revamping the Shirlington Rotary will actually keep things from getting worse over the next few decades.
The I-395 HOT Lanes project is separate from the $2 billion beltway HOT Lanes project, which is already underway. Chang says the I-395 project is still just a proposal and does not yet have a price tag.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
July 08, 2009 - City records show that former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry hired his former girlfriend as a city contractor when they were dating. The council member was arrested over the weekend and charged with stalking the woman. The Washington Post reports 40-year-old Donna Watts-Brighthaupt was hired in October to work for Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry. She was paid at least $10,000 from Barry's taxpayer-funded budget.
The former mayor was arrested Saturday by U.S. Park Police for allegedly stalking Watts-Brighthaupt. The 73-year-old veteran politician will appear in court tomorrow to learn whether the U.S. attorney will file formal charges. Watts-Brighthaupt was a political consultant on Barry's 2008 re-election campaign and began dating him last August. Barry has denied Watts-Brighthaupt's stalking allegations.
Patrick Madden reports...
July 08, 2009 - The House of Representatives took a big step toward removing a host of restrictions on the District. The House Appropriations Committee voted last night to allow D.C. to use locally raised money for abortions and to hold a referendum on medicinal marijuana if it wants. Those are things that any state can do, but Congress banned the District from doing so a decade ago.
The vote to give that power back to D.C. didn't come without a fight. Republicans from several states sponsored amendments to keep restrictions intact. The committee, controlled by Democrats, also voted to limit the the Congress-sponsored school vouchers program to students already enrolled. Language dismantling DC's gun laws was not introduced as feared.
The bill is now subject to debate on the floor of the House, where restrictions could be reattached. However, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said the strength of the Committee votes shows D.C. is well positioned to repel such riders on the floor.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
July 08, 2009 - The push for a bill to curb greenhouse gasses picks up a head of steam in the Senate. Meanwhile, freshman Democrat Michael Bennet gears up for a hearing on the effect of the economic crisis on rural banks. And the House Oversight Committee holds its third hearing on "tracking the money" from the federal stimulus measure.
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...
July 08, 2009 -
(July 9-18) THE FIFTH MUSKETEER A new play puts women and weaponry at the fore - The Fifth Musketeer features the story of Cecile, daughter of D'Artagnan, at The Trading Post theater in Northwest Washington. The show opens tomorrow and runs through the 18th. Local playwright Paco José Madden fast-forwards the original tale fifty years, as the retired swordsman D'Artangnan is defended by his fiery and headstrong daughter.
(July 9-25) OPERA ALTERNA Opera Alterna brought the first opera to the Capital Fringe Festival in 2008, and returns this year with Magnum Opus, opening tomorrow at the Warehouse Theater in downtown D.C. through July 25th. Regional composer and librettist Michael Oberhauser created this one-act opera, full of Faustian bargains and Greek muses. It is performed in English and features some of the best young vocal talent in Washington.
(July 9) GAYLOR & KATSU The Athenaeum's "Second Thursday" lures singer Carol Gaylor and guitarist Bruce Katsu to Old Town Alexandria tomorrow night at 7. Gaylor applies her award winning voice to original tunes with Katsu's smooth tones on the six-string.
Guitarist Bruce Katsu joins Carol Gaylor at the Athenaeum on July 9th.
Courtesy of: Bruce Katsu
July 08, 2009 - The House Appropriations Committee voted to allow D.C. to hold a referendum on medical marijuana, but the District has voted on the issue once before. In 1998, the District of Columbia held a referendum on marijuana for medicinal use. The Republican-controlled Congress blocked the votes from even being counted until a judge ordered the ballot boxes opened. D.C. learned it had voted overwhelmingly to allow use of medical marijuana, but Congress then barred it from doing so. Congress also forbade the District from using any locally raised revenue for abortions, something states are permitted to do.
Congressman Jose Serrano chairs the House Financial Services Subcommittee. He introduced language into the appropriations bill passed last night that would remove the abortion and medicinal marijuana restrictions in the District. It faced stiff opposition from Republicans but passed handily in a committee vote. On the floor, the bill may face renewed efforts to preserve Congressional restrictions, but observers say the numbers are on D.C.'s side.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
July 08, 2009 - Metro officials say a train operator has been disciplined after video showing him apparently texting on the job was posted online. A passenger on Metro's blue line in Alexandria recorded the incident with his cell phone camera on June 5th and then put it on the Internet. Metro operators are prohibited from texting or using cell phones. Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman for Metro, says the operator was suspended for a week without pay. She says he has already served the suspension.
Officials say there's no evidence to suggest that texting was involved in last month's red line crash. But Investigators did find that an engineer was texting before a commuter train crashed near Los Angeles last September. That crash killed 25 people.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
July 08, 2009 - D.C. and Maryland's Montgomery County already have them, and now a proposal to allow speed cameras in Baltimore has passed a first round of city council voting there. Maryland's General Assembly passed a law this year allowing speed cameras within a half-mile of school zones and road construction sites. If the full city council supports the measure, the cameras could be in place in Baltimore by October. Under the plan, a $40 ticket would be mailed to the owners of cars caught going at least 12 mph above the speed limit. The tickets would go to the primary address associated with an offending car's license plate. The Baltimore Sun reports that the city expects the cameras to bring in more than $7 million during fiscal 2010.
Matt McCleskey has more...
July 08, 2009 - The local Council of Governments says the National Capital Region may need to appeal directly to the White House to get the funding it needs for Metro.
Montgomery County Council member Michael Knapp told his fellow directors at the Council of Governments that the renewed focus on Metro after the Red Line crash is somewhat ironic. He says local leaders have been asking for federal help with Metro's $300 million annual shortfall for years. After a presentation by Knapp, the Council of Governments - or COG - renewed its support for a dedicated funding source for Metro. Board members say they're pinning a lot of hope on a meeting later this month between COG staffers and senior White House officials.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
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