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Saturday, July 31, 2010
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September 17, 2009 - A new farmers market launched by Michelle Obama is closing a thoroughfare in downtown D.C. once a week, until the end of next month.
Just a hop, skip and jump from the White House, the market will close Vermont Avenue between H and I Streets, every Thursday from 1 to 8 PM.
There has been concern about the closure tying up rush hour traffic. And in fact, the L2 bus will have to shift its route and loop around the block.
"I Don't think anyone will have to go very far out of their way to get where they need to go," says John Lisle, spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Transportation. Leslie says only 4,600 cars a day use that stretch of Vermont Avenue.
"If you compare that to either H Street or I Street on either end, both of those streets carry about 20,000 cars a day," says Leslie. Lisle encourages motorists to use 14th, 15th and 16th Streets as alternate routes on Thursdays.
The market will be held weekly, through October 29th. It will offer a range of items, including fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, bread and cut flowers.
Rebecca Sheir reports...
A sign in downtown D.C. points visitors to the new White House farmers market.
Courtesy of: Rebecca Sheir
September 17, 2009 - With the latest polling showing the governor's race growing tighter in Virginia, attacks between the candidates are intensifying.
In his pitch to members of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds repeatedly brought up the graduate thesis Republican candidate Bob McDonnell wrote in 1989.
The candidates did go on to address other topics, agreeing on leaving immigration policy to the federal government and gay adoption to Virginia courts.
The two candidates disagree on transportation funding and tax hikes, but the personal attacks overshadowed other disagreements. The candidates meet again October 12 in Richmond.
Michael Pope reports...
September 17, 2009 - Metro says a teenage boy is dead after being struck by a train approaching the Columbia Heights station this afternoon.
Preliminary information suggests the boy purposely placed himself in the path of the train, according to a Metro spokeswoman. She says the boy was struck by a six-car yellow-line train headed downtown around 2 p.m.
The Columbia Heights station was closed for about an hour during the rescue, but has since reopened. Metro service on the green and yellow lines returned to normal around 4:15.
The spokesman says Metro is still investigating the incident.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
September 17, 2009 - (September 17 & 18) THE TRIAL The Actor's Gang travels from L.A. to College Park, to perform The Trial of the Catonsville Nine at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center tonight and tomorrow at 8.
(Sept 17-Nov 15) GO, DOG, GO! Adventure Theatre in Maryland's Glen Echo Park pulls out the milk and cookies for a pajama party performance of Go, Dog, Go! tomorrow night at 7. The show runs through November 8th. This racy story tells the tale of an adventurous yellow dog and a pretty pink poodle, providing plenty of bedtime story fun. There's also a Go, Dog, Go! book club meeting on Saturday, September 26th.
(September 17-October 31) LYRICAL ABSTRACTION Conner Contemporary Art off Florida Avenue Northwest hosts Conversations in Lyrical Abstraction: 1958-2009, opening tomorrow and running through Halloween. The works of Morris Louis, Alma Thomas, Howard Mehring and others drip off the walls in runny layers of color.
The show, from Morris Louis' "Color School" works to the bright lights of Leo Villareal are on display at Conner Contemporary through October 31st.
Courtesy of: Morris Louis "Plenitude," 1958
September 17, 2009 - As part of our continuing series "Conversations," reporter Michael Cottman speaks with Angie Fox, President of the Crystal City Business Improvement District, about Virginia's public/private partnership through which property and business owners collectively contribute to the maintenance, development and promotion of Crystal City…
September 17, 2009 - A taxi company in Montgomery County, Maryland is the first in the Washington region to put interactive video screens in back seats.
Over the next year, an estimated 2-million people will hop into a cab with this man, who appears on a monitor. "Whether you're visitors or already live here, thanks for wathing, and stay tuned," says County Executive Isiah Leggett.
Okay, so Leggett isn't in the back seat. He's on a six-inch color monitor, introducing a series of public service announcements.
The monitors also read credit cards, securely, in three seconds flat.
Rebecca Sheir reports...
Touch-screen video devices will soon be popping up in some Maryland cabs.
Courtesy of: Rebecca Sheir
September 17, 2009 - Watermen in Maryland say pollution in the Chesapeake Bay has hurt their industry.
Captain Larry Simms is the president of the Maryland Watermen's Association. He says their ranks have thinned. Pollution in the bay has led the state to restrict when and how watermen get their catch. Simms says the restrictions make it a far less profitable job. He blames a lot of the pollution on untreated sewage from plants along the bay.
Untreated sewage kills off underwater vegetation and oxygen for crabs. Simms says this year's harvest is the worst he's ever seen.
Matt Bush reports....
September 17, 2009 - It can take courage for a citizen to stand up and voice support for a political movement. But Commentator Fred Fiske says he's especially impressed when the wallet comes out.
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WAMU 88.5 or American University.
What do you think? Click here to go to the Commentary Forum.
September 17, 2009 - Advocates are pushing for Congress to reauthorize the D.C. voucher program, which allows children to use public dollars to attend private schools. But some Senators say there are too many unanswered questions about the current program.
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL.) says the head of the D.C. voucher program declined to give him basic information such as the number of students enrolled in each school. So he had his staff track down data. Durbin also says he's disturbed by the lack of academic information available about some of the schools.
Even senators such as Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who's in favor of the program, say there needs to be more accountability.
At a Senate hearing, Durbin's staff showed photographs of several schools that have received vouchers, some of which looked like store fronts.
Gregory Cork, CEO of the Washington Scholarship Fund, says he will account for every dollar of federal funding and make sure every building is up to code. But as for what the buildings look like he says what a school looks like "isn't an indication of the quality of education it provides."
The voucher program is expected to expire this year.
Kavitha Cardoza reports...
September 17, 2009 - D.C.'s Water and Sewer Authority and D.C.'s Fire and Emergency Medical Services are considering changes after an investigation into the fire that destroyed the home of philanthropist Peggy Cooper Cayfritz in July.
Possible changes include revising the water flow standards required for fighting fires in the district and marking hydrants to make them easier to find.
But in testimony before a city council committee, representatives from D.C. WASA and the district's fire and emergency services said that there are no easy answers to the question of what caused the fire in Northwest Washington's Foxhall neighborhood.
They said that the water pressure in the chain bridge road area meets current standards. Fire Cheif Dennis Rubin said there were other problems,including the distance from house to the hydrant, and the closest water main.
Chief Rubin and interim D.C. WASA director Avis Russell agree the topography challenge in the chain bridge area most likely exists elsewhere in the District. Both say they will examine other neighborhoods, 37 in all with similar issues.
The committee is expected to hold another meeting on the matter but did not set a date.
Elliott Francis reports...
September 17, 2009 - At the office, census worker Juan Jose Callejas usually dresses in a dark, two-piece suit, accented with a conservative tie, and has one of those ubiquitous ID badges dangling from his neck.
But when he heads into the field to conduct outreach in Northern Virginia's Latino community, Callejas changes his attire."If I show up dressed with a suit like this, wearing this kind of badge and saying I work for the federal government," he said, "I don't go very far."
That's one of the Census Bureau's biggest challenges: How to convince people who have reason to fear government, typically political refugees and undocumented immigrants, that participating in the count is in their best interest?
To meet that challenge, the Bureau has created eight videos aimed at different ethnic groups. They're posted on YouTube.
One of the videos features Latino activist Antonio Flores. "Churches, schools," he says in the video, "Every single institution in every community needs to be part of the process."
The 2010 Census will be taken in March and April. The data collected will determine where $300 billion of taxpayers' money is spent.
David Schultz reports...
September 17, 2009 - D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee says the District's budget cuts of about $40 million will lead to teacher layoffs and increased class sizes.
Rhee could not say how many of the approximately 4,000 teachers would be laid off. But principals will consider several factors, including the needs of the school and the performance of staff, to decide which positions will be eliminated. Teachers will be informed by September 30, and the layoffs will be effective a month after that.
But that news isn't sitting well with George Parker, head of the Washington Teacher's Union. Parker questions why hundreds of new teachers were hired over the summer, when there were signs the District was in financial trouble.
Parker says the timing of the layoffs, just six weeks into the school year, at best reflects extreme mismanagement. At worst he says it's a sign of disrespect for D.C.'s teachers and students.
Kavitha Cardoza reports...
Some D.C. teachers face layoffs over the next couple of weeks.
Courtesy of: J. Durham
September 17, 2009 - A rare document from our country's history is going on display at Yorktown Victory Center in Virginia next month.
A broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence made in July 1776 was purchased with money provided by a private foundation of the center.
The Victory Center celebrates the nation's colonial past and the American Revolution. The printing that will be on display starting on Oct. 1 measures 17 by 11 7/8 inches. It was printed in Boston soon after the declaration was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
Center officials say it will be a cornerstone of a new 80,000 square foot building that is being planned to replace the existing center.
Bill Redlin reports...
September 17, 2009 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich, (D-OH) leads Day Two of a House oversight inquiry. Kucinich wants to know how private health insurance companies decide whom to cover and which claims to pay.
Plus, the Energy and Commerce Committee holds a follow-up hearing today on the economic effects of global climate change legislation.
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...
September 17, 2009 - Prince William County is endorsing a study of a Potomac River commuter ferry between Woodbridge and Washington.The study found that a ferry could cut travel time significantly for some Washington commuters but it would cost local jurisdictions at least $20 million. The County is exploring how to pay for an analysis of ridership and how the service would affect mass transit. The estimated annual operating costs for the Woodbridge-to-Anacostia service would be about $4 million, with an average round-trip fare of $11.
Natalie Neumann has the details...
September 17, 2009 - A reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murders of two students at Virginia Tech has reached $50,000.
Virginia Tech put up $10,000 and a Lynchburg cardiologist raised $40,000. Dr. Chad Hoyt says his goal is to raise the total reward to $100,000, an amount that he believes will prompt someone to talk.
A passer-by found the bodies of 19-year-old David Lee Metzler and 18-year-old Heidi Lynn Childs on Aug. 27 at Caldwell Fields in the Jefferson National Forest. The site is a day use and campground area about 15 miles from the Blacksburg campus. Police say the students apparently were shot.
Meymo Lyons reports...
September 17, 2009 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is gathering photographs of the more than 58,000 men and women whose names are listed on the Vietnam memorial wall.
Organizers say the goal of the memorial is to ensure the sacrifice of those who died there will not be forgotten. Now they want to honor fallen veterans by displaying their photos at a planned underground education center near the memorial on the National Mall.
The estimated cost of the visitor's center is $85 million. More than $20 million has been raised so far. FedEx Office stores across the country are assisting with the effort to gather photos by providing free scanning services to help families submit their pictures of veterans.
Matt McCleskey reports...
September 17, 2009 - The debate over health care reform continues to spark interest and passion. Today the president addressed thousands at the University of Maryland.
Patrick Madden talked and listened to two men with two very different viewpoints...
Steve Walton of Bowie, Maryland and Ken Wright of Falls Church, Maryland shake hands after debating the finer points of health care reform.
Courtesy of: Patrick Madden
September 17, 2009 - The chairman of the D.C. Council Vincent Gray is challenging the assertion that council approved budget cuts are the reason for imminent teacher layoffs.
Gray says the council has funded D.C. Public Schools at exactly the same amount per pupil this year as it had last year. And while they didn't factor in inflation and cut the budget for summer school in half, Gray says that's less than 3 percent of the entire DCPS budget. He says he has no idea what "$40 million" Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee are talking about and says it's "offensive" they're blaming the council.
It isn't known as yet how many of the approximately 4,000 teachers will be laid off.
Kavitha Cardoza reports...
September 17, 2009 - By DENA POTTER Associated Press Writer
September 16, 2009 - RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Some Virginia lawmakers are questioning whether it's wise or legal to sacrifice the state's local roads in order to secure federal dollars to maintain and build highways.
Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer told members of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday that revenue reductions of $4.6 billion over the next six years have forced the state to go after federal highway funding instead of repairing and improving other roads and bridges.
To qualify for federal funds that contribute $4 for every $1 the state pitches in, Virginia must meet minimum construction requirements. Sen. Ed Houck of Spotsylvania said he feared by doing so Virginia was violating a state law that says maintaining roads must be put before building them.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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