Join The Conversation! Talk about the news of the day with public radio fans on WAMU 88.5's The Conversation.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Your Amazon.com purchases support WAMU 88.5
Your purchases from the NPR Store support WAMU 88.5
September 24, 2009 - (Sept 24-Oct 11) OMBAMANOLOGUES Decades down the road, what will you recall about the election of President Barack Obama? That's the question posed by Obamanologues, on stage at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in downtown D.C. through October 11th. This political theater production provides an historical account of the 44th President's bid for the White House, through monologues ranging from the rebellious to the scholarly.
(September 24) WPA RETURNS The Phillips Collection hosts the Washington Project for the Arts near Dupont Circle tonight at 6:30. This experimental media series allows artists the space to create innovative sound and video art, showcasing local, international and emerging talent.
(September 24) ARGOS TRIO The Argos Trio arrives at [The Strathmore Music Center] (WHERE? Bethesda?) (http://www.strathmore.org/) tonight at 7:30. Liana, Lars and Linda play violin, cello and piano, applying their musical mastery to a cheeky performance of Piano Trios No. 1 and 2 by Mendelssohn and Shostakovich, respectively.
September 24, 2009 - Senator Barbara Mikulski says a new safety report will help prod Congress into passing a transportation spending bill that includes money to fix Metro's equipment problems.
The National Transportation Safety Board wants improved evacuation and rescue features on rail cars, data recorders on trains, and to ensure metro operators get enough sleep.
A spending bill that passed the Senate last week requires the Transportation Secretary to review these recommendations. Mikulski blames the Bush Administration for the infrastructure problems that exist today. "Lax oversight, lax regulation, a Spartan skipping budget," says Mikulski. "We are going to put money in the federal checkbook to make sure rail road travel is as safe as bus and airplane."
Mikulski got $150 million to make metro safety upgrades that include fixing the track signal system and replacing old rail cars. House and Senate lawmakers have to work out their differences before the spending bill can go to the President.
Sara Sciammacco reports...
September 24, 2009 - Nobody likes being on the receiving end of a traffic ticket. But Commentator Fred Fiske says we should find a way to be thankful for them.
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WAMU 88.5 or American University.
What do you think? Click here to join the conversation.
September 24, 2009 - Seniors in Silver Spring, Maryland have health care reform on the brain after a pair of high-profile town hall meetings on how to revamp the system.
Leisure World retirement community hosted Congressman Chris Van Hollen last month. This week the guest was Vice President Joe Biden.
Rebecca Sheir reports...
September 24, 2009 - Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton says security at federal buildings may be nothing more than a nuisance for visitors.
Norton held a hearing on Capitol Hill to draw attention to D.C.’s security problems. Norton says all that I.D. checking and purse searching people have to endure every time they enter a federal building doesn’t necessarily keep anyone any safer. "The General Accounting Office was recently able to get bomb-making equipment past security in several buildings in this national region," says Norton. "At the same time, taxpaying citizens are unable to enter some buildings to use the restrooms or restaurant facilities."
Norton brought D.C. photographer Erin McCann to testify before a House panel about her experiences being harassed by security guards while taking pictures of federal buildings. "All around this city and the country have been deemed off-limits to people with cameras," said McCann.
Norton is calling on the President to establish a commission to examine how the government can better provide security and improve public access into federal buildings.
Tanya Snyder reports...
September 24, 2009 - A small tech company in Maryland is suing the social networking giant Facebook for patent infringement.
The company, WhoGlue Inc., is based in Baltimore where it makes and sells software for membership-driven associations and nonprofit organizations. WhoGlue holds a patent for a system it says "facilitates communications between user members of an online network."
The Baltimore Sun reports the lawsuit alleges the social networking site Facebook infringed on that patent despite having "notice and knowledge" of WhoGlue's rights. The company says it applied for the patent in 2001, three years before Facebook was founded, and received it in 2007.
Facebook says it will fight the lawsuit.
Matt McCleskey reports...
September 24, 2009 - Maryland's slot machine commission has approved the state's first slot machine license at a horse racing track on the Eastern Shore.
The vote follows a positive background investigation into the Ocean Downs track near Ocean City.
Now the owner, William Rickman, can move forward with his proposal for 800 machines at the track. Getting a building permit is the next step for him. Rickman says the slots could be up and running by next Memorial Day.
A field of developers bid on a total of 6,500 machines in four locations across the state.
The director of the Maryland lottery says a site in Cecil County is moving toward a license, while proposals in Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City appear not to be as far along in the process.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
September 24, 2009 - Each autumn, the monarch butterfly travels thousands of miles as it migrates from Canada to Mexico. It's a long trip, and the butterflies need plenty of milkweed to survive. But Christopher Puttock says milkweed supplies are growing scarce.
Puttock is a botanist with the Monarch Sister Schools Program, an initiative that helps build butterfly gardens at schools. Today, he's at West Education Campus in Northwest, D.C., where Jasmin Henderson is a third-grader. She says she's happy to see her school help out the butterflies.
Monarch Sister Schools has built eight butterfly gardens in D.C., and 18 nationwide.
Jessica Gould reports...
September 24, 2009 - A standing-room-only crowd is packed into a dining hall at American University to hear a speech by a 24-year-old named Meghan.
Meghan is clad in designer jeans and is sporting a tattoo of a star on her right foot. She looks remarkably similar to the hundreds of students she's addressing.
What sets Meghan apart is her last name: McCain. As in her father, U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain.
"Look at this crowd!" she exclaims. "Oh my God! What are y'all doing here with me tonight?"
Last year, during the presidential race, Meghan McCain emerged as a celebrity in her own right. When she wasn't feuding via Twitter with prominent conservative pundits, McCain was a vocal supporter of same sex marriage.
But despite - or perhaps because of - her socially moderate views, Meghan McCain remains a popular figure among young conservatives.
Michael Monrroy, the head of American University's College Republicans, says twenty-somethings can relate to her. "She's a young person," he says. "She looks like us, she's our age and she happens to be a Republican."
McCain called for more civility in public in her speech to the students.
David Schultz reports...
September 24, 2009 - The House Financial Services Committee meets this morning to discuss reducing risk and dealing with companies deemed too big to fail. Some on Capitol Hill wonder if newspapers are too important to fail.
Manuel Quinones reports...
September 24, 2009 - The drive to build a memorial on the National Mall honoring civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is getting a boost from a group of professional athletes. The National Football League Players Association is pledging to raise or donate $1 million for the planned memorial. The gift brings the fundraising total to $107 of the $120 million needed to complete the memorial. The executive director of the NFLPA announced the pledge Wednesday at a luncheon with the Congressional Black Caucus.
The foundation leading the effort also presented its Defender of Democracy awards to Sen. Edward Kennedy and Sen. Edward Brooke. Congressman Patrick Kennedy accepted the award on behalf of his father, who died last month.
Bill Redlin has the details...
September 24, 2009 - About 130 soldiers from a Manassas-based Virginia Guard unit are returning to the state after serving in Iraq.
The 266th military police company has been in Iraq since December 2008 and is scheduled to return late this afternoon at the Richmond International Airport. Governor Tim Kaine is expected to welcome the unit, made up of soldiers from across Virginia.
The company operated throughout Iraq as part of a team that trained, mentored and coached more than 1,000 Iraqi police officers. They also conducted numerous missions and combat patrols across the country. During their tour, the unit earned 21 Bronze Star medals, while four soldiers received Combat Action badges and one received a Purple Heart.
Natalie Neumann reports...
September 24, 2009 - The interim president of Montgomery College says he's trying to rebuild bridges burned by the school's last president.
Dr. Hercules Pickney had just retired as the vice president of Montgomery College's Germantown campus when he was asked to serve as interim president for the entire school earlier this month.
Pickney replaced Dr. Brian Johnson, who was ousted by the school's board of trustees after allegations of overspending college funds on personal travel.
Matt Bush reports...
September 24, 2009 - Ted Loza, chief of staff to D.C. Council Member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), is charged with accepting cash payments and other gifts from a person in the taxi cab industry.
Patrick Madden reports...
September 24, 2009 - Dozens of educators have gathered outside the D.C. Public Schools building downtown, protesting a decision to lay off some teachers and staff at the end of the month.
Kavitha Cardoza reports..
September 24, 2009 - Metro's board of directors voted 5 to 1 to extend general manager John Catoe's contract another 3 years. D.C. City administrator Neil Albert was the only board member to vote against the extension.
The Washington Post reports Catoe's salary will remain the same, but he'll now receive a $27,000 annual pension for the rest of his life.
The extension comes after a series of setbacks for Metro, including a June 22nd crash on the Red Line that killed 9 people.
David Schultz reports...
Metro General Manager John Catoe's employment contract has been extended for another three years.
Courtesy of: NBC4.com
September 24, 2009 - As part of our continuing series "Conversations," reporter Michael Cottman speaks with Dr. Elise Scott, president of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, about the CBCF's 39th Annual Legislative Conference this week in Washington, D.C.
September 24, 2009 - FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) Six companies are expanding in Fairfax County and are expected to create more than 300 new jobs over the next three years. Gov. Tim Kaine announced the expansions in the technology, distribution and health care sectors on Thursday.
Technology company ACS State and Local Solutions is investing $1.9 million in the county and creating 175 jobs. Smaller investments are being made by distribution company Beltway Supply Inc.; technology firms Coveros Inc., Intec LLC and RightStar Systems; and health care company Senior Living.com are expected to create 334 new jobs over the next three years in Fairfax County.
All together, the companies are investing $2.8 million and creating 334 new jobs.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
September 24, 2009 - D.C. Council Member Jim Graham's (D-Ward 1) chief of staff, Ted G. Loza, was arrested Thursday morning. Loza was arrested by federal agents on bribery charges.
UPDATE: D.C. Republican party responds to Loza's arrest with the following statement:
"The arrest of Jim Graham's chief of staff on bribery charges only reminds us that the D.C. Council's new ethic laws are as strong as a cup of tea. District residents are suffering for the Council's lack of leadership and ethics under Graham and Gray," stated Robert J. Kabel, Chairman of the D.C. Republican Committee.
Tune in to WAMU 88.5 FM for additional information.
Ted G. Loza, chief of staff to D.C. Council Member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), was arrested today.
Courtesy of: NBC4.com
privacy policy - terms of use - contact - sitemap - directions - rss - podcasts - jobs - community
Copyright WAMU 88.5 American University Radio | 4000 Brandywine Street NW | Washington, DC 20016-8082 | (202)885-1200
