News Archive - September 29, 2009

Midshipman In Isolation Ward To Curb Swine Flu Spread

The U.S. Naval Academy has set up a temporary isolation unit and quarantined dozens of midshipmen with possible swine flu symptoms.

Commander Joe Carpenter says 170 midshipmen have been isolated this fall, in an attempt to curb the spread of the H1N1 virus. Although only seven cases of swin...

Local Food Bank Anticipates Record Numbers For Second Straight Holiday Season

Local food banks are preparing for another busy holiday season and hoping the local community will continue to respond to the steady stream of hungry families.

The waiting room is full at the Arlington Food Assistance Center, or AFAC. One regular client, a 77-year-old who didn't want to giv...

Happy The Hippo Moves From D.C. To Milwaukee

The National Zoo's Nile hippopotamus is now in his new home in Milwaukee.

Happy the hippo was transported to Wisconsin in a custom-made crate placed on the back of a flatbed truck by a construction crane. Zoo staff had trained Happy to enter the crate and calmly remain inside it, and report...

VA Distracted Driver Initiative

With the start of Maryland's new texting while driving ban, there's a new push in Virginia to reduce the number of so-called 'distracted drivers' on the Beltway.

Virginia's new Distracted Driver campaign targets the habits of 56 percent of all drivers on the Capital Beltway who say they reg...

MD Businesses Could See Tax Increase To Boost Unemployment Fund

Businesses in Maryland could see higher tax rates next year to help beef up the state's dwindling unemployment fund. The annual calculation of the unemployment fund will be released Wednesday and a low fund could mean a tax hike for employers. State workers expect the numbers to show the largest...

Report Due On Speed Cameras In Montgomery County

The Montgomery County council will unveil a report tonight on the county's speed camera program. The county asked and received from the state permission to install the cameras two years ago. Now, all jurisdictions in Maryland are allowed to have them.

The report comes as some county leader...

Michael Vick Talks Dog Fighting With D.C. Students

NFL player Michael Vick spoke to about 20 students from local schools at the Covenant Baptist Church in southwest D.C. this afternoon. Vick spoke of the cruelty and pointlessness of dog fighting, saying he didn't know why he got involved in the illegal activity. The event was sponsored by the Hum...

Summit on the State of Marriage Begins

A two-day summit on marriage and the African-American community begins at Hampton University today. Religious leaders, psychologists and other specialists will be talking about the state of marriage, and how to reverse trends like high divorce rates and out-of-wedlock births. The conference marks...

"Art Beat" With Stephanie Kaye - Tuesday, September 29, 2009

(September 30) CONVERSATION WITH AN ARTIST The Phillips Collection presents Conversations with Artists a free and lively discussion tomorrow at 5:30 at the D.C. gallery. The subject: Conrad Bakker. The medium: everyday objects. Bakker uses humor to highlight conspicuous consumption in modern c...

O'Malley Names New Maryland Poet Laureate

Maryland has a new poet laureate. Governor Martin O'Malley has selected University of Maryland professor Stanley Plumly. Plumly founded the school's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing.

Plumly has written nine books of poetry including a finalist for a National Book Award in 200...

Power Breakfast for September 29, 2009

Today in the Senate Finance Committee markup of a proposed health care overhaul, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia is expected to introduce an amendment to create a public insurance plan.

Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...

Maryland Court Hears Racial Profiling Case

The state of Maryland has settled several lawsuits alleging racial profiling by police over the past two decades. But the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union say disparities persist.

For every 100 whites stopped and searched on I-95 in MD, there are 300 to 400 blacks stopped and se...

D.C. Council to Consider Stricter Smoking Regulation

D.C. Council members are considering new legislation that would allow property owners to prohibit smoking up to 25 feet from buildings. D.C.'s ban on smoking in bars and other public places went into effect in 2007. Since then, D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson says, people have taken to smoking dir...

Business Leaders Gather To Discuss H1N1 Impact

Some local business leaders are planning ahead to minimize the potential impact of the H1N1 flu virus on the local economy.

Peter Laporte, director of emergency management for Metro Transit, said that now is the time for local businesses to make plans to cope with a workforce decimated by i...

Police Step up Monitoring of Metro Station During After-School Hours

Metro police officers have stepped up their patrols to monitor disruptive students riding Metro trains and buses on their way home.

As students get off the red line train at the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station at three o'clock in the afternoon, they see Lieutenant Doug Durham standing...

D.C. Council Seeks To Ban Sale Of Individual Cigars At Some Stores

The D.C. Council is seeking to ban gas stations and convenience stores from selling individual cigars.

They're known as "blunts:" individually wrapped cigars that often come in flavors such as grape, apple or peach, and can cost less than $1. And according to the bill's sponsor Councilwoman...

District Cans Contractor for Student Database Delays

The District has fired the contractor charged with creating a database of critical student information. The contractor chosen by the District to develop the information system, hasn't. At least not on time. Mayor Adrian Fenty says the city terminated the contract of Williams Adley and Company for...