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October 05, 2009 - With just four weeks left before Election Day in Virginia, Bob Holsworth joins WAMU's Stephanie Kaye to talk about the race. Holsworth is the founder and president of “Virginia Tomorrow” which examines trends in politics, society and business. He runs the non-partisan web site virginiatomorrow.com. Holsworth is also the former Dean of Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Government and Public Affairs.
October 05, 2009 - Loudoun County, Virginia has turned over more suspected illegal immigrants to the federal government so far this year than in all of 2008.
Through August 24th of this year, Loudoun county has turned over 166 suspected illegal immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 31 more than in all of 2008. A spokesman for the county's sheriff tells the Washington Examiner that 43 inmates currently being held on local charges are in detention under ICE custody.
Loudoun and Prince William counties participate in a program allowing local law enforcement officials to enforce some federal immigration laws. Prince William County has turned over more than 1,600 suspected illegal immigrants since July 2007.
Natalie Neumann reports...
October 05, 2009 - A judge has denied a motion to dismiss two perjury counts against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon.
The Democratic mayor is accused of lying about lavish gifts from her former boyfriend, a real-estate developer. Dixon is also charged with theft for allegedly stealing gifts cards intended for needy families.
Dixon faces trial on the theft charges in November. Dixon's lawyers argued that the perjury charges should be thrown out because prosecutors improperly used her legislative acts as evidence against her. But the judge ruled that prosecutors did not violate Dixon's legislative immunity by merely presenting evidence that she attended meetings with developer Ronald Lipscomb.
Meymo Lyons reports...
October 05, 2009 - The Virginia governor's race took a turn for the nasty at a fundraiser for Republican candidate Bob McDonnell, hosted by billionaire and BET co-founder Sheila Johnson.
Johnson, who also owns the Washington Mystics, mocked the occasional stuttering of McDonnell's Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds. "We need someone who can really communicate, Bob McDonnell can communicate, the other people I talked to especially his oppo-po-p-p-onent d-d-d-did this all through my interview with him."
A McDonnell campaign spokesperson said Johnson was criticizing Deeds for lack of vision. The Deeds campaign called the comments a cheap shot.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
October 05, 2009 - State and local health directors are urging just about everyone to get the H1N1 Flu vaccine but convincing attendees at a vaccine safety conference in Reston, Virginia may be its own challenge.
Barbara Loe Fisher is the President of the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit, consumer advocacy group. She says people need to be better informed before getting vaccines.
"Understand your personal medical history, get the information about the infectious disease, about the vaccine, and make the best decision you can with the information you've gotten," Fisher says.
Many among the 600 registered for the Centers 4th annual conference have serious qualms about the H1N1 vaccination.
Jennifer Hutchinson of Winchester, Virginia is writing a book about brain damage she says her grandson suffered after a rabies shot. She says the swine flu vaccine is more hype than necessity.
"I think it's trying to scare people into shots that most people don't need," she says.
Bill Price of Vienna, Virginia agrees.
"I'm not going to get it," Price says. "I have a good diet, and I take care of myself. So it should be a problem and even if it is, the worst thing that happens is I'm sick for a few days."
But Dr. Karen Remley, state health commissioner for Virginia, says while the H1N1 flu has been a moderate flu strain so far 50 children across the country have died from related symptoms. She urges everyone to get the vaccine.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
October 05, 2009 - New figures show there are fewer people riding Metro trains these days, and it's not exactly clear why.
Metro spokesperson Steven Taubenkibel admits some riders might be skittish over June's deadly accident on the Red line.
A recent study commissioned by the transit agency says ridership on the red line this summer was down more than 10 percent compared to last year. The study suggests that could be due to the economy, unemployment, or ongoing maintenance delays.
Red line rider Diane Butts would rather take the green line to work, and was considering a switch back to her car. "Delay after delay you sit on the tracks, you wait, there's a train in front, they're nice with explanations but it doesn't change the fact that you get to work late," says Butts.
Metro officials say that if the trend continues, they will face a $22.4 million budget shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July.
Elliott Francis reports...
October 05, 2009 - The Post Permanency Family Center in Northeast D.C. helps adoptive families stay together.
At the Center's annual family day lunch, 17 year-old Elyana Goldwater is putting face paint on children. Elyana came to America from Russia to be adopted when she was nine but landed in an unhappy foster home. Then one day the Goldwaters came through the door.
"They took me to Borders, my first bookstore I've ever been to. I was like in shock because these people had so much love to give and I just sat there on the floor reading books with my father before I even knew he's going to be my father. I just felt this connection with him."
The Goldwaters soon brought Elyana to her new 'forever home'.
"I remember riding in the car. It was really dark outside and there were balloons and my mom said 'That's our house with the balloons'. I was trying to pretend like I didn't see it. I was just so excited. I could see those balloons. It made me feel so good. There were animals, there were dogs everywhere and cats. It felt like a warm hearted - I don't even know how to describe it, I'm sorry."
Elyana's adoptive mother, social worker Janice Goldwater, founded the Post Permanency Family Center to help other adoptive parents. She says nearly 800 children in DC are waiting to find their own 'forever homes'.
Mana Rabiee reports...
October 05, 2009 - On a day when more than 200 teachers were fired, the last thing school administrators could afford to lose were its security guards.
But that's exactly what happened on Friday when Hawk One, the firm that handled security for the schools, went out of business.
D.C. police officers had to step in to quell a protest against the teacher firings at McKinley High School, leading to two arrests.
Hawk One owes a reported $4 million to the IRS, and it lost its lucrative contract with the city earlier this year. The firm was supposed to stay on until a replacement was found. But late last week, its paychecks started bouncing. The Washington Post reports two new security firms will be manning the schools when classes start this morning. D.C. Councilman Tommy Wells wants to consider making security guards city employees, instead of contracting with private companies.
David Schultz reports...
October 05, 2009 - David Posner runs an independent pharmacy in Bethesda, Maryland. He's one of many area pharmacists who are uneasy about an impending flu outbreak.
Posner's main concern is in the roll out of the swine flu vaccine. Federal government health officials plan to distribute it through the states in coming weeks. Posner has heard rumors the vaccinations can't be distributed across state lines, making it difficult for pharmacists to share their surpluses.
"I have a buddy in Virginia," he says, "But I'm not sure I'm going to be able to use his supply, if he gets some, to vaccinate people in Maryland. The guidelines haven't really come out as to what you can do and what you can't do."
A Maryland health official later confirmed this. Pharmacists cannot send the vaccinations outside the state. But the official said residents of D.C., Maryland and Virginia can receive the vaccination anywhere in the Washington region, thanks to a multi-jurisdictional agreement.
David Schultz reports...
October 05, 2009 - Health officials in Maryland are at a large conference hall in Rockville, briefing several hundred pharmacists how to stay healthy during a swine flu outbreak.
As you might imagine, the automatic hand soap dispenser here is in heavy use. Hand washing can be one of the best defenses against the flu for pharmacists, since interacting with sick people is a huge part of their workdays.
David Posner, an independent pharmacist in Bethesda, puts hand sanitizer on his hands 20 times a day. He says the staffers in his office are bearing down for a possible outbreak. "They're just waiting for it to happen," he says. "Whether it will happen or not, we don't know."
Pharmacists at the conference discussed how to vaccinate their employees and whether it's possible to deliver medication directly to flu sufferers.
David Schultz reports...
October 05, 2009 - Today District residents and officials converge on House offices to renew the call on Congress to pass the DC Voting Rights Act.
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...
October 05, 2009 - It's a 'Meatless Monday' for students at Baltimore City public schools. Its part of a broader effort to help students make healthier food choices.
Baked potato with broccoli and cheese. Seasoned greens. Two 'Meatless Monday' options on the all-vegetarian lunch menu today in Baltimore city schools.
"The big vision is what we have healthy kids. That's the end product that I want to create here," said Tony Geraci, Food and Nutrition Director for the district. He wants to wean kids off chicken nuggets and soda and nudge them towards fresh fruits and vegetables.
Meatless Mondays are just the beginning. Geraci shows a new project going up on the playing fields of Lake Clifton high school in Northeast Baltimore. "This the first of 200 portable green houses that we're building here in Baltimore.to actually grow food to supply the school food system."
This is a profit-making venture. Farmers will sell the veggies grown in the hoop houses back to Baltimore schools. Geraci claims it's cheaper and healthier than the produce he can get through federal school lunch programs.
Cathy Duchamp reports...
Volunteers at Lake Clifton High School work to build a "hoop house," where farmers will grow vegetables for Baltimore City schools.
Courtesy of: Cathy Duchamp
October 05, 2009 - (Oct 6-Nov 22) THE ALCHEMIST Enter the world of the con artist, as the Shakespeare Theatre Company in downtown D.C. presents Ben Jonson's The Alchemist, opening tomorrow night and running through November 22nd. This comical romp follows the antics of three con men who take over the abandoned home of a wealthy man, exposing high society and its ills.
(October 7) ENGLEBERT WHO? You may have seen those late-night infomercials hawking the music of Engelbert Humperdinck, and now here's an opportunity to see this legendary crooner live at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Wednesday night at 8 p.m. The singer, born Arnold George Dorsey in Madras, India, will take to Strathmore's stage and demonstrate why he's been a headliner on the music scene for sixty years.
(October 7-) HYSTERIA Rep Stage in Columbia, Maryland brings Hysteria to the stage, opening Wednesday and running through November 1st. In this rollicking farce, all hell breaks loose when Sigmund Freud's final days battling cancer are interrupted by Salvador Dali and an attractive young student.
October 05, 2009 - It's the last day to register to vote in Virginia's November 3rd general election. The deadline to register or update a voter registration is tonight at five. Residents registering to vote in the Commonwealth can only submit their application by mail or in person. Applications must be postmarked by today or hand delivered to the nearest registrar's office.Voters in Virginia will decide races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney, all 100 House of Delegates seats and some local offices. Residents can see sample ballots and check their voter status and polling places online at the State Board of Elections' Web site.
Natalie Neumann has the details...
October 05, 2009 - Advocates who want the District of Columbia to have a voting member of Congress plan to plead their case today on Capitol Hill. The group D.C. Vote has been working to garner support for the District of Columbia to have a voting member in Congress. Members will be dropping off post cards from residents who support a bill that would give the city voting representation. The Senate passed a bill granting D.C. a voting member of Congress in February but senators added a gun amendment that some residents don't like. The bill still hasn't been voted on in the House. Natalie Neumann has the details....
October 05, 2009 - WASHINGTON (AP) Advocates for giving the District of Columbia a voting member of Congress are on Capitol Hill to plead their case.
The residents and members of the group D.C. Vote were visiting the offices of members of Congress on Monday. Group members were dropping off postcards from residents who support a bill that would give the city voting representation. D.C. has some 600,000 residents but only one delegate who doesn't vote on the floor in Congress.
The Senate passed a bill granting D.C. voting rights in February, but senators added a gun amendment that many residents don't like. The bill still hasn't been voted on in the House. The group hopes to get a bill passed without the gun amendment in that chamber.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 05, 2009 - HEREFORD, Md. (AP) Baltimore County police say the business editor of The Baltimore Sun has been killed in a car accident and his 9-year-old daughter is seriously injured.
Police spokesman Bill Toohey says Tim Wheatley was making a left turn Monday morning about two miles from his home when a UPS truck hit the driver's side of his vehicle.
The 48-year-old Wheatley died at the scene. His daughter, who was in the front passenger seat, was taken to a hospital.
Toohey says a traffic light controls the intersection and it appears to be working. Police are investigating to determine whether either driver ran a red light.
Wheatley started at The Sun in 2006 as sports editor. He moved to the business department earlier this year during a newsroom reorganization.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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