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The Case For Gay Marriage Rights

October 12, 2009 - As the D.C. council considers the gay marriage bill, local ministers of the Unitarian Universalist Church, along with local residents, share their personal thoughts on the issue.

Hundreds Gather At Memorial Service For Fallen Purcellville Soldier

October 12, 2009 - The community of Purcellville in Loudoun County Virginia came together today to celebrate the life of Army Specialist Stephan Mace.

Mace died from wounds suffered in combat in Afghanistan on October 3rd. He'll be buried at Arlington cemetery on October 19th.

Today more than 750 people gathered for a memorial service inside Purcellville Baptist Church, paying tribute to a young man described as fun-loving, devoted, and fearless.

Austin Boddicker says Stephan Mace was one of his best friends. "I'm gonna miss him," Boddicker said after the service. "He was a bad ass, man. He'd tell me to shut up and stop crying if he ever saw me doing this."

Mace, who was 21 years old, was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, a NATO medal, and a medal for good conduct at the ceremony.

Jonathan Wilson reports...

Virginia's Candidates For Governor Square Off Tonight

October 12, 2009 - Virginia's candidates for governor square off tonight in Richmond for their first live, televised debate. Democrat Creigh Deeds still trails Republican Bob McDonnell by a substantial margin in a state where Democrats have won recent elections for senator and governor.

Deeds has argued the race should focus on Richmond issues that are the governor's prime responsibilities rather than federal policy. But a new Washington Post poll shows that Deeds must do a better job persuading Obama voters they should be enthusiastic about him.

Public television stations in most Virginia markets are carrying the hour-long 8 p.m. debate live, including WETA in the Washington area, as well as C-SPAN. More than 100 people will attend the debate, sponsored by the League of Women Voters and AARP.

Deeds and McDonnell will take questions from a panel of four reporters. The debate will be moderated by Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for "The NewsHour" on PBS.

Meymo Lyons reports...

Street Parking Changes Could Be on the Way in Arlington

October 12, 2009 - In Virginia, a proposal from Arlington's Transportation Department could change the way residents pay for street parking.

Whether you're paying with quarters or a credit card, parking isn't getting any cheaper these days. But that might soon change, in Arlington, in certain spots at least.

Transportation engineers for the county have proposed a pilot program allowing greater flexibility to change meter rates in neighborhoods based on parking demand. Some meters could even change rates based on the time of day.

Wayne Wentz, the county's chief transportation officer, says motorists are attracted to spots with lower rates. "Similarly, there's data that shows higher prices where the spaces are hundred percent full will still be tolerated," Wentz says.

Wentz says county leaders are trying to maximize the use of current spaces -- and encourage the use of public transportation.

Bill Trail, who works in Arlington is skeptical. "It sounds like a scam," Trail says. "It really does."

Wentz says the performance-based parking model would raise money for the county -- in the long run.

If approved by the county board in November, the pilot program would be limited to a small area in Rosslyn or Clarendon.

Jonathan Wilson reports...

Catholic To Charter School Conversion: One Year Later

October 12, 2009 - Seven Catholic Schools in D.C. converted to charter schools a year ago because of growing costs and declining enrollment.

Andy Smarick, with the Thomas B. Fordam Institute, who studied the conversion process says the greatest benefit is that the schools remained open. Smarick says one school closed because of under-enrollment. But at each of the other schools, the student population increased by almost 30 percent; one almost doubled in size.

There was also more funding available. Smarick says per pupil spending in the former Catholic schools was less than $5,000. At the new public charter schools that amount was more than $11,000, which meant more money for teacher salaries, books and supplies.

But the conversion was not without challenges. "The students who were coming in, they were often much lower performing than students had been previously, on average they were poorer and they had more special needs," says Smarick. "Both special education numbers went up as did the number of English language learners."

The schools hired Spanish speaking teachers, a special education director and provided additional teacher training.

Kavitha Cardoza reports...

Montgomry County Health Department To Hold H1N1 Vaccination Clinic

October 12, 2009 - Montgomery County's health department will offer an H1N1 vaccination clinic on October 14th from 9 a.m. to noon at the Dennis Avenue Health Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The County will offer the intranasal H1N1 vaccine at this clinic.Montgomery county expects to receive injectable flu vaccine in the next several weeks. There will continue to be deliveries of both types of flu vaccine in the coming weeks and months.

The clinic will be focused on the following priority groups, healthy children from ages two to 18 and healthy adults up to age 49 who are caretakers of infants younger than six months of age, as well as healthy health care workers up to age 49.

In addition to local health departments, retail locations and some private physicians will be receiving the H1N1 vaccine as well.

Health officials recommend that everyone consider receiving an H1N1 vaccination when ample supplies become available at a later date.

For updated information, check out Montgomery County's website or call the flu hotline at 240-777-4200. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Unitarian Ministers Speak Up for Gay Marriage Rights

October 12, 2009 - As the D.C. council considers the gay marriage bill, local ministers of the Unitarian Universalist Church share their personal theological take on the issue.

Reverend Robert Hardies is Senior Minister at the All Souls Church Unitarian in Northwest D.C. He says during Sunday's sermon, several hundred worshipers showed their support for the Equality March on Washington.

"People have this belief that somehow you can't be pro-God and pro-gay. I'd ask people to really open their hearts as they read scripture and to stand with us on this side of love and God's inclusive love."

Reverend Shawna Lingood also ministers at the Church, which has a centuries-old tradition of social-justice causes. She calls the gay marriage issue a 'no brainer'.

"As Unitarians, that's the first principle of our faith -- is respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. If our spiritual lives are about standing for love -- which I really believe Jesus was all about -- we need to be able to express that and live that out in both legally binding and in spiritually binding covenants."

The Church has formed a coalition of 200 D.C. clergy calling for gay marriage equality in D.C.

Mana Rabiee reports...

"Art Beat" with Stephanie Kaye - Monday, October 12, 2008
Stephanie Kaye

October 12, 2009 -

(Oct 13-Nov 21) HISPANIC THEATER FESTIVAL The 12th International Festival of Hispanic Theater begins tomorrow at the Gunston Arts Center in Arlington, Virginia, running through November 21st. Teatro de la Luna presents some of the most evocative theater from the south, including Columbia's American Insomnia and Argentina's Fan of a Single Woman, with something for every age and taste.

(October 12) THE LARAMIE PROJECT, 10 YEARS ON Actress Glenn Close opens The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland, with a national pre-performance broadcast from New York's Lincoln Center. The free performance begins tonight at 8pm, taking a look back at the murder of a gay student in Laramie, Wyoming, and the response of its community.

(Oct 13-May 1, 2010) HERBLOCK AT LOC A new exhibition at the Library of Congress celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of political cartoonist Herb Block, opening at the Capitol Hill repository's Jefferson Building tomorrow and running through May 1st. The show features 82 original drawings from Block's own library, chronicling more than seventy years of satire and illuminating the man behind the pen.

Knights of Columbus Celebrate the Holiday
Stephanie Kaye

October 12, 2009 - The statue of Christopher Columbus at Washington's Union Station is expecting some visitors and fanfare. The Knights of Columbus are preparing for ceremonies this morning on behalf of their patron. The group is usually very service-oriented, but the holiday presents members with a chance to gather and celebrate.

Charles Smallwood is the Master of the Washington Archdiocese. He remembers seeing the Knights in a parade in Southern Maryland. "When I was nine years old, I saw these men walking so proudly -- so very, very proudly -- in their capes and chapeaus. At nine, I said, 'That's what I want to do!'"

Now that he's a high-ranking Fourth Level Knight, he says he's looking forward to one aspect of the ceremony in particular -- a reading by the young winner of this year's Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest. "When you have the youth talking about what this country means to them, that to me is more important than anything the old folk can do!"

Columbus Day ceremonies begin at Union Station at 11am.

Stephanie Kaye reports...

Some Students Say Teacher Layoffs Have Affected Their Academics

October 12, 2009 - Over the weekend, some students from various schools in D.C. spoke to council members about how the teacher layoffs have affected them academically. Several high school students say their classes have increased in size and they're worried about being able to graduate on time.

Andre Johnson is in the 12th grade at McKinley Tech High School. He says two of his guidance counselors have received layoff notices, just as everyone is scrambling to get their college applications together. He says it's impossible to have 200 transcripts done in a short period of time.

Dana Downs from Alice Deal Middle School says she was in the middle of a science project she was excited about. Now a different teacher has come in and abruptly changed course. Downs says students are also acting out in class, taking advantage of their new teacher. She says "they will talk really loud and won't listen to her and throw things."

Taesha Hines is from Ballou Senior High School. She says there's only one gym teacher now even though everyone has to take physical education as a requirement to graduate on time.

Council members will heard how residents feel about the teacher layoffs on October 16th.

Kavitha Cardoza reports...

Energy Co-op Saves Money by the Bushel with Urban Corn Granary

October 12, 2009 - A new structure in Mt. Rainier, Maryland is saving people money on home-heating bills by the bushel. The twenty-five-foot silo stands behind a parking lot and holds 20 tons of corn kernels. It's the second 'urban corn granary' in the country and the people who built it have gathered to inaugurate the first bushel.

The forty members of the Save Our Sky Home-Heating Cooperative burn kernels in special stoves to heat their homes.

Mike Tidwell's been using the co-op's first granary in nearby Tacoma Park. "My Toyota Prius will hold 15 five-gallon paint buckets full of corn. So every two weeks or so I take my empty buckets, I go to the corn granary in Tacoma Park, I fill them up, I put them back in my car, I put the buckets on my front porch and I pore them into my stove as needed."

It may sound like a lot of work, but Tidwell says he saves fifty-percent on heating bills compared with natural gas.

Mana Rabiee reports...

New Poll Shows Bob McDonnell Leading Democrat Creigh Deeds In VA

October 12, 2009 - Growing support among independent voters in Virginia is giving Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell a comfortable lead over Democrat Creigh Deeds.

A Richmond Times-Dispatch poll shows 48 percent favor McDonnell to 40 percent for Deeds. Twelve percent are undecided.

McDonnell drew strong support in traditionally Republican regions of Virginia while Deeds leads in northern Virginia.

Mason-Dixon Polling + Research interviewed 625 registered voters by telephone late last week. All said they were likely to cast ballots on Nov. 3.

Those polled were divided almost equally between men and women. Whites accounted for 83 percent; blacks, 15 percent; and other groups, 2 percent.

The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Elliott Francis has the details...

Power Breakfast for October 12, 2009

October 12, 2009 - On this Columbus Day Monday, the Capitol is quiet, but the National Mall will be humming with the Solar Decathlon competition.

Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...

Baltimore to Learn How Transform Abandoned Lots To Neighborhood Assets

October 12, 2009 - Baltimore residents who have turned vacant lots into gardens and playgrounds will meet tomorrow, October 13th to learn how to make the properties permanent neighborhood assets.

The meeting is for people across Baltimore to learn how to do what Pigtown did. It's a neighborhood named after the swine that once traveled through on their way to nearby meatpacking plants. Pigtown's treasure is a horseshoe pit.

"When you ride through and see the guys pitching the horseshoes you say 'dag gone.' There's the guys on the corner and they're not selling dope, they're pitchin' horse shoes, and having a good time," says Bus Chambers, known as the Mayor of Pigtown.

He says guys have been pitching horseshoes here for more than 40 years. But two years ago, the city sold the vacant lot to a developer. Chambers went to the Baltimore zoning board to protest.

"I let them know right quick, if the neighborhood don't approve of something I can have two busloads down here, up in your face."

The city did a land swap with the developer. The horseshoe pit will soon be owned by a non-profit land trust. It will be responsible for the legal end of ownership, while Pigtown residents maintain the pit.

The meeting will take place Tuesday, October 13 at 6 p.m. at Parks & People Foundation.

For more information contact Miriam Avins at miriam.avins@baltimorecity.gov or 443-695-7504.

Cathy Duchamp reports...

On Morning Edition: Virginia Gubernatorial Race

October 12, 2009 - With just more than three weeks to go before election day, the candidates in Virginia's Governor's race meet tonight in a debate to be televised across the Commonwealth. Judy Woodruff is a veteran political reporter and senior correspondent for PBS's "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer." Woodruff is moderating the debate between Virginia's gubernatorial candidates in Norfolk, October 12, at 8 o'clock. She joins WAMU's Morning Edition Host Matt McCleskey to talk about the race.

Alexandria Elementary School Adds Middle-School Classes

October 12, 2009 - Parents of public school students in Alexandria, Virginia have a new option: sending their children to an elementary school that also offers middle-school classes.

By 2010, Jefferson-Houston Elementary School will offer kindergarten though eighth-grade. Principal Kimberley Graves says the effort is already working against the school's reputation for failing test scores and declining enrollment.

Aside from adding 24 new sixth-grade students, enrollment has increased so much for new students that Graves had to add a new kindergarten class this year.

Michael Pope reports...

Spending Of Montgomery County's Planning Director Questioned

October 12, 2009 - An official report says Montgomery County's planning director tried to frustrate an investigation into his spending practices and those of his agency.

The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission says the Montgomery County director, Rollin Stanley, didn't "fully cooperate" with information requests and gave "misleading and contradictory information."

The report was released to The Washington Post in response to a public records request. It says Stanley improperly used his government credit card, used his cell phone for personal calls, and didn't properly document his spending.

Stanley has given up his government credit card and repaid the agency for questioned expenses.

Natalie Neumann reports...

Should Speed Camera Money Pay For Tasers?

October 12, 2009 - One community in Maryland's Montgomery County wants to use some of the revenue from its speed cameras to buy Tasers for its police force.

Every time a camera captures the license plate of a speeding car, that translates to money in the coffers of local jurisdictions. But there's some disagreement over where some of that money should go. The Washington Examiner reports Chevy Chase Village Police Chief Roy Gordon wants to spend $30,000 in speed-camera revenue on 12 Tasers, saying they're an important public safety tool. But Montgomery County Council member Phil Andrews tells the paper the money raised by speed cameras should be used for improvements related to traffic safety.

Under the village's plan, most of the money would go to traffic-related projects: $1.2 million towards building a sidewalk on Brookville Road and $4.6 million on street lights.

Matt McCleskey reports...