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Saturday, November 21, 2009
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October 21, 2009 - WASHINGTON (AP) A D.C. councilwoman wants to make sure urban wildlife in Washigton has a bill of rights. Mary Cheh introduced a bill yesterday that would regulate the trapping of animals that include racoons, bats and skunks in the city.
WASHINGTON (AP) Labor Department statistics show the District of Columbia leads the nation in the percentage of jobs lost in September relative to population. The D.C. unemployment rate shot up to 11.4 percent. Washington lost 10,000 jobs from August to September.
WASHINGTON (AP) Officials say two D.C. police officers are on routine administrative leave after shooting and killing a 19-year-old man in northeast Washington. Authorities say 19-year-old James Broadus Miller was killed after confronting the officers with a gun.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 21, 2009 - ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) Montgomery County residents lined up overnight in a queue that stretched several blocks hoping to get swine flu vaccinations. County officials were prepared to distribute roughly 1,200 doses of the H1N1 vaccine, but that was not nearly enough to meet demand.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) A state commission has approved a license for 1,500 slot machines at a Cecil County venue. The commission made the unanimous vote today to award a license to Penn Cecil, a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming.
BALTIMORE (AP) Prosecutors in Baltimore say a man and woman have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting a colleague, who is now paralyzed from the attack. Twenty-year-old Darryl Newsome and 24-year-old Keya Gardner were sentenced yesterday. The two were convicted in May.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 21, 2009 - RICHMOND, Va. (AP) President Barack Obama will appear in a new television advertisement for Creigh Deeds and plans to campaign with the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Norfolk. Deeds' campaign said Wednesday that the 30-second spot features Obama calling on Virginia voters to get "fired up" to elect Deeds on November 3rd.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) Two Virginia military bases are in the running to house the consolidation of several Marine Corps anti-terrorism units. Marine Corps officials say the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station and the Naval Security Group in Chesapeake are among three finalists selected from a pool of 35 bases.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) A company that makes submachine guns is moving its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Virginia Beach. City officials say Transformational Defense Industries will hire 35 employees when it relocates its headquarters to Oceana West Corporate Park.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) A slavery museum and an African-American genealogical center are among the features of a proposed heritage site for Richmond. The Richmond Slave Trail Commission released a master plan yesterday for the $100 million to $150 million proposal in the city's Shockoe Bottom section.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 21, 2009 - The Region's Transportation Planning board is considering a proposal which could cost commuters approximately 8 to 10 cents per mile to drive on area roadways.
Members of the Council of Government's Transportation board voted to accept the proposal, which will attempt to gauge the commuting public's interest in the plan. At stake is an idea conceived by the Brookings Institution for a GPS based roadway pricing system. The model would charge motorists based on the distance they drive, the type of vehicle they drive and the level of congestion on the road.
Patrick Jones is executive director of the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association. "Highways, bridges and tunnels in this country are radically underfunded. The federal government has refused to increase the fuel tax since 1993," said Jones. "Many states have refused to increase their fuel taxes. This study attempts to give the Washington region options."
It's called a "Vehicle Miles Traveled" charge. Analysts at Brookings say it's designed to raise between $3 and $4 billion a year for the region, replacing the current gas tax, which only raises approximately $4 million annually.
Triple A Mid Atlantic's Lon Anderson says the fees amount to a fine for drivers. "We urged them to not go forward with this study; it's ludicrous on its face," said Anderson. "There may be some merit in doing some road pricing, but at the rates discussed in this study, it's the equivalent of a $2 to $3 dollars a gallon tax on motorists. It's ridculous!"
The Planning Board hopes to get the plan underway within the decade.
Elliott Francis reports...
The Region's Transportation Planning board is considering a proposal which could cost commuters approximately 8 to 10 cents per mile to drive on area roadways.
Courtesy of: Elliot Francis
October 21, 2009 - Cecil County, Maryland is one step closer to seeing 1,500 machines by late next year.
A state commission has voted to award a license for the slots to Penn Cecil, a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming. The company hopes to open the site in Perryville by the end of 2010. Last month the commission approved a license for a horse-racing track near Ocean City.
The commission also is considering a site at Arundel Mills Mall in Anne Arundel County, but zoning matters have delayed the process. The commission has asked the County to resolve the issue by December 17th.
The panel also has questions about a proposal to build 500 slot machines in Baltimore. Mayor Sheila Dixon says "most" of the gaming revenues would go toward reducing property taxes.
Rebecca Sheir reports...
October 21, 2009 - As the area awaits more shipments of H1N1 flu vaccines, the number of cases in the region is on the rise, according to local hospitals and public health departments.
Dr. Lisa Kaplowitz, health director for the city of Alexandria, says that cases of H1N1 appear to have peaked in some places across the country--Alabama, for instance. But Kaplowitz says our region isn't so lucky.
"You really only know when the peak is when you see a downswing in cases," she says. "We haven't been in that situation yet in Northern Virginia or the national capital region," said Kaplowitz.
Many hospitals in Northern Virginia report emergency rooms are busier than normal. At the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, trips to the ER are up 20 percent compared to last October.
Some say part of the challenge with vaccine production delays will be keeping the public interested in getting immunized. Dr. David Ascher, chairman of pediatrics at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children, says some doctors are losing patience. "With the virus circulating in the community, we know that it's a race against time," said Ascher. "That's where the frustration is."
Ascher says the number of children at his hospital showing flu symptoms has quadrupled in the past two weeks.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
October 21, 2009 - There's a new employment resource center in Germantown, Maryland, called Montgomery Works.
The activity inside this center is quietly intense. The people who occupy the internet terminals are focused on one deceptively elusive task: finding a job.
Vaughn Mathews is here searching for his next job. "I'm looking for a government type job, mail room, clerk, something like that, warehouse clerk, something in that field," says Mathews.
So far, no luck, but Vaughn figures his chances are better here than on his own. This Montgomery Works Employment center is only two weeks old. The so-called one-stop shop provides digital based job search resources and a variety of counseling services to many up-county residents, according to Joel Bandeh, assistant director of up-county employment services.
"We have social services upstairs, a recreation department, day care programs, and the public schools training program on the 3rd floor. This is a huge facility," says Bandeh.
Elliott Francis reports...
Montgomery Works, a new employment resource center in Germantown, Maryland, attempts to help unemployed residents find jobs.
Courtesy of: Elliot Francis
October 21, 2009 - Maryland's chief executive is appealing to school superintendents around the state to do some serious belt-tightening.
Gov. Martin O'Malley has, for the most part, spared education although there have been many rounds of budget cuts since he came into the office in 2007. But the Democratic chief executive says the state will need every innovation that can possibly be mustered to meet challenges in the next budget year.
At a meeting of superintendents from around the state in Annapolis on Tuesday, O'Malley recommended they work together to save money in school construction. O'Malley he says one way they can do that is to have standard designs for facilities.
Bill Redlin reports...
October 21, 2009 - More Virginia state troopers will be looking for HOV lane violators in Arlington County this morning.
Troopers are out in greater numbers on Interstates 395 and 95 as part of a special initiative targeting High Occupancy Vehicle lane scofflaws. Sergeant Jim De Ford says a new plan was needed after even more drivers filed complaints.
"Some of the e-mails that we get from citizens suggested that they don't see us out there," said De Ford. "We're actually out there doing HOV violations or HOV enforcement every single day. We need to be more noticeable I think in order to be a better deterrent."
HOV lane violators face fines ranging from $125 for their first offense to $1,000 for their fourth one.
Leslie Byford reports...
October 21, 2009 - A majority of the almost 1,200 sixth grade girls in D.C. Public Schools received the Human Papilloma virus vaccine, but public health officials would still like to see those numbers increase.
Eighty-two percent of girls entering the sixth grade in D.C. Public Schools this year have received the HPV vaccine or shown proof their parents have chosen to "opt out." The vaccine is shown to protect girls against four types of HPV, two of which commonly cause cervical cancer.
But the vaccine has been controversial. Some people question how safe it is and some say it might encourage promiscuity. Dr LaQuandra Nesbitt, with the D.C. Department of Health, says she would like to see more students get the vaccine. "From the public health perspective we do believe it will improve the health outcomes here in D.C.," said Nesbitt. "We would like all who are eligible and don't have contraindications to take advantage of it."
Nesbitt says children continue to receive their vaccinations so she expects that the numbers of those who choose the HPV vaccine number might still increase.
Kavitha Cardoza reports...
October 21, 2009 - The bad economy is making it worse for domestic violence victims whose abuse stems from financial troubles. Maryland Democrat Donna Edward says funding shortfalls are leaving many women without the services they need.
Maryland police reported nearly 19,000 domestic violence cases last year. Prince George's and Montgomery counties had a total of nearly 4,000. While the numbers are down from the year before, Congresswoman Edwards says victims across the state and country aren't getting enough help with housing, mental and legal issues.
"A lot of shelters and domestic violence services and programs are funded by a combination of federal, state, local and private dollars and we are in an economic environment in which a lot of that funding is just disappearing and that has had a tremendous impact," said Edwards.
Edwards chairs a congressional task force that's working on combating domestic violence. Experts say increased resources and education will help financially abused victims leave relationships and stand on their own two feet.
Sara Sciammacco reports...
October 21, 2009 - In Virginia, Fairfax County's Health Director says despite having to scale back her county's plans for vaccination clinics this weekend, she's confident everyone who wants the H1N1 vaccine will eventually get it.
Fairfax County Health Director Gloria Addo-Ayensu says her county received approximately 10,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine, instead of 47,000 it was expecting.
"Obviously it's a disappointment because people were counting on getting the vaccine this weekend, or having their kids get vaccinated," Dr. Addo-Ayensu says.
The health department has now canceled ten vaccination clinics it was planning for this weekend.
Addo-Ayensu says her staff will hold a single, mass vaccination instead -- on Saturday at the Fairfax County Government Center.
She also says vaccine shortages likely are short-term.
"If we get a large shipment in, then we will go to the ten-site plan. So I don't want people to get discouraged," she says.
This weekend the county will target young children from 6 months to 36 months old, and pregnant women two populations at high risk for H1N1.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
Fairfax County has only received 10,000 of the 47,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine it was expecting. As a result, the county will hold a mass vaccination instead, on Saturday at the Fairfax County Government Center.
Courtesy of: Jonathan Wilson
October 21, 2009 - The Folger Shakespeare Theatre on Captiol Hill is setting its latest production in Northeast D.C. "Much Ado About Nothing" takes on a unique tone, when it's set in the neighborhood of Trinidad during Washington's annual Caribbean festival.
Elizabethan English works well in a Caribbean accent - that is, at least according to director Timothy Douglass. He's heading up the latest production of "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Capitol Hill theater. "Caribbean English, which is learned from the British...it's very, very proper. And so right there Shakespeare's text is being honored."
Douglass has been working with set designer Tony Cisek. They found the perfect location for a play written in the 16th century in an alley in Washington D.C. Douglass reminds Cisek of the foray when they found their set design: "It's that alley right behind H Street, Northeast, at that fish store that's on 12th or 13th..." Cisek recalling the quick find, "Yeah yeah yeah! And when you look at them there are balconies and staircases, and it's all very 'staging-friendly.'"
The Folger Shakespeare Theatre's "Much Ado About Nothing" opens tonight. Stephanie Kaye reports...
Tony Cisek's set rendering for "Much Ado About Nothing."
Courtesy of: Tony Cisek
October 21, 2009 - (October 22) THE KOSHLAND GOES VIRAL The Koshland Science Museum in downtown D.C. presents Infectious Disease in the Age of Google, tomorrow night at 6:30. You can learn how experts track outbreaks - just make sure to wash your hands. The event involves plenty of audience participation.
(October 22) BILINGUAL POETRY JAM The Mexican Cultural Institute in D.C�s Columbia Heights hosts a knock-down, drag-out night of combat poetry, tomorrow at 7. Four up-and-coming poets - two from Mexico, two from the U.S.- will read their original poetry in a back-and-forth of ideas, wordplay and creative expression.
(October 22 & 23) THE DANCE OF BIRDS AND DISTANCE Artists with The University of Maryland Department of Dance perform two free-ranging works at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland, tomorrow and Friday night at 8. Through a Distance and Birds of a Feather employ choreography to capture the way relationships change with distance as they portray life as sets of departures, journeys and arrivals.
October 21, 2009 - Virginia's candidates for governor are trying to energize their bases in the last few weeks of a race that's viewed as a bellwether for post-Obama politics nationwide.
The Deeds campaign in particular is trying to capitalize on the grassroots support that helped elect President Obama last November. That won't be easy. Larry Sabato directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, he says this will be a very different election.
"There's a million to a million and a half people who won't be showing up. The question is: who are they? Every indication we have is that they are young, minorities, certain suburbanites, exactly the people who got turned out for Barack Obama last year. They are overwhelmingly Democratic," said Sabato.
One of those people is Jayne Byrnes, she was active in Virginia as an organizer for Obama in 08. But she says the energy in '09 is "nowhere close" to what it was.
"People got campaigned out, the energy level is just down." Byrnes believes that's because of the historic nature of the campaign: "Someone like Obama comes along only once every few generations, I put him in the same category as Kennedy."
Byrnes also believes that political networks like Organizing for America - the reincarnation of Obama's grassroots campaign - could have helped but focused more on issues like Health Care rather than campaigns.
Whatever the reason, the base seems to be late to rally and according to Sabato, "There are many, many, many undecided voters, but the problem for both candidates - and especially Creigh Deeds - is most of them aren't going to vote. Most undecideds decide not to vote in an off year election when they don't feel strongly."
Translation: it will come down to the base.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
October 21, 2009 - Tomorrow the Augustine Commission releases a report on plans for human space flight. Today the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee holds a hearing titled "the case for space."
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...
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