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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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October 28, 2009 - WASHINGTON (AP) D.C. officials are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced the award money today.
WASHINGTON (AP) Demographers say Washington is becoming the nation's mecca for singles as new census data shows living alone is becoming more prevalent. Statistics show every jurisdiction in the Washington region has had a jump in single households.
WASHINGTON (AP) Metro is making changes to its SmartBenefits program, which allows employers to set aside money for commuting on a Metro smart card. As of January 1st, money for transit and for parking will be kept in separate accounts. The IRS is requiring the change.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 28, 2009 - BALTIMORE (AP) State health officials say two more Marylanders have died of swine flu, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 12. Both were adults who lived in the Baltimore area. They were not related, and neither had any underlying medical conditions.
BROOKEVILLE, Md. (AP) The recent rains have caused numerous traffic accidents and forced Montgomery County rescuers to assist a driver who was stranded in a flash flood. Montgomery County fire and rescue crews were called to Brighton Dam Road near Brookeville early yesterday morning. Two vehicles were stalled in the water.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 28, 2009 - CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) Police are hoping a timeline of when and where a Virginia Tech student was last seen will help jog the memory of someone who can provide a key clue to her whereabouts. Authorities say they believe Morgan Dana Harrington was last seen on October 17th on a bridge in Charlottesville.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) A Virginia Commonwealth University poll shows Republican Bob McDonnell leading Democrat Creigh Deeds by landslide proportions in the governor's race. The poll was released today. The 18-point margin is wider than two other polls within the past week that placed McDonnell's lead at 11 percentage points or less.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) The secretive Pentagon agency that brought us the Internet is moving to a new location. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA, broke ground on a new headquarters today in Arlington County, just a few miles from the Pentagon.
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) The historic Patrick Henry Hotel in downtown Roanoke has been acquired by a developer who plans to invest at least $14 million to convert it to other uses. Ed Walker of Roanoke bought the 84-year-old building from Potomac Realty Capital of Boston for $1.3 million on yesterday.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 28, 2009 - The Whitman-Walker Clinic in Northern Virginia closed its doors earlier this year and now the Alexandria Health Department is trying a few new things to fill the void.
Matt Bamford, an activist in the local gay community, is spreading the word that the Alexandria Health Department's new Rainbow Tuesdays Clinic happens on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month...
"A lot of people have been like, 'Okay, well, we feel comfortable with Whitman-Walker, we know Whitman-Walker,'" said Bamford. "And it's very hard to get men out of their comfort zone."
Debby Dimon, a public health nurse supervisor, says losing Whitman-Walkers Arlington location was a blow to the entire area...
"There's no gay, bisexual, transgendered clinic in Northern Virginia, and we wanted to have a clinic that would reach the needs of men in our community".
Dimon says a growing need is treatment for Syphilis because after nearly being eradicated in the 90's, it has been on the rise since 2001.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says men who have sex with men account for 65 percent of new cases.
Treatment for the Syphilis is free at the Rainbow Tuesdays clinic.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
Local LGBT Activist Matt Bamford (left) poses Alexandria Public Health Nurse Supervisor Debby Dimon.
Courtesy of: Jonathan Wilson
October 28, 2009 - H1N1 flu clinics continue around the region today and tomorrow.
A thousand doses will be available at each of the three clinics in Montgomery County, Maryland today. The clinics at Northwood, Northwest and Rockville High Schools will be held from 4-8 p.m. tonight. Only youth aged 2 to 24 are eligible for the nasal spray vaccinations at those sites.
In Virginia, Fairfax County is offering the vaccine at five county health offices. The vaccines will be provided to pregnant women, children between 2 and 5 years old, and parents of children under six months old. Each clinic will distribute 250 vaccinations per day until supplies last.
The district hosts clinics tomorrow night from 5 to nine at Hardy Middle School and Wilson Senior High School. They'll serve pregnant women and youth ranging from 6 months to 24 years old.
Natalie Neumann reports...
H1N1 flu clinics continue around the region today and tomorrow.
Courtesy of: Centers for Disease Control
October 28, 2009 - Election Day is less than two weeks off and locally, nearly all of the attention has been on the governor's race in Virginia. But across the river in Maryland's Montgomery County, cities such as Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Takoma Park that have their own governments will be electing mayors and city council members.
In Rockville, 11 people are running for four spots on the city council. Matt Bush met with Waleed Ovase, a candidate who has to face a question the others don't.
Matt Bush reports...
In Rockville, 11 people are running for four spots on the city council, including 17-year-old Waleed Ovase, pictured in center.
Courtesy of: Matt Bush
October 28, 2009 - Montgomery County's school board is pressing to increase Maryland's age for mandatory school attendance from 16 to 18 to improve graduation rates.
The board voted unanimously on the measure calling for the change Monday night. But only state lawmakers can increase the age at which students can drop out of school.
Montgomery County officials say the graduation rate in the state's largest school system has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade. The graduation rate fell to 87 percent last spring from a high of 93 percent in 2003. More than a quarter of the students who drop out in Montgomery County are 16 or 17 years old. Superintendent Jerry Weast says raising the dropout age would help some students make it to graduation.
Such efforts have failed before in the general assembly.
Meymo Lyons reports...
Montgomery County's school board is pressing to increase Maryland's age for mandatory school attendance from 16 to 18 to improve graduation rates.
Courtesy of: Morgue File
October 28, 2009 - The Smart Benefits program allows employers to set aside money on workers' SmarTrip cards. In one change starting in January, Metro will be keeping money designated for riding the train or bus in a separate account from money designated for parking in Metro lots. The upshot is that commuters will no longer be able to use their parking benefits to pay for transit. The IRS is requiring that change.
Also starting in January, any unused monthly benefits will be credited back to employers at the end of the month. Metro says employers who provide the benefit view the change favorably. But it's not so popular with many riders who contribute through a pre-tax payroll deduction, and with their employers, who say it raises administrative concerns.
Metro says it's holding meetings with federal and private sector employers and third party administrators to provide an overview of the changes.
Matt McCleskey reports...
The Smart Benefits program allows employers to set aside money on workers' SmarTrip cards. In one change starting in January, Metro will be keeping money designated for riding the train or bus in a separate account from money designated for parking in Metro lots.
Courtesy of: www.flickr.com/edrabbit
October 28, 2009 - The National Transportation Board says Maryland State Police have come a long way in addressing their concerns over a Medevac helicopter crash a year ago that killed four people.
NTSB investigators found several causes for the crash near District Heights, Maryland in September 2008. The weather was bad, and the pilot didn't perform a risk assessment. Maryland State Police did not require him to. The police also had slashed their training requirements, so the pilot hadn't been trained for the conditions he faced in almost two years. NTSB Board Members called the deficiencies unacceptable and mind boggling, but said police have addressed most of the concerns since the crash.
"They have designed new flight risk assessments, they implemented new training requirements for the pilots," said Chief Investigator Corky Smith. The state police also now use doctors to decide whether to use helicopters at all.
"Through that medical intervention in the process we've seen a dramatic reduction in the number of helicopter transports in the state of Maryland," said Investigator Jason Fedok.
Investigators say an ambulance on site could have taken the victims to the hospital just as quickly as the helicopter.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
October 28, 2009 - If you're a resident of Maryland or D.C. and fed up with with high energy rates that fluctuate, there's a money saving alternative.
Matt Berres lives in a one bedroom home in Greenbelt Maryland. At first glance, there's nothing unusual about how he consumes energy until you get a look at his electricity bill. "Well compared to Pepco's summer rates, we're saving about 12 to 13 percent on our bill," said Berres.
Berres is enrolled in the Clean Currents energy program. Because of laws that allow customer choice in Maryland, Berres had the opportunity to switch their source of electricity from coal or nuclear, to wind generated power.
There aren't solar panels on the roof, or windmills in the backyard. The power comes in over the standard electrical grid, but it is where it's coming from that makes the difference, according to Kristi Neidhardt of Clean Currents.
"We get ours from wind farms across the country," said Berres. "As far as from Texas from California, yes it comes from all across the country."
This is the same level of service he's accustomed to. It's cheaper, greener and there are no surprises on his monthly bill. "With Clean Currents what I've done is sign a contract so I'm gonna be paying a flat rate for the contract period; no fluctuation, I know exactly what my bill's going to be."
Approximately 4,000 area residents are currently enrolled in the program.
Elliott Francis reports...
October 28, 2009 - In Virginia, four students accused of arranging pieces of sod into racist symbols will appeal their school district's punishment at a disciplinary hearing tonight.
Six Stonewall Jackson High School students were suspended for using the sod to form a swastika and spell out "KKK" in a parking lot at Sinclair Elementary School in August. Prince William County Police say four students were charged with vandalism.
School board members will decide whether the four students be expelled for the rest of the year. Two of the suspended students are not appealing their punishment. Rae Roach, mother of two of the students, calls the punishment "unjust."
Roach tells the Washington Post her sons, 14 and 16 years old, completed a court-ordered program that included community service and a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. She says they were humbled, "understanding now what those words and symbols mean to people."
Meymo Lyons reports...
October 28, 2009 - The former head of Maryland's Public Defender's Office, who was fired in August, is asking lawmakers to change the law to protect the agency's independence.
Nancy Forster is asking Maryland's Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee to increase the size of the board that voted to remove her. Forster also says the board should only play an advisory role in the affairs of the public defenders office.
The board currently has three members. The members voted 2 to 1 to fire Forster after a dispute about staffing. Forster wanted to keep social workers in the office despite serious state budget problems.
Board Chairman T. Wray McCurdy says the public defender's office has seen a big increase in cases and must focus on defending the poor in court. McCurdy argues the office should avoid committing resources to social services already performed by other agencies.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
October 28, 2009 - Congress is taking stock of stimulus funds in the D.C. area. Lawmakers want to know if the money is creating new jobs.
Congress handed the District more than $500 million to make government buildings more green and give the Smithsonian a face lift. Stimulus funds are also helping fund the conversion of St. Elizabeths Hospital into the headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security.
Robert Peck represents the General Services Administration.
"St. E's will be the Washington metro area's largest federal construction project since the Pentagon," he says.
"It will revitalize and spur economic development in Anacostia and will feature green roofs, landscaped courtyards, and provisions to reuse surface water runoff."
Peck spoke at a hearing Tuesday led by D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Smithsonian representatives say they are spending stimulus funds to update museums, the national zoo and ecological research centers.
Congressional Republicans say the stimulus hasn't created as many jobs as promised.
Tanya Snyder reports...
October 28, 2009 - The city of Alexandria is getting federal money to combat gangs. The Department of Justice is giving the city $250,000 for its continuing efforts to slow down and curtail gang activity. The grant money will be used for several things including a program that removes tattoos from people trying to leave gangs. Funding will also go toward educating professionals in the field on trends in the region and on resources available to them.
Pat Brogan reports...
October 28, 2009 - Alexandria, Virginia's health department is taking a new approach to confronting the resurgence of an age-old illness: Syphilis.
Debby Dimon is the nurse supervisor for Alexandria's Health Department. She says a decade ago, Alexandria saw three or four cases of Syphilis a year.
"Now we see anywhere from 20 to 30 cases a year, which is significant, given the change and how small of an area we are," she says.
Syphilis was nearly eradicated in the 1990s. But in the U.S., the rate of syphilis infection increased every year from 2001 through 2007. That's the latest year of available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2007, gay men accounted for 65 percent of syphilis cases across the country.
Alexandria started what it calls a Rainbow Tuesdays clinic to this fall to reach out to gay men who need treatment.
Sean -- who didn't want to give his last name -- is one of them. He says its time for everyone to stop thinking of syphilis as a thing of the past.
"Did I think it was possible, for me, in 2008, an educated, professional, gay man to get this?" he asks. "No, I didn't. I thought it was that other person's disease."
The Rainbow Tuesdays clinic is open on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at the Alexandria Health Department. Treatment is free.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
This syringe contains Bicillin, a type of Penicillin used to treat Syphilis.
Courtesy of: Jonathan Wilson
View more images from this gallery.
October 28, 2009 - (Through November 4) GUY - AND GAL - NOIR The AFI Silver Theatre brings dark stories to the silver screen with Noir City D.C., running through next Wednesday. Screenings include some of film noir's greatest hits, along with cult classics and spirited discussions.
(October 30-November 2) InCite ARTS FESTIVAL The InCite Arts Festival blends art, science, and politics at three different venues - D.C.'s Kennedy Center, the Phillips Collection and Maryland's Olney Theatre Center, through Monday. This moveable feast, conceived in Boston and staged in New York, includes Cosmic Reflection, a narrated symphony about the history of the universe; collaborations between playwright Tom Stoppard and composer Andre Previn, and a Color and Light gallery talk led by painter Richard Raiselis.
(October 30 & 31) UPPITY BLUES WOMEN Safire: The Uppity Blues Women bring their regional tour to a close at The Barns at Wolf Trap, Friday and Saturday nights. Bidding farewell to D.C.-area audiences, these "swan song" concerts include some of the group's most poignant and humorous tunes, including Too Much Butt, a tribute to plus-size women everywhere, and Bald Headed Blues, a song about surviving cancer.
October 28, 2009 - Today the Environment and Public Works Committee continues its portion of the Senate's quest for climate change legislation with a hearing on clean energy jobs.
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...
October 28, 2009 - It was here at the razor-wire enclosed Maryland Correctional Institution at Hagerstown that a convicted murderer escaped last January. But the only way residents were notified was through a 1940s era steam whistle.
You could only hear it if "you really knew what you were listening for and really perked your ears," according to neighbor Mike Arnell, who lives about a mile from the prison.
Arnell said he heard about the prison-break on TV. After the escape, many residents complained to State Delegate Chris Shank, who says they didn't hear the siren or didn't understand it. The escaped prisoner broke into homes and stole jewelry from people during the five days he was on the loose.
Maryland's Division of Correction has since created an alert system. Anybody, whether you live near one of Maryland's 27 prisons or have a friend who does or are just curious for some reason, can sign up online to get an email, text message or phone alert.
The Division of Correction says the whistle at Hagerstown will continue to be used until it's so old that it stops working.You can sign up here to get these alerts.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
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