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October 29, 2009 - WASHINGTON (AP) Construction permits for the long-delayed Martin Luther King Junior Memorial were expected to be issued today. Organizers are celebrating the building phase of the monument for the National Mall and hope to finish construction in 2011.
WASHINGTON (AP) Showing exposed breasts on the air has been a TV taboo, but WJLA, an ABC afilliate in the Washington region, says they will not blur out the breasts of two volunteers who will participate in on-air clinical demonstrations of breast self-exams. The broadcasts will air today and tomorrow.
WASHINGTON (AP) A judge says the flight risk of a scientist accused of attempted espionage is too great to allow bail. Prosecutors say 52-year-old Stewart Nozette is accused of seeking $2 million for selling secrets to an undercover FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer.
WASHINGTON (AP) D.C. officials and a nonprofit group that operates a network of homes for the developmentally disabled have reached an agreement to improve the quality of its care. District officials announced the settlement with Individual Development Incorporated yesterday. The nonprofit faced the possibility of a court-ordered takeover of two of its 11 facilities.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 29, 2009 - BALTIMORE (AP) The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development says HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan will visit Baltimore Gas and Electric offices to discuss job creation. BGE received $200 million in federal stimulus funding earlier this week for its smart meter program.
HEREFORD, Md. (AP) White thread that didn't match a cross country runner's black undershorts disqualified his fourth-place finish and cost his high school the county title on Monday in Baltimore County. School officials say the new rule does not affect how the race is run, but it is in the rule book.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 29, 2009 - ROANOKE, Va. (AP) The parents of a Virginia Tech student missing since she went to a Metallica concert nearly two weeks ago are asking people to share information with police. Daniel and Gil Harrington of Roanoke said in a statement today they're doing everything in their power to bring their daughter home.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Republican candidate for governor Bob McDonnell and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling have launched a 25-locality, five-day statewide tour as they head toward Election Day leading Democrats in the polls by double digits. They warned supporters against being overconfident.
LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) A former Virginia Military Institute cadet was among 18 soldiers killed in Afghanistan who were honored by President Barack Obama as their bodies returned to the U.S. Army Sergeant Dale R. Griffin attended the Lexington school for three semesters in 2000 and 2001.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
October 29, 2009 - The King Memorial has been in the making for more than 30 years, and under the bright orange leaves of a cherry blossom overlooking the tidal basin, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar signed the building permit that will allow construction to finally proceed.
Salazar said Americans "both born and unborn will come here to be reminded that his dream is our dream." King's sister, Dr. Christine Farris, remembered her brother before a crowd that included many members of the Congressional Black Caucus. "This is an emotional moment for me," she said, "I never thought I would envision a day like today."
Construction will begin in two weeks and is expected to be completed in a year.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
King's sister, Dr. Christine Farris, remembered her brother before a crowd that included many members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Courtesy of: Sabri Ben-Achour
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October 29, 2009 - D.C. native Edward Brooke got a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the U.S. The former Republican Senator from Massachusetts was honored for his efforts in the struggle for voting rights in the nation's capital.
Brooke became the first African-American popularly elected to the Senate and served from 1967 to 1979. D.C. was where he was born and raised, and even stayed for college, so he fought for issues on its behalf. At a Capitol ceremony that included President Obama, Brooke urged the current Republican Senate leader to do something for people in need and put aside partisan politics.
"We can't worry about that Mitch McConnell," said Brooke. "We can't worry about those things. We can't worry that you all can't get together. We have got to get together. We have no alternative. There is nothing left."
Brooke also told lawmakers and others in attendance that he'd turn in his honor if Congress passes the D.C. voting rights bill. Brooke will turn 90 this week.
Sara Sciammacco reports...
D.C. native Edward Brooke received a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the U.S.
Courtesy of: www.flickr.com/talkradionews
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October 29, 2009 - Two more Marylanders have died of swine flu. State health officials say the latest victims were adults who lived in the Baltimore area; they were not related and neither had underlying medical conditions. Their deaths bring the total number of people who have died from swine flu in Maryland to 12.
Health Secretary John Colmers says more deaths are likely as the heart of flu season approaches. The state has 420,000 doses of swine flu vaccine on order, but so far the supply remains limited. In the meantime, health experts are urging common sense precautions such as hand-washing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nationwide, more than 2,400 people have died of flu, or flu-related complications since late August.
Bill Redlin reports...
October 29, 2009 - As part of our continuing series "Conversations," reporter Michael Cottman speaks with Kevin Chavous, a Washington, D.C. attorney and activist who appears in a local television ad that criticizes President Barack Obama for eliminating a federal program that allows low-income students to attend private schools.
October 29, 2009 - Approximately 200 area environmentalists are trying to achieve the goal of a trash free Potomac by 2013.
The 4th annual Potomac Watershed Trash Summit assembled a collection of environmentalists from all around the region. Most here, have one goal in mind.
"It is up to us as individuals to make sure that we keep the trash out of the water," said environmentalist, author and keynote speaker for the event Colin Brevin. Later he led me to a particularly troublesome area of the Potomac river, adjacent to K street in Northwest D.C.
"What we're standing next to is the combined sewer overflow, said Brevin. "The combined sewage which is both rainwater and our sewage ends up in the river...and carrying with it all the plastic and waste paper on our streets into the river and the aquatic environment."
Members of the summit are encouraging local leaders to generate and pass laws to support their initiative and are organizing cleanup events. The first, the Potomac River Watershed cleanup, will take place in March 2010.
Elliott Francis reports...
Potomac sewage overflow point in Northwest Washington, DC.
Courtesy of: Elliott Francis
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October 29, 2009 - Emma Fofanah wants to teach her seven year-old daughter, Sierra, what it means to be a successful, independent black woman. So, after earning a business degree, Fofanah secured a job as a research analyst at an investment firm, where she earns $60,000 a year. In April 2008, she bought a town-home in Prince William County, Virginia. A few months later, Sierra's father stopped paying child support. Now Fofanah is facing the possibility of foreclosure.
A new report from the Urban Institute says more than 100,000 mortgages across the region were delinquent in June. The report suggests minorities will be among those hardest hit in the next wave of foreclosures.
Jessica Gould reports...
Kathryn Pettit, a research associate at the Urban Institute, was the lead author on the report.
Courtesy of: Jessica Gould
October 29, 2009 - Washington's NFL franchise has been generating plenty of news coverage lately - - much of it has been focused on the team's injured relationship with its fans. But Commentator Fred Fiske wants to talk about injuries of a different sort...
October 29, 2009 - The U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wants more schools to function as community centers to provide a variety of services for families, similar to a model common in England. "Community Schools" have extended hours throughout the year, they offer health services and also programs for parents such as GED classes.
While Duncan was the head of Chicago Public Schools, approximately a quarter of schools there became community schools. He says even though this wasn't something imposed on educators, there was intial reluctance. "Your buildings are open longer hours. Who pays for what? Who's in control of what? Letting go that's not something these educators do easily. But I would tell you because the results were so dramatic, principals talking to principals, created a huge amount of demand," said Duncan.
Tony Blair, former British prime minister says by 2010 all schools there will be community schools."It's a very, very important part of making education about the whole person and about the whole community. And the lesson we learned is that it definitely works and is important to do."
Carlin Springs Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia and several schools in the Baltimore area are already "community schools."
Kavitha Cardoza reports...
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and former British prime minister Tony Blair discuss community schools at the Center for American Progress.
Courtesy of: Kavitha Cardoza
October 29, 2009 - The cafeteria at Northwood High School has been transformed into a chaotic, pediatric medical facility.
Nurses are spraying doses of the swine flu vaccine into the noses of dozens of children and, as evidenced by the screams of toddlers echoing across the room, not everyone's enjoying it.
Seven-year-old Simon Chervenak was one of the braver ones. "It tasted like cold snow," he said.
Some children weren't as lucky as Simon.
The clinic opened at 4:00 p.m., but by that point, a line had already formed around the building. Clinic workers started turning people away at 4:20.
Olayinka Abiodun was planning to vaccinate her 5-year-old daughter, Blessing. But her bus ran late and she didn't arrive until 4:30. "It's so unfortunate," she said. "I'm not happy about it. The way they turned me back, [telling me] I should go back home, I'm not happy at all."
The Montgomery County Health Department held two other vaccination clinics last night, and both started turning people away within a half hour.
A Health Department spokesman says the county will hold more clinics when supplies become available.
David Schultz reports...
October 29, 2009 - Paying tolls on the Intercounty Connector in Maryland will be "E-Z." If not, drivers will have to pay more. Cash will not be accepted for tolls on the road, currently being built between Gaithersburg and Laurel. Ron Freeland, the executive secretary for the Maryland Transportation Authority, says the electronic E-ZPass system will be the only payment accepted.
Matt Bush reports....
Ron Freeland, the executive secretary for the Maryland Transportation Authority, says the electronic E-ZPass system will be the only payment accepted for tolls on the road currently being built between Gaithersburg and Laurel.
Courtesy of: Matt Bush
October 29, 2009 - The District has reached an agreement with a nonprofit group that operates homes for the developmentally disabled to improve the quality of its care.
The settlement comes after a federal court monitor and an advocacy group approached the city last month about deficiencies in care at Individual Development Inc. and the deaths of three residents. The Washington Post reports the nonprofit has also faced criticism of its politically connected chairman's unusually high salary.
Under the agreement IDI will face more scrutiny. An outside monitor will oversee compliance and can impose fines and revoke its licenses and certifications.
Before the settlement, the organization faced the possibility of a court-ordered takeover of two of its 11 facilities.
Natalie Neumann reports...
October 29, 2009 - Tonight the Most Dangerous Man in America is invited to the Capitol. "The Most Dangerous Man in America" is what Henry Kissinger called Daniel Ellsberg - and his plan to reveal a secret history of the Vietnam War. It's also the title of a new documentary playing tonight at the new Capitol Visitors Center.
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...
October 29, 2009 - When a convicted murderer escaped last January from one of Hagerstown's three prisons, the prison told the media, but used a steam powered whistle to notify residents. The whistle was from the 1940's. A lot of people couldn't hear it or didn't know what it was.
Michael Stouffer is commissioner of Maryland's Division of Correction, he says there are far better ways to notify the public now. So now, anyone - whether they live near one of Maryland's 27 prisons or not - can sign up to get an email, text, or phone alert. It won't tell you what crime the person committed, but will give identifying characteristics.
You can sign up here.
October 29, 2009 - (October 31) MUTTS MASQUERADE
The hounds of horror will be out in full force for a Halloween hike through Rock Creek Park. The Mutts Masquerade is a benefit party for the Washington Animal Rescue League kicking off Halloween morning at 8 in Meadowbrook Park. The two- and four-footed will be dressed in their finest costumes for doggie trick-or-treating and a canine costume contest. The League will also have vets on hand to do pet check-ups and insert tracking microchips, in case your own hound of horror goes astray.
The League's Annual Open House takes place after the Halloween festivities on Sunday, November 1st from noon to 4pm at its headquarters on Oglethorpe Street. There will be a "haunted" Medical Center, red-tag adoption specials and refreshments, along with a community yard sale, music and family-friendly activities.
(Through November 15) DRACULA for Adults and(Through November 8) DRACULA for Kids A duo of Draculas appears on stage - Synetic Theater provides a moving, swirling adult version of the tale of the Transylvanian count at Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre in Arlington through November 15th. Meanwhile, The Georgetown Theatre Company presents Dracula: A Family Musical at The Shops at Georgetown Park through November 8th. The two productions show just how far a vampire can go, as the dance-based Synetic Theater brings out the sensual side of the Dracula story, while the Georgetown musical takes the sting out of Dracula's bite with music and age-appropriate fun.
October 29, 2009 - Maryland is preparing for the 2010 census by working to make sure all the state's residents are counted.
The federal Census Bureau conducts the survey, but states have a vested interest in making sure the count is accurate. Census data affects federal funding decisions on education, health care, and transportation among other areas.
Governor Martin O'Malley says for the state to get its fair share of federal money, all residents need to return the census forms that will be mailed out starting next March.
Maryland has begun an outreach plan that includes advertising on buses, at Motor Vehicle Administration branches, and state and county Web sites.
In the last census in 2000 Maryland's population was just under 5.3 million, making it the 19th most populous state in the nation.
Matt McCleskey reports...
October 29, 2009 - As individuals are being turned away for H1N1 vaccinations nationwide, a local vaccine producer says it is getting its vaccine to the market on time.
Medimmune is one of five swine flu vaccine producers nationwide. The company, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, makes the nasal mist version of the vaccine. Spokesman Tor Constantino says the company is fulfilling its contract with the Department of Health and Human Services for vaccine delivery. Constantino says Medimmune's deadline for delivery is early 2010.
He says the company is making and delivering one million vaccines per week, and has delivered a quarter of the 40 million doses it promised.
Jamila Bey reports...
October 29, 2009 - As Halloween approaches and streets are growing darker earlier, transportation leaders in D.C. are using the "un-dead" to launch a new pedestrian safety campaign.
Mike Ferrell with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments helped kick off the Street Smart campaign at Georgetown's Waterfront Park. "Driving while texting, distracted driving generally, to a lesser degree distracted walking, they're all big issues," said Ferrell.
Using a local troupe of zombie actors was supposed to bring attention to safety and the new campaign "Don't be a Zombie: Walk, Ride and Bike ALIVE." But the actors never showed up. Instead Derek, along with fellow 9th graders Mark and Adam, were recruited from Wilson High School. They crossed Wisconsin Avenue, walking like zombies while texting and on cell phones. "My dad always taught me; cross at the crosswalks. We don't want people ending up like we are. You know...zombies," said Derek.
George Branyan is director of D.C.'s Pedestrian Program. "In the District, more people are hit doing the right thing than the wrong thing," said Branyan. "More often, people are hit crossing the street in the crosswalk and with the signal than they are just stepping out in a mid-block situation."
Approximately 90 pedestrians are killed in the metro area every year.
Stephanie Kaye reports...
Assistant Police Chief Patrick Burke announces the "Street Smart" Campaign at Georgetown's Waterfront Park.
Courtesy of: Stephanie Kaye
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October 29, 2009 - From the District Department of Transportation:
Large crowds are expected to celebrate Halloween in Georgetown this weekend and participants are strongly encouraged to take public transportation to avoid delays. Although there are no plans at this time to close major roads including M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, the District Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Police Department advise residents and visitors there will be parking restrictions and access to many side streets will be restricted.
Parking Restrictions
No-Parking restrictions will be in effect along the following routes from 3 pm on Friday, October 30 to 6 am on Saturday, October 31, and again from 3 pm on Saturday, October 31 to 6 am on Sunday, November 1:
· K Street, NW from 30th Street to Wisconsin Avenue
· Water Street, NW from 33rd Street to the Canal Tow Path
· 1000-1300 Blocks of Wisconsin Avenue, NW
· M Street, NW from 25th Street to the Key Bridge
· 1100 block of 26th Street, NW
Road Closures
The following streets will be closed to through traffic from 6:30 pm on Saturday, October 31 until 4 am on Sunday, November 1:
· 1000 block of Grace Street, NW
· 1000 block of Thomas Jefferson Street, NW
· 1000-1500 blocks of 29th Street, NW
· 1000-1500 blocks of 30th Street, NW
· 1200-1300 blocks of Potomac Street, NW
· 1200-1500 blocks of 27th Street, NW
· 1200-1500 blocks of 28th Street, NW
· 1200-1600 blocks of 33rd Street, NW
· 1200-1700 blocks of 34th Street, NW
· 1500 block of 32nd Street, NW
· 1600-1700 blocks of 35th Street, NW
· 2600-3100 blocks of Dumbarton Street, NW
· 2600-3100 blocks of P Street, NW
· 2600-3600 blocks of O Street, NW
· 2700-3600 blocks of N Street, NW
· 2700 block of Poplar Lane, NW
· 2700-2900 blocks of Olive Street, NW
· 3100 Block of Blues Alley, NW
· 3100 Block of Oak Alley, NW
· 3100 Block of South Street, NW
· 3200-3400 Q Street, NW
· 3200 Block of Cecil Place, NW
· 3200-3600 blocks of Prospect Street, NW
· 3300-3400 blocks of Dent Place, NW
· 3300 blocks of Cady's Alley, NW
· 900 Block 30th Street, NW
Only residents and employees of businesses within these areas will be granted access. Additional streets may be closed and/or opened at the direction of the 2nd District Commander or his designee. Drivers must present proof of residency or work identification to access the closed streets.
Anyone visiting the area this weekend is strongly encouraged to use public transportation to avoid parking and traffic delays:
The DC Circulator bus runs every ten minutes between Union Station and Georgetown. Please note, the Circulator will not run on M Street in Georgetown, or on Wisconsin Avenue south of Q Street. Instead, the Circulator buses will run east-west on Q Street and north-south on 22nd and 23rd Streets to connect between Washington Circle and Wisconsin Avenue.
· Metrobus also provides service to Georgetown on the following routes:
31, 32, 36, 38B, D1, D2, D3, D5, D6, and G2.
Please note the following detours:
· The 31, 32 and 36 buses will be detoured between Wisconsin Avenue and Washington Circle via Q, 22nd and 23rd Streets.
· The 38B buses will be detoured to K Street via the Whitehurst Freeway.
The Georgetown Metro Connection provides bus service to and from the Rosslyn Metro Station (Orange and Blue Lines) and the Dupont Circle Metro Station (Red Line).
Participants can also walk to Georgetown from the Foggy Bottom - GWU Metro Station. From the station exit, go north on 23rd Street to the circle, then west on Pennsylvania Avenue to M Street.
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