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Friday, November 20, 2009
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November 03, 2009 - WAMU will provide hourly on-air coverage of the Virginia elections. You can listen to the audio of all on-air coverage here.
Are you on Twitter? Follow @wamu885news for the latest Virginia elections news.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. The Virginia Board of Elections will provide up-to-the-minute election results as they become available.
Click here to get directions to your local polling station.
Click here to see unofficial results of the general election.
Click here to see a map of statewide results of the gubernatorial race, which will be updated precinct by precinct.
WAMU will provide hourly on-air coverage of the Virginia elections.
Courtesy of: Sabri Ben-Achour
November 03, 2009 - By Michael Pope
Despite the Republican sweep of statewide races in Virginia, Democrats in Alexandria are celebrating victories in local elections.
Democrats maintained their dominance in Alexandria, winning all of the local races for House of Delegates. Democratic candidates for sheriff and commonwealth's attorney ran without Republican opposition.
Earlier this year, Democrats lost two seats on the Alexandria City Council -- energizing Republicans who thought the momentum might help them unseat incumbent Democrats in the House of Delegates.
Republicans have already started the process of recruiting new candidates to take on the Democrats next year.
November 03, 2009 - Local municipal elections will be decided in Maryland at the polls today. Matt Bush reports some students at the University of Maryland are hoping to determine the outcome of at least one race...
University of Maryland student group "UMD for Clean Energy." The group staged a march to the polls this evening to vote in College Park elections.
Courtesy of: Matt Bush
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November 03, 2009 - Voters in Loudoun County are casting their vote for Governor, but its not yet clear for who.
Unlike the national elections one year ago there have been no lines at Rolling Ridge Elementary School in Sterling, but the stream of voters has been consistent according, to volunteer Rachael Sargent.
"Its been steady. People have been coming in and out regularly," said Sargent. "There hasn't been a dead time at all."
Some pollsters have suggested that Virginia's gubernatorial election could be a referendum on the Obama presidency. However, a recent Washington Post poll indicated 70 percent of Virginia voters said that Obama would not be a factor in their choice for governor.
Angie Scribner, who recently casted her vote, said she agrees. "That has no bearing for me as far as voting for governor," said Scribner.
Also on Virginia's ballot are the races for lieutenant governor and attorney general. In the first, Democrat Jody Wagner is challenging Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who is seeking a second term. Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Steve Shannon both Fairfax county legislators hope to be attorney general.
For Scribner, the issues are important but so is party affiliation. "I don't know, transportation is a big one, and job creation," said Scribner. "But I mostly vote party lines for elections like these."
In addition, 69 of Virginia's 100 house seats are being contested. Polls in Virginia close at 7 p.m.
Elliott Francis reports...
November 03, 2009 - Last year, when Guy Whitney came to the Willston Community Center to cast his vote, Whitney said things looked a lot different than they did this afternoon.
"Nobody's here," said Whitney. "Last year was crazy; parking lot was full, line was out around the corner, it was crazy."
As of this afternoon, the Precinct Chief Mark Hulshart said a little more than 20 percent of registered voters had cast their votes here. Hulshart said last year, the Willston Precinct, traditionally a low turnout area, had surpassed that number by eight in the morning.
Ann Marie Hicks, who was bringing a friend to vote this afternoon, says there was a wait when she voted earlier in the day. "I had to wait about half an hour, which was surprising," said Hicks. "This one we just walked right in at 3 o'clock." Hulshart says last year, because of concern about the crowds, most people did their voting in the morning.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
Last year, when Guy Whitney came to the Willston Community Center to cast his vote, Whitney said things looked a lot different than they did this afternoon.
Courtesy of: Jonathan Wilson
November 03, 2009 - In Maryland, voters are deciding local municipal elections. But in one city in Montgomery County they'll be voting differently.
Voters in Takoma Park are electing a mayor and six city council members. They'll be doing so using voting system that's making its debut in a municipal election. The scantegrity system, developed by a group of universities including George Washington and the University of Maryland-Baltimore Campus, uses paper ballots marked with invisible ink. A voter marks the ballot with a special marker, and receives a code. The voter can then use that code to check online to see if their vote was tabulated correctly.
Anne Sergeant, the chair of Takoma Park's election board, says they picked this system because it uses a paper ballot, something the city has always used. "People vote on a paper ballot, and they can see it, they can feel it, they can hold it, they can feed it into the scanner themselves," said Sergeant. "But then what's behind that paper system is a lot of advanced cryptography."
The initial reaction from voters was mostly positive.
The mayor's race and two city council elections are contested today in Takoma Park.
Matt Bush reports...
November 03, 2009 - WASHINGTON (AP) Attorneys for sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad plan to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to stop next week's execution. Muhammad is scheduled to die by lethal injection November 10th at a Virginia prison.
WASHINGTON (AP) Attorneys for sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad plan to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to stop next week's execution. Muhammad is scheduled to die by lethal injection Nov. 10 at a Virginia prison. Attorneys for the 48-year-old have said they planned to file the appeal today.
WASHINGTON (AP) It will be at least two more weeks before speeders face fines in highway work zones in Maryland. More than 900 motorists have received warnings since the state started to use two automated speed cameras in highway work zones last month.
WASHINGTON (AP) It's the season for repairs on all four Metro transit lines in and around the nation's capital. The transit system says subway riders should expect delays of up to 30 minutes on many weeknights after 9:30 p.m. this month as the repairs are being made.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
November 03, 2009 - OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) A 62-pound golden tilefish that might be a Maryland record nearly jerked an angler out of his boat when the fish bit. Steve Doctor says he was fishing with boat captain Chris Mizurak about 60 miles off the coast of his hometown, Ocean City, near the Baltimore Canyon.
BALTIMORE (AP) Officials at the Port of Baltimore say cruise ship traffic is up this year. Port officials say 60 cruises have sailed so far this year, up from 27 last year. And they say a total of 81 cruises are expected to depart this year, breaking the record of 60 cruises set in 2004. Next year, 92 cruises are scheduled.
CLINTON, Md. (AP) Dan Snyder says his Washington Redskins have "let everyone down." In a rare, in-season interview with reporters, Snyder said at a charity event that the team is embarrassed by its two-and-five start and hopes to turn things around soon.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
November 03, 2009 - FARMVILLE, Va. (AP) An aspiring California rapper has been indicted on capital murder charges in the deaths of four people found bludgeoned to death at a central Virginia home in September. Indictments were returned for 20-year-old Richard "Sam" McCroskey.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Virginians are heading to the polls to elect a new governor. Also on today's ballot are races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and the House of Delegates. Voting stations opened at 6 a.m. and lines haven't been long and have moved relatively quickly. The polls close at 7 p.m.
TRIANGLE, Va. (AP) Prince William County police have identified two teenagers found fatally shot at a home in Triangle. Police say a father returned to his Oakdale Circle home Monday evening and found his 17-year-old daughter, Desiree M. Patrick, and an 18-year-old man, Quirinius S. Williams of Woodbridge, in a bedroom with gunshot wounds.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
November 03, 2009 - Metro officials say that to close a budget gap they can cobble together $36 million from sources including stimulus and insurance money. Metro is currently facing a shortfall of more than $20 million.
The shortfall is a result of a drop in ridership, in part because of unemployment, and rising costs, including costs associated with the June train crash that killed nine people.
The budget figures were part of a presentation scheduled for a Metro board committee meeting Thursday. Insurance money could provide $7 million for the budget gap and stimulus funds could provide $20 million.
Meymo Lyons reports...
November 03, 2009 - FREDERICK, Md. (AP) Voters in Frederick are going to the polls to choose a new mayor and at least two new aldermen.
The mayoral race Tuesday pits Republican Randy McClement, a downtown delicatessen owner, against Democrat Jason Judd, an economist with the Service Employees International Union.
Judd has made job creation a top priority and says he will ensure that the city's older neighborhoods are not forgotten amid the push for growth through annexation.
McClement aims to create a new city police headquarters. He also wants a downtown hotel and conference center in the city of 59,000.
There are also elections in Greenbelt, Rockville and Annapolis.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
November 03, 2009 - Be sure to wash up, doctors. Much like secret shoppers, secret watchers will stake out state hospitals in Maryland to watch how often medical practitioners wash their hands.
A new initiative announced in Maryland on Tuesday will create teams at most of the state's hospitals to watch how often medical practitioners wash their hands. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown says the initiative is not meant to be a "gotcha" to get people in trouble. Rather, the idea is to raise awareness and gather information about which hospital staffs need to do a better job scrubbing up.
The aim is to cut down on health care-acquired infections, which represent an estimated $30 billion in additional health care costs nationally. About $100,000 in federal stimulus money will be used to conduct the program.
Meymo Lyons reports...
November 03, 2009 - Finding a job these days is hard, but as commentator Lee Mariano notes, people with disabilities are having a tougher time than many others.
Mariano is the board chair of SOC Enterprises.
What do you think? Tell us on the Commentary Forum.
November 03, 2009 - Two deaths and 26 other illnesses may be linked to fresh ground beef that has been recalled because it might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.
Fairbank Farms, a NY based company, recalled more than 500,000 pounds of fresh ground beef that was distributed in September. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the possibly tainted meat has been sold in various forms from meatloaf and meatball mix to hamburger patties, and under a variety of labels from North Carolina to Maine including Virginia and Maryland.
Some of the ground beef was sold at Trader Joe's, Price Chopper, Lancaster, Wild Harvest, Shaw's, BJ's, Ford Brothers and Giant stores in packages that carried the number "EST. 492" on the label. Those products were packaged Sept. 15-16 and may have been labeled with a sell-by date from Sept. 19 through Sept. 28, meaning they're no longer being sold as fresh product in supermarkets, Fairbank Farms said.
The rest of the ground beef, packaged in wholesale-sized containers under the Fairbank Farms name, was distributed to stores in Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. That meat was likely repackaged for sale and would likely have differing package and sell-by dates.
The USDA is urging customers with concerns to contact the stores where they bought the meat.
Meymo Lyons reports...
November 03, 2009 - If Shakespeare were alive today, which D.C. neighborhood would he call home? One director envisions the Bard in the Northeast Neighborhood of Trinidad.
Stephanie Kaye reports...
The director of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at the Folger Theatre has decided the Bard belongs in the northeast neighborhood of Trinidad.
Courtesy of: Copyright Carol Pratt-Folger Theatre
View more images from this gallery.
November 03, 2009 -
(Through November 22) HELEN OF ANNOYING Venus Theatre in Prince George's County, steals away with a new play, Helen of Sparta, in Laurel, Maryland through November 22nd. Writer Jacob Appel is a playwright, bioethicist and social critic. This comical version re-writes the Iliad, as Prince Paris discovers "the face that launched a thousand ships" belongs to a woman who is more difficult than he could have imagined.
(November 5-24) EURO FILM SHOWCASE Don't own a personal jet? Not to worry. The AFI Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland, hosts the 22nd Annual European Union Film Showcase, kicking off Thursday and running through November 24th. The showcase provides a passport to festival award-winning films, featuring a wide range of international cinematic artistry.
(November 4) THE HILLS ARE ALIVE Christian music fans gather to see the band Hillsong United in a concert broadcast live from Sydney, Australia to movie theaters throughout the D.C. region tonight at 7:30. These inspiration-based troubadours are led by singer Joel Houston. The concert follows a screening of the band's documentary The I Heart Revolution which features stories about some remarkable people the band has met during its worldwide travels.
November 03, 2009 - Imagine taking Houston, Texas and moving its 2,000,000 residents here. David Robertson of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments says that's how much the National Capital Region will grow by 2050.
"So in areas of transportation congestion, open-space preservation, a number of those, the region is not gonna be the region we all want," said Robertson.
That's why COG assembled a coalition to develop "Greater Washington 2050." The plan includes slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent and raising the high-school graduation rate to 90 percent.
"Just as we have come together as a region in the past, for instance when we adopted plans for the Metro system, it's important for us to come to some agreement as to accomplishments we would like to happen within the next 40 years," said Sharon Bulova, chair of Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors, heads the coalition.
After this month's public comment period, COG's Board will ask local governments to sign a compact adopting the plan's goals.
Rebecca Sheir reports...
Note:
Region Forward, a draft report produced by COG's Greater Washington 2050 Coalition, proposes goals, targets, and a compact agreement for the region's jurisdictions to work together to address these and other critical issues. COG members, stakeholders, and the public have until November 30, 2009 to comment on the report.
COG has produced a podcast series to serve as a brief overview of Region Forward. Click hereto listen to the podcasts.
David J. Robertson, executive director of Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and Harriet Tregoning, director of D.C.'s Office of Planning, are helping spearhead the Greater Washington 2050 initiative.
Courtesy of: Rebecca Sheir
November 03, 2009 - Maryland has extended the warning period for drivers speeding in work zones with new camera enforcement. The state has given out more than 900 warning notices for drivers speeding in the automated enforcement zones since October 14th.
The work zones include a section of I-95 in Montgomery County; I-695 at Charles Street in Baltimore County, and I-95 near White Marsh.
The warning phase, was supposed to have ended October 31st. But it has been extended for two weeks.
After November 15th, police will issue 40 dollar citations for each violation.
Rebecca Blatt has the details...
November 03, 2009 - The Senate Environment Committee begins mark-up of a climate bill today, with or without Republicans.
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...
November 03, 2009 - This is breeding season for deer, hazardous for animal and motorist. If you strike and kill some wild animal with your car in Virginia or Maryland, you're allowed to bring it home and consume it. The law says you can keep the carcass, then process and use the meat for food.
"VDOT is responsible for picking up the carcasses and they do that on a daily basis, but we like it when somebody can make use of the meat," says Sgt. Hank Garner with the Virginia Department of Wildlife.
Following the accident you must request an animal kill tag from an investigating officer to keep and transport the carcass.
Motorist Andria George is ambivalent. "Well if it comes down to Bambi or an empty stomach, especially with the time we're going through now, that might be a good thing," says George.
Only the motorist whose vehicle strikes the animal is allowed to keep it.
Elliott Francis reports...
November 03, 2009 - As voters head to the polls in Virginia today, there are some signs that the increased political interest from the 2008 election is continuing, at least in Arlington County.
Linda Lindberg, the County's general registrar, said voters have cast more than 4,500 absentee ballots this fall.
That's nothing like last year, when 34,000 people cast absentee ballots in Arlington. But it is a thousand more absentee ballots than the county saw in the 2005 governor's race and Lindberg said the Obama-McCain contest has something to do with that.
"A lot more people became aware that it was an option to them, so that explains that increase," said Lindberg.
Lindberg said there's increased interest in volunteering at the polls as well. Generally the registrar's office has to recruit people to work at precincts during gubernatorial elections.
"We don't have to do any recruiting in Arlington when it's a presidential election year, and there was enough carryover this year that we didn't have to do any recruiting this year as well," said Lindberg.
The county will be using 400 fewer volunteers to work the polls than it did for the 2008 election.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
As voters head to the polls in Virginia today, there are some signs that the increased political interest from the 2008 election is continuing, at least in Arlington County.
Courtesy of: Jonathan Wilson
November 03, 2009 - Today's election in Virginia may come down to turnout and at least in Arlington County -- it's going to be hard to match what the state saw in the 2008 presidential election.
Linda Lindberg -- general registrar for the county -- says there were plenty of signs that the election of 2008 was going to be different.
"Last year, we added something like 14,000 new registered voters to the rolls in Arlington County," Lindberg says. Arlington County saw an 83 percent voter turnout -- for the presidential contest.
But Lindberg says despite last year's flock of new voters, she doesn't expect a turnout anywhere near 83 percent for today's election.
"From what we're seeing, it seems to be comparable to what we saw four years ago in the governor's race," she says. "In 2005, we had roughly a 50 percent turnout here in Arlington County."
Across the state in the 2005 gubernatorial election, turnout was approximately 45 percent.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
November 03, 2009 - Today's election in Virginia may come down to turnout and at least in Arlington County -- it's going to be hard to match what the state saw in the 2008 presidential election.
Linda Lindberg -- general registrar for the county -- says there were plenty of signs that the election of 2008 was going to be different.
"Last year, we added something like 14,000 new registered voters to the rolls in Arlington County," Lindberg says. Arlington County saw an 83 percent voter turnout -- for the presidential contest.
But Lindberg says despite last year's flock of new voters, she doesn't expect a turnout anywhere near 83 percent for today's election.
"From what we're seeing, it seems to be comparable to what we saw four years ago in the governor's race," she says. "In 2005, we had roughly a 50 percent turnout here in Arlington County."
Across the state in the 2005 gubernatorial election, turnout was approximately 45 percent.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
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