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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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November 26, 2009 - BALTIMORE (AP) Jurors in the theft trial of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon are going to return after the long weekend to continue deliberations. The jury recessed late Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors say Dixon used gift cards intended for the needy on personal shopping sprees.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
November 26, 2009 - RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife are planning to serve meals at The Giving Heart's annual Thanksgiving Feast at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Thursday. The annual meal offers not only food, but gift bags filled with warm weather items and other small necessities.
FRANKLIN, Va. (AP) About 120 workers who lost their jobs when a lumber mill in Franklin closed are eligible for federal assistance. International Paper closed the mill earlier this year. The lumber mill's closure is separate from International Paper's planned shutdown of its paper mill in Franklin in 2010.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Virginia health officials are urging people to be especially vigilant in protecting themselves and others against swine flu this Thanksgiving. Officials say about 1.4 million doses of H1N1 vaccine have been allocated for high-risk Virginians. Swine flu has been linked to 30 deaths in the state.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
November 26, 2009 - By Natalie Neumann
A metro maintenance crew has discovered cracks in the concrete ceiling of one metro station.
During a routine inspection, the crew noticed a loose ceiling tile in the Farragut North Metrorail station. When they removed the tile they discovered a 15-foot-by-4-foot crack above the platform on the north side of the station, near the Connecticut and L Street side.
Smaller cracks were also discovered along with "a seeping of moisture." Metro expects to make repairs during the Thanksgiving holiday, weekends and at night after the station closes.
November 26, 2009 - (Preview Nov 28-29; festival Dec 4-Jan 2) WINTER LIGHTS As the nights get longer, it's getting dark enough to enjoy Gaithersburg's Winter Lights Festival earlier and earlier. This strung-up extravaganza winds three and a half miles through Maryland's Seneca Creek State Park. The drive takes visitors on an illuminated journey past more than 380 scenes and 65 animated displays.
(Through November 28) THE REAL STORY OF THE SUPERHEROES Photographer Dulce Pinzon draws inspiration from comics at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Columbia Heights, where "The Real Story of the Superheroes" is on display through Saturday. From a window-washing Spiderman to Superman-as-bike-courier, Pinzon's photos portray immigrants as heroes of the every day.
(November 24 - December 20) AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago brings August: Osage County to The Kennedy Center through December 20th. This gripping and funny play, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, centers around an Oklahoma matriarch whose family is on the verge of meltdown.
November 26, 2009 - Some would argue that family arguments are as much a part of the Thanksgiving dinner experience as the stuffing or the cranberry sauce. This Thanksgiving, commentator Fred Fiske remembers one of the most enduring arguments in his household.
If you'd like to share your own thoughts on animal intelligence... let us hear from you at conversation.wamu.org under 'Forum'.
November 26, 2009 - By Jonathan Wilson
A U.S. Justice Department report commends police in Arlington County, Virginia for improving counterrorism training and policies since the September 11 attacks.
The National Institute of Justice commissioned the study to help establish a set of best practices for agencies responding to incidents like September 11.
The report says Arlington County has significantly stepped up its critical incident training -- which now covers active-shooter situations, hazardous materials and terrorism.
It also says Arlington police have developed better intelligence coordination, along with improved cooperation with local hospitals, schools, and the county health department.
But the report reveals that some officers say the heightened state of alert in effect since 9/11 is creating "stress and frustration'' among department members.
Some officers also tell researchers that keeping emergency services on high-alert also "tries their patience."
November 26, 2009 - By Rebecca Sheir
Motorists in Maryland, beware! State Troopers are using a special strategy to catch aggressive drivers this long holiday weekend.
It's called Operation Centipede. And it was started by Lieutenant Clifford Hughes.
"Every mile or every two miles, you're gonna run into a Trooper," Hughes explains. "So Troopers are basically leaping over one another, sort of like a centipede game."
Or, like a centipede with lots of legs, the Troopers just keep coming and coming.
The Troopers have used Operation Centipede on all major holiday weekends since February 2008. And Hughes says it's worked.
"Throughout every holiday period since we've implemented this program, we haven't had any traffic fatalities," he says.
Hughes hopes this holiday won't be any different.
Maryland State Trooper Car Ready for Operation Centipede
November 26, 2009 - By Rebecca Blatt
A man charged in the shooting death of a 9-year-old in Columbia Heights has died in the D.C. jail.
A spokeswoman for D.C.'s department of corrections says Josue Pena was found hanging in his cell this afternoon - in what appears to be a suicide.
The spokeswoman, Sylvia Lane, says Pena was taken to Howard University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. She says he was being held in a unit that houses inmates requiring enhanced supervision for security reasons.
The death is under investigation.
Pena was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Oscar Fuentes.
The 9-year-old boy was shot Nov. 14 as he and his family hid behind their Columbia Heights apartment door.
November 26, 2009 - By Rebecca Blatt
The funeral for Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin will be held Friday.The service will at the Washington Hebrew Congregation in Northwest Washington. It will begin at 11:30 a.m.
The Wizards say there will also be a public memorial service on December 8th at the Verizon Center. Pollin built and owned the arena that helped revitalize D.C.'s Chinatown area.
Pollin died Tuesday at the age of 85. He bought his NBA franchise in 1964 and was the league's longest-tenured owner. He was also known as a generous philanthropist.
November 26, 2009 - By David Schultz
Dr. Michael Holzman is examining feet, one after another after another.
"Tell you what," he says to a paitent. "Let's get some powder on there."
Holzman and two other doctors from Georgetown University Hospital set up a makeshift foot-clinic at a homeless shelter in Rockville, Md. There are dozens of men lined up outside, waiting for a five minute examination and a brand new pair of shoes.
One of them is Reginald Exum. Exum's feet are important to him, and he wants to make sure they're OK.
"A person's feet are like their only mobility in some instances," he says. "And if you're not mobile, based on the fact that you're doing daily walking and you have a terrible pair of shoes, it can create lots and lots and lots of problems, just like a car. If you've got bad tires, the car isn't going to run very well."
It turns out Exum's fine, just a moderate case of athlete's foot. He leaves with a new pair of leather boots.
But many of the men here are at risk for severe foot problems.
Dr. Paul Cooper, the head of Georgetown's foot and ankle center, says a third of the men he treated were diabetic.
"And yet none of them seem to have any understanding or education as to the risks that that may incur on their foot," he says.
Cooper and his team treated more than 200 men at the clinic, the first of its kind in the D.C. region.
Reginald Exum, a Washington resident who has been homeless for almost 18 months, opens a brand new pair of shoes. "A person's feet are like their only mobility in some instances," Exum said.
View more images from this gallery.
November 26, 2009 - By Rebecca Blatt
Police in D.C. are investigating the apparent suicide of a man charged in the killing of 9-year-old in Columbia Heights this month.
A spokeswoman for D.C.'s Department of Corrections says Josue Pena was found hanging in his jail cell Wednesday afternoon - in what appears to be a suicide.
The spokeswoman, Sylvia Lane, says Pena was being held in a unit for inmates requiring enhanced supervision for security reasons.
She says Pena was taken to Howard University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Pena was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Oscar Fuentes.
The 9-year-old boy was shot Nov. 14 as he and his family hid behind the door of their apartment in Columbia Heights.
November 26, 2009 - Before they left town for the holiday recess, we asked a few members of the United States Congress about their Thanksgiving plans... what's on the menu... and of course, what they're thankful for this year.
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...
November 26, 2009 - A study in 2008 found the D.C. area to be the strongest retail market in the country for alcohol. Something about stressful jobs. AAA Mid-Atlantic's John Townsend says alcohol is particularly deadly this time of year.
"The great risk with drinking and driving on Thanksgiving is you have your family in the car with you," he says.
Alcohol's not all though.
"One of the things you have to worry about is being drowsy behind the wheel because you've had too much to eat," Townsend says.
There's plain old crowded roads too. This year, more people are traveling than last year. They're traveling farther, and more of them are driving. It all combines to make Thanksgiving one of the most dangerous times of year for motorists.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
November 26, 2009 - Thanksgiving brings with it many traditions. Turkey, taking stock, tolerating relatives. And for many, there's the annual Thanksgiving commute.
In our region, about 1 million people are traveling more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. That's almost 4 percent more than last year. It means a lot of time spent in the car. And not necessarily moving anywhere despite people's best efforts.
"Remember one thing: that whatever strategy you come up with, someone already has," says John Townsend, a spokesman for AAA. "So you're gonna have a lot of competition for that piece of real estate known as the highway. Unless you travel at odd times."
Odd times meaning midnight or 1 am.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
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