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District Owes Movie-Maker $1.4 Million

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By Meymo Lyons

Six months after filming ended for a major movie set in the District of Columbia, a $2 million filming incentive agreement remains largely unpaid.

An agreement between Columbia Pictures and the district government was signed in April to lure filming of the James Brooks production "How Do You Know?" to the nation's capital. Stars Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson were in Washington last June for filming. Now, the city still owes Columbia $1.4 million.

Film office director Kathy Hollinger says the city needs to keep its agreement. The problem is the deal with Columbia was signed as the city was phasing out old film incentive rules and had not approved its new program. The D.C. Council is expected to consider emergency legislation Tuesday to authorize the payment.

NPR

Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process

After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.
NPR

How Genomics Solved The Mystery Of Ireland's Great Famine

Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples.
NPR

Oregon's Cash-Strapped Counties Reject Public Safety Levies

Two Oregon counties have reportedly rejected property tax increases that would have funded law enforcement and public safety services. The counties once received federal timber subsidies, but those days are over — and now they're scrambling to pay for essential services.
NPR

How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started

You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.

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