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Unemployment Rates Rise In MD, VA, DC

January 23, 2010 - By Rebecca Blatt

The national unemployment rate held steady at 10 percent last month, but D.C., Maryland and Virginia all saw unemployment climb.

Numbers released this week put D.C.'s December unemployment rate at 12.1 percent. That's up from 11.9 percent the month before. The district saw job losses across several industries, including education, health, leisure and hospitality, information and construction.

Unemployment also rose in 43 states, including Maryland and Virginia.

Virginia's rate for December was 6.9 percent, up from 6.6 percent in November. Maryland's climbed to 7.5 percent from 7.3 percent.

Incoming Baltimore Mayor To Attend State Of The Union

January 23, 2010 - By Rebecca Blatt

Incoming Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will attend President Obama's State of the Union address next week at a time when she is trying to repair the city's relationship with the White House.

Mr. Obama has distanced himself from Baltimore's current Mayor Sheila Dixon. He took office shortly after Dixon was indicted on corruption charges. She will step down next month as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Rawlings-Blake, Dixon's successor, is hoping to establish closer ties to the Obama administration. She attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting at the White House this week, and a spokesman says she will attend the State of the Union as a guest of Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

President Obama is expected to visit Baltimore Friday to address House Republican Conference members during a retreat. This will be his first visit to the city since taking office.

Fairfax Rescue Team Prepares To Leave Haiti

January 23, 2010 - By Rebecca Blatt

The Urban Search and Rescue team from Fairfax County, Va., is expected to make its way home from Haiti.

At least 122 people have been saved by search-and-rescue teams in Haiti since the earthquake. Sixteen of those rescues were made by the team from Fairfax County.

Spokesman Dan Schmidt says that's the most the team has performed in the 13 years he has been with the department. Schmidt says no departure date has been set, but County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova says she expects the team to return in the next few days. Bulova says she plans to formally recognize the team for its heroism at a meeting next month.

Climate Activists Brave Icy Waters Of Chesapeake Bay

January 23, 2010 - By Mana Rabiee

More than 100 climate activists braved the icy waters of the Chesapeake Bay to bring public attention to global warming.

Hundreds came to watch friends and families run into the chilly waters of the bay in Annapolis Saturday morning as part of the Fifth Annual Polar Bear Plunge.

The event was organized by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Their theme this year was the number 350. That's the parts per million that environmental activists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

"It sounds a little wonky and scientific," says Climate Action Network spokesman Mike Tidwell, "but we just need the whole world to know that number, 350, 3-5-0, that's safety in terms of carbon pollution."

Tidwell says last month's climate change talks in Copenhagen resulted in a general commitment to bringing that level to 780 parts per million, much higher than activists like him say is safe.