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February 01, 2010 - WASHINGTON (AP) A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to 61 years in prison for fatally shooting a landscaper over some grass clippings that landed on him as he walked by. Lankward Harrington was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Jose Villatoro in 2006.
WASHINGTON (AP) A D.C. fire official says about 75 people, including 25 children, have been temporarily displaced after a small fire at an apartment building. A D.C. fire department spokesman says a relatively small electrical fire broke out around 5 a.m. today in the basement of a three-story building.
WASHINGTON (AP) Authorities are urging motorists to be careful on their morning commute after the weekend blast of snow and ice. They caution some roads may still be slippery with ice after the storm that blanketed the Mid-Atlantic region in snow.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
February 01, 2010 - ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) After testing the waters, Republican Larry Hogan says he's not going to run for Maryland governor. Hogan called off work by his exploratory committee and called on former Gov. Robert Ehrlich to run instead for the GOP for the state's highest office.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty are crediting increased law enforcement cooperation with reducing crime along the Maryland-Washington border. Authorities say homicides especially are down in Montgomery and Prince George's counties near D.C.
BALTIMORE (AP) Former U.S. champion skater Kimmie Meissner has taken to the ice in Baltimore at a benefit to raise money for Haiti's quake victims. Meissner won't take part in the winter Olympics because of knee problems but wanted to help those injured in last month's powerful quake.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
February 01, 2010 - RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Virginia's Senate Democrats have passed a measure so Virginians won't have to purchase health care insurance even if it's mandated in the federal health care overhaul. Their initiative is based on model legislation by a watchdog group that seeks to limit government.
CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) Travelers at Dulles International have gone back to using the older "mobile lounges" to shuttle to their gates after a major water pipe break at the airport. Water flooded a platform area on the all-new AeroTrain shuttle that was unveiled last month.
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) Two Harrisonburg men have been arrested and charged with setting off an explosive device near James Madison University. Authorities say the weekend blast near some Harrisonburg railroad tracks caused minor damage but wasn't related to terrorism.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
February 01, 2010 - BALTIMORE (AP) Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts would get $13 million more under President Obama's newly released budget.
While the federal Environmental Protection Agency's overall budget would shrink slightly, funding for the bay, Mississippi River and Great Lakes would increase. The increase would bring funding for EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program to $63 million.
A budget summary released by the White House says the increased Chesapeake Bay funding supports Obama's May executive order, which calls for the development of a bay restoration strategy.
The EPA budget summary says the increased funding will support the federal agency's regulatory, permitting, modeling and reporting efforts.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
February 01, 2010 - By Matt Bush
The governor of Maryland the mayor of D.C. are hailing a reduction in crime along their border.
Before reaching his current position, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty was a city councilman for Ward 4, which borders both Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland. He said residents back then felt crime solving stopped at the border.
He and Maryland governor Martin O'Malley say increased cooperation has led to a drastic drop in homicides. D.C. saw its lowest homicide total in 45 years in 2009, while the suburban Maryland counties also saw reductions in murders.
February 01, 2010 - By Kavitha Cardoza
The new Department of Homeland Security, or D.H.S., headquarters being built in southeast D.C. is expected to create 1,000 on site jobs as part of the more than $3 billion project, and many residents are hoping to take some of those coveted spots.
When Christopher Moskowitz got in line at six this morning, there were already more than 50 people ahead of him. They're all hoping to land a construction job on the DHS site.
Moskowitz has been unemployed for four months and has filled out hundreds of job applications. In his words, it's been "rough."
"Just needing some work. Old lady coming down on me," he says. "It was alright with her at first and she was understanding, but understanding doesn't get the bills paid."
Nia Brown is one of the few women in the queue. She says she has two children to take care of.
"It's a struggle. You got to ask people to help you. And I don't like asking people to help me," she says. "I want to do it myself."
Shapour Ebadi overseas the project. He says contractors have been asked to use the local labor force as much as possible.
"We want to be a good neighbor. We're one of the biggest recipients of stimulus funds," says Ebadi. "And we want to see what we can do to help the community."
Residents will have to wait a little longer: hiring will begin in earnest when the weather gets warmer.
People began lining up at 4 a.m. for a chance to apply for construction jobs at 2701 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in southeast D.C.
Courtesy of: Kavitha Cardoza
February 01, 2010 - By Mana Rabiee
The District of Columbia is burning through its 2010 fiscal budget faster than lawmakers expected. Now the city faces a shortfall of nearly $225 million and the head of the city council is calling for emergency measures.
City Council Chairman Vincent Grey says the city is spending money much too fast--so fast that he is calling for "emergency legislation" to rein in city spending.
"We have got to get on top of this," says Grey. "The council worked very hard to reach a balanced budget for fiscal year 2010 and we intend to have a balanced budget at the end of this year."
Grey places the blame squarely on Mayor Adrian Fenty's failure to follow council's budget recommendations.
"I think clearly where you have policy proposals that haven't been implemented that clearly falls on the executive," he says.
The emergency legislation would require the Mayor to submit a plan to address the city's overspending by February 8th.
February 01, 2010 - RICHMOND, VA. (AP) A $2 million initiative is under way in Virginia to provide mental health care to uninsured residents.
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the "A New Lease on Life" effort Monday. Treatment will be provided through the Virginia Health Care Foundation.
The foundation received a $1 million challenge grant a year ago from the Attorney General's office when McDonnell was attorney general. The foundation raised $1 million to match the grant.
McDonnell says the initiative will help close a gap in treatment.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
February 01, 2010 - By Matt McCleskey
A former Republican cabinet member in Maryland says he won't run for governor, but he's urging his old boss to give it another shot.
Larry Hogan served in the cabinet of former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich. He had formed an exploratory committee to look into pursuing his party's nomination for governor this November, although following big Democratic gains in 2008, Hogan initially had said a Republican win looked like a long shot.
But now, he says recent Republican victories in important races around the country show Maryland could be competitive too. Hogan says he's dropping his bid and is instead urging Ehrlich to challenge current Democratic Governor, Martin O'Malley, to a rematch.
He's also urging any other Republicans thinking about running to unite behind an Ehrlich bid. There's been no word yet from Ehrlich on whether or not he'll run.
February 01, 2010 - By Peter Granitz
Despite a $75 million grant to upgrade an 11-mile stretch of the railway between Washington and Richmond, some people want to know to pay for the rest of the corridor.
Rich Sampson, editor of Rail Magazine, says money Virginia won is just a sliver of what it could secure in the next few years.
Sampson says landing this money in the first go-around should force the Commonwealth to apply again when more federal money becomes available.
"You want to build momentum from the first project onward through successive ones," he says. "That leads me to believe there will be additional investments in Virginia going forward."
Sampson says completely upgrading the Washington-Richmond line will take more than $1.7 billion. That money would go to adding more lines, so passenger rail would not have to yield to freight lines in what sometimes seems like drawn-out games of chicken.
"I'd like to complain but I'm grateful for what we got," he says.
Republican Joe May represents Leesburg in the House of Delegates and chairs the Transportation Committee. He says the 11-mile upgrade near Quantico was the only shovel-ready project in Virginia.
"Would I have liked to have gotten more in Virginia? You bet your boots," says May. "But it's sort of hard to compete with the California shovel read."
May says Virginia is in a transportation funding crisis and will apply for future federal money.
Virginia will receive millions of dollars to upgrade the Washington to Richmond rail line.
Courtesy of: www.flickr.com/longhorndave
February 01, 2010 - A portrait of the late "Catcher In The Rye" author J.D. Salinger will be installed today at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.
The portrait, by Robert Vickery, can be viewed by the public starting at 11:30 a.m. today.
In this portrait the author is painted against a metaphorical amber wave of grain, according to a press release from the Smithsonian Institute. The image appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1961.
Credit: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine; Copyright Robert Vickery/Licensed by VAGA, new York, NY.
Courtesy of: National Portrait Gallery
February 01, 2010 - By Kavitha Cardoza
Support for D.C. School's Chancellor Michelle Rhee is falling, according to a new Washington Post poll. Rhee's job approval rating has dropped over the past two years, even though residents of the district believe the public school system is beginning to improve.
Rhee's performance was viewed favorably by almost 60 percent of residents in January 2008, with approximately 30 percent disapproving. Now it's almost even: 43 percent approve of what she's doing, while 44 percent are dissatisfied.
Those with children in D.C. public schools have nearly reversed their opinion of Rhee. Two years ago, 54 percent of parents approved of her; now, 54 percent disapprove. And support for Rhee has fallen dramatically among African-Americans, with almost twice as many "strongly disapproving" of her performance.
But residents also believe violence in schools has declined. Under Rhee, the graduation rate and standardized test scores have improved.
Almost 1,200 D.C. residents participated in the poll.
D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's job approval rating has dropped.
Courtesy of: Kavitha Cardoza
February 01, 2010 - By Bill Redlin
A former police officer from Prince George's county, Maryland, will be staying behind bars for killing a furniture delivery man.
The Court of Special Appeals upheld the conviction of Keith Washington. He was also a county homeland security official, and he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and first-degree assault in the January 2007 shooting.
Furniture delivery man Brandon Clark was killed, and a second man, Robert White, was wounded. In an opinion handed down Friday but made public today, the court rejected Washington's argument the trial court should have admitted evidence of White's 11 past criminal convictions to show a propensity for violence.
Washington contends the men attacked him. Also last week, a judge in Prince George's county threw out a civil suit brought by White, and by Clark's relatives.
February 01, 2010 - New parking rules go into effect today in Fairfax County, where commercial vehicles will no longer be able to park on neighborhood streets.
The ordinance was unanimously approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in December, and places new restrictions on height, width and weight of vehicles that can be parked on residential streets.
The Fairfax County Police Department will begin responding to complaints today, informing people they'll need to find another place to park their commercial vehicles.
Michael Pope reports...
February 01, 2010 - It's hard to overstate the effect transportation has on everyday life. It determines where people live, what jobs they take, where they shop, and where their children go to school.
WAMU is beginning a year-long partnership with public radio station WNYC in New York and the non-profit investigative news organization Pro-Publica to examine how transportation works - and how it doesn't work.
In the first story in this series, we examine the creative methods people use to make their commutes manageable.
David Schultz reports...
February 01, 2010 - (February 1-6) CRYSTAL COUTURE Paris, Milan, London, Crystal City? For the first week of February, high fashion flourishes in the Commonwealth as part of Crystal Couture, today through Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. at 23rd Street and South Crystal Drive in Arlington. The Crystal City Business Improvement District turns retail space into runways, boutiques, and night clubs in this second annual foray into the fashion world.
(February 2-April 11) RICHARD II In Shakespeare's words, "the ripest fruit first falls." You can hear how why tomorrow as Richard the Second drops onto the stage at the Sidney Harman Hall in downtown D.C. The Shakespeare Theatre Company portrays the feckless monarch in his attempts to win back the hearts and minds of the masses, squandering the treasury and warring with Ireland along the way.
(February 4-April 10) HENRY V Richard the Second is the first in what's known as the Henriad, a group of four plays that includes Richard's successor, Henry the Fifth. And the Shakespeare Theatre stages Henry the Fifth on Richard's heels, opening Thursday at the Harman Hall and running in repertory through April 10th. The young and brash Henry takes his nation to war with France, discovering the true cost of war and the burdens of leadership.
(Mondays through April 19) MONDAY NIGHT AT THE NATIONAL And the series Monday Night at the National is back, with free dance performances at the historic theater. It kicks off tonight with the Persian and Turkic moves of the Silk Road Dance Company. Shows are at 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Future "Monday Nights at the National" performances include: February 8th: Equinox Dance Company February 22nd: Jason Garcia Ignacio City Dance Ensemble March 8th: Life, Rhythm Move Project March 15th: Dancing on the Green (Laureen O'Neill-James Irish Dancers) March 22nd: Sheela Ramanath and the Kalavaridhi Dancers March 29th: Arax Armenian Dance Ensemble April 12th: Reflections Dance Company April 19th: Singular Sensations
February 01, 2010 - By Jonathan Wilson
In Virginia, members of Fairfax County's School Board are facing a tough vote on the budget later this week. Some members say one way to avoid drastic cuts will be to ask county supervisors for more education funding.
The school district is facing a $176 million shortfall, but board members also want to save programs like indoor track and foreign language in elementary schools.
Most important to several members of the board is finding a way to avoid increasing average class size for the third year in a row. Tessie Wilson is the boards vice chairman.
"Especially in a time when were not able to give teachers or any of our staff a raise, the burden of increasing class size is hard to swallow," says Wilson.
To avoid bumping up class size, the district could ask the county for an extra $17 million.
Jason Tipton, a policy adviser for county Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova, says that would require an approximately one-cent increase in the property tax rate.
Tipton says much depends on the state's new governor, Bob McDonnell, who has yet to decide whether to reverse his predecessor's education funding cuts, or add more of his own.
February 01, 2010 - By Elliott Francis
A woman from Virginia is the nation's newest Miss America. She plans to spend the next year in an effort which gained the attention of Capitol Hill.
The newly crowned Caressa Cameron beat a field of 53 contestants to become the first black Miss America since Ericka Dunlap back in in 2005.
The 22-year-old native of Fredericksburg and student at Virginia Commonwealth, says she plans a second year away from college to raise money and attention for her platform issue, AIDS awareness.
Cameron says the issue is personal for her because her uncle died of AIDS and her family supported a foster child who lived with the disease.
She was recognized by Congress in 2007 for her work to bring instant-result HIV testing to the state of Virginia.
February 01, 2010 - By Mana Rabiee
Hundreds of women gathered in Rockville, Maryland to discuss legislative proposals that could affect the lives of working women across the state.
The Women's Legislative Briefing was sponsored by the Montgomery County Commission for Women.
Commission President Jaclyn Lichter says their legislative priorities this year center around mothers in poverty. They include measures to help women know their right to the Earned Income Tax Credit and to available unemployment insurance.
Her group is also working towards a bill that would protect against work place discrimination which stems from family responsibilities, like taking care of children or older parents.
"So say you're a mother and your boss never invites you to travel to a conference because he assumes you're a mother and you wouldn't want to go. The discrimination comes when then you're not offered a chance to compete," says Lichter.
Lichter says the measure has passed in counties like Montgomery and Frederick, but that they want the General Assembly to make it a statewide protection.
February 01, 2010 - By Mana Rabiee
The National Zoo's most famous Giant Panda returns to his native China this week. He'll need much more than a boarding pass for his long journey home.
Come Thursday morning, Tai Shan will join his cousin, a female from Atlanta, on board a custom-fitted FedEx cargo plane headed for China, where he'll begin a new life in a breeding program.
FedEx spokesman Ed Coleman says hundreds of people have been involved in the transport.
"If you take all the ground operations teams, and all the air ops team, and you put them all together and all the experts that it takes, we have been dedicated over the last couple of weeks to make this journey happen," says Coleman.
But only one person will be sitting at Tai Shan's side for much of the flight.
Nicole Meese met Tai Shan -- or Tai -- just weeks after he was born. She's now his principle keeper at the zoo.
"My plan is to just pretty much sit by Tai Shan as much as possible, enjoy those last few hours together and say my good-byes," says Meese.
Tai Shan will fly with one of his favorite toys - a piece of fire hose he likes to play with.
February 01, 2010 - Let the reckoning begin.
Bits and pieces of the President's budget have already leaked. But for lawmakers like Oregon Democrat Earl Blumenauer, the fun is just beginning.
Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports.
February 01, 2010 - By Cathy Duchamp
Baltimore will get a new mayor this week. Sheila Dixon officially resigns from the post Thursday, following a plea deal that brings a drawn-out corruption probe to a close.
Rawlings-Blake will leave her Baltimore City Council President job for the Mayor's office with one top priority in mind: the city's $127-million budget deficit.
"That's the equivalent of our entire fire department, half the police force, 2,200 city jobs. We have to get our government working and that means balancing our budget," says Rawlings-Blake.
But for some residents, getting the government working means putting more police officers on the street. Valerie Neuder lives in Baltimore's Highlandtown neighborhood.
"They deal drugs around here all the time. And we call the police and they really don't do nothing," says Neuder.
Next-door neighbor Julie Chaplinski agrees. But they are also concerned about a government that allows outgoing Mayor Sheila Dixon to collect a city pension, despite her conviction for taking gift cards intended for families in need.
"I mean there are people out there that work 40 years for one lump-sum pension and she's getting it every year. No, that's not right," says Chaplinski.
Rawlings-Blake says the city council is looking at what other communities have done to address that issue. She also points to a bill she introduced last week that would change the makeup of Baltimore's ethics board.
"I think it's going to be a significant departure and signal very strongly that there's a new way to do business in the city," she says.
Rawlings-Blake takes the oath of office on Thursday.
Incoming Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's top priority is the city's balancing the city's budget.
Courtesy of: Baltimore City Council
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