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February 12, 2010 - WASHINGTON (AP) Schools remained closed but more workers returned to their offices as the Washington region continued to dig its way out of record-breaking snowfalls. After four days of closures, the federal government opened its offices today.

WASHINGTON (AP) A northwest Washington Safeway store is following up on the IOUs customers left when they found the store with doors open during the snow storm but with no employees. Safeway officials say four of 10 customers who wandered into the unstaffed store during Wednesday's blizzard took groceries. All left cash or an IOU on the counter.

WASHINGTON (AP) Metrorail is opening with limited service and some bus routes are running, but most buses will stick to streets along snow emergency routes. More bus routes will begin to run today as more roads become passable, but 15 Metro stations remain closed as crews dig out tracks.

WASHINGTON (AP) Metro says a six-car red line train has derailed near the Farragut North station in downtown Washington, but just three minor injuries have been reported. A spokeswoman says only the front wheels of the train's first car slipped off the rail just after 10 a.m. today.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Latest Maryland Regional News

February 12, 2010 - ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Maryland's House of Delegates members won't be giving themselves any raises, but lawmakers resisted a Republican attempt to delay the compensation bill to tack on pension plan changes. Delegates approved legislation today to maintain their current salaries.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer says it's unclear how much more federal help will come to Maryland. Hoyer, who is the Number Two Democrat in the House of Representatives, talked to Maryland reporters today about the state's fiscal condition and financial interplay between the states and the federal government.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Latest Virginia Regional News

February 12, 2010 - RICHMOND, Va. (AP) A House of Delegates committee has endorsed repealing Virginia's ban on buying more than one handgun a month. The Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee voted 15-to-six today to advance Delegate Scott Lingamfelter's bill.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) Stamps honoring four U.S. Navy immortals have been dedicated at Naval Station Norfolk. The 44-cent stamps dedicated today include one depicting Arleigh A. Burke. He is the namesake of a guided missile destroyer homeported in Norfolk, and its crew and commanding officer attended the dedication.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) More than $20 million in federal stimulus funding has been awarded to two health care technology projects in Virginia. U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb say the Virginia Department of Health received about $11.6 million to further a transition to a standard health information technology network.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Two public water projects in southwest Virginia will share more than $4.7 million in federal funding. Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the grants from the Abandoned Mine Land program today. The grants will help pay for water projects in the Dunbar community in Wise County and the Hurley area in Buchanan County.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Pet Owners Urged To Scoop The Wintertime Poop

February 12, 2010 - By Rebecca Sheir

The winter weather brings certain dangers, from heavy winds to icy roads. But local dog owners can do their part to prevent one potential pitfall of the season.

Sharon Hornseth has a dog and a puppy, and this winter they're having a blast.

"They love the snow," she says. "The little one rolls in the snow constantly so we have to be careful she doesn't roll where there's yellow snow!"

But they might want to be careful about something else, too.

"The poop when it sits on the ground, if it's not picked up, it's not taken care of, it's gonna go somewhere," says Mark Burnett, who works with the pet-waste removal service, Doody Calls.

During a visit to Hornseths neighborhood, as he retrieves bags of, well, doody, Burnett says dog waste left in the snow can hurt the environment, since anything that gets onto the ground has a potential to get into the Chesapeake waterway.

Dog waste can harm health, too, he says, since "there are bacteria, and they can sit dormant. And then whether it's cold enough to stay all the way to spring, or it's just shortly after the snow melts, they're viable again."

Burnett urges dog owners to be responsible and scoop the poop.

Metro Train Derails, Minor Injuries Reported

February 12, 2010 - By BRETT ZONGKER Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) Hundreds of Metro riders in downtown Washington escaped serious injury when a six-car red line Metro train derailed Friday near the Farragut North station, officials said.

Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said only the front wheels of the train's first car slipped off the rail just after 10 a.m. Friday, but the car did not hit anything.

D.C. fire department spokesman Pete Piringer said there were 345 passengers on board and three people had minor injuries with bumps and bruises.

Authorities blocked traffic and closed the station for a couple hours, as they evacuated the train. Large crowds could be seen exiting the station. The station reopened by early afternoon.

Metro said passengers were moved to the last four cars of the train, and those cars detached from the front two cars and then moved to the platform to unload passengers. Pat Butcher, 52, of Springdale, Md., said she was on her way to work for the first time this week after two winter storms when the train derailed in a tunnel.

"There was a big jolt forward ... and it stopped." Butcher, who was in the last car of the train, said passengers were calm, but she recalled Metro's June crash that killed nine people.

"I kept seeing that image in my head," she said.

Metro said the train derailed from a pocket or side track after leaving the station. Passengers say the train had been moving slowly before it suddenly stopped.

"There was just that big stop and it was stuck there," said Lauren Stebbins, 25, of Washington.

The federal government had a two-hour delay after being closed all week because of two snowstorms that hit the region. Metro ran limited underground service for much of the week before reopening several aboveground lines Friday.

Barbara Bent, 47, of Silver Spring, Md., said she was trying to get to her job as a nursing assistant, when the train derailed.

"We felt a big jolt, but we were fine," she said. Bent, who was in the third car, said the train operator kept saying "keep calm" and she was asked to get up and move to the back of the train.

The derailment comes after last summer's fatal collision when one train slammed into another that was stopped on the tracks, as well as a series of accidents that have killed Metro workers, including one that killed two employees last month.

The National Transportation Safety Board has a three-day public hearing starting Feb. 23 on its investigation into the cause of the June crash. NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said the agency has begun an investigation into Friday's derailment and will send Jim Southworth, the board's chief of railroad safety, to the scene. Metro also is investigating.

Metro ran some traffic by the derailed train, which alarmed some passengers on the derailed train.

Teri Mack, 43, of Cheltenham, Md., was on the train that derailed with her 12-year-old son, Tyler, heading to her job as an accountant in Bethesda, when they felt a bump.

"It was a different kind of sound, kind of like a little skidding and we stopped," she said.

Mack said they saw another train going by them on another track and it seemed to be moving at a high speed.

"The part that was most unnerving was when another train came by us ... and I was like 'Oh my God are they going to hit us?'" she said.

After hearing about the June Metro train crash, she was worried about whether the train operators were communicating after coming to a sudden stop.

Metro said trains running between Farragut North and Dupont Circle would be restricted to 25 mph.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

D.C. Neighbors Organize Shovel Brigade

February 12, 2010 - By Jessica Gould

With many sidewalks still covered with snow, some residents of D.C. are taking matters into their own hands.

They call themselves the Tenleytown Insurrectional Snow Removal Brigade, a rag tag team of neighbors determined to make sidewalks passable for pedestrians. Jonathan Bender helped organize the effort.

"The mayor is doing what he can to plow out the city but lots of sidewalks are still unplowed," he says. "There are places that are unshoveled because the residents are infirm. So we decided to do something about it."

With his neighbor Neil Flanagan, Bender sent emails through the local listserv, Facebook and Twitter, calling on all able-bodied residents to join the cleanup. Chris Frantz got the message.

"I live in Frederick, Maryland and my grandparents were sick and snowed in," says Frantz. "So I came up here to dig them out. And then I called up a bunch of my other buddies to see how their parents are doing. They're all snowed in at school. They can't dig their parents out. So I've been going around digging out the parents."

Bender said the group is thinking locally and acting locally.

Bill Clinton Returns Home After Heart Procedure

February 12, 2010 - By JIM FITZGERALD Associated Press Writers

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. (AP) Former President Bill Clinton was recovering at his suburban home with his wife on Friday after leaving a Manhattan hospital where he underwent a heart procedure to fix a blocked artery.

Three black SUVs with tinted windows arrived around 7:45 a.m. Friday and pulled through the high gates at the house. The Westchester County hamlet of Chappaqua is about 35 miles north of New York City.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was also at the family's home.

Clinton adviser Douglas Band said in a statement that Clinton left New York Presbyterian Hospital "in excellent health."

"He looks forward in the days ahead to getting back to the work of his Foundation, and to Haiti relief and recovery efforts," it said.

Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and a close friend of the Clintons, told CBS' "The Early Show" that he expects Clinton will get back to work quickly.

"If I know President Clinton, he'll be on the phone ... calling people asking for more help for Haiti and where he can get pickup trucks so they can deliver food or generators. If I know Bill Clinton, he'll be raring to go in about 35 minutes," McAuliffe said.

Clinton, 63, could be back at work as soon as Monday, cardiologist Allan Schwartz said previously.

A couple of hours after Clinton went home, C.J. Williams, a second-grader from New Fairfield, Conn., arrived at the cul-de-sac carrying a get well card and a red heart-shaped box filled with Skittles.

The sandy-haired boy said he wrote on the card, "Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you feel better and here's a little heart to make your big heart feel better." An officer told C.J. and his father that they'd have to mail the items.

Clinton had quadruple bypass surgery in 2004. He returned Thursday to have a clogged heart artery opened after suffering discomfort in his chest for several days. Schwartz said tests had showed that one of the bypasses from the surgery was completely blocked.

Instead of trying to open the blocked bypass, doctors reopened the original clogged artery and placed two wire-mesh scaffolds called stents to keep it open. The procedure took about an hour, and Clinton was able to get up two hours later, Schwartz said.

"The procedure went very smoothly," Schwartz said, describing Clinton's prognosis as excellent.

The former president didn't have a heart attack, and the new blockage was not from his diet, Schwartz said. Clinton has done everything right since his bypass eating well, exercising, keeping his blood pressure and cholesterol in check, said his cardiologist, Schwartz said.

"This was not a result of his lifestyle or his diet," Schwartz said at a news conference Thursday night. Since the bypass, "he has really toed the line."

McAuliffe said Clinton participated in a conference call on earthquake relief as he was wheeled into an operating room.

"An aide had to literally take the phone away from him," he said.

The secretary of state went from Washington to New York to be with her husband. Their daughter, Chelsea, was also at the hospital. Aides said Mrs. Clinton plans to leave Saturday for the Persian Gulf.

During the medical procedure called an angioplasty doctors thread a tube through a blood vessel to the blocked artery and inflate a balloon to flatten the clog. Often, one or more stents are used to prop the artery open. The angioplasty is usually done with the patient awake but sedated. It's one of the most common medical procedures done worldwide. More than a million are done in the United States each year, most involving stents.

"It's not unexpected" for Clinton to need another procedure years after his bypass, said Dr. Clyde Yancy, cardiologist at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and president of the American Heart Association.

The former president has been working in recent weeks to help relief efforts in Haiti. Since leaving office, he has maintained a busy schedule working on humanitarian projects through his foundation.

Clinton's reputation as an unhealthy eater was sealed in 1992, when the newly minted presidential candidate took reporters on jogs to McDonald's. He was famously spoofed on "Saturday Night Live" as a gluttonous McDonald's customer.

Friends and family say Clinton changed his eating habits for the better after his bypass surgery. But should Clinton slow down a little?

"Yeah, probably," McAuliffe said. "But he's been doing this for 63 years and you're not going to change him. He always says, 'It's not about me; it's about all those people.'"

Associated Press writers Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee; Beth Fouhy, Marcus Franklin and Cristian Salazar in New York; Julie Pace, Matthew Lee and Darlene Superville in Washington; and AP video journalist Ted Shaffrey in Chappaqua contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Water And Sanitation In Haitian Tent Cities

February 12, 2010 - As masses of Haitians settle into life in tent cities that can number into the tens of thousands, things like water and sanitation have become a critical issue for the health of these communities.

Non-governmental organixations and the Haitian government were quick to establish a water supply to some of these tent cities, but as Sabri Ben-Achour reports from Port-au-Prince, sanitation is quite another matter...

The Aftermath Of The Stormageddon With Post Columnist Bob McCartney

February 12, 2010 - Morning Edition host Matt McCleskey talks with Washington Post columnist Bob McCartney about all things snow: Metro, state budgets and public opinion about government leaders following D.C.'s 'stormageddon.'

"Art Beat" With Stephanie Kaye - Weekend Events, February 12-14, 2010

February 12, 2010 - (February 12) S.O.M.E. GALA You can ditch the galoshes and put on your dancing shoes during a fancy party to benefit So Others Might Eat Friday night at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in D.C. from 8 p.m. to midnight. You can feel good about drinking and dancing the night away--ticket sales will sponsor the work of this local non-profit's Anna Cooper House, providing affordable housing for formerly homeless adults.

(Feb 12-April 6) FLAT STANLEY Adventure Theatre hosts a charismatic guy who's anything but flat. The New Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley opens tonight and runs through April 6th out at Glen Echo Park in Maryland. After the bulletin board above Stanley's bed comes loose, he wakes up flat as a pancake. But his new figure allows him to slide under locked doors, become a trampoline and mail himself in an envelope to adventures around the world. A Pajama Party is scheduled tonight at 7 p.m., and a Flat Stanley book club meeting next Saturday, February 20th.

(February 17) BIKE-IN MOVIES And get geared up in time for next Tuesday's bike-in movie, as the Washington Area Bicyclists Association](http://www.waba.org/) and BikeArlington present the movie Race Across the Sky, at the Arlington Cinema 'N Drafthouse at 7 p.m. The movie attempts to cure the winter biking blues, documenting one of the most intense endurance races of all time. Interviews with Lance Armstrong, Dave Wiens and other elite and amateur cyclists will have you sweating in your seat.

Weekend Planner: 40 x 40

February 12, 2010 - Back in September, songwriter Todd Wright launched an ambitious project called '40 x 40.' The plan is to write, record and give away a song a week, for 40 weeks, leading up to his 40th birthday.

On Saturday, Feb. 13th, he's part of a sold-out tribute to Neil Finn (the main songwriter in the band Crowded House) at the Barns of Wolftrap in Vienna, Virginia, then he's playing at a Beatles tribute at Jammin' Java in Vienna on Sunday the 14th. And he has a solo show coming up on March 10th at Jammin' Java.

Speaking with David Furst, Todd Wright explains the project and plays one of his songs...

Snowfall Causes Problems For Real Estate Agent

February 12, 2010 - By David Schultz

Before this week's blizzard, Justin Nielsen made enough food to last a few days - just in case the power went out.

"I cooked everything the other day because I thought - being on Facebook, seeing what's going on with other people - we're going to lose it at any time," says Nielsen.

Nielsen's power stayed on, for most of the time. Now his family has a lot of leftovers to plow through.Nielsen also has a lot of work to catch up on.

"I have not been able to take clients out to look at homes," he says, "And I have a good list of people who are looking to buy now."

And of course, the snow makes it all but impossible for potential home sellers to make improvements.

"There are a couple homes that are getting ready to go on the market," he says. "This doesn't help."

Then there are the homes with roof damage. Nielsen heard there were few cave-ins this week. He'll be looking into them in the next few days, while he tries to clean up his own house.

Blizzard 2010 Unites Homeless And Low-Income Women

February 12, 2010 - By Rebecca Sheir

Snowstorms can be isolating for people stuck at home, waiting to go back to work or school. But in Northwest D.C., Blizzard 2010 has brought a group of homeless and low-income women closer together.

While the weather has been a bummer for many, for Michelle Anderson its been more of, as she puts it, "a WOOHOO'!!!"

Anderson lives at N Street Village, a complex providing food, clothing and shelter to 800 homeless and low-income women each year many of whom are battling mental illness, or like Anderson recovering from drug and alcohol addictions.

"It's been a blessing to be bottled in the snow," says Anderson of this past week.

"We've been together, united. You know how you get a lot of women and you think its gonna be cat fights? We didn't have no cat fights," she says.

David Diedrich, NSVs Director of Finance and Operations, says there's another reason the women are taking the weather in stride.

"Its amazing the obstacles that they've battled in their lives," says Diedrich. "So in the whole scheme of things, the snow is maybe one little blip."

Diedrich says Blizzard 2010 has been rough, but interacting with the women of N Street Village helps him keep things in perspective.

Snow-Bound Florists Play Catch-Up On Valentine Deliveries

February 12, 2010 - By Cathy Duchamp

The Friday before Valentine's Day is traditionally a big day for flower deliveries to the workplace. But this week's storm may crimp Cupid's reach.

Spencer Klein depends on Valentine's Day for his livelihood.

"Stress level is up there but I haven't blown my top yet," says Klein.

Klein runs a shop called "My Flower Box" in Baltimore's Federal Hill neighborhood.

This week's storm couldn't have come at a worse time for him. Sales are down. Flower shipments from wholesalers are delayed. Which means Klein is struggling to get the orders he does have out on time.

He's calling in some favors from friends to deliver bouquets

"I can't guarantee when they'll get there," he says. "But with the help of some 4 wheel drive vehicles and some hard work we'll do the best that we can. Thank God Valentine's Day is on a Sunday!"

A florist in D.C. jokes that Valentine's Day should be moved from wintry February to August.

The U.S. Postal Service says Valentine's Day weekend is its second busiest of the year. A Postal Service spokeswoman for the D.C. area says carriers hope to be caught up on Valentine deliveries in time for the holiday. That will, of course, depend on road conditions.

Power Breakfast For February 12, 2010

February 12, 2010 - Step one is a four-pronged bill that Reid says will create new jobs immediately in addition to saving a million highway jobs. Republicans and Democrats both say there are parts to this plan they can support.

Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports.

MarylandReporter.com: State Roundup Feb. 12, 2010

February 12, 2010 - From the Maryland Reporter website:

Today we have snow cleanup and reflection, the investigation of an influential state senator, and another Marylander gets appointed to the Obama administration.

UNEMPLOYMENT Two numbers illustrate why changing unemployment insurance is such an important part of the legislative agenda for business, labor and Gov. Martin O'Malley this session, Andy Rosen writes for MarylandReporter.com.

SNOW'S OVER Maryland is slowly digging its way back to normal, Michael Dresser and Tim Wheeler report for The Baltimore Sun. Many secondary roads are still covered in snow, and may stay that way for another day or two, but major highways are clear to the pavement. WBAL-TV has video of yesterday's cleanup efforts.

Erin Cunningham at The Gazette writes that the response to a snowstorm can make or break a politician's career. Robbie Whelan at The Daily Record writes that Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake should take a lesson from Chicago.

Jay Hancock writes in his column for The Sun that Marylanders may be expecting too much on snow cleanup for a state that almost never gets hit as hard as we have this week.

State schools superintendent Nancy Grasmick plans to ask the state school board to waive the law requiring students attend classes for 180 days because of the recent snow fall, Liz Bowie reports in The Sun. But some are wary that missing too much school will negatively impact students' performance on tests. Marcus Moore has the story at The Gazette.

Scott Dance of the Baltimore Business Journal examines the effect of the past week's snow on area businesses. The combination of the weather and the recession is really hurting them business, owners say.

In the midst of the snowstorm, one delegate proposed a measure that would cut back on the use of salt during cleanup, Sean Sedam writes at The Gazette.

Alan Brody and Sean Sedam at The Gazette describe the scene at a largely deserted State House.

CURRIE Annie Linskey of The Sun examines state Sen. Ulysses Currie's use of $41,500 in campaign contributions for legal defense fees over the past year. Currie has been under federal investigation since May 2008, and has been accused of using his influence public officials favorably for the Shoppers Food and Pharmacy chain that employed him as a consultant.

HIGHER EDUCATION Public institutions of higher education had some tight budgets in 2008-2009 and only the $2.4 billion in federal stimulus money kept him afloat, Daniel de Vise reports in The Washington Post. According to a report, Maryland fared better than most states, as state and local funding of higher education rose 4 percent to $8,100 per student.

SECURITY TRAINING Doug Tallman at The Gazette has the latest on the controversy over a proposed federal security training center in Queen Anne's County.

DUNCAN Observers are split about whether former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan would be a good candidate to head the Washington Metro system, C. Benjamin Ford writes in The Gazette.

OBAMA APPOINTMENTS Eric Schwaab, deputy secretary at the state Department of Natural Resources, has been appointed by the Obama administration to be assistant administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, John Wagner writes in The Post's Maryland Politics blog. Schwaab will also head the National Marine Fisheries Service. Tim Wheeler has more about Schwaab's work at DNR for The Sun.

ONLINE SUPPORT Del. Heather Mizeur has launched an online petition in support of her Open Government Act, Adam Pagnucco reports for Maryland Politics Watch.

BIKE SPACE The state Senate approved a measure requiring drivers to give bicycles, scooters and other personal transportation devices at least three feet of space if possible, Julie Bykowicz reports in The Sun's Maryland Politics blog.

TAX POLICY The Super Bowl gave Republicans a chance to goad O'Malley over tax policy, Alan Brody writes in The Gazette.

BROADBAND Urban and rural advocates are fighting for a slice of a $7.2 billion federal broadband program, Doug Tallman writes at The Gazette.

STATE SALARIES Barry Rascovar writes in his Gazette column that it would take real courage for lawmakers to freeze all state salaries, rather than just their own.

EXECUTIVE AUDIT The Executive Department, which includes the Governor's Office, couldn't account for more that $18,000 in new computer equipment, Natalie Neumann of MarylandReporter.com reports.

FORECLOSURES DOWN Foreclosures in Maryland fell 23 percent in January from December, Tucker Echols reports for the Baltimore Business Journal. But the number is still up 41 percent from a year ago.

REFERENDUM REPORT CARD A national voters-rights organization has given Maryland a D on its report card regarding the referendum process, The (Annapolis) Capital reports. The group found state laws on signature collection too "restrictive."

HARRIS Republican state Sen. Andrew Harris has hired two-time candidate for governor Ellen Sauerbrey to lead his campaign for Congress, the Associated Press reports.