News Archive - August 31, 2010

Construction Workers Cope With Code Red Air Quality

By Jessica Jordan

A code red air quality alert means you're urged to restrict outdoor activities, but for thousands of people who make a living working in the elements, it's business as usual on these days.

At one construction site on I-66 in Virginia, workers man heavy equipment in t...

D.C. WASA Questioned Over Response To Spill

By Jessica Jordan

Union employees at the Blue Plains Wastewater treatment facility say the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority failed to alert them about a methanol spill at the plant.

Now the union wants to know why the spill wasn't reported.

Employees say a mechanical failure in th...

Pre-K Programs In Md. Get Praise

By Kavitha Cardoza

A study by the Pew Center on the States is highlighting success in Maryland's Montgomery County Schools and pointing to the pre-kindergarten programs as a vital component.

The Pew Center's Marci Young says the study looked at a decade of data and found the extra tim...

Latest D.C. Local News

WASHINGTON (AP) Metrorail riders will start paying another 20 cents for rides during the height of the morning rush this week. The 20-cent peak-of-the-peak fee will be charged for Metrorail trips taken between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on weekdays.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Ri...

Metro Area Residents Jump Into Coal Ash Fight

By Sabri Ben-Achour

The Environmental Protection Agency is considering revamping the way it regulates coal ash and is holding public hearings to get input from the public. People have come to testify from as far away as Puerto Rico, and it's of particular concern to our area as well.

...

Latest Maryland Regional News

BALTIMORE (AP) Three young men accused in the fatal shooting of a former Baltimore city councilman are set to go on trial today. Kenneth Harris was shot and killed in a robbery outside a jazz club in September 2008. He served on the council from 1999 to 2007.

MIDDLE RIVER, Md. (AP) Baltimor...

Hurricane Earl Could Hurt Holiday Travel

By Kavitha Cardoza

Hurricane Earl has strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm and appears to be on a forecast track that could take it near the East Coast in coming days. It could have an impact on Labor Day travel plans.

Forecasters say it's too early to tell exactly where Earl...

Latest Virginia Regional News

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Forty-five businesses, government agencies and other entities in Virginia will receive help from the federal government to continue insurance coverage for some early retirees. The program reimburses employers and unions for a portion of medical claim costs for early retirees ag...

Gray's Lead Changes Dynamics Of Mayoral Race

By Patrick Madden

With a recent poll showing D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray leading Mayor Adrian Fenty by 17 points, well beyond the poll's 3 point margin of error, there's no question now who the frontrunner is in this year's mayoral contest. This is changing the dynamics in the race.

...

McDonnell Wants Review of Massive Computer Failure

By Jonathan Wilson

Virginia's Governor is ordering an operational and performance review of a massive computer failure that has been affecting state agencies since last week.

The issue continues to paralyze some state agencies.

Twenty-seven of the state's 89 agencies were affect...

Power Breakfast For August 31, 2010

Washington attracts its share of celebrities. Today:pop/R&B sensation, Rihanna. Well, sort of.

Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports...

Report: Much Progress at D.C. Schools, But Improvements Difficult to Maintain

By Kavitha Cardoza

There have been "dramatic and unprecedented" improvements in D.C.'s traditional public schools, according to a new report by the Washington Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.

But the group also warns that the progress won't be easy to maintain....

Cuccinelli In Hot Seat Over Climate Change Challenge

By Elliott Francis

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's claim that Dr. Michael Mann fraudulently obtained grants for climate research was rejected by a county circuit Judge. Dr. Mann says he's pleased with the decision, but believes the AG's motives run deeper.

The pressure from...

Feds Conducting Surprise Tour Bus Inspections On Mall

By David Schultz

Federal transportation safety regulators are conducting surprise inspections of tour buses on the National Mall this week.

The regulators are intercepting tour buses after they drop off passengers and subjecting them to a full mechanical inspection, right on the stree...

Art Beat With Sabri Ben-Achour, Tuesday August 31st, 2010

"Art Beat" with Sabri Ben-Achour - Tuesday, August 31, 2010 (August 31-October 17) EMPRESS AS TEMPTRESS American University’s Katzen Museum opens Love Affair of the Empress today in Tenleytown. Artist B.G. Muhn’s first installation work is a series of invented portraits of a mystical Chinese empr...

MarylandReporter.com State Roundup, August 31, 2010

From the MarylandReporter.com website:

BOOZE TAX Health care advocates say they have 146 General Assembly candidates signed on to a proposal that would raise the state’s alcohol taxes by a dime a drink, Nick Sohr blogs for the Daily Record.

EHRLICH EYES MOCO John Wagner of the Washing...

Luxury Electric Car Dealership Coming To Downtown D.C.

By David Schultz

The electric sports cars made by Tesla are silent, when idle. But as Shaun Phillips, a Tesla sales rep, demonstrates, their 288 horsepower engines pack a punch.

"I've had people curse on their test drives," says Phillips. "I've had grown men giggle or squeal in fear."...