News Archive - December 7, 2010

D.C. Council Votes Against Tax Hikes

The District will not be raising its income tax to help pay for the city's growing budget gap. The move angered many advocates for safety net services, who say the deep spending cuts will disproportionately affect the city's poorest residents.

When D.C. Council Chairman and soon-to-be Mayor...

Sanitary Commission Braces For Winter, Gives Residents Tips

The frigid air and gusty winds that swept in quickly over the weekend are leaving residents to dig out those heavy winter coats. The change in temperature is also causing problems for utilities.

Bitter wind chills and temperatures hanging in the 30s will stick around for the next couple of...

Metro Track Circuits: How They Work And What Happens When They Don't

Metro is embarking on a $60 million project to replace thousands of its faulty track circuits. Last year's deadly train crash on the Red Line was partially caused by these circuits malfunctioning.

Transportaton reporter David Schultz sat down with the hosts of WAMU's Metro Connection, Rob S...

Maryland Governor Offers Employee Buyout Deal

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is offering a buyout deal to many executive branch employees. Under an executive order signed Tuesday, eligible employees can apply to leave their jobs in exchange for a $15,000 payment, plus $200 for each year of service and three months of medical, prescription and...

Power Breakfast: Thinking Of The Farmers

From Capitol News Connection:

When Katherine Ozer, head of the National Family Farm Coalition, looks at a typical morning menu, certain questions come to mind. Cereal? She's wanders about "what kind of seed the farmers are buying, what kind of control there is by the companies that are sell...

Baker Makes First Moves In Office, Promises More Changes

Prince George's County has a new county executive, who in turn made sure the county has both a new police and fire chief.

In some of his first moves in office, Rushern Baker announced he would not retain Police Chief Roberto Hylton and Fire Chief Eugene Jones. Both moves were expected, espe...

Gray's Announcement Of Cabinet Picks On The Way

D.C. Mayor-elect Vince Gray still hasn't said who will serve in his administration, but some of those key cabinet positions could be announced soon.

Gray says he will announce his picks this week, as early as Wednesday. A source in the Wilson Building says the announcement is slated for Wed...

'Transforming Tysons' Open House Offers Residents Glimpse Into Future

In Virginia, the plan to transform Tysons Corner is slowly moving forward. Monday night, some local residents got their first glimpse of what the transformation will look like.

More than 100 residents made their way around the cafeteria at Marshall High School, where renderings of seven of...

Commentary By Chuck Bean: 'Imagine It's You' In Need

During this holiday season, commentator and executive director of The Nonprofit Roundtable, Chuck Bean, suggests it's time to "imagine" ourselves making a difference:

These days many things seem beyond our control: North Korea, Wikileaks, partisan bickering. It's hard to imagine we can make...

Students Introduced To Printers Of The Future

2010 has been a year of some pretty big inventions: Google's self-driving car and, of course, Apple's iPad. Thomas Pierce reports on another big invention that's making an appearance in classrooms in Virginia: 3-D printers.

State Roundup: Tuesday, Dec. 7

From MarylandReporter.com:

RACING'S FUTURE Although various players in the state's thoroughbred racing industry may disagree on how to sustain the sport, Gov. Martin O'Malley's office said yesterday that everyone agreed on one thing: keeping the Preakness Stakes in Maryland, Hanah Cho repor...

Rhee Starts Organization As Children's Advocate

Former D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee is starting an organization called Students First. Rhee calls it "a national movement to defend and promote the interests of children."

Oprah Winfrey was apparently one of those people wondering what Rhee was going to do after stepping dow...

'Art Beat' With Sean Rameswaram

(Dec. 7-Feb. 13) SUNSET BLVD Arlington's Signature Theatre is ready for its close-up. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Hollywood musical Sunset Boulevard opens today and runs until mid-February. An aging silent film star aims to make a comeback while backed by a 20-piece orchestra in the classic tale of lov...

Pr. George's Interim Police Chief Calls For Off-Duty Regulation

In Maryland, the new interim police chief in Prince George's County is putting his mark on the department. Mark Magaw enters the position just weeks after the latest controversy involving the county police.

Three officers were arrested in a federal investigation last month for their part in...

Latest Maryland Regional News

MCHENRY, Md. (AP) Forecasters say the storm pummeling much of the Northeast has dropped more than 18 inches of snow in far western Maryland. No serious accidents have been reported and the snow is expected to give a boost to ski area operators in the state.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Maryland'...

Security Beefed Up At Dunbar High School In D.C.

The interim chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, Kaya Henderson, says the District is beefing up security at Dunbar High School. The decision comes shortly after a student was allegedly raped there. Friends of Bedford is a management company, brought in to improve Dunbar in 2008. Henderson says par...

The Things They Carried: Contraband Found At Dulles

Dulles International Airport in Virginia is one of the 10 busiest airports in the country. And among the millions of pounds of luggage that comes through is the risk that a passenger might bring in a non-native species, carry a disease or smuggle in drugs. WAMU's Kavitha Cardoza spoke to some of...

More Details Emerge About Discovery Hostage Crisis

Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Wayne Jerman says that police at the scene on the day of the hostage crisis at Discovery headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., were prepared for the possibility that the bomb strapped to the gunman's chest would explode.

Jerman also says bomb technicia...

Latest D.C. Local News

WASHINGTON (AP) Streets in downtown Washington will be closed for the annual National Christmas Tree Lighting. The ceremony on the Ellipse, south of the White House, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) Former D.C. public schools head Michelle Rhee hopes to attract 1 million me...

Doctor's Willingness To Perform Late-Term Abortions Raises Concern

Dr. LeRoy Carhart is one of few doctors in the country willing to perform late-term abortions. Carhart began working at the Germantown Reproductive Health Center Monday. Before this, he was working out of a clinic in Kansas run by Dr. George Tiller. Tiller, also an abortion provider, was shot and...

Baltimore Mops Up From Two Five-Alarm Fires

Investigators are working to figure out the causes of two separate five-alarm fires to hit the city of Baltimore in less than a day. One hundred fifty firefighters worked to put out the second blaze overnight in the city's cultural district. Many of the same crews also fought the earlier fire in...

Latest Virginia Regional News

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Public workers in Virginia will be getting an extra day off Christmas week, thanks to Gov. Bob McDonnell. McDonnell has sent out an e-mail out informing the workers that they'll be getting Dec. 23 off what he calls a small token of thanks for their hard work throughout the...

No Results Announced From Latest Horse Racing Meeting, Talks Continue

The future of live horse racing in Maryland is still in doubt, but negotiators say progress is being made on getting the 2011 season underway.

After the racing commission unanimously rejected a plan for only 47 live racing days, it was back to the drawing board for the Maryland Jockey Club...

Metro Area Residents Are Relatively Well Prepared For Retirement

Survey findings released Tuesday by Ameriprise Financial show that where people live may influence their readiness to retire.

The survey examined the nation's 30 largest metropolitan areas to determine where consumers are the most prepared and confident to retire. The Washington metro area...

D.C. Leads Charge To Bridge Digital Divide

By Zak Koeske

The D.C. government is at the forefront of a national push to develop citizen-focused Web tools. But District leaders say they haven't forgotten that many residents aren't yet online. D.C's chief technology officer is on the case to bridge that digital divide.

This repor...

College Students Seek Greater Representation In D.C.

Some college students in the District say they deserve a greater say in local politics. They're trying to take advantage of the city's new same-day registration law to get more students elected in districts that represent campuses or dorms.

But this new electoral activism is rankling some o...