Local News from WAMU 88.5

Friday, May 6, 2011

Avg Gas Price Jumps to More than $4

Pump prices have climbed for more than 40 straight days, and in the District, the average cost for a gallon of gas is now $4.16. But many stations have fuel prices much higher than that.

Q&A With WaPo Columnist Liz Clarke On Md. Basketball Coach Retiring

The University of Maryland Men's basketball coach Gary Williams is stepping down. Williams' career spanned 33 years, including 22 years leading the Terrapins. He had a 668 total wins that included a national championship at Maryland in 2002. Washington Post sports writer Liz Clark talks to WAMU's Matt McCleskey about Williams' decision to retire.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Mary Cheh, Several Others Arrested At Capitol Hill Protest

Another D.C. official has been arrested in an act of civil disobedience.

PG County Man Arrested in Connection With 2008 Springfield Triple Murder

Fairfax County Police have arrested a man linked to a 2008 triple murder that they're calling both sophisticated and brutal.

'Art Beat' With Sean Rameswaram

A dance party, a chance to take a hike, and a bounty hunter turned international opera star.

Using Genetics, Students Learn Not To Judge A Book By Its Cover

At the Cesar Chavez Charter School in the District, some students are learning not to judge a book by its cover and that lesson is coming in biology class.

Bus Rapid Transit: 'Not Your Father's Bus'

Council members in Montgomery County, Md., received an update on plans to build Bus Rapid Transit lines in the county this week. The price tag for the plan is high, but at least one County Council member says it must be built because Montgomery County is losing the transit battle with its neighbors.

After Explosion, Authorities Advise Letting Pros Install Appliances

After an explosion leveled a home in Rockville and seriously injured two residents, Maryland authorities are reminding members of the public to hire professionals when installing gas appliances.

Suspicious Letters With White Power Found In D.C. Schools

Authorities now confirm that suspicious packages were found at 15 D.C. schools, which led to some partial evacuations.

Mount Pleasant Riots: May 5 Woven Into Neighborhood's History

The Mount Pleasant riots made it clear that, in D.C., race issues would never again just be a matter of black versus white.

UMD Basketball Coach Gary Williams To Retire

The University of Maryland Men's Basketball Coach -- Gary Williams -- is stepping down.

Rock N Roll Hotel Revitalizes H Street Corridor

The H Street corridor in Northeast D.C. was devastated by the 1968 riots in Washington, and struggled for decades afterward. But the area is in a period of revitalization now -- prompted in part by development around the Rock and Roll Hotel -- which turns five this fall.

House Passes Bill to Reopen Virginia Coastal Water to Drilling

The U.S. House has passed a bill that would reopen areas off Virginia's coast to oil and gas drilling, reversing the Obama administration decision to halt all lease sales there in the wake of the BP oil disaster.

Colleagues Honor Officer Killed While Wife Was Pregnant

A Montgomery County police officer killed in the line of duty while his wife was pregnant with triplets, is now immortalized at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Alexandria Jail Named For Slain Deputy Sheriff

In Virginia, the Alexandria Adult Detention Center has a new name. The facility was renamed today in honor of a sheriff's deputy who was killed in the line of duty thirty years ago.

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