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Job Training for the Builders of Tomorrow

A group of young people in D.C.'s Ward 8 are about to celebrate a milestone. They're graduating from a vocational program that helps them get their GED... while learning the nuts and bolts of construction work. The hope is that they'll leave the program with the knowledge and skills they need to go out and find a job.

That isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do in Ward 8, which has the highest unemployment rate in Washington. Overall joblessness in D.C. is about 10-percent. The D.C. Department of Employment Services says east of the Anacostia River, it could be as high as 30-percent. That's where Ward 8 is located.

Rebecca Sheir reports on YouthBuild - a program that aims to make a difference.

Fred Fiske: My Preferred Method of Travel

From borrowed toothbrushes to angry conductors, Senior Commentator Fred Fiske recalls some of his most memorable train trips.

Busking for Bucks

If you travel on the D.C. Metro, you've probably noticed a few musicians playing near the station exits. And during the summer months... some of them actually play for paychecks. Sylvia Carignan reports.

The Power of the Group

Group buying is a growing trend online, with sites like Groupon and Living Social popping up in cities across the country. And now, established companies like Yelp are throwing their hats into the ring.

Sites offer 50 to 90 percent off everything from restaurants to salons... to experiences like race car driving.

Amy Blaszyk looks into the phenomenon, and meets a man who accepted a challenge to live on coupons - or Groupons - for a year.

Building a Better Rickey

July has been a record-breaking month for summer heat. Not a bad time to celebrate 'air-conditioning in a glass.'

That's one nickname for the rickey, D.C.'s signature drink. This July has also been designated by area mixologists as the third-annual Rickey Month.

Local classic cocktail-slingers have been mixing up their own versions of the concoction. They'll square off in a competition on Monday, August 2nd at the Passenger and Columbia Room, a bar in D.C.'s Shaw neighborhood. Elaine Heinzman set out to drink in some rickey history.

• BARS AND BARTENDERS PARTICIPATING IN THE RICKEY CONTEST:

Gina Chersevani of PS7's, Chantal Tseng of Tabard Inn, Adam Bernbach of Proof, Dan Searing of Room 11, Clinton Terry of PX, Jayson Smith of PX, Justin Owens of PX, Rico Wisner of Poste Brasserie, David Fritzler of Tryst, Joey Ambrose of W Hotel, J.P. Caceres of Againn, Duane Sylvestre of Bourbon Steak, Laura Secker of Vermillion, Elli Benchimol of Chef Geoff's (both locations), Amy Troutmiller of Urbana, Joseph David Cleveland of Oyamel, Mike Cherner of Mie N Yu, Milton Hernandez of Bibiana, Rachel Sergi of 701, Jessica Crandall of Bourbon (Glover Park), Theo Rutherford of Ripple Wine Bar, Alex Bookless of the Passenger, Julia Hurst of the Passenger, Alex Nichols of the Passenger, J.P. Fetherston of the Passenger and Columbia Room, and Patrick Owens of Jaleo.

Getting Close at the Corcoran

Squiggles and lines... bright circles and blobs. The portraits created by artist Chuck Close are made from some of the most basic shapes and colors. But when viewed from afar, the seemingly unrelated squiggles and colors add up to some of the most expressive faces in the world of modern art.

An exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art delves into the artist's process. Close uses those closest to him as his subjects - friends and family, and even himself, with portraits that span decades. Stephanie Kaye speaks with Chuck Close at the Corcoran.

The exhibit 'Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration' is on exhibit through September 12.

Gardening with Kathy Jentz: Watering Without Waste

When you're slogging through one of those suffocating summer days in the District it can start to feel as if the season will never end. Kathy Jentz, editor and publisher of Washington Gardner Magazine, joins us to help our gardens survive the heat.

Jessica Piscitelli: Let's Get Real

Commentator Jessica Piscitelli tries to sort out what it actually means when food products claim to be 'real' and 'natural.'

Jessica Piscitelli lives in Northern Virginia - where she does occasionally succumb to unreal and unnatural foods.

New Music: Edward O'Connell

We finish the show with a fresh burst of new music. Edward O'Connell will be a guest on Metro Connection later this month. We hear a preview of the song "With This Ring" from his soon-to-be-released album Our Little Secret.