WAMU 88.5FM American University Radio

Republican Convention Coverage

The Republican National Convention dominated news coverage this week and some local Republican stars were on display in New York. Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele received lots of praise for his prime time convention speech on Tuesday. Candidates who are running for office this fall or even two years from now ran around town mixing and mingling and mostly trying to meet big party funders. But one group that is sometimes overlooked at conventions are the people who actually nominate the president - the delegates themselves. WAMU's James Jones spoke with several delegates from Virginia, Maryland and DC on the convention floor and around New York.

Boys and Girls Clubs

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington is facing a two million dollar deficit. And the non-profit says it's come up with a novel way to make some extra money while staying true to its mission, creating greater opportunities in the lives of disadvantaged kids. The plan is to sell one of its many properties - a well-loved clubhouse in DC's Columbia Heights neighborhood - to a developer. In exchange, in addition to building market rate condos - the developer will also build a bigger, fancier clubhouse for the non-profit on the same site. But as WAMU's Sarah Hughes reports, the neighborhood families who use the clubhouse aren’t convinced it will really be a win-win situation.

Buying a Block of Baltimore

A year ago on Metro Connection we brought you the story of TechBalt.com. It's a loosely organized group of Baltimore residents attempting an experiment in urban revitalization. The idea: to create an instant neighborhood by identifying an abandoned block and all buying homes on it at the same time. To prevent property owners from suddenly raising the prices, members kept the block's location secret and negotiated sales individually. As of last August two people had purchased homes and another three were talking to owners. We wondered how the project had developed since then. WAMU's Vince Pearson checked in with the group and came back with this report.

Commentary by Fred Fiske - Baseball History

Major League Baseball's re-entry into Washington is not a great idea, according to Fred Fiske.

Architecture Week

From National Chemistry Week to National Calligraphy Week to National Headache Awareness Week, it seems like every special interest group gets its own moment in the sun. So why should architects be any different? The profession will be treated to two weeks of attention during "Architecture Week" organized by the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Starting on September 6th, activities including sketching classes, golf tournaments and embassy tours will allow you to explore new and historical buildings with an architect right by your side. One event in particular has proud architects sitting on pins and needles - the Juror's Roundtable - in which visiting and local designers will pick the best new Washington architecture. WAMU's Stephanie Kaye hit Dupont Circle to meet with Mary Fitch, executive director of the DC A.I.A.

For more information you can call 202-667-1798.

Arts with Peter Fay

Peter reviews the season's Best Bets for arts in the region.

Music Review by Mark Jenkins - Ape House

The spry, tuneful style known as power-pop is not generally associated with Washington. But that hasn’t stopped some local groups from pursuing the style, which is rooted in such classic rock bands as the Beatles. Critic Mark Jenkins says DC's latest fab four is Ape House, whose music is lot tidier than the name suggests.

The new album from Ape House is called "Tired Of Style." Mark Jenkins also reviews music for Blender and The Washington Post.