Join The Conversation! Talk about the news of the day with public radio fans on WAMU 88.5's The Conversation.
Friday September 24, 2004
Week of September 20, 2004
Your Amazon.com purchases support WAMU 88.5
Your purchases from the NPR Store support WAMU 88.5
Early next month, a new DC law banning the sale of large single bottles and cans of beer, malt liquor and ale will go into effect in most of Ward Four. The ban was passed at the urging of community leaders, who claim that the fairly common sight of a group of people hanging out in front of a store with sipping bags is actually a major source of crime, litter and fear. Critics of the ban say this limited form of prohibition hurts store owners, and will only push any problems associated with drinking into other areas. WAMU’s James Jones reports on a social experiment that will soon be taking place in one section of the city.
The economy in Northern Virginia may be humming along, but in some of Virginia’s rural communities, a large number of people are hurting for work. In Danville, a city of roughly 48,000 just above the North Carolina border, the unemployment rate is 14%. At least six manufacturing companies that employ Danville workers have either shut down or cut back staff this past year. State officials want to get the community’s displaced workers… especially those who never earned a high school diploma… back to school. And they’ve enlisted the help of some local sports heroes to get that “back to school” message on the FAST TRACK. WAMU’s Sarah Hughes reports.
The Smithsonian’s much anticipated National Museum of the American Indian opened this week. The museum focuses on the cultures and histories of Native people in North, Central and South America. It fills the last open spot on the National Mall and is expected to receive four million visitors a year. The museum was designed in consultation with tribes and is intended – in part – to inform the public that Indian people and their customs have not gone away. As part of a rotating exhibition in which more than half a dozen tribes tell their own stories, the Pamunkey Tribe of Virginia is profiled at the museum. WAMU’s Lisa Nurnberger has this report.
This week’s dedication of Washington’s newest museum turned all eyes to the national mall. According to commentator Liam Callanan it also focused a lot of attention on a growing problem there.
Did you play a musical instrument in high school… and then perhaps put it away into the back of your closet when little things like career and family came to dominate your days and nights? If so, a new class wants to reunite you with that dusty old trumpet or saxophone… and get you playing with other musicians in front of an actual audience. It’s called the Jazz Band Masterclass.
Normally during our “Crummy But Good” food segments, we travel to little roadside joints - - independently-owned dives that might look rough on the outside but offer surprisingly good food on the inside. Today we visit a “joint” the size of a few football fields. Wegman's. Donovan Kelly is our Crummy But Good food editor, he’s also the author of the book, “The Quest For the Holy Grill – 50 Crummy But Good Restaurants Within Rambling Range of Washington DC.”
privacy policy - terms of use - contact - sitemap - directions - rss - podcasts - jobs - community
Copyright WAMU 88.5 American University Radio | 4000 Brandywine Street NW | Washington, DC 20016-8082 | (202)885-1200
