WAMU 88.5FM American University Radio

Low Wage Work Force

At a D.C. City Council hearing this week several members described the lack of affordable housing in the District as a "crisis," pointing out that too many residents just don't earn enough to live in a city now seen as experiencing an economic renaissance. Economists say D.C. has seen strong job growth across the income spectrum but they also say many of those new jobs are low wage positions like janitors, security guards, restaurant workers and maintenance crews.

As part of our series on the low wage work force, we look at the promises of job creation the city makes during big projects, like the construction of the new convention center and the planned baseball stadium, and we look at the results. As WAMU's James Jones reports, advocates for the working poor say moving people up and out of these jobs, and supporting them as they work in poverty, is only now getting serious attention from city leaders.

Iraq Elections

Nearly 26,000 Iraqis living in the U.S. are registered to vote in their homeland's elections. The Democratic elections on Sunday mark a historic moment for Iraq. But they come at a difficult time. Iraq is still plagued by daily reports of violence and disorder. Some Iraqi-Americans look to the elections with great hope, some with great anxiety. As the day draws near, we hear some perspectives from Iraqi-Americans living in the Washington region. Our piece was produced by WAMU's Sarah Hughes.

Commentary by Fred Fiske - AIDS

Fred talks about his astonishment - and disappointment - about a new survey of African Americans and the AIDS epidemic.

Strathmore Music Center Opening

A brand new, glittering 100-million dollar concert hall opens in Montgomery County next week. The Music Center at Strathmore, located just outside the beltway on Rockville Pike, boasts a 2000 seat state-of-the-art concert hall and education center. It's tough to beat for accessibility, connected to the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro station on the red line. It's also the new second home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra which will essentially be in the backyard of the Kennedy Center and the National Symphony Orchestra. Reporter Gail Wein takes us on a tour of the hall and investigates what this new addition will mean for the Washington area arts community.

The Music Center at Strathmore opens Saturday, February 5th, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Lost Film Festival

The films aren't really "lost" but they're not always that easy to find either. Launched in 1999, the Lost Film Festival has been bringing independent films to universities, churches, community centers and warehouses. Billed as a "traveling multimedia spectacle incorporating live performance and video," the Lost Film Festival has been finding audiences across the country and will be coming to the campus of American University on Thursday, February 3rd. Scott Beibin is the mastermind behind this madness. He joins us to talk about the festival.

Gardening with Dr. Cathey

Snow, ice, sleet, freezing temperatures and bitter wind...that's the typical recipe for winter in the D.C. region. How can we talk about gardening in late January? Here to help us get through February is Dr. Mark Cathey, President Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society.

Liam Callanan Gets Cold

Around this time of year we casually throw words around like "cold" and "freezing" to describe our snow shoveling sessions and our jogs to the Metro station. But what's really cold? Commentator Liam Callanan has been spending his January contemplating the relative meanings of the word.

Liam Callanan teaches writing at Georgetown and George Mason Universities. For more "cold" reading you can check Liam Callanan's first novel - "The Cloud Atlas" is set in Alaska.