WAMU 88.5FM American University Radio

Keeping Kids Out of Jail

Out of the cell, and back into the home...the District has launched a new program that aims to keep more youths out of prison. Aside from those who commit serious and violent crimes, few would argue that jail is the best place to be for a 15-year-old. In the program, young people charged with crimes who typically await trial from behind bars, will instead be kept under watch in their homes. Others, who violate the terms of their probation, will also remain at home, rather than being sent to a locked-down facility, or to a group home. It represents a significant shift in the way the District deals with young offenders, and it's a change that some say has been too long in coming. WAMU's Lisa Nurnberger reports.

A Reading Connection for Homeless Kids

The Reading Connection was founded in 1989 by a group of educators with a mission: to share their passion for books and reading with children living in housing crisis. They noticed that children they taught who lived in homeless shelters had dramatically lower exposure to books and reading than classmates with more stable home lives. Volunteers began reading with children in a small shelter in Arlington. Today, the Reading Connection has over 200 volunteers who stage "Read Aloud" programs, set up mini-libraries in housing facilities, and hand out goodie bags of books and school supplies to their young participants. WAMU's Stephanie Kaye visited Virginia Gardens, a housing project in Arlington, and spoke with Judy Hijikata, the Reading Connection's program director.

Commentary by Fred Fiske

Metro Connection senior commentator Fred Fiske says he and wife Sandy are on the road again...and that's given him plenty of time to think about quality in journalism and the war in Iraq.

Mondo DC

Have you ever had visitors from out of town and wanted to make sure you took them to a tourist spot they've NEVER been to before? The ultimate cheat-sheet for Washington's off-the-wall locations has been published. "Mondo DC - An Insider's Guide to Washington DC's Most Unusual Tourist Attractions" highlights the offbeat, the lesser-known...and the downright strange. It's a book that promises to deliver much more than monuments on the mall - from castles and catacombs, to gold mines and ghosts - with sex, drugs and guns thrown in for good measure. Author Jeff Bagato is a native Washingtonian. He has worked as a concert promoter, musician, and freelance writer, and he's become an authority on bizarre attractions in the city.

Cheap Ride to NYC

From off-beat tourist attractions we move to some lesser-known transportation options linking DC and the big apple. From planes and trains, to buses and automobiles, there's no shortage of ways to get from Washington to New York City. And typically, NOTHING associated with New York comes cheap. If you plan to drive, just add up the gas money and tolls between the beltway and the Lincoln Tunnel. But DC residents looking for a DISCOUNT travel option have a growing list of alternatives. As WAMU's Jack Zahora reports, more and more people are discovering the DC traveler's best open secret - local discount bus services.

Annapolis Nightlife

Now that we've gotten past Memorial Day weekend, we are officially in the summer season. During summers here in DC, we have bars and clubs where we can go out and pretend that we're on a tropical beach, but it's just not the same as actually being near a beach or a body of water. So today...we head to Annapolis. And here to help guide us through the wilderness of Annapolis nightlife is Fritz Hahn. He writes about nightlife for the Washington Post and the Washington Post.com.

Home Improvement with Jim Helein

Springtime in the Washington area means folks are marching off to the local hardware stores, eagerly gearing up for indoor and outdoor work on their yards and homes. Like spring itself, the home improvement season is a time when people feel a sense of renewal and inspiration...unless of course you're commentator Jim Helein. Then, it's just a sense of dread.

Jim would like it to be known that even though he accomplished nothing during this whole experience, he's just happy that he now knows the difference between a gable and a rakeboard.