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Primary Results

Quite simply, it was a wild primary week in the "Old Line State." Turnout may have been on the lighter side, but there was no shortage of drama. Aside from the obvious big races like the battle for Maryland's first new U.S. senator in 20 years, there was what had to be the most closely-watched race for state comptroller in the state's history, and voting glitches and Election Board ineptitude took center stage in Montgomery County.

We look back on a week of clapping, comedowns and confusion, and look forward to the general election in November. Reporter Lisa Nurnberger spoke with Political Analyst Blair Lee and Barry Rascovar, a columnist for the Gazette Newspapers.

So "Green" They're Platinum

Back in December we met with officials at Sidwell Friends School in DC. Looking over what was then a huge hole in the ground, they laid out their vision for a new, uber-environmental middle school, a building SO green it could become one of only a handful to win the U.S. Green Building Council's top grade of "platinum." This week, students entered the nearly completed building on time. Reporter Sidsel Overgaard took a tour and has this report.

The school might not be ready for tours, but if you want to catch a glimpse of the new Sidwell Friends building you can see photos on our web site and link to the school's construction webcam.

Commentary by Fred Fiske - The "Death" Tax

WAMU 88.5 Senior Commentator attended the season opener of the Redskins, but thinks he missed the real end runs happening right at the White House.

Parking Meters

Technology has a way of changing even the most commonplace things. For example, think about how something as simple as the phone booth has evolved. Or consider the last time you actually used a good old-fashioned map to find your way instead of clicking on mapquest or your vehicle's G.P.S. system to give you directions. Well, there's a high-tech experiment underway on the streets of Hyattsville, Maryland, that could change how you live. And, oh yes, it'll cost you some spare change. Stuart Cohen explains.

Art Not Ads

If you're walking the streets of the city next week, don't be shocked if you come across a mobile billboard carrying something other than an advertisement. A group of DC curators is organizing an arts project called "Street Scenes." The rebel force will commandeer billboard-toting trucks that normally push consumer items and replace the ads with art. The mission is to give city residents a taste of art in random places throughout the city. The "Art Not Ads" campaign will feature paintings, videos and poetry by local and national artists. Metro Connection's Stephanie Kaye went to the G Fine Art Gallery near Dupont Circle, to speak with curators Welmoed Laanstra and E. Ethelbert Miller.

"Street Scenes" Curator Welmoed Laanstraa and poet E. Ethelbert Miller spoke with WAMU 88-FIVE's Stephanie Kaye. "Art Not Ads" hits the streets September 15th.

Let There Be Beads

There are two types of people in the world: those who when informed that you will be visiting the bead museum say "You've got to be kidding me," and those who say, "Oh, awesome - I LOVE the bead museum!" If you're in the latter camp, we don't need to convince you of the many wonders of beads. But if you're in that first group, listen up - you might still find a way to get hooked by the fourteen thousand years of history on display here, in a space that manages to be both a stone's throw and worlds away from the big Smithsonian museums on the mall. Metro Connection's David Furst met with Jeff Bagato at the Bead Museum this week. He's author of "Mondo DC: An Insider's Guide to Washington DC's Most Unusual Tourist Attractions."

Admiring Rousseau

He's not a Rousseau fan. In fact, he has a hard time taking him seriously as an artist. But writer - and artist - Brett Busang has come to almost like, and even cautiously admire, both the man and his work. And he says the retrospective "Jungles in Paris" running at the National Gallery through October 16th provides a fine opportunity for reflection.