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The Chesapeake's New "Water Trail"

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. And just in time for the celebration, Congress has approved the first National Historic Trail on water to commemorate the voyages of one of the settlement's most charismatic founders, Captain John Smith.

Not long after arriving in the new world, Smith set out with a crew of 14 on his first extensive exploration of the Chesapeake Bay. Over the course of the summer in 1608, the men snaked their way in and out of most of the bay's major rivers, all the way up to the Susquehanna. Smith's maps and writings from these voyages would later tempt thousands of colonists to follow in his wake.

With the establishment of the Captain John Smith National Historic Water Trail, a new generation of explorers will soon be able to do the same. Metro Connection's Sidsel Overgaard reports.

From "Worst" to "First"

Back in the late 90s, DC was always among the lowest ranked municipalities in the country when it came to functioning, up-to-date technology. And moving out of the information technology stone age wasn't easy. But the District has since built a model and widely praised information technology system from the ground up. Metro Connection's Susan Goodman has this profile of the woman who helped lift the District from "worst to first."

Commentary by Fred Fiske - Education in America

Although WAMU 88.5 Senior Commentator Fred Fiske sees changes in the education system, they're definitely not giving America's youth a "Head Start."

Jon Carroll Returns

Jon Carroll is a two-time Grammy winner for his work with the Starland Vocal Band, responsible for one of the defining hit singles of the 1970s, "Afternoon Delight." He's been playing piano with the Mary Chapin Carpenter Band for years. If you were alive in the 1980s and watched television, you almost certainly heard his song "Get Closer" which was recorded by Linda Rondstandt and later used for TV commercials by Close Up toothpaste. He's written songs for Tom Jones and Kenney Rogers. He's less known for his own solo recordings, but now Jon Carroll returns with a CD called Love Returns, and a CD-release concert happening a week from today, Friday, January 12th, at the Barns of Wolftrap. Jon Carroll joins us in the studio.

Nightlife with Fritz Hahn - A Year of Change

With baseball stadium construction wiping clubs off the map and passage of the DC smoking ban, it's been a year of change on the DC nightlife scene. And unless you happened to go out on the town enjoying the region's clubs and brew-pubs all 365 days of 2006, it's possible that you might have missed some of the changes. Luckily we have someone with us now who does exactly that. Here to sort out the major trends of '06 and to look at what might be coming in '07 is Fritz Hahn. He writes about nightlife for the Washington Post and the Washington Post dot com.

U Street Profile

We've been talking about nightlife in 2006, we go back a little further in time now...to "U" Street.

In the first half of the 20th century it earned the nickname "Black Broadway." During an era of segregation and struggle, it was a vibrant, commercial corridor where black families went to shop, socialize, dine out, listen to music, and dance. DC resident Sandra Butler Truesdale grew up in the neighborhood in the 1940s and 50s. And in this piece that originally aired in February of last year, she shares her memories of "U" Street. Our profile was produced by Metro Connection's Sarah Hughes.

Commentary by Melissa Jordan - The Queen

It's a new year. 2006 is a thing of the past. And on a personal level, that's good news as far as writer Melissa Jordan is concerned.

Melissa Jordan is a writer living in North Bethesda.