WAMU 88.5FM American University Radio

"Clean" Cars

Maryland officials say after almost half a dozen tries, THIS is the year the General Assembly will pass a bill requiring car dealers to sell cleaner-burning vehicles in the state. The measure would adopt California's stringent standards for tailpipe emissions. Dealers say the legislation would hurt business, partly because the price tag could go up and customers would simply go to Virginia or Delaware to buy cheaper cars. But state House and Senate leaders say residents are experiencing the EFFECTS of pollution - global warming - and that they now have public opinion on their side. Metro Connection's Lisa Nurnberger reports.

Skybuilt Power

While environmentalists in Maryland work through government channels to affect change, a small group of self-described "green" businessmen in Arlington are taking a different route. They're the owners of SkyBuilt Power, a company that hopes to become, quote, the "Dell of Renewable Energy Systems." To find out what that means, Metro Connection's Sidsel Overgaard joined Vice President Scott Sklar for a tour of the company's star product: a shipping container outfitted with solar panels and a windmill. Sklar says it all began by asking a simple question: why aren't more people using solar and wind power?

For more information about Skybuilt you can check out our link or visit the demo unit sitting in a parking lot across the street from Washington Lee High school in Arlington.

Commentary by Fred Fiske - the King that Got Away

WAMU 88.5 Senior Commentator Fred Fiske remembers his years on radio as "Fiske the Disc" and his one-time interview with Elvis Presley.

Beekeeping 101

It's mid-winter. The holidays are over, the kids are in school. It's the perfect time for a continuing education course. You know, something on knitting, pottery...or beekeeping. All the tips on how to raise and care for your very first honey bee colony will be covered by the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association in a series of classes starting March 1st. I met the Association's Marc Hoffman at Heyser Farms in Colesville, Maryland. While checking on his hives he dispensed some beginner tips free of charge and talked about the effects of the warm winter weather on our little pollinating friends.

"Great Noise" on Craig's List

With a name like "The Great Noise Ensemble," it stands to reason that the music this contemporary classical group chooses to play might encompass more than the familiar sounds of brass and strings. Currently an 18-member group of instrumentalists and singers, they met on Craig's List back in the summer of 2005. The mission is to "fight for the performance of new American works and to promote local talent in contemporary music." Metro Connection's Stephanie Kaye met with executive director and pianist, Kristen Williams Benoit in a Silver Spring coffee shop.

The Great Noise Ensemble will be performing at the Sitar Center in Adams Morgan on Friday, January 26th.

Mondo DC - the Apothecary Museum

Dragon's blood...lithium water...cannabis. Items you probably won't find on the shelves of the local CVS. But all were available in pharmacies in the early 20th century. To catch a glimpse of the drug stores of yesterday, there's no better place to visit than Alexandria's Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum. Located in the heart of Old Town, the museum captures an era where what we refer to today as "alternative medicine" was simply, medicine. It opened in 1792 - and with regular customers that came straight from the pages of history books, the Apothecary Museum preserves more than the evolution of potions and compounds. I met Jeff Bagato at the museum this week. He's the author of Mondo DC: An Insider's Guide to Washington DC's Most Unusual Tourist Attractions."

Music Review by Mark Jenkins - "The Evens"

DC post-punk standard-bearer Fugazi was known as much for its social conscience as its music. As the band evolved, however, its lyrics became more opaque. When Fugazi went on hiatus some four years ago, founder Ian MacKaye started the Evens, whose messages are much more direct. Critic Mark Jenkins says it's an approach that suits the moment.

Mark Jenkins also reviews music for Blender and The Washington Post.