WAMU 88.5FM American University Radio

Safe Shores

When crime occurs, society's response is often focused on finding, trying and incarcerating the perpetrator. Victims are sometimes overlooked. In the District, when those victims are children suffering physical and sexual abuse, Safe Shores steps in. Safe Shores - The DC Children's Advocacy Center - has been working to minimize the trauma associated with child abuse since 1994. Rosiland Jordan introduces us to the people on staff who work every day with the goal of making sure "Safe Shores" lives up to its name.

Shakespeare Festival Without a Home

48 hours before opening night, the Maryland Shakespeare Festival found itself without a stage for its latest play. The group had been performing in Frederick, Maryland at the Centennial Memorial United Methodist Church, which boasts an Elizabethan style hall with wooden balconies, stained glass windows and 30 foot high ceilings. But a neighbor's complaint nixed the arrangement. Suddenly, the group couldn't perform at the church and had to scramble to find a new venue. The Frederick Arts Council stepped in and offered a black box theater, but the controversy that has been stirred up is far from over. Stephanie Kaye reports.

Fred Fiske - Newspapers

Senior Commentator and "news junkie" Fred Fiske bemoans the current state of the newspaper industry.

Working DC - The Funeral Director

In part two of our "Working DC" series, we head to Ward 5 meet a man who says he was BORN to do his job - Arnold Pickett, co-owner of the John T. Rhines Funeral Home on 12th Street, Northeast.

The "Working DC" series is produced by Frank Hamilton and funded by the Humanities Council of Washington, DC whose views are not necessarily represented by the series.

Chocolate Lovers Festival

Scientists have been researching the mystery of attraction for as long as there have been scientists. But while they're drowning in endorphins, one ingredient they always fail to consider is chocolate. It's a piece of the romantic puzzle that WON'T go unnoticed in Fairfax this weekend. The 16th annual Chocolate Lovers Festival offers chocolate sculptures, a chocolate chip pancake breakfast and many more reasons to ignore the advice of our dentists and dieticians. Andrew Hiller reports.

Nature - Winter Reading

Even die-hard naturalists and bird watchers stick to the great indoors more often once the calendar reads 'February.' But that doesn't mean we have to stop thinking about the natural world. This is a great time for reading. Naturalist Mark Garland has a fresh selection of books with a nature focus for us to consider - from the true story of a naturalist who follows migrating Osprey from Cape Cod to Cuba, to a volume celebrating the love songs of insects.

Reuben Jackson - Britney

Commentator and music critic Reuben Jackson usually concerns himself with artists from the world of jazz. Today his focus is slightly different. Britney Spears.

Reuben Jackson is a writer living in the District.