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The Politics Hour

January 11, 2013
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Virginia's governor draws up a new play for legislation to fund roads. D.C.'s attorney calls an early foul on a plan to give the city budget autonomy. And Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley contemplates another push to get anti-death penalty legislation over the goal line in Annapolis. Join us for our weekly review of the politics, policies and personalities of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

Politics Hour Video

David Catania, D.C. Council member and chairman of the education committee, says truancy is one of the biggest problems affecting the city. Catania said about 30 to 40 percent of elementary and high school students miss two or more weeks of school, affecting graduation rates and test scores. He proposed a two-pronged solution: fire minimally effective teachers and prosecute parents based on a 20-year-old truancy law. Misdemeanor charges could include a $100 fine, five days in jail and community service. Catania also suggests a daytime curfew for students to curb truancy.

Arts & Culture

NPR

Decades Later And Across An Ocean, A Novel Gets Its Due

John Williams' Stoner sold just 2,000 copies when it was originally published in 1965. It's now acknowledged as a classic work, is a best-seller across Europe and the No. 1 novel in the Netherlands.

Food

NPR

Giant Renaissance Food People Descend Upon New York

Giuseppe Arcimboldo was a 16th-century artist who liked to play with his food, transforming it into the building blocks of many of his fantastical portraits. Artist Philip Haas has taken those portraits out of museums, reinterpreting them as colossal statues that interact with the natural environment.

Politics

NPR

Political Takeaways: Headaches For The White House

Controversies dominated this past week's political headlines, leaving the Obama White House on the defensive, trying to contain any lasting damage. Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR's Mara Liasson.

Technology

NPR

Young Kenyans Build Mobile Apps For Local Use

College students and recent graduates crammed the top floor of a tech hub in Nairobi for a competition built around the theme "Solutions for the Next Billion Mobile Users." Africa has more than 600 million mobile phone users (approximately 11 percent of the global total) – and the number is growing.

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