D.C. Wire: May 4, 2008 - May 10, 2008

My First Taxi Meter

On the way back to the Post after covering the Fraternal Order of Police memorial service, I took my first D.C. cab with a time and distance meter installed. Here are the stats: Trip: From 441 4th St. NW to 1150 15th St. NW Start Fare: $3.00 plus $1.50...

By David A Nakamura  |  May 9, 2008; 1:30 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  City Life , David Nakamura  
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No Confrontation at Police Memorial Service

Fenty speaks with D.C. policers officers this morning. (By David Nakamura--TWP) Mayor Fenty showed up as promised today at the Fraternal Order of Police's annual memorial service for fallen officers, despite the group having rescinded its invitation to him yesterday. The stage had been set for a showdown after...

By David A Nakamura  |  May 9, 2008; 1:12 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety , David Nakamura  
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Age Ain't Nothin' But A Number: A Wii for You, Me

D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) is donating today a Wii video game system to IONA Senior Services in her ward. Citing a Mayo Clinic report that shows that the game can help the elderly both physically and mentally, Cheh said in a media release that she wanted...

By Nikita R Stewart  |  May 9, 2008; 10:36 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  D.C. Council  
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A Question of Principals?

Post reporter Bill Turque gets inside the story of School Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's firing of Oyster-Adams Principal Marta Guzman. The school just happens to be the place where Rhee's children attend, as well as the son of Victor Reinoso, the deputy mayor for education....

By Marcia Davis  |  May 9, 2008; 8:49 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Education  
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Does This Man Look Angry to You?

Chinese artist Lei Yixin is working on the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. (Courtesy Lei Yixin) No, not the sculptor, Lei Yixin, who's working on this statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the Tidal Basin memorial, but the sculpture itself. Though some might understand if Yixin is...

By Marcia Davis  |  May 9, 2008; 8:15 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
Categories:  City Life  
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Klingle Road Warriors

It's been nearly two decades, but did anyone really think the fight over Klingle Road was over? Okay, maybe some really did believe the question had been settled when the District Council voted in 2003 to spend millions to reopen the road. But that's beside the point. The DC Wire...

By Marcia Davis  |  May 9, 2008; 8:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  City Life , D.C. Council  
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Breaking News: Police Rescind Fenty Invite

The Fraternal Order of Police, angered by Mayor Fenty's handling of the DeOnte Rawlings case, has voted to rescind an offer to the mayor to attend and speak at its annual memorial service tomorrow for fallen officers. See the letter here. Early response from Fenty administration is that the mayor...

By David A Nakamura  |  May 8, 2008; 4:17 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (13)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety , David Nakamura  
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Ward 4 Showdown

The 2008 District Election debate season appeared to kick off with last night's forum hosted by the Ward 4 Democrats. Council member Muriel Bowser is being challenged by Baruti Jahi, a former president of the Shepherd Park Citizens Association, and Paul E. Montague, the former ANC Commissioner who was recalled...

By Nikita R Stewart  |  May 8, 2008; 3:56 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  2008 District Election  
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Business Tax Cut Still Alive

The big question around the Wilson Building these days: Can the District government absorb an 11th-hour, $35 million revenue shortfall and still give small businesses a property tax cut? The answer, after six hours of private D.C. Council discussions yesterday, appears to be a resounding "yes." Council sources said the...

By David A Nakamura  |  May 8, 2008; 3:17 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  City Finances , David Nakamura  
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Bleacher Bums

Two years ago, the District scored a $100,000 grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, one of Major League Baseball's community outreach programs, to renovate Fort Greble Field, where Ballou High plays its home games. The complex got new turf, dugouts, backstop and bleachers. But just days after then-Mayor Anthony...

By David A Nakamura  |  May 8, 2008; 7:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  City Life , David Nakamura  
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For Hoop Dreams, Strauss Brings Other 'A' Game

As he rode up the "Senators only" elevator Wednesday night in the U.S. Capitol, the D.C. Shadow Senator Paul Strauss was ready to be at the top of his game, preparing to speak to a packed reception to honor winners of the nonprofit Hoop Dreams scholarship fund. The non-voting member...

By Marcia Davis  |  May 8, 2008; 6:59 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Voting Rights  
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U.S. Teachers Weigh in on Pay and Reform

D.C. Wire and The Post have written extensively about the challenges facing teachers through school closures and restructuring as well as turmoil in the Washington Teachers' Union. It turns out the issues are not unique to D.C., according to a national study released today. Education Sector, a nonpartisan think tank...

By Dion Haynes  |  May 7, 2008; 2:41 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Education  
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The Numbers Are In

You can read the full letter from CFO Gandhi to Mayor Fenty and Council Chairman Gray regarding the city's latest $35 million budget gap here....

By David A Nakamura  |  May 7, 2008; 1:03 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  City Finances , David Nakamura  
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Basket Half Empty

In light of the budget woes the city is facing, a collection of about 40 affordable housing advocates gathered at the John A. Wilson Building this morning to walk the halls distributing half empty baskets of food to D.C. Council members. The idea, said Martina Gillis, advocacy coordinator for the...

By David A Nakamura  |  May 7, 2008; 11:18 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Affordable Housing , Browse By Writer  
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Camp Obama, Camp Clinton

It was an especially tough, close fight for votes in Indiana yesterday. The DC Wire is again turning to District residents Tom Smith and Jason Berry, the Clinton and Obama volunteers respectively who've been blogging from the ground war. Camp Obama: Jason Berry Hi Washington, WOW! what a crazy 36...

By Marcia Davis  |  May 7, 2008; 10:31 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  2008 Presidential Race  
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Fenty's Options for New Budget Woes

By David A Nakamura  |  May 7, 2008; 6:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Budget , David Nakamura  
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Council Sends Mixed Signal in Noise Vote

After intense and loud debate, the D.C. Council gave initial approval yesterday to noise legislation that would quiet demonstrators in residential neighborhoods but allow them to pump up the volume downtown and in front of hotels. The controversial Noise Control Protection Amendment Act of 2008 had been tabled by a...

By Marcia Davis  |  May 7, 2008; 5:59 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  D.C. Council  
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WASA Says Conserve H20 After Main Breaks

WASA was kept on its toes in Southeast yesterday after five water main breaks in the early morning. Crews were still working on the problem late yesterday. Residents in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River are advised to conserve water - no car washing, lawn watering or other activities that...

By Marcia Davis  |  May 7, 2008; 5:59 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  City Life  
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Fenty Hits N.C. for Obama

Mayor Fenty goes door-to-door during his own campaign two years ago. (File Photo by Andrea Bruce--TWP) Big day for Barack Obama today in North Carolina and Indiana and who better to call on than his favorite door-to-door campaigner Adrian Fenty? The D.C. mayor traveled to three North Carolina locations...

By David A Nakamura  |  May 6, 2008; 2:33 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
 
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A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of White To Go

The D.C. Council just voted 12 to 1 to permit patrons of restaurants to take unfinished bottles of wine with them after several minutes of debate full of puns. Currently, diners must leave the bottles behind or down the last drops. Council member Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large) sponsored the...

By Nikita R Stewart  |  May 6, 2008; 1:14 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  D.C. Council  
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Go, Caps!

The D.C. Council legislative meeting today kicked off with a ceremonial resolution for the Washington Capitals for a season that saw them win the Southeast Division title. Owner Ted Leonsis and player Shaone Morrisonn were on hand to accept the resolution from Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who represents...

By Nikita R Stewart  |  May 6, 2008; 10:51 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  D.C. Council  
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Shhhh! Everybody Calm Down

The D.C. Council is set to vote today on a noise bill that has been tabled, tweaked and revived. But the council appears to still be divided despite amendments offered by Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6). There was pouting and at least one audible...

By Nikita R Stewart  |  May 6, 2008; 10:03 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  D.C. Council  
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Camp Obama, Camp Clinton in Indiana

Camp Clinton: Tom Smith Tuesday, May 6 ... Before calling it a day on Monday, my group made one last canvassing stop - a carnival in a strip mall near Indianapolis. Mixing a little bit of fun with politics, I met one man whose wife had died about a year...

By Marcia Davis  |  May 6, 2008; 6:56 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  2008 Presidential Race  
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Going, Going, Not Quite...

Some of the underperforming principals targeted for removal by Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee may not actually leave the D.C. school system. An unspecified number may have what are known as "retreat rights," meaning they can return to the jobs they held before becoming principals. Most were either assistant principals or...

By Bill Turque  |  May 6, 2008; 6:53 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Education  
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Breaking News: Rhee Firing Principals

D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, continuing a series of aggressive personnel moves, has started notifying principals--possibly as many as 30--that they will not be reappointed for the 2008-2009 academic year, school officials said today....

By Marcia Davis  |  May 5, 2008; 5:40 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Education  
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And the Winner (For Now) Is...

With nearly 1,500 votes in on our unscientific poll of washingtonpost.com readers, Frederick Douglass is running away with the competition to be on the D.C. quarter design. As we told you last week, the city will submit three designs to the Mint, which will pick a winner by the summer....

By David A Nakamura  |  May 5, 2008; 3:50 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  David Nakamura , Voting Rights  
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Pimp My Police Car

Seen outside Nats Park on Saturday....

By David A Nakamura  |  May 5, 2008; 2:00 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety , David Nakamura  
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Say What?!

Yesterday, the Post's Metro section brought you this story about the ongoing tension between Mayor Fenty and Council Chairman Vincent Gray over the mayor's budget. Gray and other council members have complained that the mayor has misled them over his spending request and failed to answer their questions, as a...

By David A Nakamura  |  May 5, 2008; 12:08 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Budget , David Nakamura  
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A Day at the Park

Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee showed up at Saturday's Nationals game to honor students who attended Saturday school. The students and their parents got tickets and a boxed lunch and watched the Nats beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-8. Fenty and Rhee opened the game by announcing "Play ball!" on top...

By David A Nakamura  |  May 5, 2008; 11:53 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  David Nakamura , Nationals  
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Camp Obama, Camp Clinton in Indiana

Camp Clinton: Tom Smith updated: 1: 40 p.m. Monday, May 5... Both candidates appeared last night at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner, the annual fundraising event for the Indiana Democratic Party. Sandwiched around a speech by Howard Dean, both candidates showed signs of being tired and weary after what must be a...

By Marcia Davis  |  May 5, 2008; 7:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (10)
Categories:  2008 Presidential Race  
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Camp Obama, Camp Clinton in Indiana

Camp Clinton: Tom Smith Sunday, May 4... Though the weather was unseasonably cold and windy last night, Sen. Hillary Clinton heated up a crowd of about 7,000 people at a rally with a fiery populist appeal that centered on the price of gas, jobs, health care and her determination to...

By Marcia Davis  |  May 4, 2008; 10:42 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (8)
Categories:  2008 Presidential Race  
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Church and State: Whither the Black Minister?

It's hard to forget the image of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the Rev. Otis Moss III kneeling and praying with their families and others at D.C.'s Shiloh Baptist Church. Monday had been a tough day. For Wright, what was supposed to be a brief moment to answer questions after...

By washingtonpost.com editors  |  May 4, 2008; 10:30 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  2008 Presidential Race  
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