WAMU: Local News

Smithsonian To Launch Yoga Exhibit

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:41:41 -0400

The Smithsonian Institution is announcing plans for what curators believe is the first exhibition about the visual history of yoga, reports the Associated Press.

When it opens in October, "Yoga: The Art of Transformation" will feature temple structures, devotional icons, and manuscripts, as well as early photographs, books, and films about yoga.

The Sackler Gallery is organizing the exhibit, for which curators pulled together more than 130 objects from collections in the U.S., India, and Europe.

To pay for the exhibition, the Smithsonian is planning to launch its first major crowd-funding campaign. Between May 29 and July 1, the museum will be seeking donations to support the exhibit and related programs.

After its time in Washington, the exhibit will eventually travel to the San Francisco Asian Art Museum and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Ken Cuccinelli Wins GOP Nomination For Virginia Governor

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:52:57 -0400

Virginia's attorney general Ken Cuccinelli has won the Republican Party's gubernatorial nomination for governor, reports the Associated Press.

At the GOP's statewide convention, thousands of conservatives and tea party followers gave their support to Cuccinelli, who was unopposed for the nomination.

Cuccinelli was the first state attorney general to challenge President Obama's health care reforms in 2010.

He faces former Democratic National Committee chairman and Clinton family protege Terry McAuliffe in the Nov. 5 election to become Virginia's 72nd governor.

Maryland Gas Tax To Fund Two Major Road Projects

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:29:27 -0400

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a bill into law that will raise gasoline taxes in the state starting this summer. A little more than half of that money will go to mass transit, while the rest to road construction projects.

The gas tax will fund two major road projects in Montgomery County, one in Prince George's County, and another in Frederick County.

The plan allocates $125 million to construction on the new interchange to Watkins Mill Road from Interstate 270 in Gaithersburg, which is the most expensive single road project being funded by the tax increase.

Also in Montgomery County, Route 29 northbound will be widened to three lanes from Seneca Drive to Route 175 in Howard County. In Prince George's County, a new interchange will be built on route 210 at Kerby Hill and Livingston Roads. And up in Frederick County, Route 15 will get a new interchange at Monocacy Boulevard.

Accomack County Arsonists Deemed Competent For Trial

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:14:45 -0400

Charles R. Smith and Tonya Bundick have been charged with setting more than 77 arson fires in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

A psychological evaluation ordered by the court, found that while the two are severely depressed, they are not clinically insane and are therefore mentally stable enough to stand before a judge and jury.

The couple admitted to and are charged with setting almost all of the 77 arson fires set in Accomack County over a five month period earlier this year. They were arrested on April 2.

Both have been denied numerous requests for bond and are both being held in separate cells in the Accomack County jail.

Attorneys for the couple had hoped to have the evaluations sealed by the court system, but the judge denied the request.

Repairs Aimed At Stemming Flooding In Bloomingdale

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:19:54 -0400

In preparation for the summer storm season, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and the head of D.C. Water have outlined their aggressive new plan to keep water out of the flood-prone neighborhoods of Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park.

D.C. Water's General Manager George Hawkins offers this warning for the summer storm season: "The rains are a-comin'."

That was exactly the case last summer when Bloomingdale resident Sara Fatell's apartment flooded three times in just 10 days.

"Since then, as it rains, we sandbag the doors and create this really interesting tarp," Fatell says.

Pretty soon, residents won't have to do that, at least according to a promise made by D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, who outlined repairs to the water drainage system in the neighborhood by D.C. Water starting next week.

"They will begin the installation of a 5-foot wide sewer line in the median of the 100 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW," Gray says.

The new sewer line will shut down busy commuter lanes on Rhode Island Avenue, Northwest Monday morning. It replaces an outdated system that is more than one hundred years old.

Work also includes:

Installation of a rain garden in the 100 block of Rhode Island Ave NW and T St. NW
Installation of permeable pavement in a 1st St. alley
Installation of an 18-inch sewer line on the south side of Rhode Island Ave. NW at 2nd St. NW

Talk Of Ending Sequestration Reemerges Amid IRS Scandal

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:13:19 -0400

There were testy exchanges between Steven Miller, the acting head of the IRS, and lawmakers in both parties at today's House hearing. Miller refuses to agree with the inspector general's finding that IRS officials targeted conservative groups. He says the actions were merely obnoxious, and contends the agency is overwhelmed.

"As I mentioned, we have a limited number of people — 140 to 200 — that work on the 70,000 applications that come in for tax exempt status," he says, noting the inefficiencies in the process.

Democrats agree that a part of the problem is resources. Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer says instead of furloughing IRS employees, it's time to beef up the agency.

"I also hope that we look at the task they've been given, the budget they've been given, and think a little bit about maybe a rate of return that would more than pay for itself if we invested in training, in management, and having more than 150 people to deal with the avalanche of these applications," says Blumenauer.

Due to sequestration, the entire IRS is scheduled to shutter next Friday, which is just the first of five scheduled furlough days for its nearly 100,000 employees.

MARC Expanding To Offer Weekend Service

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:55:49 -0400

Maryland is expanding its MARC rail service beyond the work week, as Gov. Martin O'Malley designates $100 million from the recent transportation funding legislation to bring weekend service to the Penn Line.

The Penn Line runs between Washington's Union Station and Baltimore's Penn Station.

Maryland Transit Administration spokesman Terry Owens says the state has begun negotiations on the new service with Amtrak, which is the contractor for Penn Line service. He says weekend service is still months away, but officials hope to start as soon as possible.

Owens says ticket prices would be the same as weekday service.

The legislation also calls for new locomotives in the MARC system and two more weekday roundtrips on the Camden Line, which runs between Union Station and Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Weekend Track Work Takes College Park Out Of Commission

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:03:53 -0400

We are sorry, University of Maryland graduates, but Metro is will not be an option this weekend. College Park is among five stations on Metro's Green and Orange Lines that will be closed this weekend for scheduled maintenance.

Starting at 10 p.m. Friday night, free shuttle buses will replace trains on the Green lLine between Greenbelt and West Hyattsville. Three Green Line stations will be closed: Greenbelt, Prince George's Plaza, and College Park. Metro says anyone taking the Green Line shuttle this weekend should add up to 35 minutes to their expected travel time.

Officials at College Park only learned about the scheduled track maintenance this week, though Metro spokesman Dan Stessel says the announcement was made six months ago.

Meanwhile on the Orange Line, buses will replace trains between East Falls Church and Clarendon, with two stations closed all weekend: Ballston and Virginia Square. Metro says passengers taking the Orange Line shuttle using the shuttle bus can expect it to take up to 25 minutes longer than normal.

There will also be delays on the Red Line, with trains sharing a single track along two stretches — between Van Ness and Dupont Circle and then again between Rhode Island Avenue and Takoma.

Virginia Republicans Gather In Richmond To Select Candidates

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:49:17 -0400

Republicans are gathering in Richmond for a convention to select candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

More than 13,000 delegates are registered for the convention here in Richmond, a record number. At the convention, the delegates will formalize Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's run for the commonwealth's top seat, and select between seven contenders for lieutenant governor and two candidates for attorney general.

"Fiscally responsible. Small government. Pro-life. Those are the things that are important to me, and I think they are for most Virginians," says Diane Wyland, who hails from Midlothian.

Ray Wadell of Verona says there's only one thing he's looking for in candidates. "The big thing is to win. That's the only thing that counts."

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the gala dinner tonight.

Watch: Time Lapse Video Of Scaffolding On Washington Monument

WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:18:25 -0400

Earlier this week we had a stunning video of workers at the top of the Washington Monument putting in the last of the scaffolding that has come to surround the structure as part of the repairs to damage cause by the August 2011 earthquake. Today, the U.S. Department of Interior provides a time lapse video of the scaffolding as it was installed from March 20 to May 13. Not only do you see the scaffolding as it climbs the 555-foot-tall monument, but you also see the changing weather as Washington transitioned from winter to spring.