Results tagged “easternshore”

Facebook isn't just for ridiculous photos of politicians' kids anymore. Now university presidents are getting into the act. We'd usually say that a college administrator having a profile on Facebook, the big social networking site that started with colleges but has since spread everywhere, sounds pretty neat — the administration is trying to be transparent and stay in touch with the students' internet fads. We can imagine a lot of good uses for the site...

Virginia’s love for wine is no secret. It dates back centuries with Thomas Jefferson’s personal endorsement of wine as a suitable beverage. However, when you mention “Virginia Wines” to anyone, you are met with one of two reactions: an overwhelming expression of excitement and testament to how fabulous they are or an exasperated eye roll that says it all. Whichever one you fall under is fine with us, but as avid wine drinkers we feel...

"Martin O'Malley signed the nation's first living wage law on Tuesday," read the Post this morning. Seems a little unfair, seeing as how the District passed its own living wage legislation back in January of 2006, a law which mandated that any firm receiving a District government contract in excess of $100,000 must pay its employees a minimum of $11.75 an hour. The Maryland law is similar; state contractors are required to pay workers $11.30 per hour in metropolitan areas such as Baltimore and D.C. and $8.50 per hour elsewhere. Governor O'Malley also happened to be a member of the Baltimore City Council back in 1994, when the city passed a landmark living wage law.

Driving down I-81 in central Virginia earlier this year, we heard something we haven't heard in awhile: a radio station playing good music. This, and the announcement of "eco-station" 94.7 the Globe got us thinking: why doesn't D.C. have a good independent music station? Other big cities have great listener-supported music stations, like KEXP in Seattle and WFMU in New York, and many other cities have decent student-run college stations. But D.C. has neither. About...

Let's start with the good news this morning: this excessive, unrelenting, soul-sucking heat is expected to come to an end tomorrow, say the guys at Capital Weather. And we say they better not just be leading us on. However, today is yet another day in Scorcher '06 -- and may even be the hottest one yet -- with highs once again flirting with triple digits. Heat-related Problems Continue: With near record temperatures, people are...

Good morning, Washington. Today will bring a slight break in humidity, giving a preview of the weekend's promised relief from the unpleasant heat. But for some folks whose trade is naturally hot and unpleasant, today's news is not as good. Not only have D.C. firefighters recently had to deal with a possible maritime arson and mysteriously cancelled health insurance, but now one of their leaders is making unfortunate headlines. Thiry-one year veteran and assistant chief of operations James B. Martin was arrested yesterday after being caught driving a DCFD vehicle while intoxicated. At his request, he has been placed on indefinite leave.

Breaking: Londonist reports there have been several incidents in the tube network this morning. A device has exploded in a train in the Warren Street underground station, and there are other possible incidents. Developing... Back in Black: Yesterday Maryland announced that it has a $1 billion surplus, nearly $300 million more than was projected in March. Governor Ehrlich was quick to celebrate the news (and snipe at Virginia), attributing the surplus to prudent financial stewardship, and pointing out that it comes without an increase in the state's sales or income tax. Critics point out that the state's increased property tax and the area's exploding real estate values were conspicuously absent from the governor's announcement. Also noteworthy: Ehrlich's hints that some of the surplus may be used to lower taxes, and his insistence that the windfall won't alter his plans to legalize slot machine gambling.

Boys Injured by Lightning: Two eleven year old boys were hurt by lightning at Camp Tockwogh, a YMCA facility on the Eastern Shore. One of the two went into cardiac arrest, but thanks to well-trained teenage staffers and a recently purchased portable defibrillator the boy was revived. Both victims transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. One was admitted in serious condition; the other boy's status is classified as critical.

Loudoun Votes to Restrict Growth: The Post reports that the county's board voted last night to enact curbs on development that would raise the required lot size for houses in the western part of the county from three acres to twenty to forty, depending on location. Opponents say the policy is a violation of property owners' rights; supporters pushed for the regulation as a means of controlling the county's rapid growth.

Briefly Noted: More area bases slated for closure... YADCPSCS (yet another D.C. public school chemical spill)... Metro may switch to fewer trains with more cars... Dulles baggage handler pleads guilty to stealing thousands of credit cards...

It's Finally Official: Now that Mayor Anthony Williams has signed stadium financing legislation into law, it appears that this chapter in the District's baseball history has come to a close. The Post quotes Williams as saying that this was one of his "proudest days as mayor."

D.C. Mayor Wowed by Beijing: Telling a member of the Post's foreign service in an interview near Tienanmen Square, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams says D.C. has much to learn from the Chinese capital. "It's almost the brashness. You're overwhelmed by the vitality of the place," he said.

Former cruise celebrity and morning talkshow host Kathie Lee Gifford, mother of Cassidy and Cody, is getting an envied honor: the keys to Bowie.