As if a rainy Monday wasn’t enough, we get a partly cloudy Tuesday, too. It’s May, the “April showers” should be wrapped up, already. How about viewing May flowers behind a backdrop of blue sky, not slate gray? A little cheery history for all you Muppet fans out there: on May 9th, 1955, University of Maryland alum Jim Henson’s first show, Sam and Friends, debuted on WRC-TV here in Washington. Sam and Friends laid the groundwork for what eventually became the Muppets. To that we say: Mahna Mahna!
Police Officer Killed at Station Shooting in Virginia: The local news is leading with this story that DCist brought you yesterday: WTOP and the Washington Post are reporting that, in the 66-year history of the Fairfax County Police Department, this is the first time an officer has been killed by an assailant. Detective Vicky O. Armel was shot at the Sully District Police Station when 18-year old Michael Kennedy, in a stolen van after an unsuccessful carjacking, and in possession of multiple weapons, opened fire on a group of officers. Two other officers were wounded. CNN mentions the story this morning.
Dime Late, Dollar Short for Moussaoui: After being sentenced to life in prison instead of the death penalty, WJLA reports that it seems 20th hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui has changed his mind and thinks he can get a fair trial in the US after all. On Monday, Moussaoui tried to rescind his guilty plea and get a new trial, to the chime of U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema rejecting the idea. Next time, buddy.
Speed Empties District Drivers’ Wallets: This is totally worth a mention today — courtesy of those automated speed limit cameras, WJLA tells us that D.C. Police collected a record $3.3 million from speeders in March 2006; it’s the first time that the program has collected more than $3 million in a single month. Then again, it seems a few of February’s tickets could have sneaked into the March pile. Even if that’s the case, it’s still a ton of dough. Overall, the five-year program has collected over $100 million. Read: slow down, folks!
Faculty Give Thumbs Down to Gallaudet’s President-Elect: As we noted yesterday, things are getting kind of heated over at Gallaudet regarding newly-chosen president Jane Fernandes. WJLA tells us this morning that Fernandes has received a no-confidence votefrom the Gallaudet faculty. With the campus, faculty and president-elected embroiled in a debate over what it means to be deaf, we’ll keep tabs on where this story is headed.
Briefly Noted: Bigamy in Fairfax County: who knew?…Congressional panel keeping close eye on Capitol Police…Maryland Attorney General to retire…Nationals GM pleads not guilty to DUI charge…Mfume not a big fan of a Maryland security company.
This Day in DCist: We talked about crappy traffic in our region, and an ad for the golden arches on the side of a Metrorail Orange Line car.
