Good morning, Washington. We have to admit it — we have a soft spot for cheerleader-related crime. And this is a good one: the AP (via WTOP) reports on the case of Anna Lois Miles, a cheerleading coach who is charged with holding an illegal gambling event to raise money to… wait for it… repay bail money she borrowed from the parents of a girl she coached after being arrested for writing bad checks!…

Most of us can fondly look back on our college days and remember feeling intellectually invigorated and rebellious, hoping to use time between classes to protest against any institution that stepped in our way. Whether sweatshops or affirmative action, there was always something to rage against. Students in a number of District-based universities are carrying on that fine tradition, and in big ways. Early last year a group of Georgetown University students launched a hunger…

It was only a few months back that American University was the center of a local media storm, awash in allegations concerning the spending habits of its president, Benjamin Ladner. Accused of living large on more than $500,000 worth of university funds, Ladner was eventually fired, though not without a generous $3.75 million severance package. Things have quieted down some at the Northwest campus since then, even though a Senate committee has launched an investigation…

Is there anything that particularly frustrates you about the District’s police force? If so, today WTOP is giving you the chance to throw a hardball at D.C. police chief Charles Ramsey, who will be fielding questions and complaints online and over the phone starting at 10 a.m. DCist only wishes the city’s police force were wracked with corruption and instances of police brutality, because in all honesty, clean cops don’t exactly make for gripping…

In breaking news, American University’s Board of Trustees has issued a statement concerning the recent controversy over ousted president Benjamin Ladner’s $3.7 million severance package. Facing internal revolt from students, faculty and deans, acting chair Thomas Gottschalk and chair-elect Gary Abramson issued an apology to the campus, writing: First, we want to be clear. We are chagrined that the board’s own processes over the years did not allow us to have a clear understanding of…

Students are angry. Faculty are indignant. Deans are upset. Former trustees are beyond themselves. All told, American University has seen better days. Since yesterday’s announcement that ousted president Benjamin Ladner would be receiving a severance package totaling almost $4 million, there has been a flurry of activity on all ends of the leafy Northwest campus. Both the university’s student government and a coalition of anti-Ladner activists released statements condemning the settlement, while the faculty and…

Last Monday, the Post profiled ousted American University president Benjamin Ladner. Gina Maria Schulz, who served as “Personal Assistant to the First Lady” — yes, Ladner’s wife — described the man as such: “He was the most ethical man I ever met.” Ladner himself has this to say: “I do feel I’ve done what I’ve done with intentional integrity.” How the Post’s reporters didn’t break out in hysterics is beyond us, given the emerging news…

Intent on teaching students at American University that unethical behavior is well-rewarded, members of the university’s Board of Trustees offered ousted president Benjamin Ladner two options — a severance package worth anywhere from $3 to $4 million, or to be dismissed with cause and without severance. Sources claim he has until midday today to make his decision. The offer — rumored on the leafy Northwest university campus last Friday — was reported by the Post…

Love them or hate them, blogs allow their authors to reach an audience directly, with little in the way of the traditional editing that can make people and causes sound one-dimensional. One American University student who helped organize the protests against former president Benjamin Ladner has recently joined the blogosphere, typing out her thoughts on Ladner’s recent dismissal, his possible severance, and more generally about compensation for university presidents. She recently posted former trustee Paul…

A few weeks back DCist explored downtown Silver Spring, a neatly organized if sterile shopping district populated with the usual suspects — Chipotle, Starbucks, Potbelly, Borders. We spied what seemed to be a park, full of playful children and couples. We approached. It seemed a little bright to be real grass. A little too well-manicured. Surprised were we to find out the park was nothing more than an expanse of AstroTurf, a carpet of fake…