So You Want to Be Attorney General
Dear Potential Law Enforcers:
So You Want to Be DC’s Attorney General was the title of a forum at
UDC David A. Clarke Law Schools on June 25, and its purpose was to
convince its attendees to present themselves or recruit others as
candidates in next year’s partisan election to be DC’s first elected
Attorney General. The forum was hosted by Katherine Broderick, dean of
the Law School, and it featured three former and current Attorneys
General — Robert Spagnoletti, Irv Nathan, and Peter Nickles, and two
current and former councilmembers — Phil Mendelson and Kathy Patterson.
The highlight of the evening was the reaction to Peter Nickles’ brag
that, "One of the best things about my taking the job of AG was that I
didn’t need the job. I could be an honest broker." Irv Nathan subtly
shook his head, and Spagnoletti put his hand over his mouth to hide his
smile.
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The Center for Research on Educational Outcomes at Stanford
University has issued the National Charter School Survey 2013, which
shows that charter schools are improving, "driven in part by the
presence of more high-performing charters and closure of underperforming
charter schools." However, "more work remains to be done to ensure that
all charter schools provide their students high-quality education."
Press release,
http://tinyurl.com/nhrnlhx;
executive summary,
http://tinyurl.com/o76wm6f;
full report,
http://tinyurl.com/npr5wq6.
Another former Washington Examiner local reporter has turned
solo entrepreneur. Scott McCabe, crime reporter, has started "DC Crime
Stories: The Good, the Bad, and the City," at
http://www.dccrimestories.com.
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Why don’t young people buy and drive cars at the same rate as older
generations? Matthew de Paulo at AOL Autos says the reason is simple,
and Amy Alkon, at the Advice Goddess Blog, summarizes that reason in the
title under which she reprints his article: "It Isn’t that Millenials
Hate Cars: They Can’t Afford Them,"
http://tinyurl.com/qybjymx.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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DC Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s speech last week in the gymnasium shared
by DCPS’ Savoy Elementary and Thurgood Marshall public charter high
school was supposed to offer a vision of "the path forward." But his
plan to "scale up, strengthen and simplify" public education in the city
seemed nothing more than a repackaging of previously announced
initiatives and highlighting of known successes, like the District’s
pre-Kindergarten program. He will have to do more than deliver a
moribund speech, if he wants to assert himself as the city’s education
leader. Read more at
http://jonettarosebarras.com/?p=3196.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Support DC Statehood on July 4
Anne Loikow,
aloikow@verizon.net
Join statehood activists on July 4th for the annual Palisades Parade
and Picnic. We have had a contingent of statehood supporters in this
parade for several years and would like to have an even greater
representation this year. The parade line up begins at 10:15 a.m. on
Whitehaven Parkway, NW, just east of the intersection with MacArthur
Boulevard. The parade starts at 11:00 a.m. No registration is necessary.
Just look for the statehood signs and join us. Free food and drinks are
available at the Palisades Recreation Center after the parade. If anyone
wants to pick up statehood signs or brochures to hand out in advance,
please E-mail dcstatehoodyeswecan@verizon.net.
The New Columbia Admission Act, HR 292, introduced by Eleanor Holmes
Norton, now has fifty-one cosponsors, including Rep. Jerry Connolly and
Bobby Scott from Virginia, Rep. Donna Edwards from Maryland, and the
heads of the Progressive Caucus (Rep. Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva)
and the Hispanic Caucus (Rep. Hinojosa), among others. S. 132,
introduced by Sen. Thomas Carper, chairman of the committee with
jurisdiction over the bill, has ten cosponsors, including both Sen.
Cardin and Mukulski from Maryland, Sen. Patsy Murray, Chairman of the
Senate Budget Committee, Sen. Richard Durbin, Majority Whip, and now
Sen. Harry Reid, the Majority Leader in the Senate. We need the help of
DC statehood supporters to increase the number of cosponsors on both
bills. If you would like to help, contact Elinor Hart (hart1651@juno.com),
Josh Burch (joshburch1@yahoo.com), or DC Statehood Representative Nate
Bennett Fleming (benflem@yahoo.com).
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DPW Holds Monthly HHW/E-Cycling/Shredding
Drop-Off, July 6
Linda Grant,
linda.grant@dc.gov
The DC Department of Public Works will hold its next monthly
Household Hazardous Waste/E-cycling/Personal Document Shredding drop-off
on Saturday, July 6, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Ft. Totten Transfer
Station. Directions to Ft. Totten: travel east on Irving Street, NW,
turn left on Michigan Avenue, turn left on John F. McCormack Drive, NE
and continue to the end of the street. During the monthly HHW/E-cycling/Personal
Document Shredding event, District residents may bring toxic items such
as pesticides, batteries and cleaning fluids to Ft. Totten, along with
computers, televisions, and other unwanted electronic equipment.
Personal document shredding also is available that day and residents may
bring up to five boxes of materials to be shredded. No business or
commercial material will be accepted.
To accommodate residents whose religious beliefs prohibit them from
using the Saturday drop-off, DPW will accept household hazardous waste
and e-cyclables on Wednesday, July 3 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. While DPW
normally offers personal document shredding during the Saturday event,
items for shredding cannot be accepted on Wednesday, July 3 because
these documents cannot be protected until the shredding contractor
arrives on Saturday. (DPW usually provides this alternate drop-off day
the Thursday before the first Saturday of the month, but because of the
July 4th holiday, these services will be provided July 3.) For a list of
all household hazardous waste and e-cyclables accepted by DPW, please
click on the HHW link at
.
DPW reminds residents that certain batteries (lithium-based and
batteries greater than 9 volts) should be taped before being brought to
Ft. Totten. Lithium-based batteries are most commonly found in cell
phones, digital cameras, and laptops. Also, hearing aids, watches and
keyless remotes typically use button cells, containing lithium. To
safely dispose of batteries with lithium or batteries of greater than 9
volts, put clear, masking, or electrical tape on the batteries’
terminals. Flat button batteries can be sandwiched between two layers of
tape. Place these batteries in a separate container from other batteries
that don’t require being taped, e.g., A, AAA, C, D, 6-volt and 9-volt
batteries.
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