A bug in the best-interest standard
June 27, 2008
The New York Times has a piece today about how tough it is to transfer children removed from their homes in one state to relatives who live in another state.
The story is datelined Hyattsville and features five kids from Washington whose Maryland grandparents and aunt and uncle want to take them in. Because of the bureaucratic hurdles that accompany interstate transfers, the kids are in foster care, “where they could remain for months while their relatives wait for Washington and Maryland to make formal requests, home inspections and approvals,” the Times’ Erik Eckholm writes.
“From the kids’ point of view, it’s like they’re being punished,” the aunt, Mia Johnson, told the Times.
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentFlocking to the Metro
June 19, 2008
Washington’s Metro system has had two of its highest-ridership days on record this week - despite the lack of Nats games or special events.
Yesterday, 823,000 people road Metro’s trains, making it Metro’s sixth most popular day. The day before Metro had 812,000 riders and a new No. 10 for the list.
It’s no big surprise - officials were expecting to greet more riders as gas prices climb. (At the Shell station outside my building in Bethesda, gas was $4.35/gallon for regular unleaded this morning … which would encourage just about anyone to ride Metro.)
Still, the real record-breaking day for the transit agency could be today - National Dump the Pump Day. As if commuters need more encouragement, transit officials around the country are pushing public transportation today especially.
And whether or not you take Metro, you can still enter WMATA’s contest to guess today’s ridership. If you win, you’ll get a Metro card worth $100.
Even if you sold it to a friend - hey, that’s still a tank (or two) of gas. For use in a carpool, of course..
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentWay to go Post!
April 8, 2008
I may be breaking some ancient newsroom commandment by praising another newspaper, but among the six Pulitzer Prizes won by the Washington Post was one for public service for its series of stories exposing the mistreatment of veterans at Walter Reed hospital.
As the son of a veteran, and someone who has witnessed the shoddy treatment that this nation’s vets can be prone to receiving at the VA, I can’t help but be extremely happy for the Post.
In an age where many Americans will somehow find time to hear the latest news about Paris or Britney (we’re on a first-name basis at this point), yet be too busy to pay attention to boring things like war and choosing the next leader of the “free world,” it’s nice to see a newspaper get rewarded for fulfilling its natural — and vital — role as society’s watchdog.
FRANCIS SMITH, Special Publications Assistant Editor
Sphere: Related Content$54M dry cleaners suit inspires Md. bill
March 4, 2008
In case you haven’t heard: Judge Roy Pearson’s ridiculous multimillion dollar lawsuit against a D.C. dry cleaners is being taken seriously in Maryland’s legislature, The Washington Post reports. Del. Barbara A. Robinson (D-Baltimore) testified yesterday on her proposal (PDF) that dry cleaners be held financially responsible for damaged clothing.
Speaking of our state government, the Pew Center on the States gave it a “B” grade for effectiveness in a recent ranking. Andy Rosen writes about it on Eye on Annapolis.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentRedskins to join Ravens in search for new head coach
January 8, 2008
By now you’ve probably heard: Joe Gibbs has resigned as head coach and team president of the Washington Redskins.
<<The Redskins said in a statement that Gibbs will remain part of the Redskins family and serve as a special adviser to owner Dan Snyder. Gibbs was to discuss his decision at a 3 p.m. news conference at Redskins Park.
The Redskins will begin a search for a new coach immediately. Among the certain candidates are two former head coaches on Gibbs’ staff, Gregg Williams and Al Saunders.
Gibbs went 31-36, including 1-2 in the playoffs, after emerging from NFL retirement and his NASCAR career to sign a five-year, $27.5 million contract in 2004. He had always maintained that he intended to fulfill the contract, but the 67-year-old coach wavered from that stance Monday when asked if he would return for the final year of his deal.>>
JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Top: Coach Joe Gibbs walks on the field after the Redskins lost 35-14 to the Seattle Seahawks in an NFL wildcard playoff game Saturday, Jan. 5 at Qwest Field in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Sphere: Related ContentDo you have an obligation to help others?
December 18, 2007
Did you read Marc Fisher’s column in Sunday’s Washington Post, “Helping Those You Can, Because You Can“?
I did, and I have to say, I found it moving. For those of you who didn’t, Fisher writes about two successful businessmen who each sponsored a class of poor schoolchildren in D.C., providing them with emotional and financial support through college.
Here’s a short excerpt:
Twenty years ago, [George] Kettle had stood before sixth-graders at a Southeast Washington school and announced that “I’m the whitey from Virginia” who promised to pay whatever it took to send every child in the room to college.
Many kids at Winston Educational Center that day had little idea what Kettle’s commitment really meant, but two decades later, the students to whom Kettle devoted hundreds of hours and $600,000 are more successful than not. A few ended up on the streets, but most are managers, teachers, police officers.
Is piece uplifting? Definitely. But that’s not what struck me.
Ed Wilczynski (who took up the practice after Kettle) told Fisher that “people who know how to get things done have an obligation to step in when the system isn’t working.”
Do you agree? Do successful businesspeople who can “get things done” need to take control of a floundering educational system?
JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Sphere: Related ContentBaltimore: Middle of the drunken pack
December 7, 2007
Well, it could have been better, but it could have been worse. Baltimore is the 46th safest drunken city in a recent survey by Men’s Health magazine. Not bad out of 100.
The survey, which is being reported by KNBC in Los Angeles, looked at drunken driving, liver disease, and other alcohol-induced crimes. But seriously folks, I have never felt that Baltimore is a city that drinks to excess, though we are prone to a certain type of brew.
However, some of our neighbors are more extreme examples from the survey. Richmond, Va. was the ninth best, while Washington was the eighth-worst.
So what do you think? Is Baltimore really that much safer than Washington when it comes to alcohol consumption?
ANDY ROSEN, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentTo bear or to ban?
November 20, 2007
The Supreme Court announced today that it will consider the constitutionality of Washington, D.C.’s long-time handgun ban — and in doing so, the right of individuals to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment.
The case stems from a federal security guard who, with the backing of a rich libertarian, challenged the District’s 31-year-old gun control law that prevented him from keeping a gun in his home. In a split-decision, the federal appeals court sided with the security guard in March.
The Supreme Court’s decision had been widely anticipated by the parties, each of which petitioned the Court to hear the case, along with several states who filed briefs, including Maryland, and advocates on both sides of the issue nationwide.
Does the Second Amendment give an individual the right to bear arms, or was it just created to maintain “a well-regulated Militia?”
If the Supreme Court decides next year that the ban is unconstitutional, what effect do you think that will have on Maryland’s gun laws, and on gun-related crime in places such as Baltimore City and Prince George’s County?
-BRENDAN KEARNEY, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentAdrian Fenty and the nexus of the universe
October 18, 2007
At Naylor Road and Alabama Ave. SE yesterday, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced that the District’s cab zoning system would be replaced with a standard metered fare.
Why in Southeast? Because each corner at the chosen intersection represented a different cab zone, emphasizing the zoning system’s flaws.
| View Larger Map |
It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer gets lost at the corner of 1st and 1st (”Can the same street intersect with itself?”), what he fears is the “nexus of the universe.”
Nexus or not, the scenario is one that the District’s tourism directors worry is all too familiar to visitors in the nation’s capital.
“Universally, the hospitality industry wants to go to time-and-distance meters,” William A. Hanbury, president of the Washington, D.C., Convention and Tourism Corp., recently told The Washington Post.
I know the industry brings billions to the District, but let’s forget about tourists for a minute. Do we think the zoning system was that horrible?
Is a simpler metered system the best we can do? Sound off, cab riders!
-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
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