Giving USA report says prolonged economic struggles are seriously hampering charitable giving recovery [News, 6.19.12]

June 19, 2012 By

GIVING | Giving USA’s annual yearbook of American philanthropy finds that charitable giving barely grew last year. The report suggests that the country’s continuing economic struggles are causing serious, long-term damage (Chronicle, 6/19):

“If we continue to grow at this rate, it will take more than a decade to get back to where we were in total giving in 2007,” said Patrick Rooney, executive director of the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, which compiles “Giving USA.”

Last year Mr. Rooney predicted that a recovery in giving could occur by 2016; now, given current conditions, he says it will more likely be 2022.

Related: Sources of Giving in America: How They Are Recovering From the Recession (Chronicle, 6/19)

EDUCATION
- House leader John Boehner and Senator Joe Lieberman announced that they have reached an agreement with the Obama administration to fund and slightly expand the Opportunity Scholarship Program (school vouchers). (WaPo, 6/19) I am unfamiliar with the political concept of “agreement.” Is this something new?

- Last year, two DCPS principals left their jobs to start what has become a very successful cupcake bakery. It sounds like an uplifting story of entrepreneurship, but the former principals’ motivations were as much from disillusionment with the state of school reform as their love for sweets. (WAMU, 6/15)

FAMILIES
- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan talks about the importance of parent involvement in a child’s education – and how responsible fatherhood is a thing of increasing rarity in our country. (HuffPo, 6/19)

Related: Fathering Court helps fathers and mothers be better parents (WaPo, 6/17)

- A change in the District’s child welfare laws aimed at eliminating as a subsidy discrepancy has cut funding to 142 children with guardians. (WaPo, 6/19)

COMMUNITY | Council on Foundations Vice President Andrew Schultz is heading to a new position as Executive Vice President & National Director of Community and Legal Relations at Foundation Source. (FS, 6/19)

HOUSING | After resigning from the D.C. Housing Authority under the Fenty administration, Michael Kelly will return as the new director of the District’s Department of Housing and Community Development. The Post calls Kelly’s appointment, which needs to be confirmed by the D.C. Council, an “unexpected shake-up.” (WaPo, 6/19)

BUDGETS | Report: Maryland, Virginia pension underfunding ’cause for serious concern’ (Examiner, 6/19) I’m pretty sure that I could accurately write “cause for serious concern” next to any given budget news item.

Has anyone seen Ridley Scott’s brilliant sci-fi movie Prometheus? At the beginning, Scott runs his panoramic camera over some of our planet’s most beautiful landscapes for a creation sequence. The images are stunningly beautiful. In the same vein, here are ten natural wonders that you might not know about – including a terrifying “Gate to Hell” in Turkmenistan. Wouldn’t want to fall in there!

Filed Under: WRAG's "In the News" Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Region Forward progress measured…Normal Heart called ‘flawless’…A smart and simple solution to a food desert [News, 6.18.12]

June 18, 2012 By

REGION | The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has released a Baseline Progress Report for the Region Forward plan. The report breaks down Region Forward’s 28 goals into three categories – major, moderate, and minor challenges. (RF, 6/14)

Following up on the report, Tamara asks, “Is the Region Forward plan making a difference?” It’s too early to tell, she says, but the plan is worth sticking to (WG Daily, 6/18):

WRAG continues to believe that the Region Forward framework affords funders tangible goals around which to align their giving. It provides the community, writ large, with a shared vision for the future.

Related: A former UMD professor writes in the Post that things are looking pretty optimistic for our region. (WaPo, 6/17)

ARTS
- Today’s Post reviews Arena Stage’s production of The Normal Heart and praises it as “flawless.” (WaPo, 6/17)

On July 23, a special performance of the show will benefit the Washington AIDS Partnership and its fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in our region. Tickets can be purchased via this form.

- Aaron Dorfman, executive director for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, looks at the impact of arts and humanities funding and concludes that the economic activity sparked by such funding – $135.2 billion, to be precise – is a benefit to everyone. (HuffPo, 6/15)

COMMUNITY
- The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region is accepting nominations for the Linowes Leadership Awards which recognizes “unsung” community leaders region. The nomination form is available here.

- The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation and Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation have partnered with CompassPoint and the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund to conduct a national research project exploring the role of the development director in nonprofit organizations. If you are a Development Director or an Executive Director, they would appreciate your participation in a brief survey.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT | Meet Terry Lynch, a District resident who keeps a running list of public problems – trash, graffiti, dead trees, potholes, abandoned bikes – and bugs city officials until the problems are fixed. Annoying? Maybe. But Lynch says that 85 percent of his complaints get resolved, so we should all be thanking him. (WaPo, 6/17)

HEALTH | Washington state provides case study on effects of heath-care reform (WaPo, 6/17)

FOOD | A new, free shuttle service gives Ward 8 residents access to a local farmers market where they can buy fresh (and cheap) produce. (WaPo, 6/17) That’s a smart way to fight food deserts.

Related: In April, Wilt Corkern, a trustee at the Corina Higginson Trust and a WRAG Board member, wrote about the importance of getting rid of food deserts. (WG Daily, 4/30)

POLITICS | The Examiner looks at how the absence of Jeffrey Thompson – one of the most influential donors in District politics – will affect the upcoming race for council chair. (Examiner, 6/17)

HOUSING | Columbia Pike housing eyed (WaPo, 6/16) Arlington residents have “expressed concerns Saturday about whether the planned addition of new apartments will overwhelm their small single-family-home areas.”

GAMBLING | MGM Announces Plans For Casino In Prince George’s County (WAMU, 6/18) Hopefully they will also provide transportation into the District so it becomes easier to actually get to National Harbor. Also, Wayne Newton better books some dates there. With all of that plastic surgery, Newton really doesn’t look a day over 70.

We have two big birthdays to celebrate today. Both Paul McCartney and Roger Ebert are turning the big 7-0.

Here’s a snippet from Sir Paul’s awesome 2009 tour (his FedEx Field stop was one of the best concerts I’ve been to) featuring Beatles classics Get Back, St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and The End.

And here’s a pretty inspiring TED talk that Roger Ebert delivered on how his loss of the ability to speak and eat has given him the opportunity to consider the meaning of communication. Fascinating stuff.

Happy birthday to both!

Filed Under: WRAG Voices Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Virginia cuts funding for disabled foster care…Women’s Foundation announces $358,000 in grants…A UFO on the Beltway! [News, 6.13.12]

June 14, 2012 By

YOUTH | Virginia Cuts Funding For Disabled Foster Care Kids (WAMU, 6/13) “[T]here’s a chronic shortage of families willing to take children, and lately the challenge of placing kids has multiplied.”

EDUCATION | Henderson declines to name programs discontinued to pay for school grant competition (WaPo, 6/13)

COMMUNITY | Two announcements from the Washington Area Women’s Foundation:

- The foundation has made $358,000 in grants to 12 local nonprofits that are “transforming the lives of women and girls.” Read about them here.

- The University of Maryland’s Bob Grimm – who partners with WRAG for our Philanthropy Fellows program – and HII Finance Corporation’s Samia Farouki have both been named to the foundation’s board of directors.

HOUSING
- Metaphor of the Day: D.C.’s Housing Market Is the Titanic, Iceberg in Sight (Atlantic, 6/13) At least it isn’t an Avatar metaphor, because that movie was even worse than Titanic.

- D.C. Still Can’t Help You Get a Mortgage (City Paper, 6/13)

LOCAL | Did you happen to see a UFO getting towed on the back of a flatbed last night? Twitter blew up with pictures and tweets about the mysterious object, which turned out to be a Northrop Grumman drone. So really, it actually was a UFO. (Fox, 6/13)

POLITICS | Here are some highlights from yesterday’s strange D.C. Council session to pick a chairman pro tempore:

- After Marion Barry started talking about the Council’s ethical problems, David Catania pointed out that Barry “is a convicted criminal, hasn’t paid his taxes and yet he’s allowed to lecture others on ethics and vote on tax policy.”

- Marion Barry went so far as to say of the Council’s problems, “The only more serious [thing] I can think of is 9/11.”

- And Vincent Orange slammed his fist on the table and affirmed, “Today, Vincent Bernard Orange Sr. is the best candidate for council pro temp [sic]. The best!”

Michael Brown ended up winning the position, with only Orange voting against him. (Examiner, 6/13) I feel like Aaron Sorkin should write a television show about the Council. Actually a comedy writer might be more appropriate.

Related: There’s a good chance that the actress who played Steve Urkel’s girlfriend on Family Matters might be linked to the Harry Thomas scandal. (HuffPo, 6/13) When Thomas was convicted, she probably said this.

TRANSIT | Don’t forget that Metro starts its new “Rush Plus” service on Monday. It is too confusing to explain, so I will operate like nothing has changed and hope that I don’t end up like Charlie on the MTA.

SUMMER SCHEDULE | Over the summer, the Daily will run Monday through Thursday. We’re going to use the extra day to work on a couple of big projects at WRAG. Since we won’t have Friday posts for a bit, you have my permission to start your weekend on Thursdays!

Is anyone going to see the tall ships in Baltimore to celebrate the bicentennial of the War of 1812? Here’s some information if you are interested.

And though it is unrelated to the war, it seems like a good opportunity to listen to Tchaikovsky’s beautiful 1812 Overture.

Have a great weekend!

Filed Under: WRAG's "In the News" Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

More than 70% of teens are jobless this summer…Having a father is a ‘luxury’…Mendelson voted in as interim D.C. Council chair [News, 6.13.12]

June 13, 2012 By

YOUTH | More than 70% of U.S. teens are jobless this summer, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that teen employment might never get back to where it was before the recession. The District leads the list of jurisdictions “most likely to have teens wanting summer work but unable to get it.”

With older adults, immigrants, and recent grads now filling low-skill jobs, teens are feeling the ripple effect. Experts argue that this causes a big problem for teens who were planning to enter the workforce rather than going to school, and it creates debt-risk for teens who want to save for college. (WTOP, 6/13)

FAMILIES | Courtland Milloy considers fatherhood in America and decides, unfortunately, that it has become a “luxury item” for newborns. (WaPo, 6/13)

Roughly one out of every three babies in the United States don’t get the dad. For black children in, say, Maryland and Virginia, 60 percent live in fatherless homes. In the District, it’s 80 percent.

Given all that is known about the benefits of fatherhood — kids less likely to live in poverty, more likely to do well in school, stay healthy and avoid incarceration — why is it so hard to have a two-parent household?

EDUCATION | Rushern Baker forms panel to offer ideas on Pr. George’s schools (WaPo, 6/13)

GIVING | Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has a clear philanthropic philosophy: “I would never give a gift that has restrictions.” (Chronicle, 6/13)

ECONOMY | Maryland, Virginia residents deeper in debt than most Americans (Examiner, 6/13)

TRAFFICKING | Northern Virginia Bill Signing Puts Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence in Spotlight (Connection, 6/13) “A rare moment of bipartisanship between Republican governor and Democratic legislators.”

POLITICS
- The D.C. Council has elected Phil Mendelson to serve as its interim chairman. The Post outlines why he is the right choice. (WaPo, 6/13)

- Interesting question from The Atlantic: What If Mayors Ruled the World? (Atlantic, 6/13)

DEMOCRACY | The District government is allowing residents to assign grades to some of its agencies. It will release a report card later in the summer. (WaPo, 6/13)

COMMON GRANT APPLICATION | WRAG recently revised its Common Grant Application. This week, we hosted an information session about the revisions. Here are the highlights, as well as registration information for a second information session. (WG Daily, 6/13)

This might just be typical Hollywood patting itself on the back, but Paramount gathered 115 of “the greatest talents to ever work at the studio” (and also Justin Bieber, inexplicably) for a 100th anniversary photoshoot for Vanity Fair. It is pretty neat to see so many icons in one place. Needless to say, Tommy Chong is wearing a marijuana t-shirt and isn’t looking at the camera.

Filed Under: WRAG's "In the News" Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Have a question about the revised Common Grant Application?

June 13, 2012 By

Earlier this week the Foundation Center hosted the first of two informational sessions about WRAG’s revised Common Grant Application (CGA) and related forms. Miyesha Perry Chappell of the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and chair of the Common Grant Application Streamlining Committee spoke with nonprofit organizations about how best to approach some of the application questions. Here are some highlights:

Boards of Directors: Through this new question, funders are looking to find out about the role of organizations’ boards. Does the board help fundraise? Set organizational policies and procedures? Evaluate the executive director? Are there committees of the board? Funders like to know how potential grantees are governed.

Evaluation: The application now places more emphasis on results than on outputs and outcomes, and allows grantseekers to be more flexible in how they describe the goals of their work. Be sure to describe what it is you plan to achieve, how you will measure your success, and the timeline for accomplishing it.

Financials: Always include both pending requests to other funders and other grants that have already been committed. All program officers require this information, but it is often omitted in proposals.

Reports: Be honest about the challenges your organization faces and realistic about how you address them.

To find out Miyesha’s personal top five tips for grantseekers, register for the final information session on June 20 at the Foundation Center.

Filed Under: Common Grant Application Tagged With: , , , , , ,

District says it has universal pre-K, GGW says it doesn’t… Three-quarters of millennials gave to charity last year…Fairfax to weigh student achievement more heavily [News, 6.12.12]

June 12, 2012 By

EDUCATION
- Fairfax has proposed a plan that would base 40 percent of a teacher’s performance review on student achievement (i.e. test scores). In D.C., student scores count for 50 percent, and Maryland will count for the same amount beginning next year. (WaPo, 6/12)

- Opinion: Greater Greater Washington extensively disputes the District’s claim that is has achieved universal pre-K, and goes so far as to say the Office of the State Superintendent of Education “has misrepresented auditors’ findings.” (GGW, 6/12)

- The Gates Foundation has awarded a large grant for the development of a bracelet that would use “galvanic skin response” to measure whether a student is paying attention. The Post’s Valerie Strauss doesn’t like the idea. (WaPo, 6/11)

- With so much focus on data collection, it is worth stepping back and also considering what is being lost in the name of measurement. You might have seen this since it is the most viewed TED talk ever, but Sir Ken Robinson makes a brilliant and disturbing case for how our school systems are killing creativity. It’s worth 20 minutes of your time to watch the whole talk, I promise.

GIVING | A new survey – the 2012 Millennial Impact Report - finds that 75 percent of people in their 20s and 30s gave to charity last year. The amounts were mostly under $100, but the participation rate is gigantic. (Chronicle, 6/12)

DEMOGRAPHICS | On a list of the 25 U.S. zip codes that gained the largest percentages of white residents from 2000-2010, the District has three spots: zip codes 20001, 20010, 20005. The article outlines the associated neighborhoods. (WaPo, 6/11)

BUDGETS | Members of Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors want the budget process to be easier to understand, so they are looking at ways to educate the public. An online tool is one possibility. (WAMU, 6/12) Excellent idea.

PHILANTHROPY | The Foundation Center announced that it has acquired IssueLab, “an online publishing forum containing an extensive and diverse body of research produced by the third sector.” (FC, 6/11)

TRANSIT | This weekend, Arlington will vote on a streetcar agreement with Alexandria. The agreement, which is expected to be approved, would let Arlington build a streetcar line in Crystal City while Alexandria looks at a Potomac Yard Metro station. (Arlnow, 6/12) That’s it! I can’t write another blurb about streetcars without linking to this.

POLITICS | Editorial: D.C. Council could usher in a fresh start with overdue reforms (WaPo, 6/12) “More powerful than electing a new chairman or naming a different president pro tem would be the elimination of long-held policies and practices that feed the council’s sense of entitlement.”

Marketing fail of the day: AT&T sent me an email about adding an extra phone line to my account. The subject line read, “OMG Christian, you gotta see this deal.” OMG, delete.

On a different note, here’s a fun video of ten bets that you will always win.

Filed Under: WRAG's "In the News" Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Maryland foreclosure programs hurting recovery…New teacher evaluation rules for DC…Arlington tries new tactic to fight stormwater pollution [News, 5.24.12]

May 24, 2012 By

HOUSING | New data show that Maryland’s programs aimed at helping homeowners avoid losing their homes are actually prolonging the housing crisis by delaying inevitable foreclosures (Examiner, 5/24):

“In nine and a half out of 10 cases, modifications don’t work and the homes are eventually foreclosed on,” said Vince Caropreso, a Maryland real estate agent and certified distressed property expert.

EDUCATION
- Yesterday, the District’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education announced new teacher evaluation rules for the city’s public schools (including some charters). While standardized tests previously counted for half of a teacher’s evaluation, they now can count for as little as 30 percent. (Examiner, 5/24)

- Montgomery County, schools clash over employee raises (WaPo, 5/24) “[T]he county says [the raises are] excessive and could ultimately undermine student learning.”

That argument seems overly dramatic, but out of curiosity I wanted to compare the 3.4 raise to the county’s suggested $2,000 flat bonus. According to a document on the county’s website, Montgomery teachers make an average of $73,705 – the highest in the region and about $10,000 more than Prince George’s. So a 3.4 percent bump would be about $2506, or 25% more than the flat bonus rate.

ENVIRONMENT | Arlington County is developing “bioretention areas” to fight pollution from stormwater runoff with a project it is calling “green streets.” (Connection, 5/24) Sounds like a sci-fi movie.

Young guard: Sir! The bioretention area has been infiltrated!
Grouchy commander: My god! Drawn out pause. There’s only one man who can save us now.  (And that one man would be played by either Bruce Willis or Kurt Russell.)

HEALTH | Mapping a Lifetime of Health Risks (Atlantic, 5/23)

LOCAL | The Tysons Partnership, a nonprofit that will focus on developing Tysons Corner around its new metro stop, has named an executive director. (Connection, 5/24) Actually, his parents probably named him, but he still got the job.

The Daily will be taking a long weekend. We won’t have a roundup tomorrow, and then Rebekah will have a special announcement about WRAG’s Common Grant Application on Tuesday. After that, she’ll take the reins for a week while I globetrot like Indiana Jones. Or more like the Griswolds, probably. So I’ll see you next month!

- Christian

Filed Under: WRAG's "In the News" Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why should you care about D.C. voting rights?

May 23, 2012 By

By Tamara Copeland, President

You don’t live in the District, so why should you care?

First and foremost, you should care because you are an American. Not only a Virginian or a Marylander, but an American. It’s really that simple. In the mid-1700s, British colonists in America questioned the right of the Crown to tax them if they weren’t going to be represented in the British Parliament. “No taxation without representation” became the refrain and the energy behind the American Revolution. We all learned that in American history class. Unfortunately, many seem to have forgotten representation as a founding tenet of our country since they don’t speak up for the rights of the 600,000 citizens of the District of Columbia just because they don’t live there.

If democratic principles don’t resonate with you, what about economic vitality, gridlock, and the Chesapeake Bay?

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell recently said, “It is in both Virginia and Maryland’s best interest that the District be able to operate without interruption, resulting in the financial certainty that will enable long term planning and better regional cooperation.” Businesses thrive on certainty. Because the D.C. budget is really not its own, businesses sometimes find it hard to do business with the District government. This doesn’t just affect the city.

The long term planning and regional cooperation of which Governor McDonnell spoke is minimized by the fact that Mayor Gray is unable to act with Governor McDonnell and Governor O’Malley as an equal. He does not have comparable influence over his jurisdiction’s budget. The District’s budget is subject to Congressional oversight, oversight by individuals who may live in the jurisdiction part-time, but certainly aren’t of the community.

But that’s not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is regional clout in the halls of Congress. When the region looks for federal dollars to support the regional infrastructure or our regional assets, our power is less than that of other parts of the country. Take Amtrak and Metro, for example. A recent article in the Washington City Paper suggested that the region had lost at least $12M in federal transportation dollars for a series of Union Station access and capacity improvements specifically because the District doesn’t have adequate power in the House and no representation at all in the Senate. Some suggest that the Council of Governments lost a recent HUD grant competition that would have enabled some of the Region Forward work because there was inadequate representation for the region in Congress. And many suggest that the Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts would benefit from two more senators speaking out for our region.

The Virginia delegation has Virginia’s interests at heart. The Maryland Congressional delegation looks out for Maryland. But there is a huge gap where the District delegation should be, and because of that gap there is no opportunity for a trio of delegations to collectively represent what many are coming to call the DMV – our region.

So whether you live in Maryland, Virginia or the District of Columbia, the District should matter to you. We are one region. Our worlds are interconnected. The DMV will stand stronger and taller when the District has voting rights in Congress.

Filed Under: A Voice from Philanthropy, WRAG Voices Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

District voting rights affect the whole region…Trust data highlight voucher program’s success…Homeless veterans prioritized [News, 5.23.12]

May 23, 2012 By

REGION | If you don’t live in the District, it can be easy to brush off the fact that the city’s residents don’t have representation in Congress. But WRAG’s president, Tamara Copeland, says that D.C.’s democracy deficiency has rippling effects across the entire region. (WG Daily, 5/23)

Related: Speaking of regionalism, a new report from Brookings says that DC Water needs buy-in from other local jurisdictions in order to meet federal sewage mandates (WaPo, 5/23):

“DC Water has no authority outside of its narrow rate utility and it has no state government to protect its interest,” the study said. “It needs help to ensure that all who will benefit from this expensive and lengthy project pay for it.”

EDUCATION | New data from the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation show that participants in the District’s school voucher program have had an impressive 94 percent graduation rate and an 89 percent college enrollment rate. (AFC, 5/22)

VETERANS/HOMELESSNESS | Dozens of homeless veterans are being “fast-tracked to a roof over their heads.” D.C. Housing Authority spokesperson Dena Michaelson says “It’s a priority for the country and it’s a priority for us.” (WTOP, 5/23) Amen.

BUDGETS | Fairfax officials dismayed by social service cuts (Examiner, 5/23) Needless to say, there is a healthy dose of finger-pointing.

TRANSIT
- Montgomery County officials have unveiled a plan for a 160-mile Bus Rapid Transit system. (GGW, 5/23)

Related: The system would probably cost county residents a whole lot of money. (Examiner, 5/23)

- A WTOP poll finds out what District, Maryland, and Virginia drivers think of each other’s driving. (WTOP, 5/23)

POLITICS | As the District faces another political scandal (haven’t had one in…days?), Greater Greater Washington puts a positive spin on things and looks at what the Gray administration has accomplished so far. (GGW 5/25, WaPo 5/22)

We’re halfway to the long weekend! To help get us the rest of the way, how about some great new music? Langhorne Slim has a unique style and the music video for his new single is fittingly creative. I love it.

If you aren’t in the mood for new music, then maybe you’ll enjoy this classic from John Fred and his Playboy Band.

Filed Under: WRAG's "In the News" Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

D.C. Council boosts human services and arts funding…MoCo schools push for inclusive lesson plans…McDuffie wins Ward 5 election [News, 5.16.12]

May 16, 2012 By

BUDGETS
- The D.C. Council made significant changes to Mayor Gray’s proposed budget, including restoring millions of dollars in human services funding and increasing funding for the arts. (WaPo, City Paper, 5/16)

Related: What You Need to Know About the Budget the D.C. Council Passed Yesterday (DCist, 5/16)

- Md. faces budget gaps for next four years (Examiner, 5/16)

EDUCATION | In the past, teachers tracked students’ abilities and separated them into different classrooms to learn at corresponding levels. Recently, Montgomery County shifted its policy to be more inclusive of all students. The Post looks at how the county’s teachers are working to prepare lesson plans for classrooms filled with students of varying abilities. (WaPo, 5/16)

Glad I’m not a student there. I’d be devastated to be pulled out of Advanced Recess and put with kids of lesser abilities in the leisure department.

POLITICS | Democrat Kenyan McDuffie won yesterday’s Ward 5 special election to fill the empty council seat left by Harry Thomas. McDuffie, who has worked as an attorney for the Justice Department, said (WaPo, 5/16):

It’s a mandate — people want ethical, honest leadership…They want someone who is going to represent everyone in the ward.

BUSINESS | Interesting fact: More than half of the region’s companies featured on the Fortune 500 list are located in Fairfax County. (WBJ, 5/16)

LOCAL | Yesterday, I mentioned how much I hate snakehead fish. Today, WTOP decided to taunt me with an article about an 18-pound snakehead that was pulled out of the Potomac. (WTOP, 5/16) Somebody call Quint!

Kind of a slow news day…which gives us extra time to strategize about defending against the impending snakehead fish invasion. I’m making a run on harpoons later.

Also, have you ever seen the music video for Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al? It is basically a hilarious competition for attention between Paul Simon and Chevy Chase. A true classic.

Filed Under: WRAG's "In the News" Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 35 other followers