Friday July 25, 2003
Week of July 21, 2003
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Earlier this month the Brookings Institution released a study that found the DC region has the second-highest educated population in the nation behind San Francisco. Nearly half of residents aged 25 and older hold at least a four-year degree. That's 18 percent above the national average. But the wealth of higher education here isn't evenly distributed across the region. When you look closely at the statistics there's a familiar divide between residents who HAVE college degrees and those who do NOT. Today we profile three organizations working with kids outside traditional school environment groups that are trying to make a difference in the academic futures of students from neighborhoods that are on the other side of the educational divide. WAMU's Lisa Nurnberger reports.
Land disputes are nothing new. And while one of the more famous feuds - between the Hatfields and the McCoys - has recently officially ended, there are squabbles over territory going on every day right here in the nation's capital. In a city where the federal government is a major landowner, enforcing LOCAL zoning rules can be a delicate matter. From construction projects to street closures over security concerns, sometimes it's hard to be neighbors with Uncle Sam. While the US may be the main reason for DC's existence, does that mean the feds get everything their way? WAMU's Jim Rosenberg went to find out.
The topic of elderly drivers has been in the news lately. For some more thoughts on the subject we turn to WAMU Senior Commentator - and Senior Driver - Fred Fiske.
It's the end of July and to many sports fans in the region that can mean only one thing. NFL training camp. Washington Redskins players are scheduled to show up for camp on Sunday. For football fans across the country this is always a season of renewed hope. A team can start anew, wash away the failures of the last season, and look to the future. But Redskins fans have gone through the roller coaster ride of high hopes and dashed expectations for years now. Here with a cautious preview of the year to come is John Keim, Sportswriter for the Journal newspapers. John it's good to see you again.
Back in the days of wooden warships Ft. Washington guarded the water approach to the nation's capitol. Located in Prince George's County - - Fort Washington sits about six miles south of the District line straight down the Potomac River. The first military installation on this site was built in 1809. The current fort was completed in 1824 and it's one of the few waterfront fortifications in the U.S. still in its original form. But the ravages of time have taken their toll. Two years ago a large section of the north wall crumbled due to water damage, and many other sections of the fort have been weakened by water over the years. Work continues on the fort though after a major rebuilding effort last spring the fort reopened to the public on Memorial Day. Jacquie Gales Webb reports on the little known history of southern Maryland's Fort Washington.
From military history we turn our attention to a bit of nature history. The National Wildlife Refuge System is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It was launched in 1903 along with a host of other conservation-minded programs during the administration of Teddy Roosevelt. In honor of the anniversary we visit the Patuxent Research Refuge today - - located right off the Baltimore/Washington Parkway in Laurel. I met Mark Garland on Cash Lake near the park's "National Wildlife Visitor Center".
More than 20 years after the first stirrings of DC's hardcore punk scene some of the same musicians are still active. They tend to play a little better than when they started which has lead some bands to emphasize elaborate instrumental compositions over simple songs. Still many of these groups have retained the harshness of punk. One that HASN'T according to Critic Mark Jenkins is "Garland of Hours."
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