Hogan administration and union strike deal on correctional jobs

human resources functions.” Moyer asked the state Board of Public Works two months ago to allow him to eliminate the jobs so he could streamline the personnel department and consolidate separate personnel staffs at each prison into one office to ensure uniform hiring and firing practices. JESSUP, MD -- AUGUST 06: The Maryland Correctional Institution for Women is the state's only prison for women. (photo by Andre Chung for The Washington Post) (Andre Chung/for The Washington Post) To emphasize his point, the secretary told the Board of Public Works last month that more than 250 corrections employees have been arrested since 2013 on charges ranging from assault to looting to having sexual relations with inmates. Moyer said his office needs better control over hiring and firing, because 200 of those workers are still on the job. He also referenced the recent closure of the men’s jail at the Baltimore City Detention Center, where corruption ran rampant for years with the help of prison guards. But several of the employees who were in danger of losing their jobs told the state panel, which consists of the governor, treasurer and comptroller, that they were being forced out even though they had nothing to do with the problems Moyer raised. “I’m 63 years old, and I’m trying to figure out — what did I do?” Emily Eubanks asked the state panel. She said she would have lost her job under the proposal. “Our problem with this was that these people don’t hire and fire anybody,” said Jeff Pittman, a union spokesman. “They have stellar job performances. If they signed a termination letter, it was because a warden told them to do it.” Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D) said they were sympathetic to the employees’ circumstances, a strong indication that the cuts would not get approved by the three-member panel. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) deferred action on the vote and instructed Moyer to figure out an alternative. “Gov. Hogan asked that we look at it a different way to achieve the same results, and we have done that,” Moyer said in a conference call with reporters. Moyer said his plan to root out corruption is continuing to move forward, including making changes to fingerprinting requirements when employees are hired and altering the process for handling disciplinary cases to ensure that his office becomes aware of offenses more quickly.


Maryland resident dies of West Nile virus, first this year

A Baltimore County resident died of West Nile virus, the first Maryland resident to die of the mosquito-borne illness in 2015, the state health department said. In a statement, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said that the resident died on Sept. 8, and the cause of death was confirmed Monday. Twenty-nine people have contracted West Nile virus in Maryland this year, the statement said. In 2014, just six people caught the virus. Mosquitoes carrying the virus have been caught in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. The illness generally causes no symptoms or a mild flu-like illness but can be severe, especially in people over 60, the health department said. It said that the victim who died last week was an older adult.


After its transformation, will Noma stay wild at heart?

raise the food that will be used at the new Noma, and even then, farming is not foolproof. Crops will probably fail. “Nobody’s naive here,” Giusti said in a phone interview before service at Noma. “Everyone understands that [farming] is a hard thing to do.” Noma restaurant and former Washingtonian Daniel Giusti, who leads the kitchen for Rene Redzepi. (Sarah Coghill/For The Washington Post) But farming is seasonal and can’t begin to provide for a restaurant’s needs year-round. Foraging will continue to play an integral role in the sourcing of fresh-picked ingredients for the kitchen. What’s more, full-time forager Michael Fitzner Larsen and others will continue to roam the country, searching for flora and fauna that Noma’s fermentation team will transform into vinegars, kombuchas, misos and garum-like sauces (garum is a fermented fish sauce) based on nontraditional ingredients such as grasshoppers, lobsters and razor clams. Those fermented condiments, or “building blocks” as Giusti calls them, will continue to be the invisible applications that elevate a dish at Noma — its current iteration or the next one — into a realm all its own. Giusti recalls when Redzepi spontaneously decided to mix fresh mulberries with a misolike paste of yellow split peas fermented with roses. “That was it,” the chef said. “It was really amazing.” Noma’s makeover is more than a philosophical shift to urban farming and hyper-seasonal menus. There’s a practical component, too: At its current waterfront location on Copenhagen Harbor, Noma is a house divided. Its test kitchen is upstairs, accessible only by a staircase that forces cooks to walk outdoors first. Its fermentation lab and kitchen are outside on the dock, housed in four converted shipping containers, making for an inconvenient trek from the kitchen to the lab for vinegars, misos, garums and the like. René Redzepi says he wants to instill “a more respectful, humane spirit” into his restaurant, Noma. (Deb Lindsey/For the Washington Post) The plan, at present, would be to house those components under one roof, so they’re more interactive and accessible to each other. “Having them in the same building would be helpful, especially for the storage of the fermentation” ingredients, Giusti said. The new building will be “an easier way to keep people closer together, which is cool.” The new Noma might also take a page from companies such as Google and TripAdvisor, which provide their employees with an array of lifestyle options


Montgomery Animal Watch

This case was received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Dog trouble: The last clinic: Reduced fees for cat adoption: Germantown Adoptable cats at no-kill shelter: Gaithersburg Adopt dogs and cats at MCHS no-kill rescue: Rockville — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


Outside study cites need for better training at Metro’s rail-control center

with passengers was stuck in a smoke-filled tunnel near the L’Enfant Plaza station. The noxious fumes sickened scores of riders, one of whom died. The NTSB, which plans to issue a final report on the calamity early next year, has said that ROCC workers activated two sets of giant ventilation fans at cross-purposes, causing a mass of smoke in the tunnel to move toward the stopped train. If the six fans in the two groups had been properly coordinated, creating brisk air circulation, the smoke would have been expelled from the tunnel, the NTSB has said. In addition, some of the six fans malfunctioned during the incident, which the safety board said was caused by an electrical problem on the tunnel tracks. Another problem that hampered rescue efforts Jan. 12 was poor communications, not only among employees within the ROCC but also between the control center and first-responders at the scene, especially D.C. firefighters. “Lack of communication may have contributed significantly to delayed or improper responses,” the peer review found. The ROCC also communicates poorly with passengers, the report said. That finding will come as no surprise to the commuters who were caught in the smoke incident. They received scant information as they sat choking for more than 30 minutes on the idled train, waiting for rescuers to arrive. Some riders evacuated from the train on their own. Metro should adopt “a policy for providing information to patrons directly from the ROCC for delays caused by major incidents and emergencies,” the panel said. New York subway officials, for example, have “taken advantage of this option to help provide a calming authoritative reassurance that the situation is known, action is being taken, and that the public is guided on their actions, such as to stay in the vehicle, stay calm.” But the report focused mainly on ventilation-related problems. The panel’s seven public- and private-sector transit experts, from San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, New York and elsewhere, put “particular emphasis on ROCC training, restructuring rule books to make reference easier and more direct, and developing pre-defined responses for ventilation operations so that better decisions can be made on the spot during the stress of emergency response.” Peer reviews are a common practice in the transit industry. The group was assembled at Metro’s request by the American Public Transportation Association and spent several days at the ROCC this past spring before writing


National Zoo gets another $4.5 million for its panda conservation program

Zookeepers at the National Zoo examine a newborn panda while its mother, Mei Xiang, was out of her den on Sept. 5. (Smithsonian’s National Zoo) Local philanthropist David M. Rubenstein is donating another $4.5 million to the National Zoo’s giant panda research and conservation program, the zoo announced Thursday. The Washington zoo, where twin panda cubs were born last month, said the money will fund, through 2020, research into panda reproduction, training programs, upgrades to the giant panda habitat and care for the pandas living there. The zoo is home to an adult female giant panda, Mei Xiang, and adult male, Tian Tian, a female 2-year-old, Bao Bao, and an unnamed 4-week-old male cub, born Aug. 22. A second male born the same day died Aug. 26. Rubenstein, a founder of the Carlyle Group, a Washington-based global private-equity firm, has now donated $9 million to the giant panda program since 2011, the zoo said in a statement. He announced an initial $4.5 million panda donation in December 2011. Rubenstein has been a member of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents since 2009. “The National Zoo’s panda program has been a remarkable success — two healthy pandas in just two years — and I am pleased to support it for another five years,” Rubenstein said, according to the zoo. Dennis Kelly, the zoo’s director, said in the statement that Rubenstein’s generosity “allows us to focus on one critically endangered species, but in doing so, we leverage all we learn to better manage other species in human care and in the wild.” Giant pandas are native to China, and the Chinese own and lease all giant pandas held at U.S. zoos. The zoo is nearing the end of a five-year agreement whereby it pays China $500,000 a year to lease its pandas, and requires all cubs born at the zoo to go to China when they turn 4. Officials are negotiating a new lease. The current agreement expires Dec. 6.


Woman, 94, from Prince George’s dies of West Nile virus, family says

A Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito is seen on the skin of a human. These mosquitoes are known for spreading West Nile virus. (James Gathany/CDC via Reuters) The family of a 94-year-old Prince George’s County woman said she died of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, making her the second person in Maryland to die of the disease this year. Two daughters of Dorothy Mount said she died Sept. 8 at the VA Medical Center in Baltimore, according to a statement released by the city of Laurel. Japonette Mount, one of the daughters, said a medical center official “called the family to tell them their mother died from the West Nile virus.” There have been other reports of people contracting West Nile virus this year in Maryland. A Baltimore County resident died of West Nile virus the same day as Mount, according to the Maryland health department. The man’s name was not released, but officials said the victim was an older adult. In Maryland, 29 people have contracted the West Nile virus this year. Six people were sickened by the virus in Maryland in 2014. Authorities said they have captured mosquitoes carrying the virus in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, along with the District. The Maryland Department of Agriculture said the neighborhood where Mount lived — the 1000 block of Eighth Street in Laurel — was sprayed for mosquitoes twice last month. Other parts of Laurel have been sprayed seven times this summer, according to city officials. The city announced Thursday that Mount’s neighborhood and other parts of the city will be sprayed again, for the final time this season, on Sunday, weather permitting. “Right now there is no confirmation of where the Laurel victim [Mount] became infected,” the city’s statement said. On Thursday, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene would not release details on Mount’s illness, citing patient confidentiality and other regulations. In a statement, the department said, it had one confirmed death from West Nile virus — the man in Baltimore County. It went on to say “we are aware, however, of preliminary test results of another death involving a senior; we are awaiting confirmatory test results.” It was not immediately known when those results would be available, a spokesman for the department said. West Nile virus generally does not cause symptoms in most people, according to health officials. But some people can experience a headache,


Samsung ruling strengthens Apple’s efforts to protect patents

to Prime, a $99-a-year shopping program estimated to have about 40 million members. — Reuters Also in Business ● Wal-Mart says it will hire 60,000 employees to meet increased shopping demand over the holiday season. The world’s largest retailer said Thursday it will have more employees in stores and more registers open during peak hours, and it plans to add department managers at 3,500 stores. Wal-Mart says current employees will have the first choice to pick up additional hours. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company also hired 60,000 people for holiday season jobs last year but says it has more employees working more hours in its stores than it did in 2014. The company says most of its holiday-season employees stayed with the company after the holidays ended. ● A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the Securities and Exchange Commission from pursuing its fraud case against New York financier Lynn Tilton. Thursday’s order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York puts on hold the regulator’s case against the head of Patriarch Partners, which was set for an Oct. 13 trial. Tilton had objected to the SEC’s effort to try her in an in-house administrative proceeding, rather than in federal court. The SEC proceeding was stayed pending further order of the appeals court. ● Consumers are increasingly eschewing bread in favor of butter and red meat as carbohydrates take a back seat to fat and protein, a worldwide shift underpinned by a changing medical consensus that promises to transform the food industry. Global demand for fat will rise 43 percent by 2030 with per-capita consumption jumping almost a quarter, according to a report released Thursday by the Credit Suisse Research Institute. Demand is expected to rise 23 percent for red meat and fall 8.3 percent for carbohydrates. ● Photoshop maker Adobe Systems Inc. reported a 21 percent jump in quarterly revenue Thursday as more customers subscribed to its creative and marketing software products provided over the Internet. The company’s net income rose to $174.5 million, or 35 cents per share, in the third quarter ended Aug. 28, from $44.7 million, or 9 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose to $1.22 billion from $1.01 billion. — From news services Coming Today ● 10 a.m.: The Conference Board releases leading indicators for August. ● ● 10 a.m.: State unemployment data released. — From news services AVIATION


Rabid deer killed along Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in Maryland

An eight-point rabid buck that charged at National Park Service ranger was killed along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in Maryland, an agency spokeswoman said. Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service, said a ranger — who was responding to a call about an animal in distress — shot the adult white-tailed deer near Sycamore Landing on Wednesday. The deer looked sick and was having a hard time standing on its own, said Anzelmo-Sarles. She said the ranger was not injured in the attack. Anzelmo-Sarles said the buck was turned over to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, who performed a necropsy — a wildlife version of an autopsy — and discovered that it tested positive for rabies. It is unknown if other animals in the park are affected, a press release said. The transmission rabies — an infectious disease affecting the nervous system of humans and other mammals — from deer to human or other animals is very low, according to the release. The release said rabies can be spread through a bite, scratch or saliva from an infected animal that gets into the eyes, nose, mouth or an opening in the skin. Untreated, rabies is fatal in humans. Sycamore Landing is about 14 miles northwest of Potomac and one mile west of River Road. Anzelmo-Sarles said the agency is asking anyone who may have come in contact with the deer between Sept. 2 and Sept. 16 to report it. If you believe you or your pet may have come in contact with the deer, contact the Montgomery County Disease Control Office at (240) 777-1755. Symptoms of rabies may be very similar to those of the flu including general weakness, discomfort, fever or headache, according the press release.


Baltimore Symphony Orchestra finds its rhythm in Thursday’s concert

Pianist Olga Kern deftly played Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Thursday at Strathmore. (Chris Lee) After lackluster season openers last week, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra season truly got under way with its first subscription concert Thursday night at Strathmore. Music director Marin Alsop returned to the podium, along with the news that she will step down as music director of California’s Cabrillo Festival next summer. British-born composer Anna Clyne’s introduction to her piece, “Masquerade,” was even more concise than the work, a five-minute wild rumpus of metric shifts, swashbuckling brass, overbearing percussion and Hollywood strings. Pianist Olga Kern brought her own fireworks to Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” driving Alsop’s tempo forward in the fast passages, with a breathless approach to the demanding finger work. Although the orchestra was sometimes out of step, Kern’s forceful sound helped the ensemble balances. Kern knows how to caress a Rachmaninoff turn of phrase, confirmed here in the oozing schmaltz of the slow variations, as well as an encore of the composer’s dazzling E minor “Moment musical” (Op. 16 No. 4). Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan recently described Richard Strauss’s “Alpine Symphony” as a grandiose work that “sums up all of Western orchestral art.” From the bitonal clashes that shimmer in the murky night scenes to the cowbells and bleating woodwinds of the mountain pasture scene, Alsop led a performance convincing in both climaxes and calms. The solos were all excellent, with the exception of a few strained moments in the trumpet. The traumatic storm scene rattled the senses with a lovely clatter of thunder sheet, but no recorded storm track as Alsop has favored in some previous performances. Assistant conductor Nicholas Hersh’s kooky arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the fourth in the BSO’s commission celebrating the national anthem’s anniversary, was entertaining in its mixture of the tune with Bernstein-esque Latin rhythms. Still, it was awkward that some people stood for its performance, while most of the house, following Alsop’s instructions, remained seated. Downey is a freelance writer.


Mauling, escapes and abuse: 6 small zoos, 80 sick or dead animals

Cheyenne, a Siberian tiger, romps in an old swimming pool at Tri-State Zoological Park in Cumberland, Md. Cheyenne is one of five big cats living in the enclosure. Robert Candy, owner of the zoo, said that the space is not aesthetically attractive but that the cats are well cared for. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post) Cheyenne, a Siberian tiger, romps in an old swimming pool at Tri-State Zoological Park in Cumberland, Md. Cheyenne is one of five big cats living in the enclosure. Robert Candy, owner of the zoo, said that the space is not aesthetically pleasing but that the cats are well cared for. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post) The owner of the Reston Zoo in Northern Virginia has extolled the staff’s love of animals, but an employee drowned an injured wallaby in a plastic bucket, and a frostbitten spider monkey went so long without treatment that it had to be euthanized. The Natural Bridge Zoo in western Virginia is billed as a sanctuary, but on recent visits, federal inspectors found more than 40 animals in need of veterinary care and questioned staff about a video that shows employees jabbing a monkey with sticks. The Tri-State Zoological Park in Western Maryland advertises itself as a great stop for kids, but an inspector reported that some children had reached through a cage to pet tigers while a guide stood nearby. Those are among a host of problems identified at six small zoos in Maryland and Virginia that are popular destinations for Washington-area families. Over the past decade, more than 80 animals have died, been injured or become ill because of neglect at the zoos, and more than 200 others were kept in inhumane conditions, according to hundreds of pages of federal inspection reports, interviews with keepers and court documents. Minor problems were reported at four more zoos. Inspectors allege that animals went unfed and without water, were kept in the dark and in filth, and had serious injuries and wounds that were left untreated. Documents also report safety lapses — including decrepit cages and animal escapes — that placed workers and visitors at risk. Alleged violations were documented by inspectors with the U.S. Agriculture Department as recently as this summer. Problems persist at roadside zoos, in part, because oversight and enforcement are often lacking. In recent years, the number of penalties issued by federal authorities to small zoos in the


doing,” Rood said. “We were reading books and going on the Internet to try to figure out what to do.” Zebra and Canada geese graze at the Reston Zoo in Reston, Va. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) The federal complaint alleges that keepers placed an African crested porcupine, native to a warm climate, outside as the temperature plummeted to 8 degrees one day in January 2014. Hours later, Mr. Quills collapsed, but the zoo did not send him to a veterinarian. Keepers treated the porcupine with medicinal fluids that were past their expiration date. He died hours later. Two years earlier, the complaint alleges, the zoo waited about two weeks to get veterinary treatment for a spider monkey suffering from frostbite, despite lesions covering Jethro’s hands and feet. The animal had to be euthanized. Diarrhea, lameness and eye conditions in other animals allegedly were not treated properly, according to the complaint. Eric Mogensen wrote in e-mails that the zoo is contesting all the allegations. He also wrote that the zoo has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars upgrading the facilities. “Most of the USDA citations were a direct result of employees who were then terminated after the fact,” Mogensen wrote. At the Natural Bridge Zoo, run by Mogensen’s father, Karl, the main mission is to nurture exotic species. But this past spring, federal inspectors found more than 40 animals in need of veterinary care, including camels with weeping lesions and a llama with a mass under its jaw. The inspections followed an undercover investigation by the Humane Society. Inspectors played Karl Mogensen a video, shot by the Humane Society investigator, that shows keepers jabbing a De Brazza’s monkey with sticks and joking, as they transfer it between cages, according to an inspector’s report. At one point, Karl Mogensen’s daughter is seen holding the monkey by the tail, as it flails wildly and knocks things over. After watching the video, Karl Mogensen told the inspector that the handling of the monkey seemed “primitive” and “unprofessional,” according to inspection reports. The state briefly shut down the zoo this spring. Mogensen’s daughter did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement, Karl Mogensen said he had corrected every problem identified by inspectors. “The general public, while well meaning and with the best of intentions, is easily influenced by the never ending rhetoric and constant attack by these radical groups constantly bombarding zoos, farmers


Obama to nominate first openly gay service secretary to lead the Army

soldiers in recent years and plans to cut 40,000 more over the next few years. The planned cuts would shrink the service to its smallest size of the post-World War II era. Battered by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has had to deal with a spike in suicides as the wars drew to an end. Recently, the Army’s outgoing chief of staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, said that tight budgets and the ongoing strain of 14 years of war had badly degraded the Army’s readiness to fight and that only one-third of its brigades were prepared to deploy to a war zone, the lowest readiness rate in decades. In a sign of how much the country has changed in the past decade, Fanning’s sexual orientation seemed a non-issue among Republicans and Democrats in Congress, who were far more worried about the state of the Army. “There is a real crisis in morale and retention that has developed for the Army over the last several years,” said Joe Kasper, chief of staff to Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.). “The Army needs a leader who will stand up for soldiers, who recognizes war can get ugly and who won’t shy away from the tough issues. If Fanning is that type of person, he’ll be embraced.” Fanning’s historic appointment didn’t seem to cause a stir in the Army, either. From lobbyists to Congress to the White House, there’s a growing class of power players. “My sense is that the Army is over this and has been over it for some time,” said Phil Carter, a veteran of the war in Iraq and senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. “The Army cares whether you can shoot straight, not whether you are straight.” Fanning’s role as Army secretary would give him influence over the selection of the generation of generals who will rebuild the service after the wars. One big question for the Army is whether, in an era of tight budgets, it will return primarily to preparing for heavy combat missions against a big, conventional military, such as the Russians, or experiment with new formations that are better suited to training and working alongside indigenous partners. “The biggest problem the Army faces is finding its mission, relevance and purpose after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars,” Carter said. “All of the services face it, but the Army faces it


Brilliant students such as Ahmed Mohamed should be celebrated

Ahmed Mohamed, 14, on Sept. 17. (LM Otero/Associated Press) Regarding the Sept. 17 Politics & The Nation article “Texas teen’s treatment stirs outrage”: Seeing a kid wearing a NASA T-shirt get hauled off in handcuffs for designing and building a digital clock breaks my heart. I am old enough to remember when we had a manned space program and walked on the moon. I miss those days. There’s a reason we are falling behind in science. You don’t have to look any further than MacArthur High School in Irving, Tex., to see why. Ahmed Mohamed’s story makes it clear the only hoax at MacArthur is the adults pretending to be educators. As an educator, I can assure you the only reason we put up with principals such as the one at MacArthur is that, if we are lucky, we get to teach kids like Ahmed. They are our best hope for a better future. Peter Vos, Rockville


‘We felt invincible’: Report details deadly wreck, party that preceded it

the girls, and a 17-year-old used a fake Ohio driver’s license to buy the beer at a local store. The teens played beer pong and did shots. “People were casually drinking, hanging out, relaxing,” said the car passenger who survived, according to the report. He said he thought the father believed fewer people were in the house. “Ten people or so played beer pong. I’m sure some people were drunk, but no one was puking or outrageous. At about 11:35-11:40, they ran out of beer.” And when the party was winding down, a popular, college-bound athlete offered some friends a ride. They played loud music and “whipped” — a term one teen used to describe excessive speeding. And then crashed. “This is another needless tragedy that has occurred as a result of an underage drinking party,” Montgomery County Police Capt. Tom Didone said. “Over the past few years, community acceptance of underage drinking has rivaled back into the early ’90s, in which parents continue to host parties, teens believe they’re entitled to a rite of passage to drink and that fatal collisions involving teens and alcohol are becoming an annual event. It is really important that people realize that underage drinking kills.” No charges have been filed in the case, but police said Friday that prosecutors would be making decisions within the next month. Ellis’s attorney, Michael McAuliffe, declined to comment on specific findings in the report. But he said his client feels devastated. “He understands the seriousness of the situation,” McAuliffe said. “He is in mourning for his dead friends. His whole family is in mourning. It’s an awful situation for everyone involved.” The father who allegedly was home at the time of the party declined to comment when reached Friday. According to the report, Ellis lost control of the Acura TSX along a curve on Dufief Mill Road. In documenting Ellis’s speed, police said the car was going at least 65 in a 35 mph zone when the car first left tire marks on the roadway, but they could not say how much more because of the car’s airborne trajectory and its collisions with trees and the fence. Alexander Murk, 18, and Calvin Li, 18, both members of Wootton’s class of 2015, were killed. Ellis was hospitalized in critical condition and was later released. The passenger in the front seat was injured and provided details to police while


Beer of the Week: Fair Winds Sessions in the Abyss IPA

helped Fair Winds spread rapidly throughout Northern Virginia, showing up on draft at sports bars, wing spots and Whole Foods growler stations. But in the District, Fair Winds has been hard to find. The brewery’s beers have made regular appearances on tap at Meridian Pint and Smoke & Barrel, and they’ve been featured at special events, such as DC Beer Week and the Heurich House Museum’s History and Hops events, but Fair Winds been slow to expand to bars “beyond the craft-only crowd,” says brewery founder Casey Jones. That’s about to change, thanks to a new deal with Premium Distributors, the company responsible for supplying Miller, Coors, Samuel Adams and New Belgium, among others, to D.C. bars. Jones says three of the company’s flagship beers — Howling Gale, Sessions in the Abyss session IPA and Quayside Kölsch — should be easily found around the city, and additional choices, such as the brand-new Oktoberfest beer Nautifest, “will depend on demand, and that is almost impossible to predict before residents get a chance to get access to our beer.” For now, all beers will be draft only, though the brewery hopes to begin canning Howling Gale and Quayside by the end of the year, Jones says. (For the widest selection of Fair Winds beers without visiting the brewery taproom, hit one of the launch parties, which take place Monday, Sept. 21, at ChurchKey, Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Buffalo Billiards and Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Fadó Irish Pub.) Of the trio of Fair Winds drafts coming to the District this week, I’m most drawn to Sessions in the Abyss. It’s named after Slayer’s seminal album “Seasons in the Abyss” — both brewers are fans of the thrash-metal pioneers — but it’s not a headbanger of a beer. The bright orange-peel and pineapple flavors of the Citra and Amarillo hops jump onto your tongue; the body is smooth, thanks to oat malt; and there’s a pleasant bitterness in the finish. Overall, it’s a satisfying IPA. Sessions in the Abyss is only 4.5 percent ABV, lower than Budweiser and other big producers, though it packs significantly more flavor into a golden orange package. Session IPAs have become more common in recent years, but this stands out as my favorite local example. Fair Winds Brewing, 7000 Newington Rd., Lorton. www.fairwindsbrewing.com. Expect to pay $6-$7 for Sessions in the Abyss on tap. More from Food: Beer Column


The iconic Beirut kebab house that thrived even during war

Washington Post) Lebanon’s 4.2 million citizens are perhaps unusually picky about what they eat. After all, many Lebanese point out, their Arabic-Mediterranean cuisine of mezes and tangy salads is recognizable throughout the world. There is a culinary reputation to uphold, and although it’s a tad gritty, Barbar certainly does that, fans say. “It’s so juicy,” Noura Karkajian, 54, said as she shoved skewered chicken into her mouth on a recent evening. It’s also affordable, she said. Her meal — which included coleslaw, fries and hummus — cost less than $10. Two years ago, CNN ranked Barbar first in a list of the world’s best kebab places, coming ahead of restaurants in Israel, Iran and Greece. The news organization singled out Barbar’s chicken shawarma — with its marinade of cardamom and cinnamon — as “the tastiest” of all offerings. For many Lebanese, Barbar resonates on a deeper level, symbolizing stability in a place so often shaken by unrest, said Amal Andary, a culture writer at Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper. Recently, concern has mounted over fallout from the civil war in next-door Syria. More than a million Syrians have taken refuge in Lebanon. “It’s an unshakable icon,” Andary said of Barbar. It’s also massive, taking up almost an entire block in the capital’s Hamra area. Surrounding the main restaurant are more than half a dozen Barbar shops that specialize in juices, sweets, sandwiches and specialty pizzas, called “manouche” in Arabic. (Barbar also operates a small branch near downtown.) Facades are faded. Waiters can be abrupt. And the no-frills picnic-table seating in the restaurant feels out of sync with Beirut’s burgeoning market of trendy bistros that cater to wealthy, French-speaking elites. Sara, 18, and Jad, 20, wait for their food to arrive last week at Barbar restaurant. (Tamara Abdul Hadi/For The Washington Post) But Barbar is popular. Poor. Rich. Famous. They all come. On Friday evenings, finding a seat at the restaurant can feel as frustrating as standing in line at a VIP nightclub. “You can’t believe the pressure I’m working under!” Mohammed Rezik, 46, a waiter, said as he served a crush of patrons on a recent evening. Mohammed Hussein, 47, the mustachioed head of Barbar’s falafel department, boasted about having served Arabic singers and movie stars, including Egyptian actor Adel Emam. “They all come here,” he said. “It’s normal.” Barbar’s origins trace back to its sexagenarian founder, Mohammed Ghaziri. With a fifth-grade


Women in combat

A female Army Ranger candidate crosses the Yellow River on a rope bridge at Camp James E. Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. (Nick Tomecek/Associated Press) SECRETARY OF the Navy Ray Mabus has made clear that nothing is likely to change his intention not to seek exemptions in the opening up of military jobs to women. He doubled down in the face of a Marine Corps study raising doubts about the ability of women to serve in combat units. Mr. Mabus is right to argue that the emphasis should be on standards that ensure excellence in the military, and on whether individuals — no matter their gender — can meet those standards. But by cavalierly dismissing, even impugning, the concerns of Marine officials, he inadvertently helps those who say political correctness is driving the push for full integration of the armed forces. The Pentagon announced in 2013 the lifting of a ban on women serving in ground-combat roles but gave the services time to request exceptions. With the deadline for those requests approaching at the end of the month, it appears likely the Army, Navy and Air Force will not seek exceptions that close off jobs, including those in demanding commando units. But Marine Corps leaders have expressed concerns about allowing women to serve in infantry roles and, according to the Associated Press, are expected to ask that women not be allowed to compete for several front-line combat jobs. That not only would seem to put them at odds with the other services but with Mr. Mabus, who, as Navy secretary, is in charge of the Marines. Heating up the dispute is a year-long study by the Marine Corps on gender integration that concluded that male-only units performed better overall than gender-integrated units. A summary of the report showed that male-only infantry units shot more accurately and could carry more weight, and that women had higher injury rates than men. Mr. Mabus took issue with the study, saying the fact it “started out with a fairly large component of the men thinking this is not a good idea, and women will not be able to do this” could have affected the results. There may well be, as Mr. Mabus argued, problems with the report’s methodology and its reliance on averages. But attacking the motives of Marine officials was out of line, opening the secretary up to charges that


Chinese official to frustrated U.S. businesses: We hear you

(Hyungwon Kang/Reuters) BEIJING — In a rare interview granted in the run-up to President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, Zhang Xiangchen, China’s deputy representative for international trade, shared his thoughts on the nature of U.S.-China trade relations, likening the ties to a boat and trade to the ballast that keeps things “sailing forward smoothly.” Although there has been much talk about issues such as the South China Sea, cybertheft and the devaluation of the yuan in the lead-up to the visit — “drama, drama, drama,” quipped CNN — Zhang prefers to take a long view, noting that U.S.-China ties are much better now than they used to be, say, 10 or 20 years ago. With Xi in Seattle, the District, and New York over the next two weeks, Zhang said we can expect positive steps, including progress on state-province economic ties, cooperation on overseas development assistance and talk on a bilateral investment treaty — a potentially landmark agreement that would provide clearer rules for foreign investment. Zhang declined to comment on when such a deal might be made, noting only that China’s entrance to the World Trade Organization took 15 years and that this treaty is “no less important or complex.” Although Zhang was careful to emphasize “positive progress,” — “positive” seems to be a key talking point for the carefully choreographed trip — he agreed that when it comes to commercial ties between the world’s two largest economies, there are legitimate concerns on both sides. “As I often tell U.S. colleagues, good is not perfect,” he said. To U.S. businesses in China, “not perfect” might feel like something of an understatement. U.S. companies that operate in the country have long complained that their success in the gargantuan Chinese market is undercut by policies that give local companies an advantage, whether by restricting foreign investment, subsidizing local firms or selective targeting in periodic compliance crackdowns. China’s top leaders have vowed to let the market play a “decisive” role in the years ahead as part of their plan to “comprehensively deepen” economic reform. But the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) and others have raised doubts as to whether they are willing to loosen their grip, especially in light of this summer’s stock crisis and the aggressive state intervention that followed. Zhang said he spends a great deal of time listening to the concerns of the U.S. business community, whether by


A lively Beethoven concerto opens Fairfax Symphony Orchestra season

Alon Goldstein. (Meagan Cignoli) A terrific performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op. 73 (“Emperor”), lit up the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra’s season-opening concert at the George Mason Center for the Arts on Saturday. The orchestra is featuring all five of his piano concertos in this year’s programming and, perhaps to prime the audience for a season of Beethoven discourse, the concerto was framed by his Coriolan Overture and his Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67. Alon Goldstein was the soloist. A graduate of the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with Leon Fleisher, Goldstein is a huge man with an astonishingly delicate touch. His knees may not fit under the piano keyboard, but his hands flew over it, finding shades of attacks and broadenings in the midst of clouds of runs, all navigated with gorgeous transparency. His tempos may have been moderate, but even the calm reverie of the concerto’s Adagio second movement never lost a sense of momentum. His before-intermission encore — a short, rhythmically intricate dance by Alberto Ginastera — was full of sophisticated humor and fun. Conductor Christopher Zimmerman and his orchestra were in early season form, better at energy and color than at details. In the concerto, the orchestra tended to play at the back end of the beat, ceding alacrity to security, but it did a good job of powering up big climaxes with excitement and drama, and the crashing chords that open the Overture were a fine season curtain-raiser. And although the symphony sounded underrehearsed, the fact that so many details of phrasing and ensemble were so notably improved the second time around, during repeats, bodes well for the season ahead. Reinthaler is a freelance writer.


At the state dinner, leave some seats empty for China’s political prisoners

crackdown on civil society — Pu Zhiqiang, perhaps. Pu was one of the most respected attorneys prodding China to meet its own constitutional guarantees of free speech and assembly. He “carefully and painstakingly adhered to peaceful and lawful means” as he represented artist Ai Weiwei and others, Human Rights Watch wrote this year. But following the law was no protection against Xi’s crackdown. Pu has been in “pre-trial detention” for 14 months, awaiting trial for “inciting splittism,” among other offenses. He has recently been denied access to lawyers and needed medicines, according to China Human Rights Defenders. Wang Yu is “one of the few remaining women human rights lawyers in China,” the human rights group noted recently. But she’s been disappeared, too — in secret detention since police broke into her apartment and took her away on July 9. Set a place for her, and perhaps one of the security officials traveling with Xi can report on her whereabouts. Let’s set a place, too, for Ilham Tohti, the respected economist who was sentenced to life in prison last year as part of China’s brutal crackdown on the ethnic Uighur minority. Calling for independence is “always punished severely when the offender belongs to China’s minority Uighur community,” the BBC reported. “But what is so extraordinary about the sentence is that Ilham Tohti was not an independence activist, far less a terrorist, but an outspoken advocate of building bridges between the two communities.” There are too few tables, and too many political prisoners — 2,000, for example, just among Tibetans, who are under such assault by the Xi regime. But even a few empty places, reserved in honor of the many men and women of integrity whose talents China is forgoing, might serve as a silent reminder of what Ti-Anna Wang wrote in 2009: “Any government that jails its own people for political dissent still has a long way to go to become a respected member of the international community.” Read more from Fred Hiatt’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Read more about this topic: David Ignatius: On the eve of Xi Jinping’s U.S. visit, China loses some luster The Post’s View: The White House is more afraid of offending China’s president than the pope The Post’s View: Keep Lafayette Square open during the Chinese president’s visit James Mann: America’s painfully outdated approach to China


Disillusioned and self-deluded, Bowe Bergdahl vanished into a brutal captivity

The case against Bergdahl, who is charged with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy, is the most closely scrutinized desertion prosecution in the military in decades — perhaps since that of Pvt. Eddie Slovik, a soldier who became the only American executed for desertion since the Civil War. The officer overseeing the Bergdahl hearing, Lt. Col. Mark A. Visger, is expected to make a recommendation in the coming days to U.S. Army Forces Command, at Fort Bragg, N.C., about whether Bergdahl should be court-martialed. The army announced that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will face general court-martial for leaving his outpost in Afghanistan in 2009. Here's what happened, explained in 90 seconds. Bergdahl, now 29 and a sergeant, was recovered in May 2014 in a controversial swap in which the White House approved the release of five Taliban detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They are now in Qatar. Emotional testimony has underscored the relentless brutality that Bergdahl had to endure, as well as the chaos caused by his disappearance and the lingering resentment of some of his comrades. The case has also raised questions about the Obama administration’s handling of it, which included inviting Bergdahl’s parents to speak at the White House after the soldier was recovered, with national security adviser Susan E. Rice saying he served with “honor and distinction.” The White House has since concluded that it badly misplayed the optics of Bergdahl’s release, according to administration officials. Bergdahl’s parents were in Washington the day he was recovered, and a quick decision was made to include them in a Rose Garden announcement, with little thought given to the ramifications of making Bergdahl appear to be a hero, the officials said. Bergdahl joined the Army a few years after washing out of initial training for the Coast Guard. The Washington Post reported previously that it was for psychological reasons, but Bergdahl’s lawyer and Dahl were more specific in the hearing: The future Taliban captive was diagnosed with depression and sent home after he was found in distress in a Coast Guard barracks, sitting on a floor with blood in his hands, possibly from a bloody nose, Dahl testified. “He wasn’t ready for it,” Dahl said of life in the Coast Guard. “He was overwhelmed, found himself in the hospital and was released.” U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was handed over May 31 by members of the Taliban.


Man is fatally shot near NOMA area of DC; victim found on N. Capitol Street

A man was shot and fatally wounded Sunday night near the NOMA area of the District, authorities said. The man was shot about 8:20 p.m. in the unit block of M Street NW, police said. They said he was found in the 1100 block of North Capitol Street NW, which is around the corner. The -man was taken to a hospital, where he died. Few other details were available about the incident. The homicide was the fourth in the city since Friday night.


Man fatally shot in D.C. Sunday night identified as being from Northeast

A man who was fatally shot Sunday night in Sursum Corda has been identified as a 28-year-old from Northeast Washington, according to D.C. police. Kuron Calleo was pronounced dead at an area hospital shortly after the 8:20 p.m. shooting. Police said they responded to calls for gunfire in the first block of M Street NW, between North Capitol and First streets, and found the victim around the corner in the 1100 block of North Capitol Street NW. The area is just south of New York Avenue and near the new neighborhood called NoMa. Police did not report a possible motive, and no arrests had been made as of Monday. The shooting was the fourth homicide in the District since Friday night, bringing this year’s total to 115. There were 105 homicides in all of 2014.


For many Syrians in Lebanon and Jordan, now is the time to go

on Sunday after three years in Jordan. He expressed concern about encounters with the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. “The eastern route is off-limits. That is ISIS territory,” he said as he planned his trip. In Lebanon, where 1 in every 4 people is a refugee from the neighboring conflict, many Syrians are too poor to make the journey to Europe. But others aren’t, and they are leaving in greater numbers, Lebanese officials said. At the port in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, officials said the number of Syrians taking boats to Turkey more than doubled from July to August. Many of those departures include people traveling directly from Syria, but a senior port official said boats are increasingly being filled by refugees who had been living in Lebanon. “We’re seeing a big increase in the number of Syrian refugees who are leaving,” said the port official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue. Residents of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, which have housed many Syrians during the crisis, also have observed an outflow in recent weeks. “In the past month and a half, 25 of my Syrian friends have left the camp,” said Abdul Hamid Omar, 22, who fled Syria more than two years ago for the Bourj el-Barajneh camp near Beirut. One of his Syrian neighbors in the camp, Abu Musa, just arrived in Germany with his wife and six children, he said. Yehia, a 34-year-old Palestinian resident of Beirut’s Shatila camp, said that scores of Syrians living in the area have been selling their furniture, jewelry and gold to pay the smuggling fees to reach Europe. Many have left, making the camp feel a little less crowded, he said. As he prepared to leave Jordan for Europe, Saad, the refugee from the Damascus countryside, expressed concern about the precarious journey through Syria. But he had no other choice, he said as he clutched his wife’s hand. “We either live in dignity or die trying,” he said. Luck reported from Jordan. Suzan Haidamous and Sam Alrefaie in Beirut contributed to this report. Read more: As tragedies shock Europe, a bigger refugee crisis looms in the Middle East 8 reasons Europe’s refugee crisis is happening now Death of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi jolts world leaders U.S. launches secret drone campaign to hunt Islamic State leaders in Syria


Inside Chris Christie’s militia, flab and cronyism trigger mutiny in the ranks

aides intentionally snarled traffic on the George Washington Bridge to punish a political opponent. Christie declined interview requests for this article. His staff said he was unaware that Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff, the commander who still leads the Guard, had been reprimanded by the Pentagon about his weight until The Post asked about the issue. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, center, and Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael Cunniff, third from right, stand with veterans and military parents in Sea Girt, N.J., in September 2014. (Mel Evans/Associated Press) As the state’s adjutant general, Cunniff reports directly to Christie and serves in his Cabinet. “The Governor has expressed directly to the General that his failure to meet that standard or to provide notification of his formal reprimand is both unacceptable and disappointing,” Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said in an e-mailed statement. Christie, he added, has given Cunniff 90 days to slim down and “meet his obligations.” Failure to meet physical-fitness standards is a serious infraction in the military and can result in dismissal. But it is an especially delicate subject in New Jersey, where Christie had weight-loss surgery two years ago. Cunniff declined an interview request. In a statement released by the Guard, he acknowledged that he had not met the Air Force’s fitness requirements in recent years. “Many people struggle with weight control — I am not immune from this,” he said. “However, I do recognize that military members and leaders, like myself, are held to a higher standard. I take this matter seriously and am taking the necessary steps to remedy this issue.” Mocked on YouTube As in other states, the New Jersey National Guard is a reserve military force that primarily serves under the command and control of the governor, who can mobilize troops to respond to natural disasters or other emergencies. Units also can be called into federal service and deploy overseas. Dissent began to bubble up last year. In April 2014, a group of junior officers wrote a letter to Christie to complain about a “demeaning and toxic” command culture in the militia. The junior officers accused Cunniff and his deputy, Army Brig. Gen. James J. Grant, of not promoting minorities into senior jobs. They pleaded with Christie to investigate and to keep their identities secret so they would be protected from reprisals. Two months later, Col. Walter Alvarado, the Army National Guard’s chief


Gene vs. the fruit fly

(Illustration: Eric Shansby) D o you know the maxim “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?” It is a lie. I know that because distributed around my home right now are 14 receptacles: soup bowls, jelly jars, drinking glasses, and a urine-specimen collecting cup I once borrowed from a doctor’s office to hold soy sauce for a planned sushi picnic lunch that never happened, but that is a story for another day. Each of these receptacles contains vinegar, and multiple dead flies. (Yes, I also have a jar with some honey, which is empty of everything but the honey.) I am engaged in a fight to the finish with an army of beasts no larger than an eye booger. What fruit flies lack in size they make up for not just in numbers but in the capacity to nauseate. Because they seek heat, they buzz your head. They crawl brazenly across the lens of your eyeglasses. They roost in your hair. They are kamikazes — they will fly into your mouth. I had a fruit fly infestation once before, but that had a proximate cause — a rotted pineapple. This time they just appeared one day — merely a few at first, a tolerable problem. My battle plan was to ignore them on the theory that they would realize this home was not dirty enough, and go find a messier neighbor to infest. It turns out that this decision had merely given them time to breed into war-readiness. I was Neville Chamberlain and I had just offered them the Sudetenland. Now I am Genghis Khan, and I am offering them a minaret made from their beady little heads. Or, more specifically, I want them all drowned in pools of Harris Teeter Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, one of the great bargains on Earth at $3.99 for 16 ounces of gurgling arthropocide. Please forgive my tone. I am not ordinarily hostile or bloodthirsty. I love animals, and I am generally antiwar. So to wage this campaign with a clear conscience, I first had to de-humanize the enemy, as belligerents often do. Yes, I realize they are bugs, to begin with. But I had to persuade myself on a gut level that they are also unworthy of life. The Web became a terrific ally. It turns out that some types of fruit flies — probably these — reproduce by a


Bumpy rash, achy joints, inflamed eyes? There’s a new disease in town.

is a still a bit of a puzzle — for example, why, having been identified almost 70 years ago, did it get going among humans only recently? One possibility is that the virus has evolved, either making humans more susceptible or making it easier for mosquitoes to transmit it. “These types of viruses can evolve very fast,” Freire says. “The problem [with confirming that theory] is that we have very few complete genomes of this virus to study.” Researchers believe that Zika most likely was spread in the blood of an infected traveler — perhaps someone from Uganda or elsewhere in East Africa — who served as a meal for a local mosquito. When that insect latched on to someone else, a new chain of transmission began. The virus spread quickly because people in the new location had no previous exposure or immunity. “When a new virus is introduced in a population which has never seen it before, it can be transmitted easily, explosion-like,” says Dennis Tappe, a virologist at the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg. “This happens more or less by chance — we have more people who travel, bringing new viruses to non-immune populations,” he says. In a paper published in June, a group of Brazilian scientists suggest that Zika may have been brought into their country during the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament played in Brazil. While Zika is usually mild, it can morph into Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that can cause paralysis, severe pain, loss of bladder control, difficulty breathing and sometimes death. And given how fast the disease spread in Yap and elsewhere, taking public health authorities by surprise, this is what has American public health experts especially worried. “There seems to be a fairly convincing link emerging between Zika and Guillain-Barré syndrome,” says Scott Weaver, director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branh. “In a couple of locations where there had been outbreaks, they’ve noticed an increase in an incidence of Guillain-Barré immediately afterwards. That’s very concerning.” The link has been seen in French Polynesia, where soon after the Zika outbreak, the incidence of Guillain-Barré went up 20-fold. In the recent outbreak in Bahia, 53 cases of the syndrome were confirmed, with one death so far. Even a small number of cases of Guillain-Barré is a big problem, Weaver says. “People can take years


Police identify victim of shooting in housing complex

at an area hospital shortly after the 8:20 p.m. shooting. Police said they responded to calls about gunfire in the block of M Street NW between North Capitol and First streets, and found the victim around the corner in the 1100 block of North Capitol Street NW. The shooting was the fourth homicide in the District since Friday night, bringing this year’s total to 115. There were 105 homicides in all of 2014. MARYLAND Disguised robbers get away in jewelry heist Two armed men — one disguised with a long, fake beard and a hat, the other covered head to toe in a long black robe — stole more than $110,000 in jewelry from a Rockville store last week, local and federal authorities said. The FBI and Montgomery County police are searching for two gunmen who stole more than $110,000 from a Rockville jewelry store disguised as a Muslim couple. Store employees saw part of the robed man’s arm as he emptied display cases. The heist occurred Sept. 15 at Van Jewelry and Gifts, 2202 Veirs Mill Rd. Authorities say the men entered the store armed with guns and ordered the employees to get on their knees. The men were seen leaving the store and getting into a white, older-model four-door sedan, possibly a Honda or Toyota, with a white paper registration plate, the FBI said. — Dan Morse Pedestrian is killed by train A pedestrian was struck and killed by a train in Prince George’s County early Monday. The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. and involved a train at Sunnyside Avenue and Edmonston Road in Beltsville. The victim was not immediately identified. Police said the person was pronounced dead at the scene. VIRGINIA Man charged in Fairfax County killing A 39-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of a man in the Hybla Valley area early Monday, Fairfax County police said. Freddy A. Bonilla Rodriguez of Alexandria is accused of shooting the victim in a home in the 3800 block of Havenwood Place, police said. Police declined to identify the victim until his family had been notified. Police went to the home about 1:30 a.m. after a report of an assault and found the victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body. Police said they found Rodriguez at the scene and the gun that was used in the shooting. — Justin Jouvenal


After long delay, Maryland is about to launch medical marijuana program

to cannabis businesses and a medical marijuana legalization activist. He said it is “unfortunate” that Schuh, who voted against medical marijuana legislation as a state lawmaker, was “trying to take this ‘not in my back yard’ stance.” Schuh said the state regulations on who can grow and obtain medical marijuana are so loose that they amount to legalizing recreational marijuana use. The potential consequences for Anne Arundel, he said, include medical cannabis being resold on the street and would-be robbers stalking patients who leave dispensaries carrying as much as $3,000 worth of pot. “There are people who will kill for that amount of value,” Schuh said. When the state first approved medical marijuana in 2013, only teaching hospitals such as Johns Hopkins University were permitted to distribute it. But no hospitals were willing to participate. Follow-up laws approved last year and this year allow for retail shops and private manufacturing of medical marijuana so long as the facilities follow local zoning and planning rules. Counties cannot forbid legal businesses unless they have special circumstances, according to an advice letter to the state legislature by the state attorney general’s office. Still, state Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) plans to introduce legislation barring local governments from blocking patient access to medical marijuana — essentially a ban on bans. “I’ve never heard of local zoning being utilized to prohibit OxyContin, Percocet or Valium or any other medication,” Zirkin said. Schuh’s resistance to medical marijuana frustrates activists such as Gail Rand, who said that the county executive is trying to reopen a battle that he lost in the General Assembly, and is using scare tactics that have been discredited in the 22 other states where medical cannabis is legal. Rand wants medical cannabis as a seizure-relieving option for her 6-year-old son, Logan, who has epilepsy, autism and development delays. Traditional medication and a strict diet regimen have not delivered the results she wants. Schuh said his proposal would not be a ban on medical marijuana, because patients could drive to dispensaries outside the county — a solution Rand called impractical. “When you take a child who has epilepsy and ADHD and autism and put them in the car, you would see it’s not that easy,” said Rand, who is consulting as a patient advocate for a prospective cultivation center in Anne Arundel. “What happens if the neighboring county does the same thing as


Three fruits you thought were tropical, but can grow in your back yard

Early autumn is the season of the apple, the time when the home orchard is heavy with fruit a full five months after the bees showed up to pollinate all those blossoms. Apples, and their cousins, pears, are emblematic of the season, but both are fussy and rely on a lot of care to shepherd them safely to the fruit bowl. As much as I love these pomes, I am also drawn at this time of year to three other fruit-bearing plants that share a like number of traits: They appear strangely tropical but aren’t; they don’t need the spraying regime of apples or pears; and they all deserve greater use in Mid-Atlantic gardens. Pawpaw The native pawpaw delivers tropical looking fruit in early fall. (Andrew Moore) The pawpaw is a native small tree, sometimes a multi-stemmed big shrub, that would be valued for its ornament even if it didn’t have spectacular fruit in late September. The fruits are large, about the size of a plump sweet potato, but are oddly hard to see because they are a light yellow and grow deep in the branches. If the fruits give a little when you squeeze them, they are ready and can be twisted off the tree. They will drop a few days later, at which point you can scurry out and grab them before animals find them. Pawpaws ripen off the tree, and the rind soon begins to develop dark splotches. Cut them in half and eat them with a spoon. The brown seeds are large but navigable. The flesh tastes of banana-flavored custard, with just a hint of grittiness. They are delicious. The pawpaw is found along river banks, telling the gardener they like moist (not wet) soil and should be watered from time to time in their first two years, as well as during prolonged dry periods. Its leaves are large, agreeably droopy and have a gray-green cast to them. Decoratively, they work just as well as sweetbay magnolia, redbud, dogwood or amelanchier. They are also the host plant of the gorgeous zebra swallowtail butterfly. Pawpaws are tap-rooted and don’t transplant well, so don’t think you can harvest them from the wild. If you buy them in one-gallon containers, they will fruit a little after five years, and then produce exponentially more fruit with each passing year. They grow happily in a site of full sun or partial


A murmuration of starlings can be something to shout about

or pruning the branches to make them a less desirable place to roost. The District’s Urban Forestry Administration has dealt with starlings in the past by spraying an eye-irritating fog into the trees for several nights in a row. It worked temporarily, but the birds came back the next year. John from the ornithology lab suggests having a falcon fly in their midst — “which would be exciting,” he said. “What that would do is bust up their reliance on that as a safe place. Now, it will just push the problem to somebody else, of course.” Starlings are an invasive species. About 100 were brought from Europe in the 1890s and released in New York’s Central Park by a man who thought that every bird species mentioned by William Shakespeare should have a claw-hold in the Americas. It worked for starlings. Today, there are more than 200 million in North America. I did not know this about starlings: They are incredible mimics. “Not quite as good as an African gray parrot but in that same league,” John said. People with pet starlings report that they can reproduce the sounds of doors slamming, police sirens and other noises of human civilization. On Monday night, I stood in the shelter of the Gallery Place Metro entrance and looked up past the escalators at the darkening sky. Then I saw them: a few birds, a few more. They darted and pitched with acrobatic abandon. When I’d reached the street, I saw that they were moving west, toward a construction crane that towered over F Street. They landed on the crane, spread themselves along the jib and perched on its cables. The thousands of spiky black birds looked like iron filings drawn to a magnet. And then, driven by some inscrutable bird ESP, the flock moved east to the trees near the Smithsonian galleries, where they settled in for another night in their adopted homeland. Name the panda Elvis As if we needed any more reasons the National Zoo should name the panda cub after Elvis Presley, Arlington’s Mary Reynolds weighs in with additional unimpeachable logic. “The black-and-white coat of a giant panda serves as camouflage in its native snowy, rocky China,” Mary wrote. “Elvis Presley’s white jumpsuit outfits with sequins, metal studs, jewel-encrusted belts, bellbottoms, capes and gold medallions were perfect camouflage for Las Vegas.” Twitter: @johnkelly For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.


A chance to explore the Air and Space Museum, space beer in hand

The Air and Space Museum’s Sept. 27 event Museum Moonshine lets you view the full lunar eclipse and sample space-themed food and drinks. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) THURSDAY BEER DINNER: FEED SUPPER: FIGHTING FOR FOOD JUSTICE: ROOFTOP CLOSING PARTY: TASTE OF ARMENIA: FRIDAY CIDER TASTING: SATURDAY ARAB-EID-FEST: BOURBON DINNER: BREW BLUES FESTIVAL: CHESAPEAKE HERB GATHERING: SUNDAY FOOD IN ART: MUSEUM MOONSHINE: TRUMMERFEST: WAGS AND WINE: TUESDAY CULINARY HISTORY TALK: DESIGN AND WINE: DUPONT HARVEST DINNER: GUEST CHEF SERIES: RESERVE NOW OCT. 2 CAJUN PIG ROAST: — Kara Elder Submit event listings at www.washingtonpost.com/gog/talk-to-us.html at least 14 days in advance.


Montgomery County news in brief

the Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s office. The hotline is 888-743-0023. For Sunday, a really super lunar eclipse bash Weather permitting, the International Latitude Observatory in Gaithersburg will offer visitors a glimpse of a super lunar eclipse at Observatory Park from 8 to 11 p.m. Sunday, using shared telescopes for a closer view. A lunar eclipse is where the sun, Earth and moon form a straight line, with the sun behind the Earth, so the sun’s light casts the Earth’s shadow on the moon. This shadow covers the entire moon and causes a total lunar eclipse. Sunday’s “Stargazing — Total Lunar Eclipse” event coincides with a super moon, which is when it is near its closest point to Earth. A super moon lunar eclipse has occurred only five times since 1910. The next one will be in 2018. Although the park will be dark, visitors are asked not to bring bright flashlights. Announcements or cancellations will be posted on the Gaithersburg Community Museum’s Facebook page . General parking will be in a field at DeSellum Avenue and Route 355. The field is owned by St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church. Some accessible parking for those with disability plates or placards is available by the park. No restrooms will be available. For information, call 301-258-6160 or visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov. The park is at 100 DeSellum Ave. Admission is free. Wanted: Applicants for U.S. service academies The office of Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is accepting applications from students in the 8th Congressional District for nominations to one of the Uniformed Service Academies for the classes of 2020. Students who wish to attend the Air Force, Military, Naval or Merchant Marine academies should apply. Each academy is a four-year accredited college. Graduates enter military service as officers. Applicants must submit a completed application, SAT/ACT scores, official school transcripts and three letters of recommendation. To apply for a nomination to the Air Force, Military and Naval academies, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen, at least 17 years old and a resident in the 8th District. All applications and supporting materials must be postmarked or hand-delivered to Van Hollen’s Rockville office by 5 p.m. Oct. 15. The office is at 51 Monroe St., Suite 507, Rockville, Md., 20850. Applications are available online at vanhollen.house.gov. Students who wish to learn more, or who do not have Internet access and need a hard


Montgomery County news in brief

eclipse bash Weather permitting, the International Latitude Observatory in Gaithersburg will offer visitors a glimpse of a super lunar eclipse at Observatory Park from 8 to 11 p.m. Sunday, using shared telescopes for a closer view. A lunar eclipse is where the sun, Earth and moon form a straight line, with the sun behind the Earth, so the sun’s light casts the Earth’s shadow on the moon. This shadow covers the entire moon and causes a total lunar eclipse. Sunday’s “Stargazing — Total Lunar Eclipse” event coincides with a super moon, which is when it is near its closest point to Earth. A super moon lunar eclipse has occurred only five times since 1910. The next one will be in 2018. Although the park will be dark, visitors are asked not to bring bright flashlights. Announcements or cancellations will be posted on the Gaithersburg Community Museum’s Facebook page . General parking will be in a field at DeSellum Avenue and Route 355. The field is owned by St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church. Some accessible parking for those with disability plates or placards is available by the park. No restrooms will be available. For information, call 301-258-6160 or visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov. The park is at 100 DeSellum Ave. Admission is free. Wanted: Applicants for U.S. service academies The office of Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is accepting applications from students in the 8th Congressional District for nominations to one of the Uniformed Service Academies for the classes of 2020. Students who wish to attend the Air Force, Military, Naval or Merchant Marine academies should apply. Each academy is a four-year accredited college. Graduates enter military service as officers. Applicants must submit a completed application, SAT/ACT scores, official school transcripts and three letters of recommendation. To apply for a nomination to the Air Force, Military and Naval academies, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen, at least 17 years old and a resident in the 8th District. All applications and supporting materials must be postmarked or hand-delivered to Van Hollen’s Rockville office by 5 p.m. Oct. 15. The office is at 51 Monroe St., Suite 507, Rockville, Md., 20850. Applications are available online at vanhollen.house.gov. Students who wish to learn more, or who do not have Internet access and need a hard copy, can contact Catherine Provost at 301-424-3501 or e-mail at catherine.provost@mail.house.gov. — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton and Terence McArdle


Volkswagen should suffer the consequences of its cheating

40 times the legal limit. Volkswagen formally apologized on Sunday and announced that it would commission an independent investigation. That’s too little, too late. Since the 2009 model year, Volkswagen has apparently sold “clean diesel” cars that are anything but. A tricky algorithm written into the voluminous lines of code that control on-board computers could sense when government inspectors were examining the car and switch on pollution controls. At other times, the software switched off the pollution-reduction features, increasing the car’s fuel efficiency and zip but releasing harmful exhaust. In other words, the Environmental Protection Agency found, the company falsely claimed to be producing cars that could deliver high performance while meeting pollution standards, in the process cheating buyers and competing unfairly against honest auto manufacturers. According to the EPA The impact of Volkswagen’s cheating is potentially much bigger than dealing with half a million dirty cars, or even one big auto company’s shattered reputation. Government emissions inspectors rely on automakers to equip their cars with computers that make everyday auto inspections quick and easy, saving the government money and drivers time. Volkswagen’s cheating undermines the notion that the readings cars spit out or the emissions regulators track in other circumstances are reliable, demanding that regulators rethink how they operate. Berthold Huber, acting chairman of Volkswagen's supervisory board, announced that Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has resigned after taking responsibility for the car maker's rigging of U.S. emissions tests. We can only hope that the fact VW got caught — and the imposition of heavy punishments — will deter more cheating. The company faces a potential maximum fine of $18 billion, a prospect that caused its stock price to crash this week. Throwing the book at the firm and its executives would serve a clear purpose: to make cheating too financially and personally risky for those tempted in the future. Meanwhile, the EPA also deserves blame. The agency must explain why it took so long to gather evidence and shut down VW’s cheating. It admitted that it began closely scrutinizing the company’s diesel cars only after a West Virginia University study found emissions anomalies. That’s unacceptable. Volkswagen admitted to installing software designed to cheat emissions tests in about 11 million cars worldwide. While the cars passed emissions tests, they released nitrogen oxide up to 40 times the level allowed by federal law. Here's what you need to know about the scandal.


Daniel Thompson, inventor of machine to mass produce bagels, dies at 94

years later, he leased the first one to another visionary, Murray Lender, whose family-run business in New Haven, Conn., introduced the first line of frozen bagels. With Mr. Thompson’s machine, Lender’s Bagels began mass-producing the homely O-shaped bread, and other bakers soon joined the movement. Purists complained that automation changed the character of the bagel for the worse, but within a decade, the ethnic favorite went mainstream, sold in stores across the country and paving the way for the proliferation of neighborhood bagel shops and varieties. “Today, everybody loves bagels. It’s no more ethnic than pizza is,” the aptly named Marilyn Bagel, co-author of “The Bagel Bible: For Bagel Lovers, the Complete Guide to Bagel Noshing,” said in an interview. “Daniel Thompson was monumental in that regard.” Bagels were brought to America in the 1880s by Eastern European Jews. Clustered in New York City, bagel bakers passed recipes from fathers to sons. They formed a union shortly after the turn of the century. Bagels typically were made by a team of four men, who rolled and shaped the dough before it was boiled and baked. For his machine, Mr. Thompson borrowed some of his father’s ideas, but his design was simpler and faster. His major innovation was the addition of cups that help form dough into a circle and open to release it onto a conveyor belt or turntable. His company turned a profit in 1964, the year after Lender’s adopted the technology, and is still in business, run by his son Stephen Thompson. The advent of the machines sparked protests by union members. Theirs was a losing battle. “Within a few years, almost every major bagel baker in America was using Thompson’s machine,” Gil Marks wrote in the “Encyclopedia of Jewish Food.” “You used to have two guys hand-shaping and boiling and baking who could turn out maybe 120 bagels an hour,” Mr. Thompson told the New York Times in 1993. But the machine, he said, “rolls 200 to 400 dozen bagels an hour.” His largest machines produce 5,000 an hour, said son Craig Thompson, the company’s designer and machinist. Daniel Thompson was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Jan. 16, 1921. It was there that his father, Mickey, began to envision what mechanization could do for his bakery business. He patented his first bagel machine a few years before his son’s birth. Before Mr. Thompson turned 1, his father


Montgomery Animal Watch

These cases were received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Court decision: Abandoned dog: Animal neglect: Adoptable cats at no-kill shelter: Cats and kittens will be available for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County no-kill shelter at the following location. For information, call 301-740-2511 or visit www.awlmc.org. Gaithersburg Adopt dogs and cats at MCHS no-kill rescue: Rockville Reduced fees for cat adoption: Germantown — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


Kennedy Center offers well-meaning, feel-good tribute to Pope Francis

Bandoneon player Raúl Jaurena, right, performs in a concert to honor Pope Francis at the Kennedy Center. (Scott Suchman/National Symphony Orchestra) There are a couple of ways to make a classical concert feel like a particularly special event. One is to make a big out-of-the-box celebration. Another is to perform in extenuating circumstances — during a snowstorm, say, when only part of the audience shows up. The Kennedy Center’s free concert honoring Pope Francis on Wednesday night — with the National Symphony Orchestra, singers from the Washington National Opera and an assortment of other gifted musicians — was conceived as the former but ended up feeling more like the latter, since the threat of horrible traffic that kept everyone out of the city center all day also meant the hall was only partly filled. The pope was not in attendance, but Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, put in a gracious appearance after what must have been an exhausting day. He conveyed a blessing from the pope and, perhaps equally satisfyingly, a brief sense of what it was like to spend the day with him, including the vaunted spontaneity that led to the pope tacking on two unscheduled stops — to Saint John Paul II Seminary and the Little Sisters of the Poor — after the day’s official activities. The concert was put together in some haste, when the Kennedy Center’s president, Deborah Rutter, laudably decided it was fitting for the nation’s performing arts center to commemorate this historic visit. It is therefore no surprise that it was a bit of a muddle — although it did present some interesting opportunities. Evan Rogister, who is conducting the WNO’s “Carmen,” had never appeared with the NSO before. Nor had Ariana Wehr, an incoming member of WNO’s Domingo-Cafritz program, or Clémentine Margaine, currently singing the title role in “Carmen.” Given that the symphony is looking for a new leader, it was an opportune time for Rogister to meet its members, although it sounded as if the hall’s acoustics were giving him trouble in Holst’s “Venus, the bringer of peace” from “The Planets,” which was a little muddy. Britten’s adaptation of part of the second movement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, “What the Wild Flowers Tell Me,” offered individual players a chance to shine. Wehr, who is off to a nice start in Washington with her company debut as Frasquita last


Komi review: A four-star talent blazes his own path

Preparations change often, but the foie gras with pickled chanterelles, wild blueberries and sweet corn was one to remember. (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post) The following review appears in The Washington Post’s 2016 Fall Dining Guide as No. 10 on Tom’s Top 10. Preparations change often, but the foie gras with pickled chanterelles, wild blueberries and sweet corn was one to remember. (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post) 10. Komi A lot of four-star dinners pile on the creature comforts. Komi, a spare yellow dining room that simply covers its tables with linens, impresses visitors instead with uncommon consideration and food that looks exactly like its billing but, in the hands of chef Johnny Monis, tastes as if fairy dust had been sprinkled over it. Scripts and preparations change, although I’d be thrilled to repeat the most tender octopus in memory, gyro-seasoned lamb sausage with fried potatoes and foie gras that summons summer with pickled chanterelles, wild blueberries and sweet corn. The constants: a button of warm seaweed brioche capped with trout roe to start, a couple of perfect pastas, perhaps a rustic chunk of meat that trumpets the chef’s Greek heritage and, with the check, house-made lollipops in such fascinating flavors as rhubarb with sumac. To splurge on the wine pairings is to meander around France and Italy, and Germany and Spain, under the wing of a knowledgeable storyteller. Monis, one of the finest chefs of his generation, has always marched to his own beat. Komi, his modern Greek temple, makes an ample case for doing it his way. 4 stars Komi: 1509 17th St. NW. 202-332-9200. komirestaurant.com. Prices: Sound check: The Top 10: No. 10 Komi No. 9 Rasika No. 8 Little Serow No. 7 Inn at Little Washington No. 6 Minibar No. 5 Convivial No. 4 Kinship No. 3 Bad Saint No. 2 Pineapple and Pearls No. 1 All-Purpose -- The following review was originally published Sept. 25, 2015 as part of The Washington Post’s 2015 Fall Dining Guide. Komi was No. 9 on Tom’s top 10 last year. Komi Hate surprises? Consider a restaurant other than Komi, the modern Greek restaurant from Johnny Monis and his wife, Anne Marler, in Dupont Circle. All you’ll be asked at the outset is if you have allergies or restrictions (the kitchen can handle them) and whether you want wine pairings for an extra $70 a person (just nod yes). Beyond


The king demanded vengeance and ‘Zarqawi’s woman’ was sent to the gallows

pilot had been captured alive by ISIS fighters. The group had broadcast photos of the frightened, nearly naked pilot being paraded around by grinning jihadists, some of them reaching out to embrace this great gift that Allah had dropped from the sky. From the palace to the security agencies, the king and his advisers steeled themselves for even more awful news. Either the pilot would be publicly butchered by ISIS, they feared, or the terrorists would demand a terrible price for his ransom. True to form, ISIS announced its decision in macabre fashion. Less than a week after the crash, the captured pilot’s family received a call at home, from the pilot’s cellphone. On the other end, a stranger, speaking in Iraqi-accented Arabic, issued the group’s singular demand. We want our sister Sajida The same demand was repeated, along with several new ones, in a constantly shifting and mostly one-sided negotiation. All the requests were routed to the headquarters of the Mukhabarat, Jordan’s intelligence service, and all eventually landed on the desk of the imposing 47-year-old brigadier who ran the department’s counterterrorism unit. Even in an agency notorious for its toughness, Abu Haytham stood apart, a man with a burly street fighter’s physique and the personality of an anvil. He had battled ISIS in its many incarnations for years, and he had famously broken some of the group’s top operatives in interrogation. Zarqawi himself had taken several turns in Abu Haytham’s holding cell, and so had Sajida al-Rishawi, the woman ISIS was now seeking to free. Outside Jordan, the demand made little sense. Rishawi had no value as a fighter or a leader, or even as a symbol. She was known to have participated in exactly one terrorist attack, and she had botched it. Hardly “Zarqawi’s woman,” she had never even met the man who ordered the strike. If ISIS hadn’t mentioned her name, she probably would have lived her remaining years quietly in prison, her execution indefinitely deferred for lack of any particular reason to carry it out. But Abu Haytham understood. By invoking Rishawi’s name, the terrorists were reaching back to the group’s beginnings, back to a time before there was an ISIS, or a civil war in Syria; before the meltdown in Iraq that gave rise to the movement; even before the world had heard of a terrorist called Zarqawi. The Mukhabarat’s men had tried to keep


National Zoo’s giant panda cub is officially named Bei Bei

We now have a Bei Bei to go with Bao Bao in the giant pandas’ compound at the National Zoo. First lady Michelle Obama and the first lady of China, Peng Liyuan, announced Friday that the zoo’s month-old male giant panda will be named Bei Bei, which means “precious treasure.” Bei Bei (pronounced “Bay Bay”) joins his 2-year-old sister, Bao Bao, whose name means roughly the same thing and is pronounced “Bow Bow.” The zoo said it scrapped a Chinese tradition, used for Bao Bao, of naming a newborn 100 days after its birth in favor of involving the two first ladies in person in the naming process. Dennis Kelly, the zoo’s director, said before the ceremony that “it’s a very exciting day because it celebrates more than four decades of research and success on the giant panda, and to have it recognized by the two first ladies is an honor.” “But most important, we’re celebrating the continued success of the survival of the species,” he added. The name was chosen by the first ladies from a list of suggestions offered by officials at the zoo and in China. “Bei Bei” was suggested by the Chinese. Kelly said the new cub is “doing great. In fact, it’s bigger than our other two cubs were at this stage. A big, fat cub. That’s what we want.” Officials said the cub weighs about three pounds, 10 times what he weighed when he was born Aug. 22. His eyes are not yet open, but he has become more mobile and can scoot around using his front legs. At Friday’s ceremony, Peng — who is in town on a state visit with her husband, Chinese President Xi Jinping — called the panda cub “absolutely adorable.” “We do need more bonds to bring the people of our two countries ever more closer, and the giant panda [is] one of those bonds that we can celebrate to achieve that goal,” Peng said. The National Zoo’s tiny panda is growing up fast. “Michelle and I have . . . chosen a nice name for it, and I’m certain that it will bring good luck.” The two first ladies untied ribbons around scrolls that bore the new name in Chinese and in English. At the ceremony, a panda cam screen in the background showed live video of the mother, Mei Xiang, nuzzling her cub inside a den. As


A new name for Washington’s newest panda

The National Zoo’s tiny panda is growing up fast. The National Zoo’s new panda has a new name: Bei Bei, a Chinese name meaning “precious” or “treasure,” according to the zoo. Pronounced BAY-BAY, the name was selected by first lady Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan, first lady of China. The name was meant to complement Bei Bei’s sister’s name, Bao Bao. Obama and Peng, who is in Washington this week on a state visit with her husband, Chinese President Xi Jinping, announced the name in a ceremony Friday morning at the zoo. They were joined by third-grade students from the Yu Ying Public Charter School in Washington, who helped the first ladies in unfurling a set of scrolls that revealed the new name in English and Mandarin, the official language of China. Born on August 22, Bei Bei is now 2.95 pounds. The zoo says he will likely be on exhibit as early as 2016, joining sister Bao Bao (rhymes with bow-wow) and his parents, Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) and Tian Tian (tee-YEN tee-YEN). Tian Tian and Bao Bao celebrated the announcement with “panda-friendly” frozen cakes, the zoo said. The first ladies chose the name, which was suggested by panda keepers from Wolong, in China’s Sichuan province; panda keepers from the National Zoo had also submitted the name Ping Ping, which means “peaceful” and “calm.” Bei Bei will be moved to a panda sanctuary and research center at Wolong Nature Reserve after he turns 4.


China’s one-child policy led to my adoption — and a more privileged life

Ricki Mudd’s family held out for a boy. Her brother, Wu Chao, is now living with her and her American family so he can get some of the advantages of time spent in the United States. (Stuart Isett/For The Washington Post) Ricki Mudd lives in SeaTac, Wash. “Ricki’s Promise,” a documentary based on her reunion with her birth family, will be screened at the Library of Congress’s James Madison Memorial Building on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 12 p.m. ‘So what time does your flight get into Sea-Tac?” To me, it seemed a fairly basic question. But it confused my brother, Wu Chao, who was texting me from China. At 19, he’d never been on an international flight before. He hadn’t thought to ask about an arrival time, an airline or a flight number. All he knew was when his plane was supposed to leave Shanghai. I was going to have to figure this one out on my own. Eventually, I got him to send me his ticket confirmation. It was written in Mandarin and exceeded my basic understanding of the language, so I plugged it into Google Translate, putting periods in odd places, as you have to, to trick it into recognizing Chinese words. Aha! I was able to decipher “Delta.” I e-mailed customer service, attached the confirmation notice and swore that I wasn’t trying to get any identifying information — I just didn’t want my brother to come through customs and find himself alone. Finally, I had my answer: He was supposed to arrive at the Seattle airport on Dec. 21 at 7:42 a.m. Sometimes it’s odd to think that between us, Wu Chao is supposedly the privileged child — the boy preferred by Chinese society, the son my family held out for while I was hidden and ultimately put up for adoption. I’m among the more than 100,000 children adopted from China by Western families since the early 1990s. Most of us are girls, byproducts of China’s one-child policy, which compounded the cultural gender bias. Few of us know about the families we left behind — or, in many cases, who left us. In this scene from the 2014 documentary film "Ricki's Promise," Wu Chao's sister, Ricki Mudd (Mengting), tried to reconnect with him during her trip to China. When I was 9, I got a letter from my birth parents. Since then, I’ve made two trips to


Tom Sietsema’s top 10: G by Mike Isabella is No. 8

WASHINGTON, DC-April 9: The antipasti board served as part of the tasting menu at G by Mike Isabella in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Suchman/For the Washington Post) (Scott Suchman/For The Washington Post) This review appears in The Washington Post’s 2015 Fall Dining Guide. The antipasto board is a highlight of the tasting menu at G by Mike Isabella. (Scott Suchman/For The Washington Post) G by Mike Isabella By day, it’s the sunny source of heroic sandwiches eaten to a rock beat. (My current fixation: baby goat and lemony potatoes packed into a sturdy sesame seed roll and knocked back with pineapple-lemon grass soda.) By night, this sibling to the adjoining Kapnos extends one of the area’s premier dining deals, courtesy of a four-course, $40 tasting menu that’s so polished, you overlook the fact you’re sitting in a hard wooden booth in the company of a bunch of cartoon vegetables on the wall. G’s antipasto board alone would be worth the price of admission, composed as the slab is with foie gras mousse with grilled grapes and golden hamachi fritters, among other quickly inhaled nibbles. A bundle of pasta with shaved bottarga and fiery chilies followed by grilled cauliflower “steak” with diamonds of fried potato and purple cauliflower romesco remind me what a gem the scene has in chef de cuisine Elliot Drew, 32, a veteran of three Marc Vetri restaurants in Philadelphia. Too much food for you? Everything can now be ordered a la carte. G could very well stand for “gracious.” 2.5 stars G by Mike Isabella: 2201 14th St. NW. 202-234-5015. www.gbymikeisabella.com. Open: Prices: Sound check: The Top 10: No. 10: The Grill Room No. 9: Komi No. 7: Garrison No. 6: The Riggsby No. 5: The Inn at Little Washington No. 4: Little Serow No. 3: Masseria No. 2 Rasika No. 1 Rose’s Luxury


Cloud cover may block lunar eclipse in D.C. region

THE REGION Cloud cover may block lunar eclipse A total eclipse of the moon will occur late Sunday and early Monday during a supermoon, a full moon on its closest approach to Earth this year. However, in the Washington area, this rare combination may be blocked from view by clouds, according to the latest forecasts. Recourses include watching TV coverage and waiting for 2033. — Martin Weil THE DISTRICT Man charged in 2011 Northeast homicide A suspect was arrested Thursday in connection with the four-year-old killing of Ronald Deacon Smith, 27, of Northeast Washington, D.C. police said. Police said Stanley Isaac Moghalu, 28, of Bowie, Md., was charged with second-degree murder in the November 2011 shooting on 21st Street NE. — Dana Hedgpeth MARYLAND Police arrest man in Landover slaying A suspect has been arrested in connection with a killing Sunday in the Landover area, Prince George’s County police said. Edward Moore, 23, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Felando Deon Johnson, 39, of North Carolina, authorities said Friday. Johnson was found shot along the 2400 block of Greeley Place, police said. They said they did not think he was shot randomly. — Lynh Bui Latex for paper mill spills into Potomac Nearly 10,000 gallons of latex used for coating paper at a paper mill spilled into the North Branch of the Potomac River in Western Maryland, officials said. The spill occurred Wednesday in the Luke area, according to Jay Apperson, a spokesman for the state Department of the Environment. He said the latex was being unloaded from a rail car. There is no threat to drinking-water facilities, Apperson said. — Dana Hedgpeth VIRGINIA Two women attacked on jog in Loudoun Two women were assaulted this week in Loudoun County while jogging before sunrise, authorities said. One woman said she was attacked about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday on North King Street near Ida Lee Drive in Leesburg by a man who ran by her and kept going. The next morning, a man pulled a woman to the ground near Riverside Parkway and Kipheart Drive in the Lansdowne area, but she fought him off, authorities said. — Martin Weil


Beer of the Week: Brooklyn Intensified Coffee Porter

Brooklyn Brewery Intensified Coffee Porter. (Brooklyn Brewery) We’re officially into fall and winding down our celebration of National Bourbon Heritage Month, which makes this week’s Beer of the Week selection doubly appropriate. Dark beers aged in bourbon barrels have become common and extremely popular in recent years; barrel-aged imperial stouts, in particular, are almost always at or near the top of the Top 50 Beers lists on review sites such as Beer Advocate and RateBeer. Less heralded, but potentially just as interesting, is the barrel-aged porter. Because porters are, by nature, sweeter and lighter-bodied than stouts, there’s more room for nuance in flavors. Take Brooklyn Brewery’s latest Brooklyn Quarterly Experiment (BQE) release, the Intensified Coffee Porter. It’s a multi-part collaboration: single-origin beans from the Finca El Manzano farm in El Salvador are roasted by Blue Bottle, the cult bi-coastal coffee company. Brooklyn creates the beer, which is aged in bourbon barrels and then blended with the coffee. Poured from the corked 750-milliliter bottle, this beer hits you with the scent of sweet, dark chocolate — almost cocoa powder — and strong cold-press coffee, underpinned by vanilla from the bourbon barrel. But it really begins to shine once you’ve taken a sip and notice the roasted-coffee and dark-fruit notes. Because it’s a porter, the mouth feel is on the lighter side. It’s silky, almost creamy, and it doesn’t drink like an 11.8 percent beer. This is a stark contrast to many barrel-aged imperial stouts whose body is so rich and boozy that, after one glass, you’re ready to push back from the table. The Intensified Coffee Porter does get more intense as you drink. Though there’s more coffee than bourbon at the beginning, the oak and vanilla become more prominent as the beer warms. Toward the bottom of the snifter, there are similarities to Irish coffee, though the bourbon never becomes overwhelming because the overall package is so well blended. With the holidays coming, this would be a great beer to take to a Thanksgiving gathering for an after-dinner treat. The only problem is its price: At $24 in bars and beer stores, it’s more expensive than many other beers in its class. (That’s also true of its sister beer, the bourbon-barrel-aged stout Black Ops.) In this case, you might be able to pin the blame on the ingredients: My colleague Tim Carman, a coffee connoisseur, points out that Blue Bottle