Wal-Mart to expand wholesale presence in India

Best Price Modern Wholesale is a joint venture of Wal-Mart and Bharti Enterprises. Wal-Mart plans to open 50 more wholesale outlets in India. (Ajay Verma/Reuters) Wal-Mart plans to open 50 more wholesale stores in India over the next five years and expand its e-commerce operations, the company said Tuesday, in its latest attempt to grow its presence in the subcontinent. Wal-Mart already runs 20 wholesale stores in the country, selling goods to local businesses. But under Indian law, foreign retailers cannot sell directly to consumers, either in-store or online, which has kept Wal-Mart and other global retailers from setting up shop in the country. That could change depending on the outcome of India’s ongoing elections. The party heavily favored to win — India’s Bharatiya Janta Party, or BJP — is officially opposed to allowing foreign investment in the retail sector. But the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, is more amenable to working with international companies. During his tenure as chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, Modi built a reputation as a business-friendly politician. Wal-Mart’s journey into India’s retail sector has been an arduous one since it opened its first store there in 2009. The company forged ahead despite regulatory difficulties that discouraged other businesses from entering the Indian market. National elections in the world’s largest democracy began April 7 will continue through May 12, in a race that pits Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi against the unpopular Nehru-Gandhi family’s ruling Congress party. Then, in 2012, Wal-Mart said it was investigating allegations of corruption in its global arms, including the one in India. The retailer also parted ways with business group Bharti Enterprises, which jointly operated its existing stores. In Tuesday’s statement, Wal-Mart said it was taking steps to “strengthen compliance” as it continued to investigate corruption. “We are evaluating and reinforcing procedures and programs relating to all compliance areas, including licensing and permits, food safety, and responsible sourcing among others,” Scott Price, president of Wal-Mart Asia, said in the statement. Wal-Mart’s store expansion plans are frozen until 2015, when it expects to have completed an internal probe, according to a report in the Economic Times. Despite India’s slowing economy and high inflation, the retail sector in the world’s largest democracy is estimated to be worth $500 billion. It’s too soon to say if the winds will blow in Wal-Mart’s favor if Modi is elected the country’s new prime


Workouts for busy mothers

kids on Saturday mornings that would require my presence, because that’s when I run,” she explains. “I think being fit is terribly important for health and happiness, and I think it’s good that our kids see us making it a priority,” even if that means she has to hire a sitter while she exercises, says Kramer, a scientific review officer at the National Institutes of Health, whose husband is also a runner. No matter what their schedule, many couples say a supportive partner is helpful — for couples with children, especially so. In many cases that means one person must be willing to put his or her own fitness regimen on the back burner for a while. One marathoner said she alternated training years with her husband. Skip Daly, a 42-year-old database administrator who lives in Gaithersburg, concedes his family’s fitness routine is “somewhat one-sided.” His wife, Emer, 40, a stay-at-home mother of their four children — ages 9, 4 and 6-year-old twins — is a runner and a running coach for half marathons. That requires consistent training, which she often does when Daly comes home from work. “She’s forever dealing with school lunches, homework, shuttling kids to/fro, handling chores,” Daly says in an e-mail. “So I completely respect her need to get out of dodge when I get home.” Karen Kincer, president of Montgomery County Road Runner’s Club, is also a mother of four. “It helps if both parties don’t just look at exercise as a selfish pursuit,” says Kincer, 42, of Rockville. She and her husband “both appreciate the benefits that exercising brings to us not just physically but also mentally.” To achieve these goals, she says, “the Google Calendar is a lifesaver, as are running partners who aren’t afraid of a 5 a.m. start.” Still, all of this planning can be stressful. “While the benefits of exercise are undeniable,” says Scritchfield, “the anxiety over finding the time to fit it in to our crazy schedules may outweigh the benefits of the exercise itself.” So if you’re aiming for a personal record in a triathlon and find yourself on Google Calendar setting up a 4 a.m. double-stroller date run so you can also make a 7 a.m. work meeting, perhaps you should think again. Or just go to sleep; after all, it’s well established that rest is a vital part of any fitness program. More tips: Staying fit


Beer Madness Round 3: The Final 4

There we sat, munching on calamari and chicken wings and drinking beer on The Post’s dime. But happy hour this was not. The panel of judges in Beer Madness, our quest to find the region’s best brews, grew increasingly pensive and absorbed as we assembled to choose a champion in each of four stylistic categories. Brows were furrowed, small talk ceased. Written comments grew sparse. Reader panelist Lauren Smith, by the time it was over, had ceased drawing little hearts next to her picks, merely circling the winners. Smith professed to be in mourning as we sipped on the finalists in the Crisp niche. “I’m sad that my favorite didn’t survive!” she lamented. Cheer up, Lauren! The beer that you wanted to dab behind your ears as perfume — Bluejacket’s Forbidden Planet kolsch — actually did survive, and you gave it another yes vote. (It emerged a 6-3 winner over Stillwater Classique.) Smith was a model of consistency, voting for the third time for Devils Backbone Vienna Lager (“I love how it reminds me of baking pretzels!”). The Vienna Lager, which squeaked by Atlas Brew Works District Common, 5-4, in Round Two, edged AleWerks Tavern Ale by the same score to dominate the Malt category. The Tavern Ale drew praise for its roasty flavor. Expert panelist Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) lauded it for its “classic dark malt.” Reader panelist Bryan Berghoef detected notes of coffee, and I mistook it for a porter. In a battle of the Belgian styles, Victory Brewing’s Swing Session Saison barely bested Franklin’s Golden Opportunity, 5-4, to win the Fruit and Spice category. “Lovely. Saison-ish. Very light coloring. Pale golden goodness. Lovely scent in the glass,” Berghoef commented. Reader panelist Echo Rummel opted for the blond ale, preferring its “fuller body, complexity and more roasted flavor.” Smith, too, was in the minority, choosing Golden Opportunity in part because “I can drink more of it.” Miles Gray III, managing partner of Smith Commons Public House, was another Franklin’s fan. “Hats off. Tough category. Stiff competition,” he observed. The Hop category proved the least competitive, as Monocacy Riot Rye trounced Tröegs Perpetual IPA, 7-2. “Decentish hops. . . . Good late bitterness. Takes it, but there were better beers in this round,” wrote a less-than- enthusiastic Berghoef. But Rummel praised the rye ale for its “pleasant complexity without sacrificing balance.” And there you have our Final Four:


Russia will respond only to increased sanctions over Ukraine

FOR NEARLY three weeks after announcing the annexation of Crimea, Vladimir Putin held off on further dismemberment of Ukraine. No doubt he was measuring the West’s reaction to the first forcible change of borders in Europe since 1945. Apparently, he wasn’t impressed — and given U.S. and European inertia, why would he have been? The vague warnings from President Obama and the limited sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union in late March were followed by more than two weeks of inactivity — apart from U.S.-Russian discussions from which Ukrainians were excluded. So on Sunday, another Russian-backed operation that looked a lot like the beginning of the Crimea invasion got underway in three eastern Ukrainian cities. In Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk, rent-a-mobs seized government buildings, declared independence or plans for referendums and appealed for Moscow’s protection. Ukrainian forces managed to clear the regional administration building in Kharkiv early Tuesday, but standoffs continued in the other two cities. At a congressional hearing, Secretary of State John F. Kerry accused Russia of an “illegal and illegitimate effort to destabilize a sovereign state and create a contrived crisis with paid operatives.” Mr. Kerry threatened further sanctions, which administration officials said may be announced in the coming days. If so, they will be welcome but overdue. It’s worth asking whether Mr. Putin would have launched his latest provocation if the United States had continued to raise the pressure on the Russian economy in the weeks since the last measures were unveiled on March 20. It’s not too late to prevent Russia from destroying Ukraine, but this time the West must act quickly. A presidential election scheduled for May 25 is vital to stabilizing the country, by creating a new government with a clear mandate. Predictably, Russia has been demanding that the election be called off. The provocations in eastern Ukraine, if they do not presage an invasion by the Russian troops still massed on the border, are likely the beginning of an effort to disrupt the vote and make the country ungovernable. The United States and European Union can counter the Russian strategy in the short term by fully backing the Ukrainian government in taking the necessary measures to restore order. Only a few hundred militants are involved in the occupations, and they appear to have little or no public support. But some are heavily armed, and they hope to provoke bloodshed.


D.C news in brief

College and career expo for D.C. students is Saturday The Office of the State Superintendent of Education is hosting the Smart Choice College and Career Expo, an annual event designed to help D.C. students in grades seven through 11 with college selection and career choices, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Students and parents can meet with staff members from two- and four-year colleges and certificate programs. The expo will include information on college advising and scholarship opportunities and an online career navigator. For information, e-mail mike.andrews@dc.gov or call 202-481-3485. D.C. sustainability summit scheduled for April 18 The University of the District of Columbia is hosting the D.C. Sustainability and Social Enterprise Summit from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 18 at the David E. Clarke School of Law, 4340 Connecticut Ave. NW. The program brings together entrepreneurs, activists, educators and others working toward environmental change in the District and will include sessions on urban sustainability, innovation through social enterprise and building an ecosystem for change. Speakers include Seth Goldman, president of Honest Tea, and Aaron Hurst, author of “The Purpose Economy.” Admission is $20; students pay $10. To register, go to www.dcsocent.org. For information, e-mail wayne.curtis@udc.edu. DDOT workshop on SW transportation study is Friday The D.C. Department of Transportation is presenting a drop-in workshop on the findings of the Maryland Avenue SW Transportation Study from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m Friday outside the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station, Seventh Street and Maryland Avenue SW. The rain location is the Marketing Center at L’Enfant Plaza. The study analyzes effects of a proposed roadway above the railroad tracks between Seventh and 12th streets SW and its impact on drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, transit riders and rail users. For information, call 202-671-1598 or e-mail shannon.hake@dc.gov. Church will provide free screenings at health fair First Baptist Church of Deanwood, 45th Street and Sheriff Road NE, is hosting a free health fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, offering screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and HIV, and free dental exams, seated massages and door prizes. For information, call Doris Foster-Thompson at 202-396-0534. — Compiled by Terence McArdle


Prince William County news in brief

IT Gateway Learningclasses begin May 19 Registration is underway for the IT Gateway Learning Community at the Manassas campus of Northern Virginia Community College. Classes begin May 19. The program is part of NOVA’s Credentials to Careers, which helps unemployed and underemployed adults quickly train for jobs in the information technology field. Aptitude tests, advisers and other support services are included. For information, call 703-530-3048 or e-mail itgatewayc2c@nvcc.edu . Manassas public works receives platinum award For the fifth year, the City of Manassas Department of Public Works and Utilities was one of two public utilities in Virginia to be awarded the 2013 Reliable Public Power Provider platinum level recognition by the American Public Power Association for outstanding reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. Only 184 out of more than 2,000 public power utilities in the United States earned the designation. For information, call 703-257-8276 or visit www.manassascity.org Manassas public works receives platinum award The City of Manassas Department of Public Works and Utilities was one of two public utilities in Virginia to be awarded the 2013 Reliable Public Power Provider platinum level recognition by the American Public Power Association for outstanding reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. Only 184 out of more than 2,000 public power utilities in the United States earned the Reliable Public Power Provider designation this year. This is the fifth year that the City of Manassas department has received this distinction. For information, call 703-257-8276 or visit www.manassascity.org Cat found in Woodbridgetests positive for rabies A gray-and-white cat found near Forest Glen Road in Woodbridge on March 31 tested positive for rabies, the Virginia Department of Health said. There also has been an increase in the number of wildlife found with rabies in the Nokesville area. Anyone who may have come in contact with the cat or rabid wildlife should contact the Prince William Health District at 703-792-5363 or Prince William County Animal Control Division at 703-792-6500. The Prince William Health District reminds residents to avoid contact with bats, feral cats, stray dogs and other wild animals. To protect against rabies exposure: → Do not feed stray animals. Avoid wild animals, especially raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks. Feed your pets indoors and do not let them wander. → Make sure your pets are vaccinated against rabies and their shots are current. By law, all dogs, cats and ferrets must be vaccinated against rabies. →


The Colorado potato beetle can be combated

individuals survive to breed. We’d do well to heed Casagrande’s thought that “the solution may require a reevaluation of many practices throughout agriculture.” Meanwhile, professional growers continue to play potato beetle hopscotch, substituting new poisons for banned ones, or alternating one spray with another of a different class. Many use safer, more sustainable tactics as well. Crop rotation, always worth doing, is most effective on a large scale, with miles, not feet, between crops. Timing plantings helps, too, but because this prolific little creature can have three broods per year, with eggs, larvae and adults all occupying a plant at once, it’s a finicky process. Here’s what a home gardener can do: Grow the vegetable organically. Potatoes fed with a manure-based fertilization program have been shown to have higher yields. Seaweed, either fresh or in liquid fertilizer form, is also great for potatoes. Well-grown, vigorous plants will net a decent crop even after defoliation by the beetle, if it occurs when they are mature enough. Mulch the plants with straw. Such a mulch was shown, in a Virginia trial, to temper soil temperatures and retain moisture. Accordingly, yields were greater and they required less spraying. Exclude the pest with floating row covers that are secured at the soil surface right after planting. Check plants often in case some overwintering beetles have emerged from the soil. Hand-pick. Large-scale growers use vacuum rigs and flamers to pick pests, but a small plot is easily managed by hand. Look for striped adult beetles that emerge in spring and knock them into a can of soapy water. Rub off any bright orange patches of eggs they’ve laid on the undersides of leaves. Squish or drown the plump, pinkish larvae that hatch from these eggs and do the most damage. Keep checking throughout summer. You won’t get them all, but greatly reducing the numbers will save your potatoes, and the more you pick, the more you’ll reap. Damrosch’s latest book is “The Four Season Farm Gardener’s Cookbook.” Tip of the week: Forming a crisp edge between the lawn and plant beds is a simple way to freshen the yard in spring. Use a sharp spade to create a one- to two-inch deep vertical edge between the grass and the bed. Guide the line first with string pinned with long nails. If you attempt to eyeball the line, the edge will look crooked. — Adrian Higgins


TV highlights: Olivia’s team handles yet another security breach on ‘Scandal’

PARKS AND RECREATION: While the flu rampages through Pawnee, Tom (left) looks for a new sommelier for his restaurant venture. (Colleen Hayes/NBC) Would you really go to a school fully sponsored by (and named after) a sub sandwich chain? On “Community” (NBC at 8 p.m.), Subway is trying to turn Greendale Community College into Subway University, which makes Jeff consider an employment offer. Sheldon has a personal crisis after deciding string theory is a waste of time on “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS at 8). “Shark Tank” A Pawnee flu outbreak hinders Andy and Leslie’s quest to find the best performers possible for the concert on “Parks and Recreation” (NBC at 8:30). Cristina’s reaction to her huge Harper Avery award nomination makes the team question her real feelings on “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC at 9), while Callie and Derek ironically work on a machine that detects emotions. New shows — including Fox’s “Rake,” starring Greg Kinnear, and CW’s “The 100,” about post-apocalyptic teens — join a number of fall 2013 premieres at mid-season. It’s the end of the road for one more contestant on the “American Idol” (Fox at 9) live results show. FINALE WATCH: Fitz considers ignoring Olivia’s advice when his campaign begins to plummet on “Scandal” (ABC at 10), while Olivia’s team deals with a serious breach in their security system. “Elementary” SERIES PREMIERE: The docu-series “Chicagoland” (CNN at 10) shows Chicago-area high school principal Liz Dozier fearful of a brewing gang war while mayor Rahm Emanuel launches a number of risky public works projects. Actors Kevin Costner and Danica McKellar come to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC at 11:35), with a performance from Alan Cumming and the Broadway cast of “Cabaret.” It’s that time of year — find out which broadcast series have been renewed for 2014-2015, canceled or are still in limbo. Actor Zach Braff and Former Sgt. Brendan Marrocco and his doctor Andrew Lee are on “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS at 11:35), along with that very viral performace from Baltimore’s Future Islands. Actors Seth MacFarlane and Paul Bettany swing by “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC at 11:35), with music from Sam Smith. — Rachel Lubitz


Now the retailer plans to use the same strategy to upend the market for organic foods. Wal-Mart is announcing Thursday it will stock shelves at some 2,000 locations, including those in the Washington region, with 100 pantry items, such as canned vegetables, spices and condiments, produced by the organic food company Wild Oats. Those products will not carry the same price mark-ups found on other organic-label food. Customers “will be able to purchase organic at non-organic prices,” said Jack Sinclair, executive vice president of the grocery division at Wal-Mart U.S. — Steven Overly Also in Business ● Mars agreed to buy three Procter & Gamble pet-food brands for $2.9 billion, the companies said Wednesday. The acquisition gives McLean, Va.-based Mars, the closely held maker of M&M’s candies and Uncle Ben’s rice, the Iams, Eukanuba and Natura lines to add to its Pedigree, Whiskas and Royal Canin brands. ● Hewlett-Packard will pay the U.S. government $108 million to settle charges that former employees paid bribes to officials in Russia, Mexico and Poland. HP’s general counsel, John Schultz, said the misconduct was limited to a small number of people who are no longer with the company. ● JPMorgan Chase Chairman and chief executive Jamie Dimon’s total compensation fell 37 percent last year to $11.8 million as the nation’s largest investment bank grappled with billions in legal costs and fines. According to regulatory documents, Dimon’s total compensation fell from $18.7 million in 2012. ● Northwestern University asked the National Labor Relations Board to overturn a regional director’s ruling that the school’s football players are employees under federal law and thus entitled to unionize. The university filed a formal appeal to the board. Northwestern said it presented “overwhelming evidence” that its athletic program “is fully integrated with its academic mission, and that it treats its athletes as students first.” ● The Treasury Department has raised $2.38 billion after selling a large chunk of its stock in Ally Financial. The department said it got $25 each for the 95 million shares it sold in an initial public offering. The pricing of the IPO came at the low end of the forecast range of $25 to $28 per share.● Shares of the Detroit-based auto lender are expected to start trading Thursday. — From news services Coming Today ● Daylong: Chain-store sales for March. ● 8:30 a.m.: Weekly jobless claims. ● 10 a.m.: Weekly mortgage rates. ECONOMY


Wal-Mart plans to bring its compete-on-price approach to organic food. Here’s how.

Customers walk into and out of a Wal-Mart store in Methuen, Mass. The retailer announced a new line of organic food products that it claims will be comparable in cost to non-organic products. (Elise Amendola/AP) Wal-Mart has managed to out-muscle competitors in the grocery business by using its mammoth size to promise low prices. Now the retailer plans to use the same strategy to upend the market for organic foods. Wal-Mart announced Thursday that it will soon begin stocking shelves at about 2,000 locations, including those in the Washington, D.C., region, with 100 pantry items, such as canned vegetables, spices and condiments, produced by organic food company Wild Oats. Those products won’t carry the same price markups found on other organic-label food, allowing Wal-Mart to continue its compete-on-price strategy that has made it a mecca for cost-conscious shoppers and a pain for retailers who often lower their prices to compete. “There will be no premium for the customer to purchase organic products,” said Jack Sinclair, executive vice president of grocery at Wal-Mart U.S. “They will be able to purchase organic at non-organic prices.” “Our customers have been asking for this,” he added, citing a Wal-Mart-conducted survey that found 91 percent of customers would buy organic products if they cost less. The Wild Oats products are priced at least 25 percent lower than organic products produced by national brands, Sinclair said. The partnership does not include fresh food items, such as produce, milk and cheese. Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Chicken Broth runs $1.98 for 32 ounces; a comparable product from Swanson costs $2.88, according to Walmart.com. A 15-ounce jar of Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Tomato Sauce costs 88 cents, while Walmart.com lists a 24-ounce jar from Bertolli at $2.48. Wal-Mart is able to reduce the cost of organic products because it can buy food in such large quantities and tap its existing distribution channels in a way that eliminates middle men that would otherwise drive up costs, Sinclair said. The company also can give an organic food manufacturer such as Wild Oats greater certainty about the amount of food it will need over time, thus eliminating some of the unpredictability and risk that come with investing in organic food production. “If we can give our scale to that investment and longer-term planning to that investment, which Wal-Mart can uniquely do, it allows us to bring the price down while increasing efficiency,”


Southern Maryland community calendar, April 10-17, 2014

Thursday, April 10 College of Southern Maryland open house, Solomons family night and waffles, “Taxes: Which? How Much? Why? A Cost-Benefit Analysis, Friday, April 11 Accokeek fish fry, Saturday, April 12 Swing and ballroom dance, Artist access day at the park, Unity in our community forum: “Our Community, Our Future,” presented by the Diversity Institute at the College of Southern Maryland. 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., North Point High School for Science, Technology and Industry, 2500 Davis Rd., Waldorf. Free; registration required. 301-753-1759, www.csmd.edu/diversityinstitute or amorton@csmd.edu. Asbury Solomons sale, Leonardtown Easter egg festival, “The Great Book Giveaway,” Career and college fair and basketball showcase, Pitch card game party, 7:30 p.m., Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department and EMS, 15245 Prince Frederick Rd., Hughesville. $5. 301-274-3368. American Legion country dance, Sunday, April 13 Valle Lee breakfast, American Legion bluegrass concert, Chesapeake Beach breakfast, Monday, April 14 Calvert Hospice grief workshop, Battle Creek photography camp, Lexington Park kids’ karaoke, Pax Rivers Quilters meeting, Tuesday, April 15 Lunar eclipse event, Children’s “Crafternoon,” Chesapeake Beach steak dinner, Wednesday, April 16 Children’s “Crafternoon,” “And the Mountains Echoed,” Water main connector project hearing, Thursday, April 17 “The Marriage Plot,” Waldorf NARFE meeting, Calvert NARFE meeting, — Compiled by Bonnie Smith To submit an event E-mail: smliving@washpost.com Details: Announcements are accepted from public and nonprofit organizations only and must be received at least 14 days before the Thursday publication date. Include dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable contact phone number.


Ex-contractor says he hacked into U-Md. databases to alert others to security flaws

on ongoing investigations.” On March 20, U-Md. disclosed a security breach that resulted in the release of personal data of an unidentified “senior university official.” Court documents now suggest that the official was Loh. Helkowski could not be reached to comment Thursday, and a telephone number listed for his residence in Baltimore County did not accept messages. FBI agents searched Helkowski’s home in Parkville after connecting him to March’s security breach. The federal agency looked at a laptop, hard drives and flash drive storage devices. The search warrant refers to a long post Helkowski put online saying he was a computer hacker and describing how he used “standard attacks against the UMD site to attempt to gain access.” On the site pastbin.com, under the pseudonym “theppm7,” he wrote that he “found holes” in the university’s system. He said he was able to “obtain full access to almost all of the websites hosted by the UM system, as well as more than 80 databases of information at UMD.” Helkowski said he was able to “replicate” February’s major data breach and posted Loh’s information online as proof of the university’s “incompetence” in securing its sensitive data. The FBI agent who wrote an affidavit in support of the search warrant noted that “personally identifiable information” of a University of Maryland official was included in Helkowski’s posting but was omitted from the affidavit because of privacy concerns. Why hack the system? Helkowski wrote in the posting that, in part, it was because he “wanted to prove that the security at UMD is still terrible. I have done so. That was and is my goal.” Helkowski said he warned his supervisors at the Canton Group, a Baltimore-based technology firm that employed him, about the university’s vulnerability, but he said he became convinced that his concerns were not being addressed. He said he also sent an e-mail on March 15 to Loh and others on a university-created task force urging them to look at cyberattacks and warning them to tighten security. He said he exchanged e-mails with the university’s information security officials. Helkowski said he was let go after he told his employers about the FBI raid, according to the Sun article. The Canton Group said that Helkowski is no longer an employee and that it is cooperating with law enforcement and conducting an internal investigation. Many U-Md. alumni, students, faculty, staff and others connected with


Air Force cheating scandal is no surprise to one crewman who was there

Regarding the April 7 editorial “Missile malaise”: During the mid-1970s, I was assigned to the 341st Strategic Missile Wing as a Minuteman crew commander. I was profoundly saddened by the damaging ways in which talented, dedicated individuals there could be treated. Thus, while I am deeply disturbed by the revelation of cheating by officers in the unit, it comes as no surprise. Intercontinental ballistic missile crew assignment was known as a “meat-grinder,” where people were managed in the same manner as the technology that surrounded them and where true leaders, in the most aspirational definition of the term, were scarce. A sufficient number of new crew members was ensured only by periodically granting Strategic Air Command the authority to commandeer officers from across most other specializations in the Air Force. The culture was defined by the aphorism: “There are only two kinds of officers in the crew force: them that has busted an evaluation and them that will bust an evaluation.” In such a setting, where even one innocent, insignificant mistake could alter the future of the most talented and promising officer, is it any surprise that a culture of cheating should arise? The editorial raised the question of whether the Air Force can learn anything from this scandal. Given that nothing seems to have changed from my experience, I seriously doubt it. Calvin W. Hickey, Warrenton, Va. The writer is a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve colonel.


The 2008-2009 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award Winners

20th Century U.S. history and archaeology. She also is chairperson of the Social Studies Department, one of the largest departments at the school. She has been honored for her work as a teacher many times and is affiliated with several professional education-related organizations. She began her career in 1985 with the Santa Paula Unified School District in Santa Paula, Calif. as a high school history teacher and taught world history in the summer of 1987 in the Ventura Unified School District in Ventura, Va. In 1988, Ms. Racine was a teacher at Lake Braddock High School in Fairfax, Va. teaching world history, US history and US Government. At Garfield High School in 1990, she taught ninth-grade world history and 11th grade U.S. history. Mrs. Racine is a graduate of The University of California at Santa Barbara where she earned a BA in history in 1984 and earned her teaching credentials at the same university in 1985. She continued on to earn a masters degree in education in curriculum instruction in 1996 from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Julia Rice Anne Arundel County Schools Ms. Rice is a kindergarten teacher at Germantown Elementary School in Anne Arundel County, Md where she has taught since 2006. She began her teaching career in Fredericksburg, Va in 1982. After teaching in Virginia, Ms. Rice moved to Charleston, S.C. where she was hired at a magnet public school. While in Charleston, she became a graduate presenter and consultant for a math curriculum training program and helped develop the county's early childhood curriculum. Ms. Rice also designed a school-wide environmental education program. She became an adjunct professor in the early childhood department of the College of Charleston. For the last 16 years, she has worked as a national consultant in the British philosophy and New Zealand's methodology in balanced literature. After studying, instructing and mentoring in several countries abroad, Ms. Rice returned to Virginia to teach in Fairfax County at a McLean "gifted" school teaching first-grade. While in the Fairfax County School system, she was recruited by Princeton Regional Schools. In 2000, during her time in Princeton, she was awarded the Fulbright Fellowship to Japan. In addition to teaching at Germantown Elementary School since her return from Japan, Ms. Rice teaches graduate courses in the local area and in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. the course of her career. Over the course of her career, she


Book review: ‘Why Science Does Not Disprove God’ by Amir D. Aczel

Amir D. Aczel. (William Morrow) In stockpiling his arguments, Aczel quotes from his interviews with dozens of leading scientists and theologians, and interprets statements in a range of popular writings. The resulting book is part science (interesting but superficial summaries of cosmology, quantum mechanics, evolutionary biology, chaos theory), part history of religion, part philosophy, part spirituality, and a modicum of backbiting and invective. The latter applies to the writings of the New Atheists as well. Let’s start with the origin of the universe. There is plenty of good scientific evidence that our universe began about 14 billion years ago, in a Big Bang of enormously high density and temperature, long before planets, stars and even atoms existed. But what came before? Krauss in his book discusses the current thinking of physicists that our entire universe could have emerged from a jitter in the amorphous haze of the subatomic world called the quantum foam, in which energy and matter can materialize out of nothing. (On the level of single subatomic particles, physicists have verified in the lab that such creation from “nothing” can occur.) Krauss’s punch line is that we do not need God to create the universe. The quantum foam can do it quite nicely all on its own. Aczel asks the obvious question: But where did the quantum foam come from? Where did the quantum laws come from? Hasn’t Krauss simply passed the buck? Legitimate questions. But ones we will probably never be able to answer. In his foray into biology, Aczel says the theory of evolution is flawed. In particular, he points out that it does not explain altruistic behavior with no apparent survival benefit to the genes of the do-gooder. He cites a recent example of a Mount Everest climbing expedition in which an Israeli climber was well on his way to the top when he discovered a fallen Turkish climber who had lost his face mask and oxygen supply. At the cost of his own fingers and toes to frostbite, and sacrificing the glory of reaching the summit, the Israeli stopped and saved the life of the Turkish fellow. Why did he do it? “Human decency and goodness,” Aczel writes, with the implication that such qualities come from religion and spirituality. (In another chapter, he explains how a code of morality developed in early religions.) Aczel discusses the mysteries of “emergent” phenomena — when a complex


Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Awards

which are filled with different activities that teach the same skill but with varying levels of support or enrichment. Her colleagues also admire her dedication. Coles Elementary serves many students who are learning English as a second language, and Richardson works well outside the boundaries of the school day to help them succeed. When she realized that most of her kindergartners needed extra help this year with basic letter and number recognition, she invited them to come to school early three days a week. She invited their parents, too, so they could learn ways to help their children at home. For those who don’t have steady support outside of school, she came up with a different strategy to encourage reading: She bought CD players, books and books on CD with help from another grant. Children take them home so they can listen to a book and follow along at night. Outside, she gives students plenty of opportunities to learn from nature. There’s a butterfly garden full of native Virginia plants, a shade garden, and a sensory garden where children can explore fragrant lavender, curly cabbage and edible pansies. Other theme gardens teachers have planted with their students include a Jack and the Bean Stalk garden full of beans; a pizza garden, stocked with tomatoes, oregano and basil; and “cultural crops,” in which students planted staple crops from different countries. Many students at the school live in trailers or townhouses with little outdoor space. “They don’t know where their food comes from,” Richardson said. But at school, “they can come outside and eat the strawberries as they are walking by,” she said. For older students, gardening has inspired group projects designed to address social issues, such as the problem of hunger in the community. They also have tackled environmental projects, researching ways to keep deer and raccoons out of the garden or energy-efficient ways of collecting rainwater for the plants. The gardens also bring a lot of joy to the school. In her letter, the principal described how students in two classes worked together to plant one day. “The kids returned from the project with dirty hands but happiness on their faces,” she said. -- Michael Alison Chandler E-mail us at wpmagazine@washpost.com. For more articles, as well as features such as Date Lab, Gene Weingarten and more, visit The Washington Post Magazine. Follow the Magazine on Twitter. Like us on Facebook.


Fox News’s Bret Baier and UAE ambassador team up for Children’s National Medical Center

out the baby’s sex. It was a girl. But then the doctor said words that no parent ever wants to hear: “Sit down. We need to talk.” The doctor saw something troubling on the baby’s lungs, a rare condition later diagnosed as congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation. It can be harmless — or deadly — but it almost always requires surgery. The doctor sent them to an ultrasound specialist, who took one look and told them that the best pediatric radiologist was at Children’s. The couple jumped in the car and raced up without an appointment. “After your second doctor tells you that you need another ultrasound, we were in full-on panic mode,” the ambassador says. Amy Baier reading to her son Paul Baier during his recovery. (Courtesy of Bret Baier/Courtesy of Bret Baier) This is where coincidence or fate or luck — call it whatever you want — comes in. In 2009, the philanthropist Joe Robert told his friend the ambassador that his dream to donate $100 million to the hospital was not going to happen because the global economic downturn had slashed his net worth. Robert’s lament, made in passing, resonated because the UAE had been sending children needing treatment to the hospital for years. The crown prince responded that the country might be able to do something — then authorized $150 million to establish the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation. Long before he knew he would need it, Al Otaiba had a direct line to the hospital’s chief executive, Kurt Newman. For the four months after the frightening ultrasounds, the Al Otaibas went in for weekly monitoring. At their side through the ordeal: Bret and Amy Baier. The Baiers have been public with their family struggle. After an uneventful pregnancy, their son was born in 2007 with five congenital heart defects. Baby Paul had his first open-heart surgery when he was 12 days old and has had two more since. The latest operation was in September, and he will need more as he grows. In June, Bret’s book, “Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage and Love,” will be released; proceeds will go to pediatric cardiology care and research at the hospital. The two couples met at a hospital event honoring Robert, who died in 2011. Amy and Abeer became best friends. “When I found out about my daughter, she was the first to know,”


Total lunar eclipse to be visible in United States

The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) may find the coming lunar eclipse a tad too chilly. (Dana Berry/NASA via Associated Press) North and South America, get ready for the first eclipse of the year — in color. Tuesday morning, the moon will be eclipsed by Earth’s shadow. This total lunar eclipse will be visible across the Western Hemisphere. The total phase will last 78 minutes, beginning at 3:06 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and ending at 4:24 a.m. Even though the moon is in the Earth’s shadow, it should appear a bit colorful, some shade of red or orange. That’s from light around the edges of the Earth — essentially sunrises and sunsets — splashing on the lunar surface and faintly lighting up the moon, said Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine. On April 29, the Southern Hemisphere will be treated to a rare type of solar eclipse. In all, four eclipses will occur this year, two lunar and two solar. Tuesday’s lunar eclipse may damage a NASA spacecraft that has been circling the moon since fall. But no worries: It’s near the end of its mission. The robotic orbiter LADEE (pronounced “laddie”) was never designed to endure a lengthy eclipse. Scientists don’t know if it will withstand the prolonged cold of the hours-long eclipse. Even if it freezes up, LADEE will crash into the far side of the moon the following week, as planned, after successfully completing its science mission. In an online contest, NASA is asking the public to guess the impact time. Scientists expect LADEE’s doomsday to occur on or before April 21. LADEE stands for Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer. The spacecraft completed the science-collecting portion of its mission at the beginning of March. — Associated Press


Itzhak Perlman conducts to mixed results at Strathmore

Our cultural life over the past half-century would be unimaginable without Itzhak Perlman. Like Yo-Yo Ma or like Toscanini, Heifetz and Rubinstein of early generations, his name is a symbol of the highest accomplishment and celebrity in classical music. Now almost 70 and in his twilight as a virtuoso violinst, Perlman is turning more to conducting. His Baltimore Symphony Orchestra program Thursday at Strathmore was a typical example; he opened with the two amiable and lyrical Beethoven romances (Opp. 40 and 50), leading the orchestra from the soloist’s chair, and then conducted an early Mozart symphony (No. 27) and Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique.” The results were intermittently inspiring. Perlman’s baton has nowhere near the sophistication of his legendary bow. You don’t sense that he’s thinking of the work as a whole when he conducts; everything is just what’s going on at that moment. He doesn’t deal well with simultaneous contrasting events and couldn’t be troubled with the somewhat complex six-beat pattern in the slow movement of the Berlioz, making do with two three-beat patterns. This is familiar repertoire, and the BSO wasn’t thrown by any of this. However, it is a little startling to think of “Perlman” and “limitations” at the same time. The Mozart, I’m sure, got only a quick read-through before the concert, but even inferior Mozart doesn’t have to sound as routine as this. On the plus side, simply being onstage with an artist of this stature would be energizing for any musician, and the BSO responded to his rather generic conducting with its most concentrated, committed playing in the Berlioz. There were moments of fuzzy ensemble in “A Ball,” and the strings struggled a bit with a complicated bowing idea Perlman gave them in the first movement’s development section. But winds, brass and percussion played superlatively. The outpouring of love from the full house must have been gratifying all around. Battey is a freelance writer.


LaserShip looks to expand to the midwest

Josh Dinneen, senior vice president of LaserShip. The company plans to expand its same-day and next-day delivery service to the Midwest by next year. (Jeffrey MacMillan/For Capital Business) T The growing appetite for same- and next-day delivery, popularized by services such as Amazon Prime, has been good for Vienna-based LaserShip, where Dinneen is senior vice president of commercial strategy. The company, which specializes in what is called “last-mile deliveries” along the East Coast, is looking to expand to the Midwest by early 2015. “We’re going for speed,” Dinneen said. “We’re not picking up packages in Seattle and bringing them over to D.C. We’re typically staying within the time zone, and we’re able to do things faster than national competitors in many cases.” The company was founded in 1986 as a document delivery service. These days, a network of trucks transports items — most commonly online purchases, but also items such as office supplies, medical equipment and wholesale pharmaceuticals — to different parts of the region. An online order that is fulfilled in Boston, for example, might be picked up by LaserShip and delivered to a home in Washington. “We started as a local point-to-point service, and today we’re delivering hundreds of thousands of packages a day to consumers across the East Coast,” Dinneen said. “It’s been a very dynamic change for us. LaserShip has continue to spread on the East Coast. Last month, the company begin delivering to New Hampshire, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Delaware, expanding its service area by 44 percent and reaching an additional 8.5 million customers. Dinneen would not disclose revenue or profit figures, but said the company’s annual revenue grew by double digits last year. The e-commerce delivery business, the largest part of the company’s business, grew more than 30 percent in 2013. Even so, the regional shipping industry comprises a small fraction of the $32 billion ground transportation industry. Last year, for example, regional shippers brought in a total of about $650 million in annual revenue, according to SJ Consulting Group, a transportation and logistics research firm. LaserShip landed in the small parcel business in the late 1990s during the dot-com boom. In 1999, the company partnered with Barnes & Noble to provide same-day shipping services in New York City. Today, LaserShip counts Amazon.com, Office Depot and Staples among its clients. (The Washington Post, including Capital Business, is owned by Amazon.com founder Jeffrey P.


State begins to buy homes, businesses to build 16-mile Purple Line

The Sophisticat Boutique in Riverdale Md., is one of the stores that will be demolished to make way for the light rail line. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post) Hundreds of people who own land, homes or businesses in the path of the proposed 16-mile Purple Line will begin receiving purchase offers from the Maryland Transit Administration in the next two weeks as the agency starts to buy rights of way for the light-rail project. The transit link between Bethesda and New Carrollton is still in the design stage, but the state intends to purchase property along the route as soon as appraisals are finalized, said Michael Madden, the MTA’s manager of Purple Line planning. The start of the property acquisition process is the most concrete sign yet that the MTA is moving ahead quickly on plans to connect Montgomery and Prince George’s counties with two-car trains running mostly along local streets. The rail plan recently received federal environmental approval and a recommendation from the Federal Transit Administration for $900 million in federal construction aid — key developments that allowed the project to move forward. The state plans to acquire 608 properties, Madden said. They include several small apartment buildings, the Spring Center strip mall, and a five-story office building in Silver Spring; a large Latino Mega Market grocery store and thrift store in Langley Park; and 25 houses in Riverdale Park. About 288 parcels will be easements, meaning the state will pay for the land’s use during construction and return it afterwards, Madden said. Many parcels the MTA plans to buy are “slivers” of land, he said. Madden said the state’s first offers will go to the owners of 50 houses or apartment units and 60 businesses to allow residents and tenants the most time possible to relocate. Madden said the state would like to have all rights of way bought by this time next year. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2015, with the line opening in 2020. “We want to make it as smooth as we can for people,” Madden said. Many of those who live and work in the project’s path say they’ve been aware for at least a year that the state wants their property. Several said they are tired of the uncertainty, resigned to moving and eager to hear the state’s offers. Laverne Webb has enjoyed living in her three-bedroom home on Riverdale Road for


THE DISTRICT Dog stolen on street; another suffers abuse It was a bad week for dogs in the District. A shih tzu was taken from its owner Tuesday at gunpoint in Northeast, and a Chihuahua was slammed to the ground and injured Thursday in Southeast, authorities said. A man in a car took the silver, white and brown shih tzu at49th Street and Central Avenue, D.C. police said. The Chihuahua required emergency care after the attack in the 3000 block of Stanton Road, the Washington Humane Society said. — Dana Hedgpeth and Martin Weil MARYLAND FBI involvement cited in fatal shooting One person was killed Friday afternoon in Baltimore County in what an FBI spokeswoman called an “agent involved shooting.” County police said the fatal shooting occurred about 4:40 p.m. in the 9700 block of Reisterstown Road, near a commercial area in the northwestern part of the county. Details about the incident were scanty. “We’re only confirming an Agent involved shooting, but nothing further because it’s an ongoing investigation,” FBI spokeswoman Amy J. Thoreson wrote in an e-mail. — Martin Weil and Clarence Williams State will not enforce $10,000 donor limit Maryland will no longer enforce its law limiting donors to giving $10,000 to state candidates during a single election cycle, elections officials said Friday, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week. A memo by the State Board of Elections said contributions to individual candidates are still limited to $4,000. But in light of the court’s ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, the overall limit for a four-year cycle is no longer enforceable. Maryland has had one of the nation’s lowest overall caps, officials said.The new guidance takes effect immediately. — John Wagner D.C. hits 81 degrees, high mark for the year It was by far the hottest day of the year Friday in Washington. The 81-degree high at Reagan National Airport was eight degrees above 2014’s previous high of 73. It is likely that the temperature will climb still higher, but it was not clear when. — Martin Weil


The U.S. must open the book on the use of torture to move forward

Eric T. Fair served in the Army from 1995 to 2000 as an Arabic linguist and worked in Iraq as a contract interrogator in early 2004. His e-mail address is etfair89@gmail.com. Seven years ago, I wrote an op-ed in this newspaper about my role conducting abusive interrogations in places like Abu Ghraib and Fallujah [“An Iraq interrogator’s nightmare,” op-ed, Feb. 9, 2007]. I ended the piece by suggesting that the story of Abu Ghraib and abusive interrogations wasn’t over. In many ways, I thought, we had yet to open the book. The book never opened. Instead, our country spent the next seven years denying, ignoring or defending our use of interrogation practices that manipulated and abused the emotional, mental and physical well-being of thousands of foreign detainees. In recent weeks, reports have emerged about growing friction between the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and CIA officials responsible for an internal report on interrogation. But instead of a meaningful debate focused on efficacy, morality and consequences, there are lectures about necessity, effectiveness and context. The public discussion about interrogation has been dominated by a debate that focuses on a cost-benefit analysis. Does U.S. safety and security mandate the suspension of ethical standards? Is the physical well-being of Americans more valuable than codes of honor? Do we value our bodies more than our souls? A collection of cartoons from around the country. I sympathize with the men and women who have found themselves on the front lines confronting these difficult questions. They feel isolated and overwhelmed. Their war has been ignored by an alarming percentage of Americans. An even larger percentage has failed to serve alongside them. Meanwhile, that same public demands a nearly impossible standard of success. Those demands and expectations are channeled down through civilian and military leaders who pressure subordinates to produce results in the most challenging environments. Nevertheless, the few of us who had the courage to serve remain responsible for our actions. And when those actions fail to meet legal and moral standards, we cannot hide from the consequences. Even the staunchest supporters of aggressive interrogation practices acknowledge their malicious nature. They say the tactics are a necessary evil, or are practiced in the shadows, or belong in the dark. They fight to keep the stories quiet. They classify, deflect, deny. They don’t just close the book: They erase it. But an accounting of our failures is


Banks to payday lenders: Quit the business or we’ll close your account

boost their own take from payment-processing fees and customer refund requests. Over the past year, Justice has issued dozens of subpoenas to banks and third-party processors as part of “Operation Choke Point,” an effort to block scammers’ access to the financial system. Justice officials say the effort is aimed at addressing fraud, not hindering legitimate payday lending. Advocacy groups — and many Democrats — have questioned whether banks should be doing business at all with short-term, high-cost lenders. Reinvestment Partners, a consumer group, found that traditional banks have provided nearly $5.5 billion in lines of credit and term loans in the past decade to payday lenders, pawn shops and rent-to-own companies. “It’s really frustrating that high-cost lenders can exist because of nationally regulated banks,” said Adam Rust, the group’s director of research. “I don’t think banks should be allowed to sit back in the shadows and allow predatory lending to continue to occur in our neighborhoods.” Doing business with companies that inflict such harm could damage a bank’s reputation and leave it vulnerable to litigation, regulators have said. But LePage, of Al’$ Check Cashing, said not every short-term lender takes advantage of people. He said his company charged, at most, $26 for a $350 loan. And although many customers did roll one loan into another — a practice that can trap consumers in debt — LePage said he monitored such activity and made the risks clear. “We’ve never had a complaint filed against us, because we treat our customers fairly,” he said. “Shutting down our payday line just means a lot of people will either have no access to money they need or they’ll go online, which isn’t any better.” After he got the call from Wells Fargo, LePage said he complained to the state attorney general and the Commerce Department, as well as the bank’s chief regulator. Wells Fargo declined to comment on LePage’s case. But spokesman Jim Seitz said bank officials “recognize the need for an extra level of review and monitoring to ensure these customers do business in a responsible way.” In the end, LePage said he gave up and shut his payday business down. “Because I’m licensed through the state of Minnesota, I have to have my rates posted on the wall, and any banker that came in to visit could see them and cut me off,” LePage said. “I don’t want to take that chance.”


Pedestrian struck, seriously injured near University of Maryland campus

A pedestrian was struck by a car and seriously injured Friday night near the University of Maryland campus in College Park, authorities said. Officer Harry Bond, a spokesman for the Prince George’s County police said the incident occurred at Knox Road and Baltimore Avenue. The victim was crossing Baltimore Avenue at the time, Bond said. The intersection is in a commercial strip only yards from the university campus. The age of the victim was not immediately available. Get updates on your area delivered via e-mail


Toy poodle mix issues a biting message at residence in Potomac

POTOMAC, Among cases received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division.


Northern Va. families move to Colorado to get medical marijuana for children with epilepsy

of drugs and treatments for their children, have packed up and moved recently to Colorado to try medical marijuana oil to battle the children’s debilitating seizures. Because Virginia law does not allow for the sale of medical marijuana or its extracts, the families have elected to move 1,700 miles so their children can have a chance at a normal life. “I feel a lot better,” Jennifer said of the treatment, which is scientifically untested. “I can focus more, I’m doing better on tests in school. My memory’s improved a lot.” Her seizures are “not completely gone,” but her mother said that “we’ve had days where I’ve seen very few, maybe one or two. That’s a major decrease.” Jennifer Collins, 14, and her mother, Beth, moved to Colorado Springs in December 2013 to see if medical marijuana would help Jennifer’s epilepsy. In March 2014, Jennifer Collins wrote a letter to the Virginia legislature explaining her situation with epilepsy. (Joanna B Pinneo/For The Washington Post) Former South Riding resident Dara Lightle has watched her 9-year-old daughter move from not only seizures, but also “unbelievable anger, kicking and screaming at me” to reading for the first time and discarding all other drugs. “We’re grateful to be here” in Colorado, Lightle said, although she considers herself and daughter “medical refugees.” The Northern Virginia families’ efforts are part of a growing national migration toward the seemingly life-changing marijuana oil. More than 100 families have moved to Colorado Springs in recent months to obtain the oil, and mothers have launched lobbying efforts in many states to legalize medical marijuana for conditions such as epilepsy. Meanwhile, other Virginia families watch with envy, unable to uproot their families but hopeful that the Old Dominion will consider a change in its marijuana laws, at least for this oil — which has marijuana’s intoxicating ingredient, THC, removed — and this condition. Virginia has long been reluctant to consider legalizing medical marijuana, and previous pushes for legalization in the General Assembly have quickly died. But now supporters have a new, important ally: recently elected Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D), a pediatric neurologist who has treated children with epilepsy for years. He said in an interview that he is going to help craft legislation next year that would allow certain Virginia residents to use medical marijuana for epilepsy, although he acknowledges that scientific research has not caught up with the glowing anecdotal


Local digest: Maryland man given 25 years for 2010 sexual assault in Washington, D.C.

attack, I believed I was a brave and an independent woman. Today, I’m afraid to walk alone and always have to be in the company of my friends,” the woman told the judge as she sobbed. The Washington Post generally does not identify victims of sex crimes. During the 2012 trial Smith was arrested after DNA evidence found on the victim matched DNA collected during a prior arrest on an identity theft charge in New Jersey. — Harry Misiko Police investigating strangling death in NE Police are investigating the strangling death of a District woman last fall. District police identified the woman Saturday as Carmen Payne, 53, of Northeast. She was found on the evening of Oct. 2 when officers responded to a request for a welfare check in the 1200 block of Meigs Place NE. The medical examiner’s office subsequently ruled that Payne had died of strangulation and that her death was a homicide. Officer Paul Metcalf, a department spokesman, could not provide additional information Saturday about the circumstances of the homicide or why police were releasing information about the case six months after Payne’s death. — Ann Marimow maryland Infant and 2 others injured in car crash An early-morning car crash in Rockville sent three people, including an 8-month-old baby, to the hospital with serious injuries, Montgomery County authorities said. The incident occurred just before 1 a.m. Saturday when two cars collided at Aspen Hill Road and Parkland Drive in Rockville. Police are still searching for one of the drivers, who fled the scene on foot. The car carrying the infant and two adults caught fire. — Lori Aratani THE REGION Flight training planned in D.C. region Flight training exercises are planned for the skies over the Washington region for the next two days, starting at midnight Monday. According to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the rapid-response training will take place between midnight and 5:30 a.m. from Monday night through Wednesday morning. The training will include Air Force F-16 jets, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and other aircraft in an exercise to work on NORAD’s “intercept and identification” operations that respond to possible air threats. NORAD has conducted similar flight training throughout the United States and Canada as part of an operation that began in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. — Washington Post Staff Get updates on your area delivered via e-mail.


National Roundup: April 12, 2014

NEVADA Feds abruptly stop cattle roundup Federal land managers abruptly ended a roundup of cattle on public land in southern Nevada owned by a rancher who has refused to recognize their authority, citing a “serious concern” for the safety of employees and the public. Bureau of Land Management chief Neil Kornze made the announcement Saturday morning as hundreds of people, including militia members, gathered near the roundup area to protest the removal of hundreds of Cliven Bundy’s cattle. The bureau also will release 100 of the seized cattle under a deal announced after protesters, some of them armed with handguns and rifles, headed for a corral outside Mesquite in an attempt to free all of the seized cattle, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The bureau did not immediately return calls to the Associated Press. The fight between Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management has widened into a debate about states’ rights and federal land-use policy. The bureau revoked Bundy’s grazing rights after he stopped paying grazing fees and disregarded federal court orders to remove his animals. — Associated Press N.Y. officer fatally shoots86-year-old man: Boston announces stepped-up marathon security measures: — From news services


At space station, NASA plans spacewalk to repair computer outage

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A backup computer for some robotic systems failed Friday. The main computer is fine and the six-man crew is safe, NASA said, but the malfunction puts next week’s supply run in jeopardy. Mission managers agreed Saturday that a spacewalk is needed to replace the bad computer. But officials want one more day before deciding whether the situation is safe enough in orbit to proceed with Monday’s SpaceX launch as planned. NASA promised to decide Sunday whether to delay the delivery mission. No date for the spacewalk has been set; officials indicated that it could occur sometime in the next week or so. The job is among those practiced by the astronauts before flight. The SpaceX Dragon capsule holds more than two tons of station supplies and science experiments at Cape Canaveral. The shipment is already a month late for unrelated reasons. If the Dragon soars Monday — launch time is 4:58 p.m. Eastern time — then it would reach the orbiting lab Wednesday. Flight controllers want to make sure enough redundancy exists at the space station before committing to the launch. The bad computer, called an MDM or multiplexer-demultiplexer, is among more than a dozen located on the outside of the space station, used to route commands to various systems. Officials said the failure has had no effect on the scientific and other work being conducted by the astronauts: three Russians, two Americans and one Japanese. NASA is paying the Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX — Space Exploration Technologies — as well as Orbital Sciences of Dulles to deliver space station goods. Russia, Europe and Japan also perform occasional shipments. The U.S. space shuttles carried up the bulk of station equipment until their retirement in 2011.


Rain could ruin view of total lunar eclipse for those in Washington area

have been a better time than early Tuesday for one of the most dramatic displays available of the workings of the heavens: a total eclipse of the moon. For many in the Washington area, circumstances for watching the great show unfold might seem almost ideal. By astronomers’ computations, every stage of the total lunar eclipse, from its faintest beginnings through the time of red-tinted totality to its reassuring conclusion, should be visible in Washington. It is true that the eclipse will occur in the after-midnight hours, during which many people are found abed, preparing for the challenges of the day to come. But this is a special week, which could cut the drawbacks of burning the midnight oil, so to speak. This is a vacation week, with many, if not all, of the public school systems in the Washington region on spring break. Additionally, the eclipse occurs on a fateful date, April 15, when federal income tax returns are due. The Internal Revenue Service said it expects 148 million individual returns to be filed this year, and it has been reported that about one in four are sent in during the last week of tax season. It seems more than likely that many Americans will be up all night Monday, racing against the clock ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. Even the most harried taxpayer might find a moment to glance upward at one of the most storied of astronomical phenomena. The eclipse begins with a bright full moon overhead, offering a silvery reflection of the sun’s light. Then, almost unnoticed at first, it edges into the shadow cast by Earth across the heavens. Earth’s position increasingly prevents the sun’s light from reaching the moon. The period of totality, in which the dim moon is expected to be tinted by optical effects, is to begin about 3:06 a.m. At 3:45 a.m., the eclipse is at its midpoint, and the period of totality is over about 4:25 a.m. In theory, all of this should be visible to Washingtonians. Except for one thing, and that is the weather. It is expected to be overcast, according to the National Weather Service forecast as of late Saturday. On Monday night and Tuesday morning, according to the forecast, showers may fall. The clouds, not to mention the rain, may shroud a celestial show for which everything else had fallen into line, including the sun, Earth and moon.


U.N. climate panel: Governments must do more in face of dire global-warming threats

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change co-chair Ottmar Edenhofer attends a news conference to present Working Group III's summary for policymakers in Berlin. (Stefanie Loos/Reuters) Facing a potential climate catastrophe, the world’s governments agreed in 2009 to limit a global rise in mean temperature by the end of this century to avert the frightening effects of global warming. But they face a huge task to meet that pledge, the world’s top climate scientists said Sunday, with data showing that efforts have fallen well short. Global greenhouse gas emissions soared to “unprecedented levels” during the decade that ended in 2010, despite efforts to limit carbon from sources such as power plants and cement factories, as well as deforestation. At a meeting in Berlin, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Sunday released a report that found that nations still have a chance to fulfill the goal but must aggressively turn away from relying largely on fossil fuels such as coal for energy and replace them with cleaner energy sources such as solar and wind power. To reach their target of 3.6 degrees(2 degrees Celsius) over preindustrial levels, nations must work together to lower emissions “by 40 to 70 percent” of what they were in 2010, the report said. Without such action before mid-century, scientists said, nations will start to face the most debilitating effects of global warming — rapidly melting arctic ice, significant sea-level rise, flooding and storms — by the end of the century. “There is a clear message from science: To avoid dangerous interference with the climate system, we need to move away from business as usual,” said Ottmar Edenhofer of Germany, co-chairman of the group that produced the 2,000-page report. In a week-long meeting riven with disagreements between developing and industrialized nations, there was little confidence that the challenge spelled out in the report can be met. According to several news accounts from Berlin, battles erupted over how much blame should be shouldered by developing countries that have turned to coal and deforestation to power their growing economies, and by developed countries such China and the United States, the world’s biggest polluters. As developing nations grew, greenhouse gas emissions increased more between 2000 and 2010 than in each of the previous three decades, the report said. Nations such as India, Brazil and South Africa orchestrated what one climate scientist called “a renaissance of coal” as they joined


U.S. looks into new Syria chemical weapons attack claims

fighters recapture a town north of Damascus, further squeezing rebels' supply routes through the mountains into Lebanon. If the Syrian government is implicated, it could ramp up pressure on the United States to take more robust actions against Damascus. The Obama administration backtracked on plans for airstrikes after an Aug. 21 chemical attack in the Damascus suburbs in favor of a program under which Syria would give up its chemical weapons. The program is running behind schedule. Syrian rebels and opposition activists say the toxic gas was dropped by helicopter, and they have circulated a video that they claim shows the moment of the attack. Another video showed men being treated with oxygen and children coughing and crying. “Tens of children were poisoned and choked,” said a man dressed in green medical scrubs. The opposition Violations Documentation Center (VDC), which tracks human rights violations, said the chemical attack occurred about 6 p.m. Friday. It said a strong smell of chlorine hung in the air within a 1,600-foot radius of where the helicopter struck, citing a doctor who treated the injured. The chemical symbol for chlorine, Cl2, is visible on the side of a canister pictured in photographs distributed by opposition activists. They say the image shows the remains of the delivery device. Chlorine gas, which was widely used during World War I, can be deadly. However, the VDC said that only two people died in the Kafr Zeita attack — a child and an elderly man — and that the deaths were from the impact of the explosions rather than the gas. About 100 people exhibited symptoms that included breathing difficulties and vomiting, the group said. Syrian state television has blamed al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, a rebel group, for the attack. Insurgents across the border in neighboring Iraq have used chlorine in car bombings, and the toxic gas is relatively widely available in the region. Opposition activists said blood and urine samples have been collected from the five worst-affected victims. It is a latest in the string of relatively small-scale chemical attacks reported by the opposition, which it says have largely focused on the Damascus suburbs. There, as in much of the rest of the country, the government appears to have taken the upper hand. Speaking to students in Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that the civil war had reached a “turning point” because of the successes of the army.


U.S. judge set to rule on drug firm’s suit against Massachusetts for painkiller ban

the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington as instances in which states have permitted substances that remain illegal on the federal level. But rarely, if ever, has a state forbidden the sale of a medication approved by federal regulators. “If states start taking it into their own hands, deciding what to allow or not allow citizens in their own states to take, that could cause problems,” Gray said. “What if you have another governor who says, ‘I’m Catholic, and I don’t like contraception, so I’m not going to allow physicians in my state to prescribe contraceptives’? I don’t think it will get to that point, but that’s an example of what potentially could happen.” Zogenix, the California-based maker of Zohydro, filed suit in federal court, arguing that Patrick’s ban violated its constitutional rights and that federal regulators have deemed the drug safe and effective. The company said it took legal action after it didn’t get an answer to a request to meet with the governor. In a hearing last week, U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel seemed strongly inclined to side with Zogenix, noting that the state could not attribute theprescription-drug epidemic to Zohydro, which has yet to be distributed. “I think, frankly, the governor is out of line on this,” said Zobel, according to a Boston Globe account that described the judge as “irritated.” She gave lawyers until Monday to prepare more detailed arguments on the case, after which Zobel is expected to issue a decision. Outside the courthouse, Zogenix chief executive Stephen J. Farr told reporters that Patrick’s order “was harming our company, certainly hurting the patients of Massachusetts.” In a brief interview, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg seemed to agree, saying that although addiction is a “huge concern” with opiate drugs, “it’s concerning when either a state, or Congress, steps in to make decisions about what drugs should be approved or what drugs should be withdrawn from the marketplace.” Prior to Zohydro, hydrocodone medications were available only in formulations that included nonaddictive pain medications, such as acetaminophen. Proponents of Zohydro say that the pure hydrocodone form will allow chronic pain suffers to take the drug long term, without the risk of liver damage. But critics argue that such a formulation also makes the drug easier to abuse, particularly because it doesn’t yet come in a tamper-resistant version. They say that makes the pills, which are intended to


Jamba Juice plans to triple Washington area presence

Jamba Juice, the California-based smoothie chain, has plans to open at least 10 new stores in the Washington area in the next three years, roughly tripling the company’s area presence, as demand for fresh fruit and vegetable juices continues to grow. The area’s fourth Jamba Juice location, in Rockville’s Federal Plaza, opened last week. The Washington area franchise is owned by tennis player Venus Williams, who is also a spokeswoman for the company. “The D.C. area is one of our most critical growth areas for Jamba Juice,” said James D. White, the company’s chief executive and president. “If you think about the number of folks cycling, jogging, walking around town, it’s really a great fit.” The company recently started offering fresh vegetables such as kale and beets in its juices to keep up with burgeoning demand for fresh juices, White said. “There is increasing demand for healthier fruits and vegetables that people can consume instead of coffee as a healthy way of filling up,” White said. Williams, who plays for the Washington Kastles, opened the area’s first Jamba Juice at Westfield Montgomery Mall in 2011. Since then, she has also opened outposts in Union Station and Dupont Circle. The company expects sales to grow between 2 percent and 4 percent in 2014, White said. Last year, annual revenue increased 0.2 percent to $229.2 million, while profits rose to $2.1 million from $300,000 the year before. The Federal Plaza store has been in the works for about nine months, White said, adding that Jamba Juice is currently scouting more locations in the Washington area. Each store typically has between 25 and 30 employees. “We’re looking at both urban and suburban markets,” White said. “We want highly-populated areas where people are looking to consume healthy items on the go.” The company, founded in California in 1990, has more than 850 locations throughout the world, including stores in Canada, South Korea and the Philippines. This year it plans to open 50 new stores in the United States and 25 internationally.


National Roundup: April 13, 2014

launch to go ahead despite glitch NASA is pressing ahead with Monday’s planned launch of a supply ship despite a critical computer outage at the international space station, promising that the situation is safe. Mission managers decided Sunday to proceed with the countdown for the SpaceX capsule, Dragon, already a month late in delivering more than two tons of cargo. A backup computer on the outside of the space station failed to work Friday. The main computer kept operating perfectly, and the six-man crew was never in any danger. Space station program manager Mike Suffredini said two astronauts will conduct a spacewalk April 22, using suits outfitted with new fan components to avoid the near-disaster that occurred last summer. An Italian astronaut almost drowned when his helmet flooded with water from the suit’s cooling system. — Associated Press Utah Woman is arrested in deaths of 7 infants Police accused a Utah woman of killing seven babies she gave birth to over 10 years after they found the tiny bodies stuffed in cardboard boxes in the garage of her former home. Megan Huntsman, 39, lived in the Pleasant Grove home until three years ago and was arrested Sunday. The babies were born between 1996 and 2006, police said. Police Capt. Michael Roberts said officers responded to a call Saturday from Huntsman’s estranged husband about a dead infant at the home, about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City. Officers also found the six other bodies. Roberts said the man had lived with Huntsman but isn’t a person of interest in the case. — Associated Press Nevada Officials seek end to dispute with rancher A day after blinking in a showdown on the range, federal land managers vowed to pursue efforts to resolve a conflict with a Nevada rancher who has refused to pay grazing fees for 20 years. Craig Leff, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management, said Sunday that “the door isn’t closed” to resolving the matter involving Cliven Bundy “administratively and judicially.” The fight between Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management widened into a debate about states’ rights and federal land-use policy. The bureau revoked his grazing rights after he stopped paying grazing fees and disregarded federal court orders to remove his animals. On Saturday, the bureau released about 400 head of cattle it had seized from Bundy. — Associated Press Unstable Wyo. hillside — Associated Press


As Washington development moves east, what does Georgetown represent today?

As Washington development heads east, those looking for a less-is-more urban atmosphere are flocking to the quaintness of Georgetown, the city’s oldest neighborhood. Founded as a tobacco port in 1751, the community, often considered frozen in time, continues to draw the political elite, as well as a new breed of young professionals, empty nesters and 30-something couples with minimalist taste and a thriving passion for history. The little brick rowhouse on 32nd Street in Georgetown is hard to find, even with the Realtor’s sign in front. But the first weekend it’s listed, prospective buyers stream into the open house every five minutes. They whisk through the spacious foyer, three bedrooms, two baths, a basement au-pair suite and luxurious backyard garden with a fire pit. They admire the renovations, rave about the location, and don’t bat an eye at the lack of parking or the price: $1,495,000, which means a $7,500-a-month mortgage, assuming 20 percent down. Who’s willing to spend big money for a small piece of Georgetown? Empty nesters downsizing from their big house in the suburbs, 30-something couples making the leap from renters to homeowners and college-age kids (with Mom or Dad in tow) looking to upgrade from dorms or group houses. Even Ward 2 council member Jack Evans (D) and his wife, interior designer Michele Seiver Evans, pop by; they’re looking for an investment property where the older kids can live not far from their P Street homestead. Washington’s center of gravity — the hip restaurants and slick condos multiplying on 14th Street NW, City Center and the H Street NE corridor — is headed farther and farther east. Meanwhile, in the popular imagination, Georgetown is frozen in the 1960s: John F. Kennedy bouncing down the steps of a grand townhouse, drunk politicians and spies debating the Cold War, and rich wives hosting those famous dinner parties. In reality, there are three Georgetowns: the legendary enclave of political power and influence celebrated in books and movies, the actual 263-year-old village and today’s Georgetown, a place filled with a new generation of Washington elites. They’re young professionals — let’s call them urban traditionalists — with a passion for history, a vision of less-is-more city living and gobs of private-sector money. It takes a village to preserve the village. “People wax nostalgic about Georgetown and the good old days,” Jack Evans says. “But this is the golden age of Georgetown.”


Loudoun tourism officials are looking to attract ‘culinary travelers’

The Wine Kitchen in Leesburg is one of Loudoun County's Destination Restaurants. (ROBB SCHARETG/SCHARETGPICTURES.COM/Courtesy Visit Loudoun) For years, Loudoun County has steadily worked to build its reputation as the Washington region’s wine country, luring thousands of wine aficionados to the scores of vineyards dotting the county’s western hillsides. And where there is wine, foodies will follow. Visit Loudoun, the county’s tourism association, announced this month that it is seeking nominations from the public for the county’s Destination Restaurant program, launched in 2007 to recognize businesses that meet the World Food Travel Association’s definition: “A restaurant that is so interesting, different or special that people travel just to eat there.” “We have hundreds of restaurants in this county, and this program helps us to make recommendations to visitors, and it also encourages the restaurants to step up,” said Stacey Sheetz, Visit Loudoun’s marketing communications manager. This is the first year in which Visit Loudoun has sought nominations. When the program began, only a handful of restaurants made the list, Sheetz said. “But now the dining scene is growing so quickly, and we’re seeing a lot of local restaurateurs come in, so we knew we had to revamp the program and increase its frequency,” she said. The program will issue an open call for nominations every year. Every two years, a committee of Visit Loudoun staff members and county residents will do a thorough overview of the list, and all restaurants will be reevaluated, Sheetz said. The scoring involves six criteria: →The restaurant must offer a unique experience, through its food, service, interior design, setting or, ideally, all these factors. →There must be authenticity to the experience. →The final product must consistently meet “exemplary” standards. →Locally grown products must be featured. →The establishment must be a local favorite and a place of “character” in the community. →The menu should include Loudoun beer, wine and spirits. As national culinary tastes have shifted toward local produce and farm-to-table cuisine, Loudoun, with more than 1,400 farms and 40 wineries, has been well positioned to benefit from the trend. “The restaurants in our area have been leaders in the farm-to-table area,” Sheetz said. “The components were already here, and there’s such a great sense of collaboration [among] winemakers, farmers, food producers, restaurateurs,” she said. “It’s not new here; Tuscarora Mill [in Leesburg] has been buying local produce for 20 years now.” Brian Jenkins, business development director


Loudoun County news in brief

new tax rate is the equalized rate, meaning that the annual tax bill for the average single family home in Leesburg will be unchanged. The adopted budget contains no new full-time positions or new programs, town officials said in a statement. The only major change to the revised Capital Improvement Program is the addition of storm drainage improvements to alleviate overland runoff and flooding of yards in the vicinity of Wildman, Brown’s Meadow, Woodberry and North streets. The cost of the project is $250,000 and it is estimated to be completed in summer 2015, officials said. The newly adopted fiscal 2015 budget and the revised Capital Improvements Program will be available at www.leesburgva.gov/budget by the end of the month. Animal control officers cited for outstanding service Loudoun County’s Department of Animal Services received two awards recently from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Animal Services Awards ceremony. The entire department was honored with the Animal Care Award. Staff members were recognized for their commitment to finding homes for especially difficult adoption candidates, including a paralyzed Maltese dog that required a canine wheelchair for mobility and an American bulldog that needed double knee replacements. Animal control officer Chris Brosan was presented with the Humane Education Award for creating an innovative program, SAVE — Stop Abuse and Violence Effort — to mitigate the link between animal abuse and familial violence through education and multidisciplinary collaboration, county officials said in a statement. Loudoun’s Animal Services Department is at 39820 Charles Town Pike, Waterford. For information, including directions to the county animal shelter, go to www.loudoun.gov/animals. Community meeting set on Lexington Drive extension The Loudoun County Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure will have a public information meeting April 28 regarding the Lexington Drive/Riverside Parkway extension to the Loudoun County Parkway/George Washington Boulevard. The meeting will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Exploration Hall at George Washington University, 20101 Academic Way, Ashburn. County officials are seeking input on the project and invite residents to comment on the proposed alignment design. In addition to written and oral remarks heard at the meeting, comments may be submitted by e-mail to Bruce Thornberry or Chris Glassmoyer at ots@loudoun.gov or by mail to: Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure, 209 Gibson St. NW, Mail Stop No. 64, Leesburg, Va. 20177-7000. In e-mails, “Lexington Drive/Riverside Parkway extension” should be in the subject line. — Compiled by Caitlin Gibson


I’d seen dementia’s toll on my patients. Now I was watching the disease unravel my family.

the officer and the nurse. The police officer decided my mother-in-law should be taken to a hospital, so my wife canceled her day’s plans and we set off in her car from our home in Rhode Island to theirs in New Jersey. The nurse accompanied my mother-in-law to the emergency room, where she was given tests to determine if any new medical issue might be the cause of her distress. Nothing abnormal was found. It also became clear that my mother-in-law did not remember the morning’s events. She was surprised to hear about it; it even seemed funny to her. When my father-in-law arrived at the ER, she was very happy to see him. At this point our family was forced to face what we’d been wrestling with for months: Hospitalizing my mother-in-law seemed like the next step. She understood. “I have a memory problem,” she said. “I’m going to get help.” Hospitalization for dementia My mother-in-law’s move to a hospital felt to me like a failure — an event that could have been avoided, perhaps, if we had put more services in place earlier, or moved her and my father-in-law in with us, or selected the right medication, or not selected the wrong medication. I was torn between my belief, as a psychiatrist, that her symptoms were not so severe and my belief, as a son-in-law, that our family could not handle any more stress. My mother-in-law was more confused in the hospital than she had been at home. She started on a ward with psychiatric patients of all ages, then was transferred to a smaller unit of mostly dementia or schizophrenia patients. She had no problems recognizing her husband. She relished his visits. They would sit side by side, holding hands, while she confided in him her worries about what was happening around her, telling him she loved him. It seemed as if they were sitting on the porch together again. A change in her medications appeared to be helping. Medication treatment for dementia is complicated, at best. With no drugs approved specifically for the symptoms of dementia, medications for other conditions, such as depression or schizophrenia, are used off-label, with frequent side effects such as restlessness and sedation. We had tried several before finding something that seemed to help, at least a little. After a couple of weeks, the family began to worry that hospitalization had only


Fruit flies use special move to avoid threats

A fruit fly flaps its wings 200 times a second in normal flight, and even faster during escapes. (Reuters) Anyone who has swatted at a fly knows how fast the insects can be. A new study shows how flies are able to make quick escapes, and the results surprised researchers. Florian Muijres, a scientist at the University of Washington, and colleagues used high-speed cameras and small winged robots to study how the common fruit fly escapes from approaching threats. Their videos revealed that the flies rely on rapid banked turns that are set in motion with just a few quick beats of the insect’s wings. Instead of keeping their bodies level and rotating like an airplane that is making a small turn with its tail rudder, the flies “pitch” and “roll” their bodies at the same time, researchers found. This maneuver requires more work, but it’s also five times faster than the flies’ normal in-flight turns. Muijres and his team filmed 3,566 wing beats from 92 fruit fly escapes and then re-created the wing beats with their robots. Based on the findings, researchers suggest that the flies might have circuits in their brains to help them to respond so quickly. — Science News


Man who asked for directions sexually assaulted in Northwest Washington

A man who asked for directions early Sunday in Northwest Washington was taken into an alley and sexually assaulted by another man at gunpoint, according to D.C. police. The attack occurred about 4 a.m. on Sunday in the 1600 block of 3rd Street NW, near Truxton Circle. Police said the victim was also robbed. Police released few other details of the attack and had only a scant description of the assailant, a man wearing blue jeans and white T-shirt with a dark-colored weapon. Anyone with information is urged to call police at 202-727-9099 or text the department’s tip line at 50411. Get updates on your area delivered via e-mail


City braces for one-year anniversary of Boston Marathon bombing

security. Organizers have expanded the field to 36,000 to accommodate 5,600 runners who were halted by the bombings and others affected by the blasts. Instead of a half-million spectators, the Boston Athletic Association expects about 1 million to line the marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston. Those crowds will be thickest at the finish line on Boylston Street, a hallowed place for distance runners, where on Monday workers scurried to finish preparations. After the speeches at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center Tuesday, survivors will walk to the finish line to observe a moment of silence at the instant the bombs exploded, 2:49 p.m. Tuesday “is really going to be a chance for everyone to get together and connect on the events of last year,” said Dan Darcy, brand manager for Marathon Sports, whose employees rushed to the aid of victims on the sidewalk with tourniquets and clothing used as bandages from inside the store. “People are really excited for this race to happen,” he added. “It’s a chance to move on from last year.” Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are accused of carrying out the attack as well as the slaying days later of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer during the manhunt. Tamerlan was killed during a shootout with police, and his younger brother was captured, wounded and bleeding, in suburban Watertown five days after the bombings. He faces the death penalty if convicted of some of the charges against him. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that a wide majority of Americans approve of the federal government’ s handling of investigations into the bombing, and that most also approve of broader U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. Northeastern residents offer the strongest praise, with 74 percent approving of investigations that led to the killing of Tamerlan and the capture of his brother. Among all Americans, 67 percent approve of federal authorities’ performance, while 27 percent disapprove, with most in every major demographic group surveyed approving of the government investigation. The poll also finds that 58 percent express favorable impressions of U.S. actions to prevent terrorist attacks on American soil, while 38 percent have unfavorable reactions. About three-quarters of Democrats give positive reviews, compared with about half of independents and Republicans. Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick (D) “It made a difference for us in the moment. It also has made a difference to us in our healing.”


2014 Pulitzer Prize winners

2014 Pulitzer Prize list The winners and finalists in the news categories announced Monday. PUBLIC SERVICE Guardian US and The Washington Post Four reporters for the two publications won for revealing massive U.S. government surveillance. Finalists: BREAKING-NEWS REPORTING Boston Globe staff The paper was lauded for its coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and the ensuing manhunt. Finalists: INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Chris Hamby of the Center for Public Integrity, Washington Hamby’s reports showed “how some lawyers and doctors rigged a system to deny benefits to coal miners stricken with black lung disease,” the judges wrote. Finalists: EXPLANATORY REPORTING Eli Saslow of The Washington Post Saslow was honored for “his unsettling and nuanced reporting on the prevalence of food stamps in post-recession America.” Finalists: LOCAL REPORTING Will Hobson and Michael LaForgia of the Tampa Bay Times Hobson and LaForgia discovered that county officials were paying millions of dollars to slumlords to house the homeless. Finalists: NATIONAL REPORTING David Philipps of the Gazette, Colorado Springs Philipps’s investigation found that the Army has discharged escalating numbers of traumatized combat veterans who commit crimes at home that make them ineligible for veterans benefits. Finalists: INTERNATIONAL REPORTING Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall of Reuters The pair’s reports shed light on the persecution of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Burma. Finalists: FEATURE WRITING Finalists: COMMENTARY Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press He was honored for his columns on his home town’s financial crisis. Finalists: CRITICISM Inga Saffron of the Philadelphia Inquirer Saffron was honored for architecture criticism. Finalists: EDITORIAL WRITING The editorial staff of the Oregonian, Portland The paper was cited for editorials on rising pension costs. Finalists: EDITORIAL CARTOONING Kevin Siers ofthe Charlotte Observer In a cartoon, Siers depicted “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno urging President Obama to “say something hilarious!” Finalists: BREAKING-NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY Tyler Hicks of the New York Times He was honored for covering the deadly Kenya mall attack. Finalists: FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY Josh Haner of the New York Times Haner documented a Boston bombing victim’s struggles and progress. Finalists: — Associated Press and Pulitzer Web site