Elinor Flynn

Madison Square Garden owners explore D.C. for a new venue

The company behind one of the world's most famous arenas -- Madison Square Garden -- is eyeing Washington as a site for a new entertainment venue. Steve Moore, the executive director of D.C. Economic Partnership, said Madison Square Garden Entertainment contacted his office earlier in the summer for an introduction to the Washington marketplace. "They have the sense that D.C. is a place that is changing," Moore told The Examiner. "So they basically said 'Teach us the city for couple hours.' We showed them different neighborhoods and talked to them about what's going on." Jack Evans, D.C. councilman for Ward 2, said he also met with MSG officials, though he hadn't...

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Illegal immigrant gets life in prison for murdering Bethesda woman

A 34-year-old illegal immigrant convicted of murdering a 63-year-old Bethesda woman and hogtying and robbing three other widows will go to prison for life without parole, a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge decided. Before delivering the sentence Thursday, Judge Michael D. Mason emphasized Jose Garcia-Perlera's deliberate selection of his victims, his apparent "pleasure and satisfaction in inflicting pain" and "callous disregard for life" as he left four elderly women for dead during his yearlong string of assaults and robberies. "He was a deliberate planner. He worked at my house for six days, a year and a half before [he attacked]," said 79-year-old...

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TIME OUT WITH ... MAUREEN COHEN HARRINGTON

What is the most memorable place you've skated? Probably the 111K race in St. Gallen, Switzerland, because the scenery was so beautiful and the crowds were so supportive -- you felt almost like you were in the Tour de France! They closed the streets so we had them all to ourselves. Also, it was my second race. Steve [Dawson] felt a little guilty talking me into doing something so ambitious early on. After I skated the first half-hour, I saw him waiting at one of the stations for me. He skated the rest of the race with me. How do you get motivated for a race? Sometimes I get very nervous before a race, especially if I haven't raced for a while. The thing that calms me is looking at the...

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Library of Congress lawyer finds competitive edge in speed skating

When Maureen Cohen Harrington interviewed for a position as a lawyer at the Library of Congress more than four years ago, she told her future boss that she needed to work part time because she had a serious inline skating schedule to follow. Harrington, a 41-year-old native of Silver Spring, has been a member of the Washington Area Roadskaters for 13 years, an inline skating club comprised of roughly 75 amateur and competitive skaters. Five years ago, under the guidance of her boyfriend, Steve Dawson, also a skater, Harrington began racing. "He encouraged me to take an extra step with my skating,Ó Harrington said. "Very slowly and awkwardly, I made the transition to...

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Loudoun County ranks fourth in nation for job growth

Loudoun County ranks fourth in the nation for job growth over the last eight years, according to a survey by CNNmoney.com. Between 2000 and 2008, the number of jobs available to the county's labor force of nearly 170,000 grew by 76.9 percent. Proximity to Washington and Washington Dulles International Airport, a highly educated population, and the county's seven historic towns are among the assets CNNmoney.com credits forLoudoun's employment expansion. The top five » 1. Pinal County, Ariz. 2. Rockwall County, Texas 3. Kendall County, Ill. 4. Loudoun County 5. Douglas County, Colo. Source: CNNmoney.com "It's important to be in a healthy region with a highly...

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Battered by recession, tourists flock to free attractions in D.C.

Tourists are flocking to Washington this summer, drawn by buzz over President Barack Obama, “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” and — perhaps most importantly, given the recession — free sightseeing. “We have had an increased demand for travel to Washington,” said Blake Fleetwood, owner of Cook American Express travel agencies in New York. “It’s a lot cheaper than going to Europe, you don’t have to fly, and for a family it’s definitely an educational experience.” The number of visits made to the 18 free Smithsonian museums — and zoo — during the first six months of the year totaled 15.5 million,...

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Fairfax may soon use ankle bracelet to monitor alcohol use

Fairfax County officials are pushing to adopt a unique tool for combating alcohol-related crime — a device that constantly monitors the sweat of habitual alcohol offenders. Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring technology requires alcohol abusers to wear a 3-ounce ankle bracelet that tests perspiration every 30 minutes. Once a day, a modem in the offender’s home or office retrieves the data wirelessly and sends it to SCRAM headquarters. If alcohol is detected, SCRAM receives an alert and informs authorities of the violation. County Supervisor Pat Herrity, R-Springfield, is leading the charge to bring SCRAM into the Fairfax County court system. “SCRAM is not an...

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Police bust up backyard party, Taser young woman

Prince William County police are investigating whether officers used unnecessary force when they Tasered and arrested a 55-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman at a baptismal party in Manassas. A little before 8 p.m. Sunday, Prince William County police said they arrived at the home of Edgar A. Rodriguez on the 9600 block of Lafayette Avenue to investigate a noise complaint. Rodriguez was hosting a party in his backyard. Police said they found him "highly intoxicated" and he refused several requests from officers to turn down the loud music. "Rodriguez began to act disorderly and refused to identify himself to officers," said police spokeswoman Officer Erika...

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Police bust up backyard party, Taser young woman

Prince William County police are investigating whether officers used unnecessary force when they Tasered and arrested a 55-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman at a baptismal party in Manassas. A little before 8 p.m. Sunday, Prince William County police said they arrived at the home of Edgar A. Rodriguez on the 9600 block of Lafayette Avenue to investigate a noise complaint. Rodriguez was hosting a party in his backyard. Police said they found him “highly intoxicated” and he refused several requests from officers to turn down the loud music. “Rodriguez began to act disorderly and refused to identify himself to officers,” said police spokeswoman Officer Erika...

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Two suspects arrested in Silver Spring armed robbery

Two of three suspects have been arrested in the armed robbery of a convenience store in Silver Spring. Around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, three young men entered the 7-Eleven on Old Columbia Pike. One suspect displayed a handgun, assaulted the clerk, and demanded cash, while another assaulted a customer. After the clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of money, the men bolted out the rear exit. Patrol officers arrested two of the suspects shortly thereafter. Delonte Joseph Jordan, 20, was charged with robbery and criminal use of a handgun and is being held on $150,000 bond. Francis Chanda Mbewe, 19, was charged with armed robbery and is being held without bond. The third subject was...

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'Gay' T-shirts spark vandalism, threats at area American Apparel stores

Shirts advocating the legalization of gay marriage sparked vandalism and violent threats this week at two American Apparel clothing stores in the Washington area.

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D.C. testing sliding-scale parking rates

The District is testing a parking system in which curbside parking rates increase every hour, on the hope of encouraging drivers to use off-street parking and mass transit more often. Two pilot programs already are under way -- one near Nationals Park and the other in the Columbia Heights business district. The D.C. Council established the pilot programs in response to concerns about the availability of short-term parking for residents following the opening of the new ballpark in Southeast Washington and a giant retail complex in Columbia Heights. Near the ballpark, people can pay $1 to $2 for one hour of parking, but after that the price jumps to $8 an hour. After three hours, the...

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The 3-minute Interview: Matt Maloney

Matt Maloney is the co-founder of GrubHub.com, an online service that allows diners to see all of the restaurants that deliver to their address and place orders for free. Based in Chicago, GrubHub.com has just expanded into the Washington area, providing delivery information for more than 600 restaurants. How did you and partner Mike Evans get inspired to start Grub Hub? We were working late hours for Apartments.com, always ordering delivery, but we were tired of the same options. So we did a neighborhood guide of all the restaurant delivery information. It became popular, so we expanded it to all of Chicago. We then moved to San Francisco, Boston, New York, Philly and now D.C. How...

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22 local students quarantined in Beijing for swine flu

About two dozen local students on a program to China are being quarantined in a Beijing hotel after as many as four were hospitalized with symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus. Twenty-two students from several D.C. and Maryland high schools arrived in Beijing on July 14 to begin an intensive summer language course through the University of Maryland's Confucius Institute and its Chinese partner Hanban. After landing, one boy was hospitalized with flu symptoms while the rest of the group was ordered into confinement in a hotel. Soon after, three more students displayed similar symptoms and were hospitalized. Alan Cheung, the Confucius Institute's executive director, did not know the exact...

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D.C. Council OKs $272 million for convention center hotel

D.C. Council members on Tuesday approved the project, which, including financing, will cost the District $272 million. If Mayor Adrian Fenty signs the bill, as expected, construction on the hotel could begin in the fall. About $2 million would be used for a worker training program. Tourism officials argue that the $537 million hotel is crucial to Washington’s ability to attract major conventions. The hotel would be jointly financed between the city and its development partners, Quadrangle Development Corp. and Capstone Development...

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Three-minute interview - Zach Bonner

11 year-old Zach Bonner arrived at the White House on Thursday after walking 1,225 miles over the course of 20 months from his home in Tampa, Fla., to raise awareness about homeless children. A movie about him and his community service foundation, Little Red Wagon, is scheduled to open in 2010. How long did the walk take? I walked from Tampa to Tallahassee in November of 2007 and Tallahassee to Atlanta from October 17 to November 17 of 2008. I left Atlanta on May 11 and got to D.C. on July 9. I walked between 11 and 13 hours a day. Who walked with you? My sister Kelley usually drove the car a few miles ahead and my mom and I walked, but sometimes they would switch. I’m the only...

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Cops again flood the streets of D.C. for 'All Hands' program

Every officer in the Metropolitan Police Department will be working foot patrols this weekend in the District's fourth All Hands on Deck deployment of the year. Chief Cathy Lanier has said that the program -- which runs from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Sunday -- reassures worried neighbors and cracks down on crime. On Friday afternoon, Mayor Adrian Fenty praised the program for its effectiveness, citing 491 arrests made, 13 firearms seized, and more than $40,000 in drugs confiscated during the last All Hands on Deck event in late June....

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No expansion for low-cost bus service on Mall22

D.C. officials approved a proposal for a new pedestrian guide and mapping system along the National Mall, but didn't get the expanded low-cost bus service there that they wanted. The D.C. Circulator offers $1 rides along the Mall on weekends. But the National Capital Planning Commission on Thursday said running the bus on weekdays, too, should be part of the National Park Service plan that aims to improve visitor navigation of the Mall and East Potomac Park. "The Circulator will improve the efficiency of visitor travel," said Nancy Witherell, the commission's historic preservation officer. But the park service rejected including it in its proposal, citing a potential contract...

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Falls Church to request $30 million in stimulus funds to go green

Falls Church is requesting $30 million in federal stimulus money to go green, by far the largest federal funding request in the small city's history. Assistant City Manager Cindy Mester said the "very bold" proposal will seek $2 million from the Department of Transportation, $3 million from the Environmental Protection Agency, and $25 million from the Department of Energy to be used toward revamping the city's walkways, water management system, and renewable energy capacity. The bulk of money sought from the Department of Energy would be used toward installing advanced technologies such as solar panels, vertical windmills, and smart meters, which improve energy efficiency via...

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D.C. gets aggressive on AIDS testing

Increased testing is crucial to battling HIV and AIDS in the nation's capital, where they infect nearly 1 in 30 people and are considered a "common disease," city council and health officials said Wednesday. The District's HIV/AIDS Administration is pressuring health care providers to make HIV testing part of routine patient treatment. Meanwhile, the city has asked for $4 million from the federal Centers for Disease Control to support a campaign aimed at encouraging people to get tested and practice safe sex. Health officials want all medical providers in the city to implement an "opt-out" policy in which patients would be tested automatically for HIV unless they...

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Red Line commuters grow more frustrated with delays

A domino effect from slowed trains between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations is prolonging Red Line delays, leaving Metro riders frustrated and wondering when their commutes will return to normal. "I'm usually 10 to 15 minutes late to work every day, and the crowds have been unbelievable," said Kim Dehaut, who commutes into the District from Shady Grove. Two weeks after the June 22 crash that killed nine people and injured more than 70, riders say delays on Metro's busiest line haven't improved and station platforms are packed. "There has not been any improvement since the crash," complained Egina Durosh at Farragut North. Metro officials have little to offer...

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