Maria Schmitt

D.C. competitors take on a muddy adventure

Muddy Buddy competitors describe the race as unlike anything they've done before. The event, which combines mountain biking, trail running, obstacle climbing and mud pit "swimming," not only tests competitors' athleticism, but also their teamwork skills. D.C. residents Tyler Coffey and Andrew Tuttle, competing for the first time, won their age group and placed fourth overall in the Richmond race, with a time of 43:31. "It went really smoothly and sort of fell into our laps," Coffey said. What is the Muddy Buddy? The Muddy Buddy race takes place every year around the country and features the following: » Teams can be men or women and must be over the...

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Ambassadors hit the streets to help tourists, clean sidewalks

Most D.C. residents probably don't know much, if anything, about the brightly clad crews that cruise city sidewalks, cleaning, helping tourists and keeping an eye on the neighborhood. They are the clean teams and ambassadors of Washington's business improvement districts, and they're here to help you. "There's a pretty demanding set of skills [we look for]," said Rit Thompson, chief executive of the company that hires workers for the Golden Triangle BID. "There's a very high bar to become a member." There are eight business improvement districts throughout D.C. D.C.'s eight business improvement districts: » Golden Triangle » Downtown...

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Rail riders cram onto buses

The bus trip began with just three people on board in Silver Spring. The S9 Metrobus worked its way down 16th Street around 8 a.m., letting on a passenger or two every few minutes. As the bus approached 16th and Sheridan streets in the District, a crowd of riders-to-be pushed toward the curb. En masse, they boarded the bus, filling up every seat. Two stops later, the aisle was packed with commuters bumping and jostling in an attempt to find a small bit of space. "Sometimes you can't even get on," said S9 rider Tricia Steadman of the District. "It's still bad and has gotten worse." Metrobus riders have packed themselves into the buses every weekday rush hour since a...

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Acting police chief has 30 years experience

Alexandria's acting Police Chief Earl Cook has worked for the department for 30 years, as of this past January. He stepped into his new post when previous Chief David Baker resigned after a drunken-driving incident. Before that Cook, 54, worked as executive deputy chief, overseeing one of the department's four bureaus. He grew up in Alexandria and attended Duke University before joining the force in 1979. What have you found exciting about the new position? It's been such a short period of time that I don't really have any highlights yet. But if there was anything, it would probably be the reinforcement that we have a very solid agency. The health of an agency during a tough...

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Three-minute interview - Victoria Monroe

Victoria Monroe was hired last month as a wildlife biologist for the Fairfax County Police Department. Monroe, 27, attended Colorado State University, where she received a degree in psychology with an emphasis in animal behavior. She also earned a master’s degree in zoology. How did you come across this job? My husband, who’s Australian, and I were finishing up the immigration paperwork for him. I found out that I needed a salary-based position, and my animal care job was only $10 an hour. My resume had been passed on, and the chief animal control officer for Fairfax County Animal Services encouraged me to apply for the wildlife biologist position. How was the application...

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Washington employers plan biggest pay raises in nation

Workers in the Washington area can expect to bring home fatter paychecks this year, despite the recession. Their employers are planning for the biggest pay raises in the country this year, according to a new study. Of 25 large metropolitan areas, Washington employers in both the private and public sectors budgeted the largest increase for pay raises, 2.2 percent. Companies in nearby Baltimore budgeted for 1.9 percent raises. Still, the recession has forced companies to be leaner: The planned raises are only half of last year's 4 percent increases, according toArizona human resource research group WorldatWork. Bigger paydays...

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Lawmakers urge renewal of Chesapeake Bay Program

Officials from the six states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the District urged U.S. senators to back stronger federal commitment in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay Monday. Led by Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's water and wildlife subcommittee, the hearing focused on major problems that are harming the Bay -- including an excess of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment -- and how the federal agencies should act to fix them the best. The nutrients are harming the Bay's health and inhabitants such as its signature blue crabs. Most attributed the continuing Bay pollution to a lack of strong goals and accountability. "We...

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Cadre of D.C. eateries going green

The average diner might have to look really hard to notice efforts to make more than 100 restaurants and dining services in the Washington area more environmentally friendly. The biggest changes, according to the head of the Green Restaurant Association, happen behind the scenes. "If we've done our job well, you will notice nothing," Michael Oshman said. Restaurants and dining services at the American Museum of Natural History, the Kennedy Center and the U.S. House of Representatives are among the 111 that are working with Oshman's organization to make changes mostly in "the back of the house." They include using more efficient cookware and lighting — both to...

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Impoverished Sosua out $11,000 for firetruck shipment, mayor says

A poor Dominican Republic town paid a close friend of Mayor Adrian Fenty a tenth of its monthly budget to have surplus D.C. emergency equipment transported there, only to learn later that the shipment was abruptly canceled, the town's mayor said Tuesday. Sosua leadership routed Sinclair Skinner, Fenty's friend and confidante, $11,000 in cash early this year to finance the shipment of a firetruck and ambulance to the town on the north Dominican coast, Mayor Vladimir Cespedes said during a news conference. But the vehicles never arrived: They were ordered returned days after the deal became public in late March. Cespedes said he has not heard from Skinner since his e-mail that the trucks...

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Author discusses effects of violent crime coverage

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Corporal created program for at-risk youth

Cpl. Stephen Galloza has served with the Montgomery County police for eight years, filling various roles. He's currently in a 60-day position in the media relations office. Usually, he works the 3 p.m.-1 a.m. patrol shift in Bethesda and used to patrol Germantown from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Galloza, 34, is married with two children and lives in Damascus. How did you become involved with law enforcement? I didn't always know I wanted to do this. I actually wanted to become a doctor. I went to Cornell University and then life happened. I joined the service and was in the Coast Guard for four years. There, I was exposed to search and rescue and law enforcement. I spent a lot of time on the...

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Ritz CEO bids, wins company

Ritz Camera Chief Executive Officer David Ritz and his associates at RCI Acquisition LLC bought his bankrupt company during an auction this week with a bid of $33.1 million. The CEO plans to bring the Ritz firm back to life after closing half its stores this past spring, pending court approval of the deal later this week. The 91-year-old company will continue to increase its digital and online presence, spokesman Alex Goldman told The Examiner, but is not sure how many of its stores will remain open. "As far as store count goes, we may keep all of our stores open," Goldman said. "It depends on talks with landlords." Ritz, who joined the company in 1969, said he...

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Metro working to build real-time alert system

Feds called for agency to upgrade testing Metro is working with an Annapolis company to build a real-time alert system ordered by federal safety officials to help catch the problems that may have led to last month’s deadly train crash. The company, ARINC, began work last week, said Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith. The firm has an existing contract with Metro for $15 million to upgrade Metro’s operations control center, she said, but it was not clear Wednesday how the company would be paid for the work. Metro General Manager John Catoe said Wednesday on WAMU’s “Kojo Nnamdi Show” that the agency didn’t receive competitive bids. He likened the process,...

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A Democrat-run CBO may be Obamacare's biggest adversary

Doug Elmendorf is the skunk at Barack Obama's garden party. Last week, the director of the Congressional Budget Office blew a national debt-sized hole in the president's plans for the speedy enactment of Obamacare: Elmendorf testified that none of the major Democratic reform bills reduce federal spending on health care. In fact, Elmendorf told the Senate Budget Committee that the House Democrats' plan would make the problem worse to the tune of $239 billion. "In the legislation that has been reported, we do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount," he told the panel's chairman, Sen. Kent...

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Red Line riders face delays ... again

Metro's Red Line riders should keep setting their alarms early -- at least through Thursday morning's rush hour, the transit agency said Monday. Fewer trains moving at slower speeds between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations will continue to create delays as long as the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said. "It is simply day to day in terms of how service is," he added. NTSB and manufacturers continue to investigate the cause of the June 22 crash that killed nine and injured 70. Riders should expect to add 30 minutes to their travel times and may be forced to exit trains early so that the empty cars can attend to crowded...

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Deputy and canine partner sniff out crime in Arlington County

Deputy Pat Grubar of the Arlington County Sheriff's Office drives his partner, Deputy Farius, around in his car all day. Sometimes, Deputy Farius gets to smell things and sits down to alert Grubar to potential trouble. Farius is a six-and-a-half-year-old black Labrador retriever and he is a certified narcotics canine. Grubar, 43, has worked in law enforcement since 1993 and began work as a canine deputy six years ago. How did you and Varius get together? I worked in the jail for three-and-a-half years and then was selected to go to court security and I did that for seven years. Then, the canine position came open and I was selected for that. I went to canine school at the U.S. Customs...

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WWII vet reaches new heights with skydiving

Julius Fleischman's daily workout schedule rivals that of fit twentysomethings. The hour-long routine that includes hundreds of push-ups, squats, arm extensions and a half-hour on an exercise bike is nothing to scoff at. Especially because he's 87. Fleischman, however, describes himself as "87 going on 50." "Age is a condition of the mind," he said. "You're only as old as you feel." The D.C. native and Army man served in Europe during World War II and attended George Washington University for one semester after the war. He is legally blind, and competed in the Golden Age Games -- a sort of mini-Olympics for veterans -- last month, but his most impressive...

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Metro may replace Dupont, Foggy Bottom escalators

Aging escalators at the Dupont Circle and Foggy Bottom Metro stops are on track to be replaced as part of the $177 million Red Line rehabilitation project, which has left some riders praising the long-sought replacements and others questioning the timing. The project is moving forward just weeks after the deadly June 22 crash that killed nine and injured more than 70. But Metro has called those two escalators among the "least reliable" of its 588 escalators. The agency has been repairing and rehabilitating them constantly, plagued with aging equipment made by manufacturers no longer in business. Replacing the escalators could create a long-term solution. Rider Karen Brown of...

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Experts: Current Metro oversight lacks teeth

Several groups oversee Metro’s safety and operations in some regard — but experts say none has total authority or the ability to enforce their standards. » National Transportation Safety Board: The independent federal agency is investigating the June 22 Metro crash but makes recommendations after the fact. Even then, the transit agencies do not have to follow them. In 2006, the NTSB told Metro to replace or retrofit its 1000 Series railcars, which were involved in the latest accident, saying they were not “crashworthy.” Metro did not do so and says it would cost nearly $900 million to replace more than one-quarter of its fleet. » Tri-State Oversight Committee: The oversight board is...

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Fairfax detective solves difficult homicides

Homicide detective Chester Toney, 47, has worked for the Fairfax County Police Department for 23 years, 10 in his current position. Previously, he worked as an assistant manager at a pizza restaurant in the District. He grew up in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and moved to D.C. more than 25 years ago. He graduated from Alabama A&M University and is married with one son. How did you enter law enforcement? I always knew, even when I was in college, that I wanted to get into law enforcement. I wanted to do local police work before working for the federal government. I expected to stay only a few years [at Fairfax] and did apply with a couple federal agencies but kind of backed out because I liked...

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U.S. Postal Service fleet going green

Citizens across the country will soon see new, alternative-fuel vehicles delivering their mail, thanks to nearly $130 million from federal stimulus funds. The United States Postal Service has already started shipping the first of the 6,500 new delivery vehicles to post offices across the country. The postal service has a fleet of about 220,000 vehicles. The USPS constantly works to sustain environmental resources, agency spokeswoman Darlene Casey said. "We are serious about the environment," she told The Examiner on Thursday. "We are happy to receive the vehicles." Casey said the postal service was excited about both the new vehicles' good gas mileage and general...

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After embarrassing videos surface, Metro operators caught texting will now be fired

Metro train and bus operators caught using cell phones or PDAs while operating a vehicle will be immediately fired beginning Monday. The announcement from Metro General Manager John Catoe comes after two videos surfaced showing a Metrorail operator appearing to text while driving a train and another appearing to be sleeping. The driver who appeared to be texting was suspended without pay for five days. "There is no excuse for anyone who is operating a Metrobus or Metrorail train to be using a cell phone or texting other than for an emergency situation, regardless of whether there are passengers on board," Catoe said. Metro used to use a "three strikes" policy, where...

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Red Line commuters to face more delays

Commuters on the Red Line will face delays until at least July 19, Metro said Tuesday. The transit agency also said trains may be emptied of riders to free up trains when backups occur during morning and afternoon rush hours. "It's at the discretion of the train controllers," spokesman Steven Taubenkibel told The Examiner. "If the decision is made, those customers would be told to exit and wait for the next train." Several trains offloaded passengers on Monday, Taubenkibel said. The backups on the Red Line, which are doubling many riders' commutes, are being caused by a "domino effect" from trains having to go slowly and one at a time between the Takoma...

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D.C.'s gay married couples in uncharted territory

The District officially has begun recognizing gay marriages performed in other jurisdictions, but same-sex couples, city officials and private companies are struggling to grasp all the changes that will bring. Stephen Gorman and his husband, Dr. Richard Cytowic, married in Palm Springs, Calif., last July 29. On Tuesday, their union was legally recognized in Washington — the city each has called home for more than 20 years. A couple since 1996, who live in Northwest’s Crestwood neighborhood, the pair had been registered in the District as domestic partners. Gorman described a sense of “serenity” he felt from living in a city that recognized his status. But he...

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