Smart people are everywhere, and so are people who have common sense. That’s why we’re looking high and low to bring readers the highlights of the week just post. Got a suggestion? Send it to [email protected].
Disaster diverted
1| Earth survives massive solar storm
The details: Earth’s power grids, GPS devices, satellites and other technologies withstood one of the worst solar storms in years. The storm was weaker than forecasters predicted and less damaging than originally thought.
Four weeks later …
2| Missing woman found alive
The details: Margaret Page, a 41-year-old woman who had been missing for nearly four weeks, was found alive in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest. The woman, who has a history of mental illness, was found inside her car wrapped in a sleeping bag.
Heimlich hero
3| Kindergartner saves friend
The details: When his friend Nicholas Carvajal choked on a Cheeto, 6-year-old Texan Jasiah Rubalcava successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver, popping the chip out of his throat. Carvajal’s parents have no idea where he learned the maneuver but speculate he might have seen it on TV.
More jobs
4| 227,000 jobs created in February
The details: The economy added 227,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate held steady at 8.3 percent, according the Labor Department report this week. According to Gallup, however, unadjusted unemployment numbers for February are up to 9.1 percent.
Kony goes viral
5| Group demands justice for Lord’s Resistance Army leader
The details: A 30-minute video highlighting the crimes of east-central African warlord Joseph Kony of the Lord’s Resistance Army went viral worldwide last week. The film, created by the nonprofit organization Invisible Children, attracted 50 million views in days as it called for Kony to be brought to justice.
Unconstitutional
6| Federal judge upholds Second Amendment
The details: U.S. District Judge Benson Everett Legg struck down Maryland’s requirement that citizens demonstrate “a good and substantial reason” before being allowed to purchase a handgun. “The right’s existence is all the reason he needs,” Judge Legg ruled.
Clipping executive’s wings
7| Council wants say in land sales
The details: Four Montgomery County Council members co-sponsored legislation that would prevent County Executive Ike Leggett from selling any more county assets without their knowledge or consent. Council members were not informed when Leggett sold the former police headquarters to a biotech firm for $3 million.
Strip club moratorium
8| Ban temporarily extended
The details: Northeast D.C. Ward 5 residents object to two more strip clubs being approved in their neighborhood in addition to the four already there. They won a temporary victory when the current moratorium was extended for seven months.
Residency requirement
9| Out-of-boundary crackdown
The details: Arlington Public Schools wants to hire a full-time employee to double-check where its students really live in an attempt to weed out families who don’t actually live in Arlington but use fraudulent documents to enroll their children in the highly rated school district.
Open house
10| Store honors slain employee
The details: Bethesda’s Lululemon Athletica yoga shop is holding an open house in remembrance of 30-year-old Jayna Murray, who was murdered in the store one year ago today by a co-worker. Brittany Norwood has been sentenced to life without parole for the brutal crime.
