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]. Generosity
1| Charitable giving is up
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The details: Charitable donations rose 4 percent last year after two years of sharp decline. Some experts saw this as positive economic news, saying philanthropists were again feeling comfortable enough to give.
Trial lawyers lose
2| Huge class action blocked
The details: The Supreme Court blocked a class-action lawsuit brought against Walmart, supposedly on behalf of 1.5 million female employees. The ruling sets forth tighter guidelines for such large class-action cases in the future.
Achilles’ heel
3| Scientists find way to attack HIV
The details: Scientists have identified an area of the human immunodeficiency virus that could be targeted by vaccines or drugs. By using a complex mathematical formula, the scientists discovered how the bodies of HIV-immune people control the virus without medication.
Spending cuts
4| S.C. saves taxpayer dollars
The details: Gov. Nikki Haley says South Carolina won’t fund the 2012 GOP primary, as it is not a “core function.” The Republican Party says the primary will go on, even if it has to front the money.
Nabbed
5| FBI catches Boston mob boss in Calif.
The details: Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger, on the run for 16 years, was finally caught Wednesday after an unconventional television ad campaign seeking tips from the public.
Tax stricken
6| ‘Punitive,’ says appeals court
The details: A Montgomery County carbon tax that affects just one coal-burning power plant is really just a “punitive fee,” a Maryland appeals court ruled. Mirant’s Mid-Atlantic plant in Dickerson was the only one that had to pay the $6 million tax.
Dulles Rail redux
7| Business leaders call for cuts
The details: Leaders of the Fairfax and Loudoun chambers of commerce warned that unless $1 billion in cuts are made, the $6 billion-plus Dulles Rail project would be in jeopardy. Recommended cuts: a $330 million underground airport station and a $400 million project labor agreement.
Two tiers
8| Reining in disability claims
The details: A Montgomery County Council panel approved legislation to establish a two-tiered disability system for county employees in the wake of soaring claims. Since 2004, 199 public safety workers have gone on disability — compared with just 19 in neighboring Fairfax County.
School choice
9| Weast backs charter school
The details: Outgoing Montgomery School Superintendent Jerry Weast has recommended the approval of the county’s first Montessori charter school. The Maryland State Department of Education ordered Montgomery to revisit its rejection of the charter school application last year.
9/11 memorial
10| Local firefighters honored
The details: A 16-foot piece of twisted steel and a concrete slab from the Pentagon are part of Kensington’s new memorial to honor Maryland firefighters who responded on Sept. 11, 2001. Robert McFeeley, the FBI’s on-scene commander on 9/11, dedicated the memorial.
– Stephanie Wang, Sarah Leitner, Ralph Smith
