THE Region
Monument Set to Close for Construction
The Washington Monument is scheduled to be closed to visitors next Tuesday and remain off-limits until early next year, when construction of security barriers is expected to be near completion.
The multi-phased project to erect concentric rings of low concrete walls around the monument began last summer. The upcoming phase of construction aims to replace the monument plaza and regrade the grounds west of the obelisk.
During the closure, the Tourmobile stop on 15th Street will be moved to Madison Drive, and sidewalks west of the monument will be closed to pedestrians.
Scientists Seek Cause of Croakers' Deaths
Scientists in Virginia, Maryland and Florida are trying to learn what's killing millions of croakers that continue to wash up on beaches along the Atlantic Coast.
Wolfgang Vogelbein, a scientist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, said researchers have no solid leads. Bacteria, a virus and sudden changes in water temperature are possible causes.
Vogelbein has been on the case since an eight-mile swath of dead fish was found on Maryland and Delaware beaches about a month ago. Since then, masses of dead croakers have been found in Florida and Virginia -- off the Eastern Shore and at Virginia Beach.
Vogelbein said he doesn't believe that the kill could have been caused by a phenomenon known as "cold-water upwelling," in which cold water is pushed up from the depths in stormy seas. Upwelling would have killed other kinds of fish, he said.
Vogelbein said he thinks bacteria are responsible, but he hasn't been able to identify what is destroying the croakers' gills.
THE DISTRICT
Curfew for Teenagers Returns Tomorrow
Starting tomorrow, the District's curfew for those under 17 will start at 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays.
Friday and Saturday nights, the curfew will start at a minute past midnight. In all cases, it will run through 6 a.m.
The midnight deadline applies each night all summer, but it reverts to the earlier time on school nights.
The law requires anyone under 17 to be off the streets and out of other outdoor public places during curfew hours. There are exemptions for such things as work, school and religious activities.
