In Brief
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
MARYLAND
State Police Cadet Dies After Crash
A 20-year-old Maryland State Police cadet was killed yesterday in a traffic accident in Hughesville in Charles County.
Neal C. Slater of Mechanicsville was southbound on Route 5 about 1 p.m. in an Acura when he came upon a stopped car waiting to turn left onto Homeland Drive. In his attempt to stop, he swerved into oncoming traffic and broadsided a Chevy Tahoe, said Sgt. Rob Moroney of the Maryland State Police.
The cadet and the driver of the Tahoe, Harold E. Reisinger of La Plata, were airlifted to Prince George's Hospital Center, where Slater was pronounced dead. Reisinger was seriously injured.
The cadet was part of a civilian division of the state police that works on commercial vehicle enforcement.
3 Men Burned at Construction SiteThree workers were burned yesterday in a White Oak construction accident after a worker fired a nail gun into a live electrical wire, fire officials said.
A 22-year-old man was in critical condition with second- and third-degree burns, Montgomery fire and rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said. Two other workers -- aged 17 and 38 -- were also hospitalized with burns, Piringer said.
The 22-year-old worker fired a high-powered nail gun into a live wire about 12:45 p.m. at the construction site, in the 10900 block of New Hampshire Avenue, Piringer said. That caused an arc of electricity that set his clothing on fire and burned the other men. The names of the injured men were not released yesterday.
THE REGIONComcast Joins Amber Alert Searches
Comcast Corp. announced yesterday that its cable technicians will be sharing information with law enforcement officials when there is an Amber Alert for a missing child in Maryland and the District.
The program will connect Comcast technicians to the Amber Alert system so that when there is a missing-child report, workers will be able to be on the lookout and make reports to police.
The Amber Alert is a nationwide system for tracking abducted children.
THE DISTRICTCropp Would Earmark Funds for Schools
D.C. Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D) said she plans to introduce legislation today to earmark a portion of future tax revenue to fund school renovations.
Cropp said her plan would be fiscally prudent and would not reduce funding for other programs and city priorities. Council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4) introduced a plan last week to use lottery revenue to fund $1 billion worth of bonds for school repairs.
Increased borrowing could harm the city's credit rating, Cropp said yesterday.
Cropp's bill would also require the city's school system to dispose of underutilized buildings, consolidate facilities and encourage libraries and recreation centers to share space in underused schools.
New Reading, Math Standards ApprovedThe D.C. Board of Education yesterday approved new learning standards for reading and math in the city's public schools, as recommended by Superintendent Clifford B. Janey.
The standards, adapted from those used in Massachusetts, will be introduced in the fall. Those standards will be aligned with new curricula and a new student assessment to be introduced during the 2005-06 school year, said Meria Carstarphen, chief accountability officer.
"This means everything from the curricula to textbook adoption and assessment must be based on and grow out of high-quality standards," Carstarphen said. "As a result, staff will know what is expected of them and we can hold them accountable for their work."
Board members directed Janey to devise a plan in 30 to 60 days on how the standards will be implemented.
VIRGINIAFauquier Boy, 9, Dies of Fire Injuries
A 9-year-old Fauquier County boy died Friday night of injuries suffered in a house fire that killed his mother, authorities said.
Adam McGuiney died about 10:30 p.m. at Washington Hospital Center, said Philip T. Myer, chief of the Fauquier County Department of Fire and Rescue Services. Stephanie McGuiney, 37, died earlier that day at Fauquier Hospital. Three other family members suffered minor injuries.
The fire, which began before dawn Friday at 7399 Filly Lane, was ruled an accident. Investigators believe it started in the kitchen, Myer said. There were no working smoke detectors in the house.
Rural Areas Find Ways to Lure TouristsFrom Dickenson County to Galax, rural areas of Virginia that offer winding trails, bluegrass music and wine tastings have become some of the state's fastest-growing attractions, tourism officials said yesterday.
The rapid growth follows a national trend of city dwellers seeking relaxing, country getaways, officials said. Many of these tourists prefer to blend their vacations with such activities as wine tastings and spa treatments.
Southwestern Virginia has developed "the Crooked Road," a 250-mile route between Clintwood and Ferrum, that highlights eight country music landmarks.
Colonial Williamsburg and Mount Vernon, however, aren't reporting an increase in visitors. Kat Imhoff of Monticello said its annual attendance hasn't cracked 500,000 in nearly three years.
GMU 'Sextravaganza' Attracts HundredsAbout 500 George Mason University students turned out yesterday on the Fairfax campus for a sexuality and health fair dubbed "Sextravaganza" that had raised the ire of Republican legislators, organizers said.
Amanda Agan, 21, a global affairs major from Fairfax County and co-chairwoman of the Pro-Choice Patriots, said the event went smoothly and featured talks on safe sex and healthy relationships.
State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (Fairfax), along with other Republicans, called the event an example of the "moral depravity that has crept across this commonwealth and this country."
Quote of the Day"I never have a parent ask me for 10 reading goals. They want their children feeding themselves and toilet-trained and to have job skills."
-- Gerry Reed, special education teacher at Germantown Elementary School, on the statewide testing requirements under No Child Left Behind. -- B1
Compiled from reports by staff writers David Snyder, Allison Klein, Eric M. Weiss, V. Dion Haynes, Karin Brulliard and Annie Gowen and the Associated Press.