Metro
In Brief
Friday, December 16, 2005; Page B03
THE REGION
D.C. Court Censures Gansler for Remarks
The District's highest court has censured Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler (D) for public comments he made about cases his office was prosecuting.
The Court of Appeals of Maryland sanctioned Gansler in November 2003 for his comments, which, the court found, had a substantial likelihood of depriving criminal defendants of fair trials. As a member of the D.C. Bar, Gansler, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the District, faced disciplinary action in the District as well.
The D.C. Bar Counsel, which investigates and prosecutes misconduct by lawyers licensed in the District, concluded that the remarks for which Gansler was sanctioned in Maryland also violate rules for District lawyers. The D.C. Board on Professional Responsibility recommended that Gansler be censured, a sanction that can be handed down only by the D.C. Court of Appeals. Yesterday, a three-judge panel took that step.
THE DISTRICT
Man Apparently Killed by Gas Identified
Authorities identified Miguel Angel Jose Jimenez, 25, yesterday as the man who died in Northwest Washington this week of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Several others also became ill Monday inside a rowhouse in the Columbia Heights area. Three remained hospitalized yesterday and were in stable condition.
The house, in the 1000 block of Spring Road NW, had been the subject of neighborhood complaints about trash and rats for months. The victims were discovered by a friend about 8:30 a.m. Monday. Jimenez, of Woodbridge, was described as the boyfriend of one of the residents.
Mendelson Is Honored for Leadership
D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) received the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' Scull Award on Wednesday as the region's outstanding public leader.
Mendelson was chosen because of his work on transportation planning, improving air quality and pushing for a regional communications system to help with homeland security concerns, said David Robertson, the council's executive director.
"It's not only a recognition of his project-based, task-oriented achievements, but also the body of work he has amassed over the years," Robertson said.
MARYLAND