WEEK IN REVIEW
August 13-19

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Foreign-Born Residents Top 1 Million20% of Those Who Live in Area Are Immigrants

The Washington area's immigrant population now numbers more than 1 million, according to new census figures. One in five residents of the region is foreign-born, compared with one in six in the 2000 Census.

The 2005 American Community Survey of households also showed that immigrants in the Washington region were better educated and better able to speak English than those elsewhere.

D.C. Mayoral Front-Runners Will DebateCropp and Fenty Agree to Square Off

The two front-runners in the campaign for mayor -- D.C. Council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4) and council Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D) -- agreed to a one-on-one debate on Aug. 28. With the Sept. 12 primary nearing, Cropp has sharpened her attacks on Fenty, but he avoided mentioning her in his first direct-mail brochure to voters.

Concerns Emerge on Charter SchoolsD.C. Parents, Officials Raise Questions

D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey called for a moratorium on new charter schools, saying they drain students and money from the public school system.

In addition, dozens of parents in the city suddenly had to find new places for their children because two charter schools abruptly closed. And federal officials are investigating whether the D.C. Board of Education's executive director of charter schools funneled federal funds to personal acquaintances working with the schools that she helped monitor, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.

Va. Senator Apologizes for CommentsAllen's 'Macaca' Remark Called Demeaning

Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) apologized for comments he made to one of his opponent's campaign workers, who is of Indian descent.

At a rally in southwest Virginia, Allen repeatedly called S.R. Sidarth, a volunteer for Democratic candidate James Webb, "macaca." The Webb campaign called the comments demeaning and insensitive.

Depending on how it is spelled, "macaca" could mean either a monkey that inhabits the Eastern Hemisphere or a town in South Africa. In some European cultures, macaca is considered a racial slur against African immigrants.

Allen, who met with leaders of Northern Virginia's Indian community to apologize, said that the word had no derogatory meaning for him and that he was sorry.

Judge Lets Teen Reject ChemotherapyVa. Youth May Continue Alternative Treatment

The family of a Virginia teenager who has refused conventional medical treatment for cancer reached a settlement with state officials, agreeing that he will be seen by a new oncologist while continuing his alternative therapy.

The compromise means that Starchild Abraham Cherrix, 16, will not have to undergo chemotherapy against his will, as a judge had ordered. Officials in Accomack County on Virginia's Eastern Shore had accused his parents of medical neglect for allowing him to seek alternative treatment from a clinic in Mexico.

Mom Jailed for Putting Girls in TrunkStafford Woman to Serve 6 Months

A 39-year-old Stafford County woman was sentenced to six months in jail for making her daughters take turns riding in the trunk of a cramped four-door sedan during a summer road trip from Alabama to Loudoun County.

Cheryl Ann Schoonmaker-Brown had been convicted of endangering the lives of her two daughters -- then ages 8 and 10 -- after she put them in the trunk during the journey, which lasted more than eight hours. A judge ordered her to serve one year in jail on the misdemeanor charge, with all but six months suspended.

Ehrlich Attorney Cleared of ComplaintCommission Rules He Did Not Act as a Lobbyist

Maryland's independent State Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint alleging that the personal attorney to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. acted improperly as an unregistered lobbyist.

David Hamilton, who heads the government relations practice at the law firm Ober Kaler, had maintained that he accompanied clients to meetings with the Republican governor and other policymakers as their attorney, not lobbyist. Democratic state lawmakers had denounced the arrangement, saying that providing access for the purpose of influencing legislation is, in fact, lobbying.