DISTRICT BRIEFING

Saturday, September 2, 2006

NATIONAL CATHEDRAL

Objections Raised to Iranian's Talk

The public affairs arm of the Washington area's Jewish community called yesterday on Washington National Cathedral to withdraw its invitation to former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, who is scheduled to speak Thursday at the Episcopal church.

In a letter to the Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of the cathedral, the Jewish Community Relations Council said Khatami has "a long documented record of intolerance, anti-Semitism and human rights abuses."

The cathedral should not provide him a platform, the council wrote. "Quite the opposite; the Cathedral's reputation is one of compassion and coexistence with other faith communities."

Khatami would be the most senior Iranian official to visit Washington since Islamic fundamentalists seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. A comment from the cathedral was not immediately available.

-- Michelle Boorstein

CRIME

Two Men Killed in Homicides

Two District residents were killed in homicides, police reported yesterday.

Sean Andre Stevens, 34, was found dead in an apartment in the 3800 block of Second Street SE about 6:25 p.m. Thursday. He had been shot in the head and stabbed. Stevens lived in that block, police said.

Police also said Michael Fye, 18, of the 4900 block of North Capitol Street NE, was found shot at 1:30 p.m. yesterday in the 5000 block of Rock Creek Church Road NW. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

-- Paul Schwartzman and Clarence Williams

ROCK CREEK

Tap Water Caused Fish Deaths

Tap water that was dumped from a pipe under repair caused the deaths of about 1,900 fish in Rock Creek this week, authorities said yesterday.

About midday Thursday, the fish were reported floating along a quarter-mile stretch of the creek near Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park. More than 20 species were affected, said Adrienne Coleman, the park's superintendent.

Authorities determined yesterday that the cause was tap water, which is toxic to fish because of the chemicals used to treat it.

D.C. Water and Sewer Authority workers were fixing a leaky pipe near 17th and Allison streets NW and needed to empty a water main, said WASA spokeswoman Michele Quander-Collins.

They dumped the water into a storm drain for about three hours, she said, not knowing that it led to a nearby section of the .

-- David A. Fahrenthold