District Briefing

HOWARD UNIVERSITY

Student Missing Since March 26 Is Found

A missing Howard University sophomore was found yesterday unharmed, D.C. police said.

James Duncan III, 24, was last seen March 26 near his dorm at the Howard Plaza Towers in the 2200 block of Sherman Avenue NW. He was reported missing by family members, who traveled from their home in San Francisco to pass out fliers on campus. Police also sought the public's help in locating him.

Authorities declined to say where Duncan was located or reveal other details.

"He has a right to privacy and doesn't want his whereabouts to be known," said Gwendolyn Crump, a D.C. police spokeswoman.

-- Theola Labbé-DeBose

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS

Officials Celebrate Start of Work on Plaza

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and other D.C. officials yesterday officially kicked off work on a public plaza scheduled to open this fall in Columbia Heights.

Fenty predicted that the plaza, in a popular area off 14th Street and Park Road NW, will become a "central gathering place" for the community. Its centerpiece will be a fountain that is supposed to represent a "cultural kaleidoscope."

The $1.6 million plaza and fountain project are part of a broader set of improvements for the area, including work on streets, sidewalks, landscaping and lighting.