Special to the Washington Examiner
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3-Minute Interview: Author A.X. Ahmad
April Burbank
Published: Tue, May 7, 2013
Ahmad's debut novel, a thriller called "The Caretaker" that is the first in a trilogy, will be released on May 21. Ahmad was raised in India and now lives in the District and teaches at the Writer's Center in Bethesda. Could you summarize the basic setup of your novel? It's about an...
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3-Minute Interview: Poet Ellen Compton
April Burbank
Published: Sat, Apr 20, 2013
Compton is a D.C.-based freelance writer and poet who specializes in haiku, a three-line poetic form that originated in Japan. She is preparing her first published poetry collection, which features oyster boats, ospreys, seagulls and other images inspired by the Chesapeake Bay. How did you get...
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Three Montgomery County 911 dispatchers win regional awards
April Burbank
Published: Sat, Apr 20, 2013
Three Montgomery County employees who answer 911 calls and dispatch first responders were recognized this week for their work. The second full week of April each year is designated across the U.S. as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week to recognize the public safety communications...
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Gov. Bob McDonnell asks Virginia universities to keep tuition hikes low
April Burbank
Published: Thu, Apr 18, 2013
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has asked the state's public colleges and universities to keep their tuition increases as low as possible for the upcoming academic year. In a letter dated April 4, McDonnell said he was "concerned" about the cost of higher education and asked state-supported...
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Report: D.C. public schools get about $13k more per student than charters
April Burbank
Updated: Wed, Apr 17, 2013
The District's charter schools received about $13,000 less in funding per student in fiscal 2011 than traditional public schools, according to a reportreleased Wednesday bythe Walton Family Foundation. The foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit that supports education reform and is a donor to...
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Budget cuts lead to Smithsonian closures, park police furloughs
April Burbank
Published: Tue, Apr 16, 2013
The National Park Service will cope with budget cuts by requiring unpaid leave for the police who guard Washington's monuments, and Smithsonian museums will close some art galleries on a rotating basis, agency heads said Tuesday at a congressional hearing. "We cannot keep every gallery or...
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Credo: The Rev. Rebecca Stelle, of the Church of Christ, Right Now
April Burbank
Updated: Sat, Apr 13, 2013
A group of D.C. churches kicks off several months of revival meetings Sunday -- with a twist: Its main teaching text is a book called "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," by civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander. One of the leaders, the Rev. Rebecca Stelle, of...
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3-Minute Interview: 3-Minute Interview: Wedding cake baker B. Keith Ryder
April Burbank
Published: Sat, Apr 13, 2013
Ryder is a cake baker, sugar artist and teacher from Falls Church and one of the directors of the recent National Capital Area Cake Show. He said about 4,000 people came to the show and more than 100 people participated in contests for wedding cakes, cupcakes and other divisions. Who comes to...
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6 deputies earn Loudoun County Valor Awards
April Burbank
Published: Sat, Apr 13, 2013
Four deputies pulled a driver from a burning truck. One helped to save a boy from drowning. One pulled a woman who was considering suicide from the edge of a bridge. These stories were recognized on April 5 as Loudoun County's annual Valor Awards honored six sheriff's deputies' extraordinary...
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More Beltway drivers using Express Lanes
April Burbank
Published: Thu, Apr 11, 2013
Traffic on the Capital Beltway Express Lanes has steadily increased since they opened last November, and the average cost to drivers is increasing, as well. On a typical workday, about 26,294 cars travel in the lanes, according to a quarterly report released Wednesday by Transurban, the...

