METRO
WMATA considers new ad options
Engineers at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority are mulling over the addition of new, interactive advertisements in D.C.'s stations and trains in a struggle for much-needed revenue dollars, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
Metro officials said the Farragut West station would be the first to utilize new motion-activated ads that are also found in other large transit systems around the world.
Among other potential advertising devices being considered include flat-screen monitors that televise real-time information, floor ads depicting works of art and ceiling ads in Metro trains known as "Michelangelos," according to The Post.
Metro earns about $35 million annually from advertising and hopes to receive an additional $3 million from the new proposal, The Post reported.
One motion-activated ad in Farragut West could bring in $110,000 per month, according to Metro's preliminary projections. These types of ads are more costly to install but provide advertisers the flexibility to change with ease.
-CHRISTOPHER COTTRELL
NATIONAL
U.S. State Dept. renews Blackwater contract
The U.S. State Department renewed its contract with Blackwater USA for one year, The Associated Press reported Saturday.
The renewal comes amid allegations of tax violations and investigations into the killings of Iraqi civilians, which culminated with the Sept. 16 shooting that left 17 Iraqis dead after Blackwater guards opened fire in a crowded traffic circle, according to the AP.
State Department officials told the AP a final decision is pending about whether Blackwater, the largest private security company in Iraq, will keep its job of providing security for diplomats at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
Blackwater has a five-year contract that is reauthorized each year. The recent renewal serves to extend Blackwater's time in Baghdad for the third year, according to the AP.
Iraqi investigators ruled the Sept. 16 killings were unprovoked. Blackwater refuted claims by the Iraqi government that it used excessive force to defend U.S. diplomats under its protection and an FBI probe is underway to determine if the security company's actions were justified. State Department officials said there is no reason to end their contract early before the probe is complete, the AP reported.
-C.C.
INTERNATIONAL
'Little Old Lady Killer' sentenced to 759 years in jail
A Mexican court sentenced a former female wrestler to 759 years in jail for the murders of 16 elderly women, The Associated Press reported March 31.
Juana Barraza, 50, known as the "Little Old Lady Killer," admitted to killing four women age 70 or older, but denied any involvement with the other 12. Barraza said she killed out of anger toward her mother, according to the AP.
The former wrestler's large physical build originally led police to suspect a transvestite was the culprit and bring many in for questioning, in spite of opposition from gay-rights activists, the AP reported.
Police captured Barraza in 2006 at the home of an 82-year-old woman she strangled with a stethoscope. Fingerprint matches linked her to the other 15 murders, prosecutors said.
Only 8 percent of all serial killers in the United States are female, according to the AP.
-C.C.
SG
Undergraduate Senate passes resolution to congratulate athletes
The Undergraduate Senate passed a resolution sponsored by Class of 2011 Senator Andrew MacCracken to congratulate American University Athletics and discussed upcoming campus events during their Sunday meeting.
The resolution congratulated the men's and women's basketball teams for both winning the Patriot League Championship. The resolution also congratulated the men's basketball team and the spirit squad for going to the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time in AU history.
The resolution also congratulated the volleyball and field hockey teams for winning their seventh and fifth consecutive Patriot League titles. It also congratulated individual members of the wrestling team, swim team and cross country team for their outstanding performances and awards. The resolution also recognized the women's lacrosse team for earning its top pick in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
Members of the Committee on Students' Rights announced they will hold a Student's Bill of Rights forum today at 8 p.m. in the Butler Board Room.
Women's Initiative Director Vanessa Mueller announced that Take Back the Night would take place on Tuesday at 8 p.m. The march against sexual assault and domestic violence will begin in front of Hughes Hall and will end in Kay Spiritual Center.
The next senate meeting will take place April 13 at 2:30 p.m. in a location to be announced.
-REBECCA KERN