News

News

Cabs strike to protest meter system

By Patricio Chile | November 1

D.C. cab drivers went on strike yesterday to protest Mayor Adrian Fenty's decision to require time-and-distance meters instead of the zone system, leaving cab companies scrambling to provide cabs for Halloween revelers. Representatives from SoberRide, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program's free cab campaign for partygoers, expressed confidence Wednesday afternoon that the campaign would be unhurt by the strike.

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News

AU receives low grade for campus sustainability

By Chris Cottrell | November 1

AU received a D+ for environmental sustainability on a Sustainable Endowments Institute report card, which ranks U.S. and Canadian colleges. The second annual College Sustainability Report Card assessed 200 public and private universities with the highest endowments.

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News

Campus calendar

November 1

Thursday, Nov. 1 Close the School of Americas Interest Meeting 9-10:15 p.m. WHERE: Basement, Kay Spiritual Life Center INFO: This is a mandatory meeting for all people who are interested in or undecided about going on the trip to protest the School of the Americas Nov.

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News

AU makes no changes for D.C. drought watch

By Rachel Trainer | November 1

The D.C. area, including AU, has been under a drought watch since early October. While AU has not instituted any additional water restrictions as a result of the drought watch, it recently began implementing new programs to start conserving water, according to Willy Suter, director of Facilities Management.

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News

Metro brief

November 1

The operator of a yellow line train that fatally struck two Metro track workers in Alexandria last year lied to federal investigators about using her cell phone prior to the collision, according to reports and transcripts released last week by the National Transportation Safety Board.

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News

International brief

November 1

A U.K. man has pleaded guilty to sexual breach of peace and has been placed on the sex offenders' registry after he was caught having sex with a bike last year at a hotel in Ayr, Scotland, Telegraph.co.uk, a British online newspaper, reported. Deputy Fiscal Gail Davidson told the court two hotel employees keyed into Robert Stewart's room and found him naked from the waist down "holding the bike and moving his hips back and forth as if to simulate sex," according to the Telegraph.

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News

National brief

November 1

Michael Chertoff, secretary of Homeland Security, scolded his employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency Saturday for holding a news conference last week in which FEMA staffers acted as reporters. "I think it was one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I've seen since I've been in government," Chertoff told MSNBC at a real press conference.

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News

WAMU radio show ranked 'powerful' by research firm

By Jimm Phillips | November 1

"The Diane Rehm Show," which originates from WAMU 88.5 FM, a National Public Radio affiliate owned by AU, ranked on an industry list as one of the 10 most powerful programs in public radio. Audience Research Analysis, a public radio research firm that helped rank the programs, measured power based on the number of listeners the program drew to its station and away from competitor stations.

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News

Tuition costs increase nationwide

By Caitlin Hillyard | November 1

College tuition and fees are rising at twice the rate of inflation nationwide, including tuition at AU, according to a recent report by the College Board. According to the 2006-2007 Financial Plan and AU Financial Aid Application, the cost of tuition last year came to $29,206.

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News

Web site aims to query candidates

By Laraine Weschler | November 1

Voters who did not get their YouTube questions answered by presidential candidates have a new option, according to Rachel Tardiff, a freshman in the School of Communication. Tardiff and a group of students, including about 15 from AU, created Straight2theCandidates.

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News

Drag Race

By Amanda Krause | November 1

The neighborhood surrounding Dupont Circle's 17th Street bustled with excitement Tuesday night as the block between P and S streets became the staging ground for the annual High Heel Drag Race. The race, in its 22nd year, occurs on the Tuesday before Halloween and consists of glamorously dressed drag queens taking to the street for a foot race.

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News

Police blotter

November 1

Wednesday, Oct. 24 An unknown individual damaged Fletcher Gate, causing a gap in the gate. A vehicle parked in Nebraska Hall had its right passenger window broken into. There was a theft in the men's locker room at the Jacobs Fitness Center. Anyone who has additional information should contact Public Safety.

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News

Metro brief

October 29

Vandals at Frederick Community College in Maryland are apparently targeting men's restrooms in protest of a smoking ban enacted by the school's trustees last spring, United Press International reported. The vandals stole toilet paper, clogged toilets and urinals and smeared feces on bathroom walls in 12 incidents that occurred in the past month, The Frederick News-Post reported last week.

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News

Metro calendar

October 29

Monday, Oct. 29 Panel Discussion: The U.S. and Iran - A Difficult History 7-9 p.m. WHERE: National Cathedral, Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues N.W. METRO: Tenleytown-AU (red line) INFO: Panelists include former State Department official and Iran hostage Bruce Laingen, former New York Times bureau chief Stephen Kinzer and Yale University professor Abbas Amant.

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News

Kogod fares well in national rankings

By Jen Calantone | October 29

U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal and the Princeton Review recently ranked the Kogod School of Business as one of the top business schools in the region and nation. In U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Colleges, Kogod's undergraduate business program ranked 83rd among the top 150 business programs in the nation.

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News

International brief

October 29

The Italian Civil Protection department is claiming aliens are to blame for a series of unexplained appliance fires in northern Sicily, according to an official report leaked to the Italian press last week. The two-year, $1-million report was ordered by the Italian government and featured the input of dozens of experts, including scientists and electrical engineers, according to telegraph.

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News

National brief

October 29

Durex, a U.S. condom maker, has received 4,000 applicants since last Monday for an offer to volunteer to test its products first-hand and report the results, the New York Post reported. Durex said 1,000 applicants will be chosen, with one tester receiving a $1,000 cash prize, United Press International reported.

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