D.C. motorists get a 'break' as gas drops

"The normally large premium Washington pays for gas compared with the rest of the country has narrowed from 12 cents to 3 cents a gallon."
By Patrice Hill
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
August 29, 2006

Most Expensive Rental Markets In America 2006

Washington, D.C. area ranks 13th according to Forbes.
Population 4,923,153
Price per square foot for Class A* apartments $18.85
Five-year price change for Class A* apartments 14.9%
Price per square foot for Class B** apartments $15.15
Five-year price change for Class B** apartments 17.6%

The Future of D.C. Public Schools: Traditional or Charter Education?

"With public confidence in the schools at an all-time low, more than 17,000 public school students -- nearly one in four -- have rejected the traditional system in favor of 51 independently run, publicly funded charter schools. That share is one of the largest in the nation and is expected to rise when six more charter schools open their doors this fall."
By Lori Montgomery and Jay Mathews
Washington Post
August 22, 2006

Crime emergency affects very little�

"��According to police statistics, the city had 21 homicides last month, when Chief Ramsey declared the crime emergency, and 20 in June. ����In addition, there were 309 reports of assaults with a deadly weapon last month, compared with 311 such reports in June. Sexual assaults numbered 33 last month and 38 in June. ����Last month, Mayor Anthony A. Williams said the crime emergency's goal was to decrease crime by 50 percent in 30 days...
Police statistics show that arrests have increased 21 percent, firearm recoveries have increased 46 percent and curfew violation citations have increased 177 percent since the emergency began."
By Amy Doolittle
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
August 9, 2006

The 'Crime Emergency' That Never Goes Away

"It's not a coincidence that you see the largest amount of violent crime where you see the greatest amount of social dysfunction." [Great reprise of the past 'crime emergencies'. Though I disagree with the solutions Mr. King suggests. -Ed.]
By Colbert I. King
Washington Post
August 5, 2006

Support the Officers on the Street

"The department has failed to develop strategies for reducing crime and encouraging aggressive, effective policing but instead has focused its efforts on instituting a disciplinary system that actually discourages proactive policing. Indeed, the department has more people assigned to investigate its own officers than it does to investigate homicides."
By Kristopher Baumann, chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police Metropolitan Police Department Labor Committee
Washington Post
July 23, 2006