WASHINGTON, DC BRIEFING April 2005

News this month

Game on

Baseball's return to Washington, DC for the first time in 34 years has brought plenty of excitement. But fans are now wondering how often they will get to see their team play on TV, and what their stadium will be called. The question of broadcast rights has loomed ever since the team's relocation from Montreal was approved last autumn. Peter Angelos, who owns the neighbouring Baltimore Orioles, objected to the move, and argued that when he bought the team he also bought exclusive broadcasting rights for the entire Baltimore-Washington region. Ultimately, he and Major League Baseball, which owns the Nationals, agreed to broadcast Nationals games on a regional sports network predominantly owned by Mr Angelos.

The Nationals' current home is called Robert F. Kennedy Stadium. But like most American professional sports franchises, the Nats are seeking to sell the rights to name the stadium (the local basketball team, for instance, plays at the MCI Centre). The National Guard had supposedly agreed to pay $6m over three years to call the stadium National Guard Field, but that deal fell through under political pressure.

Strike two

Whatever the stadium is called, the Nats will not be there long: their new stadium, along the Anacostia River waterfront, is expected to open in 2008. The team recently announced that Hellmuth Obata Kassabaum (HOK), a firm with 15 ballparks to its name, will design the stadium, and Devrouax & Purnell, a DC-based architecture firm, will build it. HOK started the retro-ballpark trend, designing now-beloved stadiums in Baltimore (for the Orioles) and Pittsburgh (for the Pirates), but the contract stipulates a different look for the Nats' park.

How it will be financed remains an open question, though. According to the Washington Post, the city council is considering a pair of proposals to reduce the cost to the public, now estimated at $581m. Under one proposal, Deutsche Bank would pay the city $246m in exchange for $18m annually in taxes from food and parking at the stadium. The other would allow Herbert S Miller, a local developer, to build on 1m square feet surrounding the ballpark in exchange for $200m.

Chump change

City officials have failed to spend $120m of the $145m in federal anti-terror funds allocated since September 11th 2001. That 17% spending rate places it behind all 50 states, which have spent an average of 44% of their funding. Local officials claim that their spending lagged in 2003 because of the complexities in dealing with three regions (Maryland, Virginia and DC proper), and that they are actually spending the money faster than it appears. They have already committed, if not spent, $115m to local projects. Still, one $46m grant will expire on June 30th, apparently without the District taking advantage of it, though officials have asked the Department of Homeland Security for a six-month extension.

Cabinet official killed

Wanda Alston, Mayor Anthony Williams's top aide on gay and lesbian affairs, was murdered at her home on March 16th. She was stabbed several times, and had wounds that indicated self-defence. Within days, police arrested William Parrot, Alston's next-door neighbour, after he was seen driving her car. He has reportedly confessed, saying that he had been high on crack and armed with a knife. After killing her he said he stole her car and credit cards, driving to gas stations and paying for customers' gas with the cards in exchange for cash, which he used to buy drugs. Mr Williams had appointed Alston special assistant for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender affairs in 2001, and subsequently elevated that position to cabinet-level.

A winning formula

Owing to term limits, Mark Warner, Virginia's governor, can not seek re-election this year. As there are no federal elections around the bend, the race for governor in Virginia will probably garner national attention. The two leading candidates are Timothy Kaine, a Democrat and Virginia's lieutenant-governor, and Jerry Kilgore, a Republican and the state's former attorney-general. Mr Kaine favours tax cuts for homeowners, as well as improving the state's transportation infrastructure and education system. These concerns mimic Mr Warner's successful formula, crucial in a state that leans Republican.

In his campaign announcement, however, Mr Kilgore announced that, like his opponent, he favours tax cuts for homeowners, as well as improving the state's transportation infrastructure and education system. Perhaps predictably, Mr Kilgore also touts his Christian faith and values. He faces token opposition in the Republican primary. H. Russell Potts, a state senator, is also running as “an independent Republican”. As for Mr Warner, he is increasingly touted as a contender for the White House in 2008.

More road?

Officials from Virginia's transportation department have recommended adding a lane to a highway running into the District through Virginia's crowded suburbs. Congestion typically occurs in both directions on Interstate-66 inside the Beltway, especially in the stretch between Scott Street and the Dulles Toll Road, as Virginians head into DC and Washingtonians commute to jobs in the Dulles Corridor.

But debate over this highway has raged for years. I-66 was initially supposed to be eight lanes wide, but protests cut that number in half. Opponents argue that the new lane would worsen pollution without significantly easing congestion. The expansion is expected to cost between $112m and $233m. Additional recommended fixes, which could cost between $2m and $45m, include improving road signs and widening the shoulder.

Catch if you can

May 2005

“Ten Unknowns”

Until April 24th 2005

Malcolm Raphelson (Timmy Ray James), the lead in Jon Robin Baitz's character-driven play, is a painter whose decades of self-imposed exile in Mexico have left him bitter, weathered and perpetually sozzled. Trevor Fabricant (Nigel Reed), an ambitious art-dealer, lures him back to the United States and provides him with a brash, drug-addled young assistant (Evan Casey). A young female biologist (Sarah Douglas) plays straight man, so to speak, to the other three, drawing out their quirks and antagonisms. Their discussions dwell on the nature of art and the vagaries of taste, with plenty of potshots at late 20th-century American culture. All four actors bring real grit to their characters' struggles with bitterness, needs and ambitions. Knowledge of contemporary art is helpful, but not essential.

The Signature Theatre, 3806 S. Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington, Virginia. Tel: +1 (703) 218-6500. Showtimes: Tues & Wed, 7.30pm; Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Tickets: $25-$39. See the theatre's website.

For tickets and full list of showtimes, visit this website.

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