The DMV Beltway Express News Blast. A recap of stuff that matters.

Is the drinking water in DC clean enough for pregnant women to drink, or can lead in it lead to a higher incidence of miscarriage? This Washington Post article addresses the issue.http://m.washingtonpost.com/politics/increase-in-miscarriages-coincided-with-high-levels-of-lead-in-dc-water-study-finds/2013/12/09/22b4fe72-60f9-11e3-8beb-3f9a9942850f_story.html Whether you are pregnant or not, does questionable water quality scare you enough to buy drinking water, if you are not lugging jugs already?

Tommy Wells, a D.C. Council member, is running for D.C. Mayor. Is spending a week living on minimum wage enough to give him a taste of what it is like to live on little in an expensive city? You decide. http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/mike-debonis/wp/2013/12/10/tommy-wells-plans-to-spend-a-week-living-on-minimum-wage/?wprss=rss_local&clsrd
A video clip of his first day's adventure is available via http://www.tommywells.org/newsroom. The challenge is scheduled to end on December 17th. If you are a Twitter fan, use #LivingTheWage and follow @TommyWells2014 to stay informed about this challenge. Thus far, Wells made a stop to the nonprofit organization, Bread for the City. While there, he was advised about housing costs, and the importance of raising the minimum wage. He biked there while tabulating his costs, too. Some observers following his journey may feel that living lean temporarily is a publicity stunt. Others are being converted to Team Tommy Wells. Like it or not, the mayoral candidate is managing to engage social media users who may normally consider an election of this nature to be a typical contest of empty promises. Mayor Vincent C. Gray is running again, too. Stay tuned into the battle of wits. Thanks to Wells, this race just got interesting. Pretty clever.

The Tanger Outlets opened at The National Harbor, located in Prince George's County. http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/20223747/outlet-stores-break-ground-at-national-harbor?clienttype=printable#axzz2nRtSznbB More retail jobs were brought to the county. In this article, The Washington Post raises some pertinent questions, despite the number of residents who have bachelors degrees, and the median income in the county. http://m.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/tanger-outlets-opens-at-national-harbor-but-job-woes-remain-for-prince-georges-county/2013/11/22/2fdf96f4-5391-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html. Many churches in Prince George's County are working hard to keep food banks open. Some people in those lines are degreed residents, and others are struggling to survive like those who are the subject of the Tommy Wells D.C. social experiment. A casino is coming, too. Foreclosure woes are looming in the background. What is County Executive Rushern Baker's plan for the less affluent, and for those who are not sitting at the land development deal negotiating table? His son--an educator and artist--has thrown his hat in the ring to land a job as a delegate.http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-10-02/local/42599696_1_county-executive-rushern-baker-gaines Time will reveal if Rushern L. Baker III's platform is as powerful as his name.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's news of Baltimore being the most giving city in America was a hot topic in her Twitter mentions. http://whatweekly.com/2013/11/27/bmoregivesmore/ $5.5 million was raised on #Giving Tuesday. Despite Baltimore's ongoing challenges, achieving this sort of feat through social media speaks to the goodness of a number of Baltimoreans.

President Obama's funeral selfie sparked debate about funeral etiquette. As you probably heard, the photographer who snapped the infamous photo explained that the image was misinterpreted. http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/12/12/selfie-photo-by-president-obama-at-mandela-memorial-was-misinterpreted/ As of this morning, the AP's big story may turn out to be about the allegedly bogus sign language interpreter. Was the attendee's presence a potential security breach? Why may surprise you. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/s-africa-apologizes-fake-signer-vows-reforms

 After Flotus and Potus settled back into Washington, health care coverage remained to be a key issue that is still relevant to Americans in need of health coverage. Despite a problematic roll out, the deadline to get covered is near. The breakdown is mentioned in this article. http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/12/12/obamacares-deadlines-are-changing-again/ According to https://www.healthcare.gov/, enrollment by December 23 would start coverage as soon as Jan. 1. Despite the bumpy ride, hopefully the majority who believe in the premise that all Americans should be insured, can in fact be insured promptly, if help is currently needed. Let's stay focused.

And while we're on the topic of social issues, Governor Martin O' Malley  tweeted a link to follow Maryland's progress to stamp out child hunger by 2015. https://data.maryland.gov/goals/childhood-hunger Can we help more Marylanders who are out of work, or in need of better employment, to improve their income? Incorporating this pertinent need into an infographic would impress me far more than tracking programs that may not be representative of long term solutions.

I thought ignorance of the law is no excuse. However, the almightly dollar helped to tweak that rule. What's your take on 'affluenza?' Anderson Cooper had a mouthful to say about the teenager who skipped jail time, although the privaledged youth killed four people during a drunk driving accident. Arturo Garcia provided a recap that nicely integrated complexities of this unfortunate incident. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/12/anderson-cooper-hammers-psychologist-who-diagnosed-lethal-drunk-driver-with-affluenza


Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend in D.C., M.D.and V.A.!