Bethany Blankley
Common Core ties to Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill Redefines Dining With Enhanced Service Concept
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Lauded as a Top 10 Breakout Brand, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill provides the full spectrum dining experience – bold flavor, an inviting, warm ambiance and top-notch service. As the polished casual restaurant continues to evolve, it is now focusing on an enhanced service concept with the launch of its “Warm Hospitality” program and partnership with talentReef (formerly named JobApp).
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150407/197136
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150407/197137LOGO
The “Warm Hospitality” program is based on the premise that no detail is too small. Firebirds is focusing on a team approach where everyone works closely together to provide the best service, resulting in a stronger staff dynamic and impeccable guest care.
Major program objectives include talented, driven team members who greet guests in a timely manner, customize selections to individual preferences, visually ‘perfect the plate’ with just the right amount of garnishes, fresh herbs and bold spices, and deliver it promptly. In addition, each team member undergoes an extensive training program that provides the wealth of expertise in food and wine that even chefs learn in culinary school. The program also educates staff on Firebirds’ partnership with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, and how they can support the fight against childhood cancer.
“This concept has many functions that go far beyond traditional, friendly service,” said CEO Mark Eason of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill. “Ultimately, no matter how delicious the meal, if the service is not of the highest standard, then we have failed. Our goal is to always over-deliver.”
To continue identifying the best team at all 36 locations, Firebirds has partnered with talentReef, the leading cloud-based recruiting and talent management software for its workforce. The program aids in training and managing by conducting in-depth assessments to determine the most appropriate job function for the applicant. This underscores Firebirds’ beliefs that the best service starts with those who are passionate about what they do.
To become part of the Firebirds Warm Hospitality team, please visit www.firebirdsrestaurants.com.
*Nation’s Restaurant News
About Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
Charlotte, NC-based Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is a collection of 36 polished casual restaurants known for classic American, wood fired grilled entrees. Open for lunch and dinner, Firebirds features a large variety of bold selections prepared in-house, including hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood, chicken and ribs — all seared over local hickory, oak or pecan wood. Since 2000, loyal guests have enjoyed signature menu items at moderate prices, such as Firebirds’ Slow Roasted Prime Rib, Chile Rubbed Delmonico, Wood Grilled Salmon and more. The award-winning FIREBAR® boasts private Firebirds label wines and specialty seasonal cocktails, including its signature Double Black Diamond Martini®. The combination of Firebirds’ warm ambiance, personable service and delicious flavor provides the full spectrum dining experience guaranteed to Spark Something™.
For more information or to find a location near you, please visit firebirdsrestaurants.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @FirebirdsGrill.
Contact:
Krista Beres
Rountree Group
770-645-4545
Email
SOURCE Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
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Tagged with: Charlotte
Would Che Guevara oppose warmer US-Cuba relations?
The Cuban government is strengthening ties with the West, after decades of Cold War tension
Ahead of what would be an historic meeting between Cuba’s President Castro and American President Obama at the Summit of the Americas in Panama, some critics ask whether warmer US-relations are a betrayal of the island’s revolutionary past.
More than 50 years ago, Che Guevara became a global icon after he fought alongside Fidel and Raul Castro to overthrow a United States-backed government and put into practice their socialist ideals.
Now Raul Castro has made a deal with the US and the lifting of the long-standing economic embargo of Cuba is a realistic prospect.
Four expert witnesses offer their insights to the the BBC World Service’s The Inquiry about what Che Guevara might make of these changes .
Lucia Alvarez de Toledo: Che felt ‘total detestation’ for US
Lucia Alvarez de Toledo is a biographer of Che Guevara.
Lucia de Toledo says Che Guevara had a “total detestation” for what he saw as US Imperialism
“Che is the soul of Cuba. He is the spirit of a nation, it’s incredible, he’s everywhere.
“He articulated what I thought. I was surrounded by all these horrible Americans, and we were like a colony, for God’s sake.
“And then suddenly we produced this man who looks like us, talks like us and thinks for us, of course we love him.
“He had an absolute phobia against imperialism. The Americans owned all the banana trade. If you owned the banana company and your workers are working terribly long hours, they’re not allowed to be unionised and their children are dying of malnutrition, how do you lay that at America’s feet? Very easily.
“He felt total detestation [for America], because he saw how a continent that need not be poor was very poor.
“When the revolution triumphed, anybody who had been involved with the Americans quickly exited.
“There’s a famous story of the Coca Cola plant: it shut down of course, and he said: ‘Now you have to start it again, because you need the employment,’ and they said ‘Well, the formula’s gone with them. He said: ‘Well, try mixtures and things until you find the Coca Cola formula, and we can make Cuba Cola’. Every day somebody would bring him a sample, and he would always say ‘cat’s piss, go and try again’.
“[Today] Che would say that the Cuban revolution is so firmly entrenched that nobody can take that away from them, nobody can take their National Health Service, nobody can take their education. I feel very good about it because the revolution is solid.
“He would say: ‘About time, they’ve woken up, they’ve realised the error of their ways.’ Because it’s the Americans who have realised that their behaviour didn’t yield them anything, and they’re now going to change.”
Professor Louis Perez: US wants the Cuban people to be agents of change
Professor Louis Perez is director of Latin American studies at the University of North Carolina.
Professor Perez says the US wants to wean Cubans off dependence on their government
“There was this historically-determined and culturally-conditioned belief in the United States that Cuba’s destiny belongs to them. It was a place that developed during prohibition as one where one could drink freely, gamble. Basically Cuba was a tropical island that was there to serve American pleasure.
“The revolution’s claim to moral legitimacy and political power was precisely its ability to make good on the claim of national sovereignty and self determination.
“In a period of 24 months, the new leadership of Cuba turned the purpose of the Cuban government into the service of Cuban interests: Cuba for Cubans.
“The overthrow of the Cuban government was the overriding purpose of US policy between 1960 and December 2014. That is, to produce economic hardship, to make life as difficult as possible for the Cuban people, in the hope that they would rise up in despair, overthrow the government and thereby provide the United States with the outcome it desired.
“The new approach seeks to empower the Cuban people, to wean them off dependence on the Cuban government so that they can serve as an internal agent for political change.
“Cuba would be overrun with American capital, American tourists and American-manufactured goods. Now what remains to be seen is the relationship the Cuban people have with that new social-economic environment.
“To get a sense of Che’s response, take a look at the letter that Fidel Castro wrote [published in Cuba’s state newspaper in January] in which he grudgingly supports the transition. He recognises something of an inevitable need for reconciliation with the US, but continues to be very, very wary.”
Professor Carmelo Mesa-Lago: Che Guevara simply a ‘myth of the past’
Carmelo Mesa-Lago is professor of economics at the University of Pittsburgh.
Professor Mesa-Lago argues the Cuban people want the freedoms promised by these reforms
“It was said that 98% of Cubans were in favour of the revolution. But eventually, gradually, many became disenchanted, and either left, or stayed and tried to oppose the regime, without success.
“When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba went into a very severe economic crisis, the worst since the Great Depression. Fidel didn’t have another alternative, so had to introduce reforms: he legalised the circulation of the dollar and significantly expanded foreign tourism.
“They allowed self-employment, and an agricultural free market. All this had positive effects on the economy. Fidel never liked the market-oriented reforms, he simply didn’t have another alternative.
“Cuba is privatising. They announced in 2010 that they had to dismiss 1.8m workers in the state sector. That’s about 36% of the labour force.
“Now it is possible to buy or sell a house, and Cubans can have a second house in the countryside, or at the beach. The state maintains ownership of the land, but gives ten-year contracts to farmers and they can invest in the land. That Che would object to.
“Raul realised a long time ago that the system couldn’t continue, but Fidel was in charge, and he couldn’t go against Fidel. When he took over, gradually he began to implement the reforms.
“Che Guevara was an idealist, and he may say that Raul is betraying the revolution.
“[But] in Cuba no one is thinking about what Che Guevara may think. People simply don’t want dreams. They have been supporting this system for 54 years. And they want to buy things, travel, buy a house.
“You can see portraits of Che Guevara everywhere across Latin America. Of course there is a big portrait of Che Guevara about ten stories high in the Plaza de La Revolucion, where Fidel used to address the people. But it’s like a joke. This is simply a myth of the past.”
Rafael Hernandez: Reforms ‘in the spirit of Che’
Rafael Hernandez is chief editor of Temas, a state-funded political magazine in Havana.
“Che Guevara’s views are misunderstood. We wanted not to impose the Soviet socialist model but to create a new different kind of socialist system and in that socialist system there was a legitimate presence of the private sector.
“Only in 1968 did the Cuban Revolution nationalise their remaining small business in Cuba. In other words, the Cuban Revolution lived with the private sector for nine years.
“The Cuban Revolution in 1968 had a drive towards a more radical ideological movement. In those years the question of moving towards a Communist society became part of the Cuban agenda in terms of ‘we have to build socialism and communism at the same time.’ That idea became predominant and made Cuba eliminate the 60,000 private businesses that remained there.
“Raul Castro is promoting a more decentralised system, and I think this is in the spirit of what Che Guevara wanted: to have a public sector that could be more efficient.
“[In a meeting with the US in 1961] Che Guevara was basically saying we won’t make any changes in our system, but we are ready to discuss everything else. In the middle of the Cold War, the message Che Guevara was delivering to the Kennedy administration was ‘we want peace, we want dialogue and we want to negotiate.’
“If socialism can only survive within a glass urn that then it is impossible to sustain. This morning, I was attending a panel with a crowd of youngsters and there were people there quoting Che Guevara, using him to talk about our problems. That means that his thinking is alive.”
The Inquiry is broadcast on the BBC World Service on Tuesdays from 13:05 GMT. Listen online or download the podcast.
Tagged with: North Carolina
Allegiant Air eyes more growth in South Florida
Allegiant Air will add its ninth route from Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, part of a broader attempt to increase profits with service to underserved cities.
The new nonstop to Indianapolis will be one of five new routes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport this year. By the end of May, the Las Vegas- based carrier will serve 11 markets from Fort Lauderdale after launching flights to Concord, N.C., and Memphis, Tenn., that month.
Flights were added to Columbus, Ohio, on March 13 and Syracuse, N.Y., on Feb. 13.
lRelated
TourismAllegiant to start Fort Lauderdale-to-Indy flights April 8See all related
The new routes will push Allegiant back in line with the 12 routes it debuted in November 2007, when it first began service from Fort Lauderdale.
Since then, Allegiant has shed underperforming routes and added more promising ones in an attempt to connect travelers from small, underserved U.S. cities with popular leisure destinations.
“That’s not uncommon throughout our system. Some [routes] work out great, while others are not as viable,” Allegiant spokeswoman Jessica Wheeler said.
Steve Belleme, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood’s business development manager, called the five new routes “a pretty hefty expansion in terms of seat capacity.”
The new flights are operating with larger 177-seat Airbus A320 aircraft, he noted.
“It opens up a lot of travel opportunities for people to visit South Florida,” he said. “Anytime you can increase passenger traffic domestically it’s a win.”
In 2014, Allegiant carried 231,408 passengers through the Fort Lauderdale airport, compared with 222,272 in 2008, airport records show.
The airline’s network choices and low-fare business model have helped Allegiant become one of the most profitable U.S. airlines.
Allegiant charges low base fares while giving passengers the option to pay for checked baggage, seat assignments and priority boarding.
In December, parent organization Allegiant Travel Co., which trades shares on the NASDAQ stock exchange, achieved its 48th consecutive quarter of profitability — while keeping Allegiant’s average one-way fare under $100.
All of Allegiant’s routes from Fort Lauderdale “are resonating with travelers” and many are “seeing strong demand,” Wheeler said. Among its most popular routes are Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Syracuse, N.Y. (which attract interest from Canadians), and Asheville, N.C., and Lexington, KY.
Allegiant also serves Asheville from Palm Beach International Airport.
More routes could be coming.
“Allegiant is going to continue evaluating new ways to grow in Florida, including in the South Florida market,” Wheeler said. “We’re growing in a lot of Florida markets.”
The airline’s success isn’t without difficulties.
Just Thursday, Allegiant’s unionized pilots threatened to strike over dissatisfaction with the progress of supervised contract negotiations.
The carrier managed to get a temporary restraining order against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1224, the pilots’ union, to stop the strike, which could have affected thousands of travelers during the Easter holiday weekend.
On Friday, Allegiant will return to court for a hearing over extending the injunction while the parties are in contract negotiations.
“We’re optimistic that we’ll also be able to get the injunction extended,” Wheeler said.
Contract negotiations with pilots, which are supervised by the National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., are set to resume at the end of April, she said.
asatchell@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4209 or Twitter@TheSatchreport
Copyright © 2015, Sun Sentinel
Tagged with: Asheville
North Carolina Legislative Report
The General Assembly convened for the 2015 legislative session on January 14. Lawmakers returned to Raleigh on January 28 to begin the session in earnest. The MVA Public Affairs Legislative Report on North Carolina will be distributed on a weekly basis to keep you up to date on the latest legislative issues facing the state.
This week, the Governor signed S 20, IRC Update/Motor Fuel Tax Changes, into law.
On The Floor
The week, the Senate passed S 52, Cities/Means For Activating Parking Meters; S 71, Stagger RRC Member Terms; S 199, Funds Deposited with Clerk of Court; S 247, Raleigh/Donate Services Animals to Officers; S 248, Town of Cary/Release Unneeded Easements; S 252, Wake County Local Board of Equalization/Review; S 258, Party Exec. Comm./Fill Vacancy/Washington Cty; S 372, Renewable Energy Safe Harbor; S 379, Cemeteries Located on State Property; S 43, CDLs for Veterans Revisions; S 46, Jacksonville Occupancy Tax; S 90, Required Number of Operating Brake Lights; S 116, Handicapped Parking Windshield Placard; S 188, Adjust Cap on Turnpike Projects; S 279, Amend Qualifications/Practice of Counseling; S 315, School Playgrounds Available to Public; and S 359, Promote NC-Thinks.
The Senate also adopted the conference report for S 20, IRC Update/Motor Fuel Tax Changes; and H 41, Rev Laws Tech Changes.
The House passed H 156, Legal Notices/Require Internet Publication; H 199 Raleigh/Donate Services Animals to Officers; H 204, Caswell Beach/Quick Take Eminent Domain; H 243, Local Mod: Economic Development Commissions; H 244, Community Corr./Interstate Compact/Fund.-AB; H 263, City of Trinity Terms of Election; H 293, Adoption Law Changes; H 297, DHHS Child Support Recommendations; H 39, Labor/Up Amusement Device Penalties; H 70, Charlotte Firefighters’ Retirement; H 106, Amend Banking Commission Membership; H 110 Cherokee/Rutherford Bds. Of Ed. Elections; H 111, Stanly Co. Bd. Of Ed. Recall; H 112, Standly Co Bd of Ed Elections Method; H 189, Rockingham Co. School Bd; H 232, Study/Update Bicycle Safety Laws; H 274, Retirement Technical Corrections Acto of 2015; H 279, Wake Cty Local Board of Equalization/Review; H 358, School Performance Grade Scale; H 388, Dare County Local Option Sales Tax; H 95, Tribal Alcoholic Beverage Control; H 140, Lineman Appreciation Day in NC; H 174, Landlord/Tenant-Foreclosure and Evict. Changes; H 185, Repeal DCR’s Obsolete Comms and Language; H 188, Trustee Appointments/Isothermal Comm. Colleges; H 236, Certain Counties/Purchasing Exemption; H 254, Protect National Guard Reemployment Rights; H 273, Clarify Cond. Discharge Law/No DWI Expunge; H 283, Supreme Court Sessions in Morganton; H 284, CivPro/Civil Contempt/No Fines; H 291, Haz. Materials in Safe Deposit Box; H 308, Clarify Reasonable Health Insur./Child Support; H 312, Certain Counties Sheriff/Food Purchases; H 313 Promotion Grievances/City of Statesville; H 345, Currituck County/Remove Abandoned Vessels; H 364, Clarify Laws on Exec. Orders and Appointments; S 78, Off-Duty Correctional Officers/Conceal Carry; S 181, Wake County Commissioner Districts; S 305, NCEMPA Asset Sale; H 184, Change DCR Process for Unclaimed Property; H 195, Allow Substitution of Biosimilars; H 215, Procedure for Waiver of Jury Trial; and H 298, Amend Uniform Interstate Family Support Act.
The House also adopted the conference report for S 20, IRC Update/Motor Fuel Tax Changes; and H 41, IRC Update/Rev Laws Tech Changes.
Committees
Joint Appropriations Subcommittee Meetings
The House and Senate continued with joint appropriations meetings as they work towards putting together a budget for this year. Individual subcommittees met this week and reviewed specific budget areas such as Transportation, Health and Human Services, Education, Public Safety, General Government and Information Technology. These committees took this time to review the current budget and identify key priorities for the upcoming year.
House Regulatory Reform Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 31, and approved two bills. H 255, Building Code Reg. Reform, seeks to reform building code enforcement to promote economic growth by conforming work in progress inspection authority to recently enacted inspection limitations as well as a host of other building code reform measures. H 282, Streamline Seized Vehicle Disposal, would authorize the Department of Administration to tow, store, process, maintain and sell motor vehicles seized pursuant to G.S. 20-28.3. It also would expand the authority to sell vehicles seized pursuant to G.S. 20-28.3 through an expedited sale.
House Finance Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 31, and quickly approved two bills. H 388, Dare County Local Option Sales Tax, would allow Dare County to levy an additional local sales and use tax at a rate of 0.25% without first obtaining approval in a referendum. Currently, the County has the authority to levy the tax, but the increase must first be approved by voters. If the County levies the tax without a referendum, the proceeds of the tax may be used only for dredging purposes. The change was intended to give the County an additional source of funding to pay for dredging necessary to reopen Oregon Inlet. S 305, NCEMPA Asset Sale, would facilitate the sale of electricity generating facility owned by the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency by providing for cost recovery for a utility for acquisition of ownership interests in the facilities, to authorize municipalities to enter into support contracts and to issue bonds to pay the remaining costs of the projects that are sold.
House Education K-12 Committee
The Committee met Tuesday, March 31, to discuss H 358, School Performance Grade Scale. The bill aims to address the issue of extending the current 15-point grading scale, which was set to tighten to a 10-point scale this year. The measure allows the grade point scale to be consistent for three years through 2016-17 school year. The bill was given a favorable report and sent to the House floor for debate.
House Transportation Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 31 to address two bills. H 86, Utility Line Relocation/School Board requires the Department of Transportation to pay the nonbetterment cost of relocating water and sewer lines owned by local boards of education. H 86 received a favorable report and was referred to the House Appropriations Committee. H 232, Study/Update Bicycle Safety Laws, directs the Department of Transportation to study bicycle safety laws and recommend revisions to ensure the safety of bicyclists and motorists. H 232 received a favorable report in Committee before getting approval on the House floor and heading to the Senate.
House Public Utilities Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, April 1, and approved three bills. H 332, Natural Gas Econ. Dev. Infrastructure, seeks to provide recovery of capital-related costs incurred by a natural gas utility for construction of natural gas infrastructure for a large manufacturing employer. H 351, Clarify Utility Rates, seeks to clarify that tax changes enacted in L.S. 2013-316 must be reflected in utility rates. H 356, NCUC Reg. Fee Changes, seeks to clarify the cap on the Utilities Regulatory Fee Reserve, to set the regulatory fee in statue and to allow the Commission to raise or lower the fee.
House Health Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, April 1, and approved H 195, Allow Substitution of Biosimilars. The bill would amend the North Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act to allow for the substitution of an interchangeable biological product for a prescribed biological product. In addition, the bill would require the pharmacist or his or her designee to communicate to the prescriber the product name and manufacturer of the specific biological product dispensed to the patient within a reasonable time following the dispensing of a biological product.
House Rules Committee
The Committee met on Thursday, April 2, to make changes to the Chamber’s permanent rules. The changes included extending the filing deadline to April 14, increasing the limit on the number of bills members can file to 15 and allowing certain cell phone use on the floor. A trio of amendments from Rep. Blust failed to pass that would have required unrelated provisions in bills to split and voted separately, kept policy out of the budget and prohibited provisions in conference reports that were not included in either of the original bills.
Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee
The Committee approved one bill on Wednesday, April 1. S 160, Enhance Safety and Commerce for Ports/Inlets, would provide for the dredging and maintenance of the State’s waterways in order to enhance safety and commerce.
Senate Education/Higher Education Committee
The Committee approved three bills on Wednesday, April 1. S 279, Amend Qualifications/Practice of Counseling, would amend the Professional Counselors Act to modify educational qualifications for the practice of counseling. S 298, School Bus Cameras/Civil Penalties, would authorize the use of photographic or video evidence for the civil enforcement of violations for passing a stopped school bus. S 315, School Playgrounds Available to Public, would authorize local boards of education to make outdoor school property available to the public for recreational purposes.
Senate Finance Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, April 1, and quickly approved S 46, Jacksonville Occupancy Tax. S 46 would modify the use of occupancy tax proceeds for the City of Jacksonville. The City would still be required to use all of the proceeds for tourism-related expenditures and to promote travel and tourism within the City, but specific percentages would be changed.
Senate Transportation Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, April 1, to take up five bills. S 43, CDLs for Veterans Revisions, extends the period immediately preceding the date of application from 90 days to one year in which a veteran seeking a waiver of the commercial skills test must have regularly employed and provides a veteran with an additional method for satisfying the requirement. S 43 received a favorable report in Committee and given approval by the full Senate.
S 90, Required Number of Operating Brake Lights, clarifies that vehicles must have at least one working brake light on each side of the vehicles. The bill was given a favorable report in Committee and passed on the Senate floor.
S 116, Handicapped Parking Windshield Placard, provides handicapped vehicle owners who qualify for distinguishing plates with a removable windshield placard. S 116 received a favorable report in Committee and passed on the Senate floor.
S 188, Adjust Cap on Turnpike Projects, removes the cap on the number of projects the Turnpike Authority may study, plan, develop and undertake design work. It increases the number of projects the Authority may design, establish, purchase, construct, operate and maintain. S 188 also includes a provision allowing various segments of the Triangle Expressway to constitute one project. The bill was given a favorable report and passed on the Senate floor.
S 349, Restore Driving Privileges/Competency, directs the DMV to restore the license of a person adjudicated to be restored to competency. S 349 received a favorable report and was referred the Judiciary I.
In The News
Raleigh News Observer: Legislators float other plans for distributing sales tax money
Associated Press: With gas, utility bills out of way, NC legislators take off
WRAL: Proposal to move parks oversight met with skepticism
Raleigh News Observer: McCrory signs bill aimed at lowering towns’ electric bills
Raleigh News Observer: Burr plans fight against … (insert name here)
Calendar
Tagged with: Raleigh
Power station problem in Maryland causes outages across DC
WASHINGTON (AP) – Problems at a Maryland electrical station caused widespread power outages across the nation’s capital Tuesday, affecting the White House, the Capitol, museums, train stations and other sites.
Many of the outages were brief, but some were longer and forced evacuations. Officials said a mechanical failure at a transfer station led to the outages, and terrorism was not suspected. Tens of thousands of customers lost power.
At the White House, the interruption last only a few seconds before backup generators kicked on. The complex quickly went back onto regular power. Electricity in the press briefing room dipped around lunchtime, briefly darkening cubicles and blackening TV screens.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he was with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office when the power blip occurred, and they didn’t notice anything unusual.
Power also went out at the State Department during the daily press briefing, forcing spokeswoman Marie Harf to finish her comments in the dark.
Power in the U.S. Capitol building twice shut down briefly, and then came back on by way of a generator.
The mechanical failure occurred shortly before 1 p.m. at a transfer station some 35 miles southeast of Washington in Charles County, Maryland, that is controlled by utilities serving Washington and southern Maryland. Homeland security officials in Washington and Maryland said there was an explosion at the station, although the two utilities, Pepco and the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, could not immediately confirm that there was a blast or fire. No one was injured, the utilities said.
Some effects of the outages were still apparent later Tuesday afternoon. Some traffic lights were out, and Metro said 14 of its 91 public transit stations were affected. Power to the trains remained on and trains were moving, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said, but the affected stations were on emergency power, with dimmer lighting and nonworking elevators and escalators.
Some Smithsonian museums also lost power, were evacuated and closed to the public, including the popular National Air and Space Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, a spokeswoman said.
Thousands of tourists spilled from the museums onto the National Mall. It’s a busy time of year for tourism as spring brings both better weather and the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which draws thousands to look at the pink-budded trees.
Bill, 62, and Karen, 56, Smith, a retired couple visiting D.C. for a week from Canterbury, Connecticut, were in the National Air and Space Museum when the outage happened.
“We were looking for moon rocks and the lights showing the moon rocks went out,” Bill Smith said. “Then the lights flickered and an announcement came over saying everyone needed to evacuate. They didn’t say why.”
He said no one panicked or even seemed irritated, though the crowd speculated about what happened.
Jenni Swan, who was visiting from Savannah, Georgia, with her husband and two children, said they were eating in the museum’s atrium when security officers said the building was being evacuated.
“Honestly I think my kids are excited because of all the fire trucks and people leaving the building quickly,” she said.
___
Associated Press writers Jessica Gresko, Brett Zongker, Amanda Lee Myers and Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.
Tagged with: Charlotte
‘Humans of St. Louis’ Facebook page helps make connections
ST. LOUIS, Missouri — Great things can happen simply by being recognized as human.
“She just walked up, and said, ‘hey, can I talk to you for a second?'” Monique Reese said of her initial meeting with Lindy Drew. “And it just went from there.”
Drew, 36, is one of the founders of Humans of St. Louis, a Facebook page that features portraits of people in and around St. Louis and snippets of wisdom or stories gleaned from interviews of them. The site is based on the popular Humans of New York, run by photographer Brandon Stanton, which has spawned a book and has recently raised more than $1.4 million for a Brooklyn middle school.
The Humans of St. Louis site recently featured Reese and her husband, Marion. Drew photographed them after walking down Wabada Avenue in north St. Louis and seeing them in front of a dilapidated home.
“I found it on Craigslist,” Monique Reese explained, as posted on the site. “Bought it a week and half ago. It’s hideous. It was only a $6,000 house, and it needs a lot of work. It was even raining inside. But it was affordable. And who wouldn’t want to own a house and not pay rent? My husband said, ‘It’s our dream home.'”
That post sparked a huge response, and now volunteers have stepped forward to offer supplies, help and labor to renovate the house, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
This is the first big “hands-on” project that has grown out of Humans of St. Louis since Drew teamed up last spring with Caroline Fish to launch the page.
Fish, 26, then a student at Washington University’s George Brown School of Social Work, was a fan of Humans of New York. She’d expressed interest in creating such a site for St. Louis to a friend but lamented she didn’t know any photographers. That friend introduced her to Drew, also a student at the school, who had a photography and journalism background. Drew is originally from Arizona and Fish from North Carolina. They had grown to love St. Louis during their time at the university.
“Once you get to know (St. Louis), the little coffee shops, or you take the MetroLink, you see this really amazing city that has all this life and all this story and all this history,” said Fish. “And it’s not really visible to people who come for just the day. I kind of wanted to put a face on the city.”
Fish moved back to New York over the summer after graduation, but she helps maintain the site by monitoring reader comments, editing interviews and constantly talking and texting with Drew.
Drew often drives to different neighborhoods in St. Louis, taking her bike out of her car to ride around and find people to interview. She figures if somebody is outside, she can approach them. Sometimes friends come along to help conduct interviews. Standard questions include: “What was your most embarrassing moment?” ”What’s your greatest struggle?” ”How do you know you’re in love?”
One of her favorite entries came after she went up to a woman smoking in a hospital gown outside Barnes Jewish Hospital. “What’s your biggest piece of advice for the largest group of people?” Drew asked.
“Don’t smoke,” the woman responded.
Early last summer, she found a young couple with their young child in the Grove neighborhood and photographed them in front of a mural with the Gateway Arch and the words “bridge of hope.” The woman was white and the man black, and their child was pictured in the center between them. Drew and Fish held onto the photo, waiting for the perfect time to post it. They did on Aug. 11, during the unrest after the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson. The photo caption said, “For all neighborhoods. Today. Every day.”
Fish loved the picture. “We didn’t need to say more,” she said.
The post sparked a big reaction and discussion, providing St. Louisans a human connection at a time when some of them felt particularly fragile. Drew loves to help facilitate that.
“I always say half the process is putting the picture up,” she explained. “But the other half is people commenting and reacting. We put it out there and we let that happen and watch that unfold. Our hope is that some of those biases get broken down.”
The most recent big outpouring came after Jan. 31, when Humans of St. Louis carried the picture of the Reeses on their front stoop. Readers asked if they needed help and supplies.
Chris Ferrara, 47, of St. Louis, who has volunteered during cleanup efforts after tornadoes in Joplin and Alabama, stepped forward to coordinate help for the Reeses.
“It’s not a tornado, but I think we’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do,” in St. Louis, he said. “I just think there’s a lot of people out there who really care about their city and really want to do something.”
Volunteers who want to help can look for times and dates on a separate Facebook site called “Reese Family Renovation.”
Marion Reese, 47, is from Atlanta and says people are friendlier in the South, and the outpouring of help he and his wife have gotten has helped change his view of St. Louis.
“It just takes reaching out sometimes,” he said.
Monique Reese, 43, had a rough upbringing in north St. Louis and relied on neighbors to look out for her. When she drove a school bus, she brought baby wipes and a comb to help clean up children before they walked into school. As a St. Louis Metro bus driver, she says she buys extra chicken sandwiches during her daily Burger King runs and gives them to people, and lets homeless people ride her bus as long as they want to get out of the cold.
She understands the value of helping others.
“It makes me think of when people say, ‘you’ll get your blessings,’ because I do a lot of good for people,” she said. “I’m getting my blessings.”
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China to keep track of its tourists’ unruly behavior abroad
BEIJING (AP) – China says it will try to convince its citizens to behave themselves while traveling abroad by requiring authorities back home to keep records of people doing anything illegal or inappropriate while in other countries.
Provincial and national authorities will contact tourists when they return home and work with them on fixing their conduct, the China National Tourism Administration said on its website Monday. Police, customs officers, border control and even bank credit agencies should be contacted if necessary, it said.
Chinese tourists have made headlines recently with their disruptive behavior while traveling inside and outside the country. Several have opened the cabin doors of planes to protest flight delays. The official China Daily newspaper noted the arrests of three Chinese tourists over the weekend for taking lewd photos while vacationing in Japan.
Higher incomes have allowed millions of Chinese to start taking vacations outside their country in recent years.
The administration said Tuesday in a separate post that “tourism reflects on the country and the people’s image,” which means that more “social supervision” of tourists is required.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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China to keep track of its tourists’ unruly behavior abroad
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