A Question of Substance

Submitted by Evelyn Laurence, WUSA Community Blogger

Friday, April 8th, 2016, 12:38pm

MICHELLE XU

Usually it’s the Supreme Court justices who get to ask the tough questions. But every so often, prominent public figures come to Georgetown, and undergraduates glean the rare opportunity to ask questions in return.

Last Wednesday, those who attended Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s lecture received an index card where they could write one question for Sotomayor to answer during the standard post-lecture question-and-answer session — a Gaston Hall standard that usually fosters a candid discussion and enriches university programming. In Wednesday’s case, however, the questions were screened and posed by a university official, rather than the student or event attendee who originally wanted an answer.

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Submitted by WUSA9 Web Staff

Monday, November 16th, 2015, 9:17pm

WASHINGTON (AP) - Georgetown University has announced it will rename two buildings that had been named for school presidents who organized the sale of slaves to help pay off campus debt in the 1830s.

The Washington Post reports university President John J. DeGioia sent an email to the Georgetown community Saturday evening saying he was changing the names based on a recommendation from his Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation.

Mulledy Hall is a dormitory named for President Thomas F. Mulledy, who authorized the sale of 272 slaves to a Louisiana plantation owner in 1838. It will be called Freedom Hall until a permanent name is chosen.

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Submitted by WUSA9 Web Staff

Wednesday, October 14th, 2015, 5:27pm

GEORGETOWN, DC (WUSA9) -- Many Georgetown retailers are using a messaging app to combat shoplifting, but some critics say the messages are another form of racial profiling.

The app the shopkeepers use is called "GroupMe", a real-time group messaging application that people all over the country use to communicate. The retailers are using it to let other retailers know about suspicious activity or shoplifting.

But many posts are about African American people, commonly abbreviated as "AA" whom retailers allege shoplifting or suspicious activity.

Keisha Greene manages Sports Zone, and yesterday they put a lookout on an African American man. He didn't steal anything.

"He's one of the guys who look suspicious and checking out what we have," Greene said. "They'll probably come in the next time and steal it."

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Submitted by Cher Murphy, President of Cher Murphy PR

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015, 8:51am

Pack Light, Pack Right While Traveling by Air This Fall

Fall is a time when millions of people around the country begin to make their travel plans. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the busiest travel times of the year are just around the corner, which include Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. There are some great reasons why packing light will help make your trip easier and more enjoyable. And the good news is that it’s not difficult to do, either.

“If you want to pack right when you travel then you really need to focus on packing light,” explains Tina Aldatz, chief executive officer of Savvy Travelers. “There’s much less hassle and stress when you pack light and stick to the basics. You can put your focus on your travel, rather than having all of your attention go to dragging around way too much luggage.”

Here are some Savvy Travelers tips for packing light and right for fall and holiday air travel:

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Submitted by WUSA9 Web Staff

Wednesday, September 9th, 2015, 8:35pm

WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- A disgraced Georgetown rabbi who admitted to secretly videotaping women undressing has issued a public apology from jail.

In an apology given to Washington Jewish Week, Barry Freundel says, “No matter how many times I attempt to apologize, it will never be enough. There are simply no words to sufficiently assuage the hurt that I caused. I am sorry, beyond measure, for my heinous behavior.”

Prosecutors say Freundel installed hidden cameras in a ritual bath adjacent to Kesher Israel Congregation in Georgetown and may have recorded as many as 200 women.

Freundel pleaded to charges of voyeurism and is currently serving a six and a half year prison sentence.

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Submitted by WUSA9 Web Staff

Tuesday, September 8th, 2015, 9:28pm

According to the source, paramedics worked to resuscitate the man after he dove in from the Washington harbor dock. Police say he was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

D.C. police divers found the man under murky water about 20 feet from the dock.

Witnesses told WUSA9 that the man appeared high, threw off his clothes and jumped into the river. Police told WUSA9 they could not confirm whether the man had drugs in his system, pending an autopsy.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Submitted by WUSA9 Web Staff

Monday, August 31st, 2015, 10:01pm

WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- It's going to be a little tougher to get into D.C.'s only cat cafe. And when you do, it will hit your wallet a little more.

Crumbs and Whiskers announced Monday that they're implementing a number of changes, including reducing the number of people in the cafe and increasing the cover charge for entry to $15.

The cafe, which opened two months ago, allows customers to sip coffee with cats in need of a home. In those two months, the cafe says 23 cats have been adopted from the cafe through their partnership with the Washington Humane Society.

However, the cafe says overcrowding has been a problem. Hence the change from allowing 37 people in the cafe to now allowing a maximum of 24.

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