11th Hour IC News March 1st, 2008

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LOCAL NEWS

TerraTech - Fulton Labs Opening in Warrenton, VA

FREDERICKSBURG, VA - Ground was broken yesterday on the massive expansion program for the once thought defunct R&D Company, Fulton Labs.

After being purchased earlier this year by the European Environmental research company, Garvash-Mavorsag of Budapest, Fulton labs reopened its doors and rehired one full research department.

Now, a few months later, the Company is apparently booming with potential contracts and a massive expansion on the 7.5 acre plot is underway set to be completed by winter of 2008. Plans for the new facilities include two stories and two basement levels, over 20 labs, engineering development project areas, storage modules, an infirmary, a cafeteria and even limited on-site housing.

Fulton Labs will begin preliminary hiring as of April 2008 and estimates by completion of construction in 2008 the new facilities will be providing over 200 full-time research positions and an estimated 600 various full time support and administrative staff.

When asked for comment, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Neil O. Albert responded positively, stating, “In the Age of corporate downsizing and outsourcing, it is imperative that new industry be brought into the area, especially industry which gives our well-educated and motivated work force a chance to use their hard earned degrees.”

Garvash-Mavorsag made the international news eight years ago when it was granted a forty-five year contract with the United Nations Environmental Council and the Ukrainian Government for the clean up of the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster. It remains to be seen how the Environmental Research company will do in the land where Superfund law is king, but the prospects are looking green all around.

Hidden Camera Shows GWU Student Putting Swastikas On Own Door

NORTHWEST WASHINGTON, DC -- George Washington University officials said a Jewish student who complained about swastikas showing up on her door put them there herself. The student lives in Mitchell Hall, where half a dozen swastikas had shown up on her dorm room door in the past several weeks. University police set up a hidden camera. They said the girl admitted responsibility Monday.
Reporters at the GW Hatchet newspaper have been following the story since it began. They said they learned on Monday morning that the alleged victim would likely be implicated. They said they spoke to her twice by phone. According to reporters at the newspaper, the student said, "I wasn't looking to create this sort of insanity. I wasn't looking to become a media darling. I was just looking for acknowledgment from the university that someone drew a swastika on the door." The student now faces disciplinary action from the school and could face criminal charges.

New SE Medical Clinic, Youth Center, Park Proposed

SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON, DC -- Research Conglomerate TerraTech, Inc. unveiled a new proposal before the City Council today. A Medical Relief Clinic, Youth Center and Community Garden are intended to be placed in Southeast just off E Street, near Marion Park.

The breath-taking proposal was met with tentative hope by some, and strong skepticism by others. The Council is eagerly negotiating a thirty-year non-profit lease with the 501(c)(3) arm of the corporation. TerraTech has been known for minor charitable acts in the past but nothing previous of this magnitude.

Plans include an affordable Medical Clinic with six examination rooms, an emergency ward, and even therapeutic equipment for minor medical ailments that many in this poverty stricken area would find too costly to treat otherwise.

The Youth Center is intended to provide a neutral and safe location for the local youth to participate in various sports such as basketball and boxing. The addition of the Community Garden would provide incentive to inspire further community rehabilitation, and foster more socializing and local pride.

Garick Price, the head of TerraTech's Public Relations Department stated that "The garden will have to be maintained by the people in the community, all we [TerraTech] are going to provide is the equipment needed to make that happen. If the garden flourishes, it will be the community's doing; so, too, if it fails."

The decision to throw down a gauntlet to the very population they are attempting to aid may appear contradictory of purpose, but many of the local community leaders have actually responded more positively to the challenge then any other aspect of the plan. According to Rev. Ekson of the N Street Baptist Church, the garden "will give us what we need... not charity, but a chance. A chance to make ourselves proud with our own hands."

Staffing of the facility will be purely voluntary but already several medical practices around the city have pledged at least some pro bono support, offering their doctors time and much needed expertise. Only time will tell if the clinic will make any kind of impact epidemic health issues of the SE side but for now, TerraTech is willing to give it and the needy, the proverbial shot.

POLICE NEWS

Washington Star-News Advice Columnist Monica Garrett Murdered; Boyfriend Suspected

WASHINGTON, DC -- None of her neighbors knew what to say when local D.C. police officers showed up asking them when the last time was that they'd seen Washington Star-News Advice Columnist Monica Garrett.

According to neighbors, she'd always kept to herself and was a quiet, pleasant neighbor in the apartment complex near Georgetown University.

Police officers were shocked to find Ms. Garrett's naked mutilated body in her apartment bedroom, after co-workers at the Washington Star-News notified them that she'd been missing for several days and they were concerned.

Ms. Garrett was well liked, though co-workers had commented on her health in recent weeks, stating that she looked like she wasn't sleeping or eating. Rumors also circulated that Ms. Garrett's boyfriend, who co-workers only identified as "Flint," may have been abusing her, though like most domestic violence cases, Ms. Garrett denied it. Police are looking for this man, but do not have a description or photo.

The D.C. Coroner's office has yet to release the official case of death. but officers on the scene have said that Garrett was definitely beaten and then murdered, and the Criminalist Dept has yet to comment as to whether or not Ms. Garrett might have also been sexually assaulted.

Police are asking for anyone with information on this case to please call your Local Law Enforcement offices. The Washington Star-News will be holding a memorial in Ms. Garrett's honor on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 2pm at Memorial Gardens.

We send out our deepest sympathies to Ms. Garrett's family and friends. Her advice column will not be resurrected at this time.

DCPD Officer Retires, Then Disappears

NORTHWEST WASHINGTON, DC -- Officer Jim Hale who served DCPD for twenty five years retired in late January after being plagued with health issues.

The night of his Retirement Banquet came and Officer Hale could not be found. His wife and daughter said he'd gone on a fishing trip with a friend two days before and had not returned. None of Officer Hale's friends or co workers know with whom he would have gone out fishing.

Officer Hale is now considered a missing person. Police are asking for anyone with information on this case to please call your Local Law Enforcement offices.

Rock Creek Park Ranger Dead After Gun Accident

NORTHWEST WASHINGTON, DC -- DCPD Criminalists Department was summoned to Rock Creek Park late Friday night to a grisly scene. Park Ranger Marshal Simms was found dead in Ranger's Security Station Four, in what looked like a suicide attempt.

Final reports by the Coroner's Office were still pending at the time of print but Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Jordan Forrester, says that she doesn't feel this was an attempted suicide but more likely an accidentally discharge of a loaded weapon, "... due to the way the shot was fired into his skull and the trajectory of the bullet."

DCPD are still not sure what Ranger Simms was shooting at in the dead of night and had no comment on the scene of the crime or what they think might have happen there.

CLASSIFIEDS

FASHION MODELS NEEDED: Fashion show @ GWU. Both Men and Women needed, age range 18 to 25. Amateurs will be considered. Models selected will be compensated for their time.

Call (202) 555-3114 (OOC Email TRENTON for information.)

Slain Student Remembered as "Angel" at Vigil

RENO, Nevada (CNN) -- Candles illuminated the somber faces of hundreds of people who gathered Friday night near the University of Nevada-Reno for a vigil to remember slain college student Brianna Denison.
Students who never knew her joined Denison's friends at the spot on an empty field where her body was found a week earlier 10 miles from the school.
Handwritten posters said "We love you Bri" and "Shine on us Bri."
"For a brief moment in time, a beautiful young woman graced us with her presence," said Marc Klaas, whose daughter was kidnapped and murdered in 1993. "But from now on, for all eternity, Reno, Nevada, will have an angel sitting on God's shoulder looking out for your children."
The horror and fear began on a cold winter night last month. A stranger apparently walked into an off-campus house and abducted the sleeping Denison. She attended Santa Barbara City College in California, but had returned to her hometown of Reno to spend time with friends and family.
Despite the searches and vigils, all hope of a good outcome vanished when Denison's body was discovered. Police say they believe her killer is responsible for three other sexually motivated attacks in recent months.
As authorities announced that a serial rapist was on the loose, pepper spray began replacing iPods as the hot item on campus at the University of Nevada-Reno. All the local stores are sold out.
Freshman Britany Maxwell now has six canisters of pepper spray, supplied by her mother. She holds one by her side when she walks on campus at night.
"I carry it with me everywhere," said Maxwell, who no longer feels safe walking alone. "I'm scared. I feel like he could be watching me or my friends at any given moment, deciding to attack again. It's horrible."
The crime stuns Reno Police Detective Lt. Bob McDonald. "I've worked here for 29 years, and I can't remember the last time that we've had a serial rapist that has progressed to the point of abducting a young woman out of a residence and ultimately murdering her," he said.
The hope is that a pair of women's panties could help solve the case. The undergarment, dotted with pink panthers and hearts, was found next to Denison's body.
DNA testing, however, revealed the garment belonged to another woman. It also had traces of DNA from a possible suspect. Police hope the unusual pattern of panthers and hearts may prompt someone to come forward with information.
"We want to get the message out to any potential victims out there that may have lost this underwear during a sexual assault or attack," McDonald said. "They may not be comfortable reporting that, but we will handle it with dignity, and it will remain confidential with us," he added.
Meanwhile, police say it's important that students be vigilant. Many are heeding the warning. Dozens of young college women attended a self-defense class Thursday night conducted by martial arts experts. The university's free shuttle service is receiving a record amount of calls. Fear has become the dominant talk even in the classroom.
"Teachers on a daily basis are stopping class to talk about it; to give us advice on what to do in situations," said junior Christy Griffin. He needs to be caught now. We'll all feel a lot better and safer."

Rural Nevadans Begin Cleanup After Freak Earthquake

WELLS, Nevada (AP) -- A powerful earthquake damaged hundreds of homes, toppled chimneys and reduced part of a historical district to rubble, but residents of rural Wells, Nevada, town are grateful it wasn't worse.
No one was killed and no serious injuries were reported after the magnitude-6.0 quake jolted the high desert town at 6:16 a.m. Thursday and rumbled across much of the West.
About 20 to 25 buildings suffered heavy damage in the largely vacant historical district of Wells, where brick facades tumbled off several buildings, signs fell and windows broke. A support beam crushed one unoccupied car.
"There are a number of buildings that look completely destroyed," Gov. Jim Gibbons said late Thursday after surveying the damage. "Bricks and mortar and foundations are just about all that is left of them right now."
Gibbons said most everyone was safe, citing just three minor injuries.
"I think we were just blessed that Mother Nature struck when it did ... rather than some time later on when the people would be out and about and the sidewalks might have had more people on them when these structures came down," he said.
County commissioners declared a state of emergency in Wells and the town of about 1,600 was closed to all but residents, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Fresh Violence in Kosovo Serb Protests

BELGRADE (CNN) -- Kosovo's breakaway from Serbia provoked fresh unrest Friday as U.N. police were attacked by ethnic Serb demonstrators in northern Kosovo a day after angry demonstrations in the Serbian capital Belgrade left one person dead.
The Associated Press said protesters among a crowd of 5,000 trying to cross a key bridge in the divided city of Mitrovica, hurled empty bottles and stones at the police. It was initially thought that the police retaliated with canisters of tear gas but AP later said this was actually firecrackers fired by protesters.
The demonstrators were waving Serbian flags and chanting "Kosovo is ours!" on what was the fifth day of protests since Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders declared independence from Serbia on Sunday.
The latest incident follows violent outbreaks in Belgrade which culminated in an attack on the U.S. Embassy that left one person dead and dozens injured, earning Serbia a stern rebuke from a senior U.S. diplomat on Friday.
Speaking to CNN, Undersecretary for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns said Serbia had a "fundamental responsibility" to protect U.S. diplomats and citizens, adding that Washington would hold Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and his government "personally responsible" for assaults on U.S. interests.

"Girl" At School Was 39-year-old Man

TOKYO, JAPAN (Reuters) - A Japanese man was arrested for trespassing this week after turning up at a high school dressed in a girl's uniform and a long wig, local police said.
Thirty-nine-year-old Tetsunori Nanpei told police he had bought the uniform over the Internet and put it on to take a stroll near the school in Saitama, north of Tokyo, on Wednesday, the daily Asahi Shimbun said.
When students standing outside the gates started to scream at the sight of him, he dashed inside the school grounds, hoping to blend in with the crowds of teenagers, the paper said.
They also screamed, forcing the man to flee, losing his wig in the process. A school clerk pursued him and stopped him at a nearby riverbank, the paper said.
Police confirmed the arrest of the man in school uniform and wig but declined to give further details.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit -- Graveside Table For Two

NEW DELHI, INDIA (Associated Press) -- The New Lucky Restaurant has been around since the 1950s in Ahmadabad, India, serving diners among the gravestones located at various points around the tables.

No one is certain who was buried under the restaurant, but Indians aren't much spooked by the experience. Said a retired professor: "Graveyards in India are never scary places. We don't have a nice literature of horror stories, so we don't have much fear of ghosts."

The restaurant's main concern is that waiters know the floor plan and don't trip over the ankle-high monuments.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

Entertainment and Gossip

From regular columnist

Kitty Whittier 

Music Fans Outcry Over Loki's Proposal to Local Law Student

(E! Entertainment News) - Goth Rock fans around the world cried when the new broke that notorious Goth Shock Rocker Stephen "Loki" Byrne, now residing in D.C., recently proposed to  local law student Felicity Duckworth.

Loki and Ms Duckworth had been frequently seen in public together as a couple; including escapades to New York to get tattoos together (no, they are not matching), but fans did not know the seriousness of the relationship until what is now being called the "Proposal Concert"- a stunt during Dark Asgard's Halloween Masquerade Ball that some fans thought was for publicity solely until a source leaked that the two actually are a couple and planning their upcoming nuptials.

YouTube was flooded by zealous fans begging in homemade videos for him to propose to them instead, and blogging sites like LiveJournal, MySpace and Blogger went haywire with outcries from his fans.

No date has been set and Loki's publicist was unable to be reached for comment.

New Heir To The Throne? Duchess Has First Child With Professor Husband

(People.com) - Musician Amelia Wentworth, known as the Duchess to her fans, shocked quite a few last year when she married D.C. bookstore owner and professor Eriond Tekenduis in London during the Christmas season.

Shortly after the "Fairy Tale Wedding" at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, fans found out that the newly crowned Mrs. Tekenduis was expecting, leading to rumors that she and the Professor got married only because of the baby on the way. Both Amelia and her husband Eriond deny that had anything to do with their often seen as "whirlwind" courtship and marriage.

The Duchess and the Professor welcomed their son, Simon Edward Wentworth-Price, sometime in early November sources say, though the exact date of his birth seems to be unknown at this time.

Amelia is reported to have given birth at the posh new "Gentle Beginnings" water-birthing practice in D.C. with an unnamed blonde woman by her side. The Father was not present for the birth.

Mother and child are reported to be doing well and rumors have begun to circulate that the Duchess will be releasing a new album in Fall 2008.