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The Politics Hour – June 23, 2017
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham discusses the ACLU lawsuit against MPD officers for their actions during Inauguration Day protests. And Democratic candidate for Maryland Governor Alec Ross is in studio.
A mass shooting rattles the region and the country. Maryland's governor feuds with his counterpart from Texas. And a chef at the center of the investigation of Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell accepts a plea deal in an embezzlement case. Join us for our weekly review of the politics, policies and personalities of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
Tommy Wells, D.C. mayoral candidate and Ward 6 Council member, talked about the need for stronger gun control in the district after this week's Navy Yard shootings. Wells said the abundance and easy availability of guns is "the number one health crisis in our city." He noted that many of the guns used in D.C. crimes are purchased in neighboring Maryland and Virginia.
MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WAMU 88.5 at American University in Washington, welcome to "The Politics Hour," starring Tom Sherwood. I'm Kojo Nnamdi. Tom Sherwood is our resident analyst. He's an NBC 4 reporter and a columnist for the Current Newspapers, covering the big story in Washington this week, the tragedy that occurred at the Navy Yard this past Monday, when 13 people, including the alleged shooter were killed. Tom, good to see you.
MR. TOM SHERWOODOh, good afternoon and welcome to the last -- I'm happy to be here for the last show in this studio.
NNAMDIYes. Rumors have it that this is the last show we're doing in this studio.
SHERWOODAnd I've tweeted it out. I hope it's true.
NNAMDIOh, nobody's told me yet. I think they were planning to have me just stay here.
SHERWOODAs long as it's not your last show, I think that would be the thing. But, you know, actually we joke, but, you know, Monday was a horrific day. We've now moved into the hand-wringing, second-guessing, reform-pledging mood and mode of, you know, what did the security apparatus at the gates at the Navy Yard do or didn't do? How is it someone can buy a shotgun, saw off the barrel, walk into an allegedly super secret or super secure facility like the Navy Yard? We've been through this drill before. We have to go through this drill.
SHERWOODWe have to see what things can be done that can insure security, but not keep, in general, closing down freedoms all over the place.
NNAMDIOther issues have been raised here. Once again, we in media got a few things wrong during the course of covering this. That seems inevitable during these kinds of events because of the way media are organized today, everybody wants to be first with every bit of information they get and sometimes we do that without appropriately checking to make sure that information is correct.
SHERWOODWell, if I can brag on my own station for awhile, we were very careful of many things. I sat on the set for much of the mid-morning and afternoon, and our news director, Michael Goldrick, and Matt Glassman, our assistant news director and Catherine Snyder, our managing editor, all say, do we have it? Don't report this. We would get emails and messages from them, don't report this. We have not confirmed it. You know, the name of the shooter went out on several networks.
SHERWOODAnd we were on the verge within seconds of saying the name and then we decided we didn't have enough information and we pulled back. But in the 24/7, second-to-second media world you're going to get bad information. You just have to listen and we have to try, as best we can, to correct what we say that's wrong.
NNAMDIThe issue of the official response to this. It would appear, however, that all of the wide variety of law enforcement agencies in this area seemed to collaborate fairly well on this.
SHERWOODWell, they did. And, you know, there's some dispute or questions about why the Capitol Hill Police, the sharpshooter team…
NNAMDIWere called back.
SHERWOOD…was -- I mean, to me, it's a very simple answer. Chief Dine would say this, I'm sure, from the Capitol Hill Police, those officers are trained to protect the Congress and the Congressional grounds. If they freelance by heading to something at the Navy Yard -- well, what if there had been multiple shootings. There was, you know, a fake report -- not a fake, but a misinformed report that there was as shooting at Bolling Air Force Base at the same time.
SHERWOODHad something occurred on Capitol Hill, those officers would have been out of position. So we have so many police in this region, I think there's something like 29 or 30 different police forces, from the Supreme Court Police to whoever else, the D.C. Library Police. It's an amazing bureaucratic system we have and it's amazing that they actually can work as well as they do.
NNAMDIAnd given that early reports indicated that there may have been more than one shooter, one can see the head of the Capitol Police thinking we don't know where the other shooters are. Our primary responsibility is to protect the Capitol and maybe that's where my force should be. But that will all be -- we'll all find out more about that later on. Then, of course, how officials in Washington responded. This was the first time people around the nation probably had the opportunity to see the Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier on national television.
NNAMDIAnd most of what they had heard about Mayor Vincent Gray before had to do with his ongoing troubles with his last campaign. This time they got to see a slightly different view of both of those individuals.
SHERWOODYes. Well, Cathy Lanier, I actually could see the strain in her face on this, because of the long hours and the severity of what she was trying to do. But also to the mayor's credit, he did not try to Bogart this thing and get ahead and to say a lot of things that he didn't know. He was cautious, he was calm, he was professional. And I thought that was a good thing for the city.
NNAMDIOne of the city officials who had to be primarily concerned about this because it occurred in his ward is council member Tommy Wells. He represents Ward 6, which is the Washington Navy Yard, is in the District of Columbia. He chairs the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, so he had a variety of reasons to be concerned about this. Tommy Wells joins us in studio. He's also a Democratic candidate for mayor of the District of Columbia. Councilmember Wells, thank you for joining us.
MR. TOMMY WELLSThank you, Kojo.
NNAMDIYour own thoughts? We did speak with you earlier in the week, but now we know a little bit more than we did then. What are your own thoughts about what occurred at the Navy Yard and the aftermath?
WELLSWell, I think a couple of things. One is, is that I'm so proud of our police department and how they responded. We have this team, as Tom mentioned, an active shooter team, in that they rush to the shooter as everybody obviously rushes away. And these are officers that have signed up for this special team. And they were there within seven minutes. And so we had an officer, Officer Williams, who got shot by the assailant that was there, and shot in his leg. And then our fire department, along with paramedics, were able to pull him out, treat him, get him to the hospital.
WELLSOur emergency response, along with the coordination with the other officers and law enforcement were there, I'm just very proud of them. And then the other side, of course, is how frustrating and angry it makes all of us that someone can just go buy a shotgun, saw off the barrel, walk over to the Navy Yard and kill 12 people.
NNAMDIThat has to do with my next question, as I invite you to join the conversation by calling 800-433-8850 or by sending email to firstname.lastname@example.com. You can send us a tweet @kojoshow. Yesterday you circulated a petition calling for stronger gun laws immediately, but this is also a city that's still reeling from a Supreme Court case that struck down the city's gun restrictions. Where do you see the room, the political room, if you will, to enact stronger gun laws that would pass muster before the Court?
WELLSWell, we also had a group here at the same time, serendipitously the Mothers Demand Action. And they were here to -- from Sandy Hook and the other places of moms across America together saying that there needs to be a national gun registry, that there needs to be universal background checks. And so I do believe there needs to be universal background checks, but I have to say that, you know, I think that email that went out from my campaign was a little bit hasty. But I will say that the amount of anger and frustration that we all feel here in D.C., I mean, not just this shooting, but we've had 10 shootings in D.C. this week, two people killed.
WELLSAnd the guns that come into the city that -- not one gun is sold in the city. The guns come from Maryland and Virginia, primarily Virginia. And they are used to kill our residents. And this is just another example. And it's infuriating, upsetting and if there's something we can do about it we need to do it.
SHERWOODWell, you can invade Virginia, maybe. But seriously speaking, Virginia has shown no inclination. I think back ages ago when Governor Wilder was the governor there was a one-gun -- you could buy one gun a month. And I think that was done away with by Virginia. Virginia has moved to open carry laws, totally different from the political attitude of the District. The mayor of New York City, Bloomberg, has publicly and around the world criticized Virginia, but Virginia's an independent state and it's just not going to agree with you. How do you work on that?
WELLSYou know it is the number one health crisis of our city -- or certainly in our country, around mass shootings and people, you know, with guns being able to use them in hold-ups and such. We've got certainly a higher rate of violence then almost any developed country in the world, but I was really heartened in meeting with the Mothers Demand Action, that when you look at Mothers Against Drunk Driving -- and they didn't even have social media at the time -- that I think that the country will rise up.
WELLSI do think that D.C. is on the right side of history and I'm proud of our citizens that do not tolerate and will not support even having guns sold in the city. And so I think we're on the right side of history and something needs to be done.
NNAMDISwitch to the Living Wage Bill? Ready yet?
SHERWOODWell, actually I was going to ask about marijuana.
NNAMDIOh, well, go ahead.
SHERWOODThe Living Wage Bill is important and we'll move to that. Every councilmember is now on board to raise the minimum wage. We'll just see how much and how fast. But I want to just go to the marijuana. David Grosso, the at-large member, has proposed legalizing marijuana. I believe you've talked about it. I don't know if you've had a bill yet, but is this something that you think the Congress will stay out of the way of, if this, the nation's capital, legalizes marijuana?
WELLSWell, the first thing is, is that…
SHERWOODSmall amounts for possession, I mean.
WELLS…I've introduced a bill with 10 supporters on the city council to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. That it's, you know, we all know that marijuana usage, especially among young people, college kids, is widespread, does not know any race or demographic. But yet 98 percent of the people that are criminally charged for marijuana possession are African Americans in D.C. And…
SHERWOODDo you know that is? Is it the police? It's easier to arrest a couple guys hanging out on the corner or do you think African Americans are targeted for such a huge number, they don't go after the college students at an American University or Georgetown?
WELLSI think there's residual leftovers from the war on drugs, and that a lot of that apparatus is still in the poorer parts of our city. But the reason that I introduced the bill -- again, with nine supporters on the council, so we're gonna pass this -- is to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana so it's more like a traffic ticket. The barrier to jobs, often for young folks, especially east of the river, is that they have a criminal drug charge, which is hard to get a job on a construction site, driving commercial trucks. things like that if you have a drug charge.
WELLSSo we need to stop that. It has a disproportionate impact on the poor and especially African Americans in the city. And I know this bill's going to pass. And I am sure, as the best I can tell, the federal government's not going to intervene on this at all.
SHERWOODSome of your labor supporters are really angry at you for not supporting the Wal-Mart, big box, large retailers bill that the mayor vetoed that would have required $12.50 an hour in wages and benefits. But you said on the diesis on Tuesday that you want an across-the-board minimum wage increase. What figure do you have in mind? It's now 8.25 in the city, one dollar more than the federal wage. Where do you see the minimum wage going for all persons who might be subject to it?
WELLSWell, first thing is, is that from President Obama, senators, people across the country -- including California -- recognize that the minimum wage is too low. The gap between people that make a little and people that make a lot is about as large as it's ever been. And in D.C., you know, we've got one of the highest costs of living. And what I'm proposing in my bill is that we raise it one dollar one year and another dollar the next year. It goes up to 10.25, but the other thing that it does is it increases the standard deduction.
WELLSSo D.C. residents that do not itemize on their taxes will keep more of their money, and that tends to be people on a lower wage. And let me say, Tom, that the activists, the unions, these guys did a great job to bring everyone's attention like a laser beam on this issue. While the large retailer bill probably would not have had an impact for four years to actually raise wages, and only on a small sliver of the city, it really helped provide the field to grow the possibility of raising the minimum wage for everyone.
WELLSThe mayor has now said he supports raising the minimum wage. And I believe every city council member now says they'll raise the minimum wage.
SHERWOODHow quickly? How quickly will this be done? I was talking to Jack Evans, the council financial revenue person, I was talking to the mayor's office. Is this something you see the council having a hearing and passing this fall? I mean the bills go to the workforce committee, which is, you know, chaired by Marion Barry. He's going to lose that committee by October the 1st because of the censor of him. So can this council get together and at before the end of the year?
WELLSWell, you know, the council came together on my bill. And the fact that there's nine co-introducers, these are no co-sponsors. These are people that put their name on the bill. So there's no reason why this cannot become law or essentially be on the mayor's desk by January. That really should be done, could be done, and I think that's the right thing in terms of economic justice for our city.
NNAMDIA lot of people still don't care that you've got your own plan. They just care that you rejected the one that the council passed. Two questions about that. There was talk earlier that you might be the council member who they might get to change his vote during this week's session. What kind of pressure was there on you to do that? And the people who only care that you rejected the bill that the council passed have posters in places with Wells-mart on it. What would you say to those people?
WELLSWell, they certainly did come to my campaign events and they, you know, postered all over my neighborhood, but I have always been independent and voted on what I believe is my duty and principle as an elected official. To take a bill just to target one corporation may feel good and it may be, you know, a blow for particular justice in one way, but in order to govern we need to help, really, all of our residents and not just, you know, target one corporation. So there was a lot of pressure.
WELLSBut I also had a lot of pressure from the seniors at Bible Way, that live in that neighborhood, that get on the bus and go to Wal-Mart, you know, because they can't, you know, they're being gentrified out of their neighborhood in terms of the costs of goods. I also was bullied and pressured by Pastor West of Mount Airy Baptist Church who had to be there twice, where we had 13 people shot over by Tyler House, and then we just had another person shot -- four people shot and one person killed over at Sursum Corda. As Pastor West says, we need jobs and we need jobs now.
WELLSWe need people to be actively involved and Wal-Mart will provide jobs. But in terms of getting a living wage for all in D.C., that's where we start with raising the minimum wage for everyone, not just for, you know, people, four years from now, at a particular retailer.
NNAMDIOur guest is D.C. Democratic Councilmember Tommy Wells. He represents Ward 6 on the council and chairs the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. If you have questions or comments for Councilmember Wells, you can call us at 800-433-8850 or send email to firstname.lastname@example.com. Here's Tom Sherwood.
SHERWOODWal-Mart has announced that it's going to open two job sites on Monday.
WELLSThat's right.
SHERWOODWhat is the certainty that these jobs -- I know there's a law that says 50, 51 percent have to go to the local residents, things like that, but in this case what is the certainty that Wal-Mart will focus on hiring, and if necessary, extra training for people who need the jobs that the Pastor and you talk about?
NNAMDIWhere's the enforcement for that kind of law that Tom is referring to?
WELLSWell, the first thing is, is that the store that's opening up over by H Street…
SHERWOODNew Jersey and H.
WELLSNew Jersey and H is the store's matter of right. There's no government, you know…
WELLS…dime in this. And so, you know, I certainly have talked early on with Wal-Mart and they're going to hold the job fairs right there around Tyler House. And we're going to do it through Perry School. And, you know, they're certainly making the effort to give D.C. residents first shot at the jobs.
SHERWOODYeah, they're not government contractors. They're not getting government support. I think on Georgia Avenue -- I don't think there's any government support. So they do have matter of right to pay minimum wage, at least. Okay. Well, I just think it's going to be real interesting to see it. Because I went out to West Tyson's Corner where the Wal-Mart opened a couple of weeks ago, and I actually talked to D.C. citizens, you know, who drive out there to work.
SHERWOODAnd they say they're doing that because they're training themselves to get jobs in the city when the Wal-Mart's open in town. And they're making that long drive out. So people are working hard to find jobs.
NNAMDITom mentioned earlier the censor of Ward 8 councilmember and former mayor, Marion Barry. You were among the nine council members who voted to censor and strip him of his chairmanship duties after the city's ethics board issued a report that he accepted cash payments with a contractor doing business with the city. Why did you feel that was the right thing to do?
WELLSWell, Kenyan McDuffie, a new, young member on the council, really stepped up and did a great job with the task force that I did not serve on. And all of us -- any of us running for mayor were not on that task force. But Kenyan McDuffie did a great job, the council member from Ward 5, and then the people on that committee. And on the committee included Anita Bonds. Anita Bonds is the first person Marion Barry hired when he first ran for mayor. This is someone who's been close to him for many years and a friend. And she voted unanimously…
NNAMDIShe knows him almost as well as Sherwood does, but go ahead.
WELLSThat's right.
SHERWOODI might be at number two to Anita Bonds.
WELLSAnd so Anita Bonds, Councilmember Bonds, under the leadership of Councilmember McDuffie, they all voted unanimously to take this step.
SHERWOODWasn't Yvette Alexander on the committee also? Was she on the committee?
NNAMDIThere were five people on the committee.
SHERWOODI think she was on the committee.
WELLSI know David Grosso was on the committee.
NNAMDIWe'll look it up.
SHERWOODOkay. Look it up, but I think -- but Alexander is close to Marion Barry also.
WELLSWell, Anita Bonds is…
SHERWOODOkay. Bonds is…
WELLSAnyway about it, is that they unanimously voted to do this and so I supported them.
SHERWOODI've tried to tell people that, you know, who want to. The people who love Barry and the people who just hate him or just find him disgusting because of his personal behavior and his long record of things they don't like, I tell them that the council is not really driven by Marion Barry anymore. Yes, he's one of 13 members. Yes, he's fairly popular in the polls you take. But in terms of getting a lot of things done, the council and the city government kind of moves on without necessarily -- I don't want to diminish him, but he's just not Mayor-for-life Marion Barry.
NNAMDIThe power he used to be.
WELLSI agree, except I will say that on the marijuana decriminalization bill Marion co-introduced that with me, he worked on it with me, and we're going to hold the hearing on that bill in Anacostia.
SHERWOODBut this popular feeling among people -- at the National Journal somebody called me and asked me, now, what about Barry? And I said he's just not controlling the city. He still plays an important role, but I said, the Barry era is essentially over.
NNAMDIWatching the debate on this issue, one got the impression that what concerned the majority of council members more than anything else is the image of the city, in terms of ethics, having two council members having been convicted of committing crimes and then former mayor Barry being seen as, in some respects, a repeat offender.
WELLSThere's no question there's a crisis of ethics in our elected government. We've got three council members that had been convicted.
NNAMDIThree, right.
WELLSOne in prison, one on the way. The mayor's under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney. We've got three council members that also have been admonished by the ethics board. And it's unprecedented. And I think that, you know, deservedly the elected officials of D.C. have a reputation problem with integrity.
NNAMDIYou mentioned decriminalizing marijuana. That's what Robert in Centreville, Va. wants to talk about. Robert, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.
ROBERTThank you for taking my call, Kojo.
NNAMDIYou're welcome.
ROBERTSo I mean this decriminalization, you know, the councilman mentioned how, as things stand now, it appears on people's driving records, it appears on their records, they don't get hired. Well, I'd rather it remain that way, speaking as a business owner. I'd like to be able to know that a potential employee has been using or is using those because if an accident occurs or something along those lines, then, you know, guess what, a blood test is done and it's found that the employee has been using and then, you know, the employer suffers.
ROBERTThe employer suffers in higher insurance, workman's comp, etcetera, etcetera. So, you know, in my opinion, rather than decriminalizing it I think, you know, we need to keep it that way, but was also need to have a push to educate our population not to use it.
NNAMDIHere's Tommy Wells.
WELLSThere's nothing to prevent employers from continuing to drug test. You know, you don't want your employee drunk on the job, but that's legal. Or you can legally obtain alcohol. You don't want your employees stoned on the job. You can still drug test and you can also, you know, continue to act as an employer in that, but that degree to which we really marginalize people to the side because of a drug -- you know, there's been no evidence that, you know, making pot criminal has decreased its use.
WELLSBut it has indicated that people will use, you know, other substances like this K2 or these other things that we don't know what that stuff does, because it's legal and it's dangerous. And so I think we just need to face reality.
NNAMDIRobert, thank you for your call. I think on the other side of that discussion is Norman, in Washington, D.C. Norman, your turn.
NORMANHey, how's it going, Kojo? I listen to you every day.
NNAMDIThank you.
NORMANThanks for taking my call. Yeah, I wanted to ask -- I'm for decriminalizing marijuana. I wanted to ask him a couple questions, the councilman. Does it relate -- because I have some friends that have some petty drug charges from the past, like, can you do anything with their past record on a small amount of marijuana, if it's, you know, it's keeping them from getting jobs now. Do you have anything on full legalization, like they did in Colorado and Washington? And are you working with Maryland at all? I mean, Virginia, I don't think you'd get any help over there, but are you working with anyone in Maryland to see if they'd do the same?
NORMANBecause, you know, our -- it goes hand in hand.
NNAMDIWell, I have to tell you, Norman, keep listening to the broadcast even after Councilmember Wells leaves because you may be able to get some help in Virginia from our next guest, but go ahead.
WELLSWell, let me say, Norman brings up a great question. What about those that have drug charges for small amounts of marijuana? We're working with the ACLU and we're working, you know, my committee's working right now to figure out how can we expunge, seal or have that removed from records so that, you know, people going forward, as Norman brought out, that if it's wrong today, it was wrong yesterday. And so we'll probably move that as separate bill.
WELLSI don't want to slow down decriminalization. There'll be a cost involved to the city. I don't want that financial impact to slow down decriminalization, but I think he's exactly right. The other part, in terms of doing what Colorado and Washington have done, Washington state, the legalization went to a referendum, a vote by the citizens. I think that, you know, if we go that route in D.C. it should go to a vote. In fact, Eric Holder noted that they were not going to preempt states where the citizens had voted for legalization of marijuana.
SHERWOODOh, I'm sorry. Excuse me for stopping you. I didn't know this. Your proposal has always been to take this to a referendum?
WELLSNo. My bill is to decriminalize. The bill that was brought up earlier, Grosso's bill about legalization and what the caller asked about legalization like in Colorado, to take that next step I think it really should go to the citizens. And just like it did in referendum and Colorado and Washington, but my bill will decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.
NNAMDINorman, thank you for your call. Tom?
SHERWOODWell, I want to be clear on that. If you decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, that means if a police officer stops you for any reason or smells the marijuana, determines that you have that -- whatever the small amount is, then he or she will not arrest you.
WELLSThat's right.
SHERWOODBut that's different from legalizing it?
WELLSAbsolutely. They'll write you at ticket.
SHERWOODSo you still can't sell it -- or write a ticket?
WELLSThat's right.
SHERWOODSo it becomes a traffic offense?
WELLSIt becomes a fine.
SHERWOODAnd, well, a lot of the people that smoke marijuana can't afford the fines. They'll be -- and then what happens if you can't pay the fine? Then you get…
WELLSWell, the same thing's true with a traffic ticket or any kind of fine in the city, but it doesn't necessarily...
SHERWOODOkay. But you're not ready to say legalized marijuana yet?
WELLSOh, I think a lot of us are not yet ready to do that, to say this substance should be legal. But we certainly are there on the social justice issue, of what criminalization of pot has done to our citizens is a matter of social justice. Being able to smoke pot legally, I'm not sure rises to the same level of a social justice issue. You know, that goes more to is it a common sense issue, but it's different.
SHERWOODCan I have a moment? Just a bald-faced mayoral race question. A lot of people think the race is next year and everybody is just gearing up to run, but in fact, people will pick up -- candidates will pick up petitions on November the 8th to qualify for the ballot. Those petitions have to be turned in on January the 2nd. So we are actually well into the race for mayor.
NNAMDIAnd the primary date is April 1st.
SHERWOODApril Fools, which is an idiocy to have it on that day, but the council members seem to be tone deaf to changing it. So the mayor has not…
NNAMDIThis is the closest he's ever come to calling people fools on the broadcast. You noticed that.
SHERWOODWell, wait until the spring gets closer to April Fool's Day and then all the national media and people will start, those jokers in Washington, they don't know what they're doing, they're having an election on April Fool's Day. They could have easily made it April 7th or a week later, April the 8th.
WELLSIt should be in June, is when it should be.
SHERWOODBut all of that -- the mayor hasn't announced. He's playing coy about not running. A lot of people think he's done a lot of good things, but that he cheated at the beginning by getting the illegal help to win, whether he knew about it or not. You complained the other day that the mayor has spent the last two and a half years or so refusing to discuss his 2010 campaign, and therefore, he shouldn't be planning a 2014 campaign. What did you say and what did you mean, more importantly?
WELLSWell, you know, I think that the public deserves to know what happened. Was there some quid pro quo with Sulaimon Brown? Was there collusion for running an illegal campaign? And the mayor has essentially said -- his attorney said he shouldn't talk about, which means the mayor's more concerned about his own personal liability, rather than what should the people that, you know, have voted for him and the city he leads, should we know. And so I think that it simply means that I guess the legal process is not done, but I think that it impacts someone's ability to lead the city if they have, you know, participated in a crooked campaign, if they broke laws of the city that we should know it.
SHERWOODThree council members called on him to resign. You did not.
WELLSInitially I thought he should have a chance to tell his story. There was no indictment. There was nothing yet out there. And I thought that the mayor deserved a chance to have the case be brought against him. And that's only being still built now, but I…
SHERWOODBut you're not calling on him to resign now?
WELLSWell, we're so close to the end. If the mayor resigned, does that kick it into a special election? Could we potentially have four mayors between now and next November, which would just have a terrible impact on the city. And I think it'd be self-serving if I called on the mayor to resign. I want the city to do well, but I want the legal process to work its way out.
NNAMDIWe're almost out of time. You said that you think the primary date should be in June. What are the chances of that actually happening?
WELLSWell, you know, when the council passed that it was basically the incumbency protection act, so that if someone was going to mount a campaign against one of my colleagues they would have to do it during the winter, they'd have to do it quickly, even before people realized that, hey, there's a primary April 1st. I think it was a self-serving kind of incumbent protection act. It ought to be in June, A, to give everyone a full amount of time to be able to, you know, make their case. Then the second reason is, is that we're a one-party town.
WELLSEssentially, you're the Ward elect or the council elect or the mayor elect from April 1st for nine months, until January. And that seems awkward. It doesn't make sense and it should be changed to June.
SHERWOODYour praised Kenyan McDuffie, the Ward 5 council member, a few moments ago. It's going to be in his court whether to propose a change in the election date. Have you discussed it with him and what's he thinking?
WELLSWell, absolutely I've discussed it with him. I'm not sure -- I think he may support it, but I know that the chair supports it and we just got a letter from Eleanor Holmes Norton saying it needs to be changed. It should be changed to June.
SHERWOODShe's on the ballot, too.
NNAMDIAnd, by the way, the members of that ad hoc committee that made the decision about former mayor Marion Barry were Kenyan McDuffie, Anita Bonds, Yvette Alexander, Mary Cheh and David Grosso. So…
WELLSYou were right, Tom.
NNAMDI…Sherwood got it right…
SHERWOODOnce again, right.
NNAMDI…for a change. Tommy Wells, thank you so much for joining us.
WELLSI am honored, Kojo, to be with you and Tom on the last show.
SHERWOODYou haven't mentioned the H Street Festival today. I think you are going to lose support.
WELLSWe've got the H Street Festival this weekend. It's going to be fabulous. It's one of the best festivals in all of America.
SHERWOODAnd I'll be biking over there.
NNAMDITommy Wells is a Democratic candidate for mayor of the District of Columbia. He's a member of the D.C. Council. He represents Ward 6 on the council. He also chairs the council's Committed on Public Safety and the Judiciary. Tommy Wells, thank you so much for joining us.
WELLSThank you, Kojo, and thanks, Tom.
NNAMDIAnd, Tom, there is a statue coming to D.C. that people should really be aware of. The statute of -- a 10-foot-tall statute of Nelson Mandela.
SHERWOODYeah, you know, it's pretty cool. I went over there yesterday, to the South African embassy on Massachusetts Avenue, which has been under reconstruction for 50 years -- actually it's only been about three, but it seems like 50.
NNAMDISeems like 50.
SHERWOODAnd they've closed up the driveway in the middle. And they've got this terrific statute. It's a replica. And I spoke to a Jean, I think, Doyle, who is the sculptor. And it's a replica of the one that stands outside the prison where he spent 27 years. His fist is raised in the air and he's right across the street from Winston Churchill. And Churchill is holding up the V sign for victory and the ambassador from South Africa said, well, you know, a rock beats scissors all the time, you know. It's kind of funny.
SHERWOODBut it's really nice that they're juxtaposed there. There's a big ceremony on Saturday. Channel 4 has already put the statute up. If you go by there now it's got coverings on it, but it's going to be unveiled Saturday and I hope it doesn't rain.
NNAMDIOh, I hope it doesn't rain and the fact is that Nelson Mandela is still with us, despite…
SHERWOODAnd some of his family members -- I'm not sure who, but some of his family members will be there. And some of the original people. And I believe it's Walter Fauntroy and Eleanor Holmes Norton who are the first who were arrested…
NNAMDIThe first four demonstrators.
SHERWOOD…on November 21, 1984. They walked into the embassy and refused to leave and it created a massive campaign to help get rid of apartheid.
NNAMDIFormer D.C. delegate Walter Fauntroy; current D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton; Mary Frances Berry, former head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission; and Randall Robinson, head of TransAfrica.
SHERWOODRandall Robinson is coming up from St. Kitts. You know I said, is he retired or is he just down there on business?
NNAMDINo, he lives there.
SHERWOODYes, he lives there. So that means he's retired, but it would be great to see him again.
NNAMDIYes, indeed. Let's now turn to Virginia, where Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Terry McAuliffe, himself a business person, somehow managed not to get the endorsement of the political arm of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, which voted instead to endorse his Republican opponent Ken Cuccinelli. Apparently saying that in terms of the presentations of the two candidates, that Mr. McAuliffe's candidate seem to emphasize more his ability to schmooze people then a knowledge of the issues at hand.
SHERWOODWell, the Tech Council is important. It's got a lot of business leaders in Northern Virginia and they have an effect on what's happening in the state and in the region for that matter. And they take it quite seriously, the business. And the pack version interviewed them and I think I'll go with what the Washington Post said, that Ken Cuccinelli, for all the troubles he's having these days, came in and had almost a wonkish understanding of what they were talking about in terms of business and the technology issues for Virginia.
SHERWOODAnd that Terry McAuliffe, which is a common complaint about him, appeared to be flippant and uninformed are the words in the Post story. And, again, I think the salesman aspect of McAuliffe is that many people say he's much deeper than he appears, but he has this kind of sometimes irritating ease about his behavior and his personality that turns people off, and it apparently turned off the tech council.
NNAMDIWell, the polls are showing that the two major party candidates are coming even close together, but there's a third candidate who is polling well enough that his margin -- or the polling that he's getting is larger than the margin between those two major party candidates themselves. Know who I'm talking about?
SHERWOODI will in a moment.
NNAMDIThat's because...
SHERWOODI wonder if he would maybe make a dramatic move and endorse one of the other two since -- then maybe affect the race. But we'll see as you introduce him.
NNAMDIThat may be one of the questions that Robert Sarvis answers. He is the Libertarian candidate for governor of Virginia. He joins us in studio. Robert Sarvis, thank you for joining us.
MR. ROBERT SARVISThank you for having me.
NNAMDIAnd if you'd like to join the conversation with Robert Sarvis, give us a call at 800-433-8850 if you have any questions or comments for him or about him or about the race. You can also send email to email@example.com. People in the Washington region -- pretty familiar with the two major party candidates at this point.
NNAMDIThey're becoming pretty familiar at least with their television commercials. But they may be less familiar with who you are, what you stand for and why you feel you're the best candidate for the Commonwealth. So let's start from there. Why are you running? And why do you feel qualified for this job?
SARVISWell, I'm running to give Virginians a third and better option. Forty percent of the electorate in Virginia consistently says that they want another candidate.
SARVISAnd I'm trying to provide somebody that they can be proud to vote for, somebody who's focusing on creating a Virginia that's both open-minded and open for business, a Virginia that respects both economic and personal freedom, and a Virginia that returns to the rule of law, so we don't have so much corporate influence, lobbying, and, as a result of all of that, laws, tax policies and regulations that end up preserving private profits insulating market incumbents from competition. So if we can return to the rule of law, get our economy started, we can do a lot for Virginia.
NNAMDITwo years ago, you ran as a Republican against Dick Saslaw for his State Senate seat. Why did you leave the party? And why do you feel more at home as a Libertarian?
SARVISWell, I've always been a small L libertarian, and I ran specifically -- explicitly as a moderate Libertarian Republican two years ago. But I just kind of realized that, in Virginia at least, the GOP is not a friendly place for liberty candidates, true liberty candidates who believe in both personal and economic freedom. So the Libertarian Party is a party that stands on principle, is not going to put partisanship above policy principles, and it's just a natural home for me.
SHERWOODBut what is your reaction to the shootings in the Navy Yard on Monday given your, as I understand here reading your documents, very strong position that gun rights and ownership shouldn't be in the fringe? What's your reaction to Monday's shooting?
SARVISWell, I think there's still a lot of details coming out about the shooting, so I don't want to speak without knowing all the details. But, generally speaking, I think that our knee-jerk reaction in politics is to go back to the talking points, whether Republicans, Democrats, on gun control. And I think that, you know, we do need to take seriously the issues surrounding guns, the misuse of guns, and mental health issues. But...
SHERWOODBut this shooter -- alleged -- I mean, the reports haven't been -- he bought a shotgun in Virginia, sawed it off, and carried it in to his workspace. He bought a gun, even though there was significant issues in his background that maybe suggested he shouldn't be allowed to buy a gun. But I -- you know, your thoughts about that, should there not be background checks on guns?
SARVISWell, we do have a system in place with background checks. One of the issues with that is that a lot of mental health professionals are concerned that if you do things that dramatically increase the amount of recordkeeping that goes to the background check system that you disincentivize people from getting mental health treatment. So there are -- the issue is very complicated. And, you know, if we want to reduce gun violence, there are a lot of things that we can do...
NNAMDII'm going to get to that in a second because I know you have some interesting proposals about that. But before we leave gun control itself, how about the loophole for gun shows in the Commonwealth of Virginia? Would you close that loophole?
SARVISWell, the gun show loophole is sort of a misnomer. The same laws apply at gun shows as away from gun shows where licensed gun dealers have to do background checks. Private individual sales are not subject to them. You know, I don't -- so that's not a loophole in the sense that the law is the same in and out of gun shows.
SHERWOODIt means that people can go to a gun show and freely exchange guns. Do you own one?
SARVISI'm not going to comment on that.
SARVISThat's a -- that's none of your business.
SHERWOODI mean, it's none of my business that you're a candidate for governor and you won't tell me whether you have a gun? Would you -- do you have a open carry permit?
SARVISDo I do what?
SHERWOODDo you have a permit to carry a gun? I mean...
SARVISAgain, it -- so this is an issue where I don't, as governor -- and I don't think the government should be, you know, trying to determine who owns guns and things like that and keep track of all of that. And so I don't think it's any of your business whether I own it, and I don't think it's my...
SHERWOODSo you shouldn't have to have a license to own a gun?
SARVISTo defend your home and family, it's certainly the constitutional law that you don't.
NNAMDIRobert Sarvis is the Libertarian candidate for governor of Virginia. He joins us in studio. If you have questions or comments or him, call us at 800-433-8850 or send email to email@example.com. You say that decriminalization of drugs is what you think is leading to a great deal of gun violence in America. What would you do about that?
SARVISWell, I've proposed ending the drug war, and I think that it's pretty clear that we've made a lot of the same mistakes that we did during the Prohibition era. By our criminal prohibitions, we've created a black market for drugs that creates a very well-armed, very well-funded criminal enterprise and a very violent criminal enterprise. So, just as happened in the decade after Prohibition was repealed, I think we would see a continued and even accelerated decline in gun violence. You know, that's a very substantial portion of gun violence.
NNAMDISo you are for legalizing not only marijuana but several of or all of the other so-called illicit drugs?
SARVISWell, I'm -- I think we should focus in Virginia on marijuana because I think that, you know, there's a lot of reasons, political and otherwise, why that's the right place to start, whether that's medical marijuana or full legalization. I prefer the latter, but, you know, it's about what's politically feasible in Virginia at the time.
SARVISBut I think that certainly is the case that, when over half of drug arrests are for marijuana, and over 80 percent of those marijuana arrests are for mere possession, and we're criminalizing people, giving them criminal records, making them unemployable, losing a lot of economic value by doing so, there are many reasons to legalize it, bring, you know, reform, rebuild families and communities, and regulate and tax it.
NNAMDIWe had a caller earlier in the broadcast who suggested to D.C. Councilmember Tommy Wells that he might have some success with that in Maryland, but he shouldn't even think about Virginia because he would have no success there. How have people been responding to your proposals about legalizing marijuana in the Commonwealth?
SARVISWell, it varies by voter obviously. But especially young people see the damage it's doing, see the undermining of the rule of law, see friends who are being railroad into the criminal justice system. In Virginia, we have a state constitutional requirement that people who have felonies lose their voting rights. You know, this is a serious problem. And the other two candidates, you know, have been talking about felony re-enfranchisement. Well, I'm the only person talking about the other end of the pipeline where we're railroading people into the loss of their rights.
SHERWOODI like Libertarians. I actually like Libertarians 'cause I like -- personally, but the less government sometimes be better government. But do you think people should be made to wear seatbelts?
SARVISWell, I think people have a very strong incentive to want to wear seatbelts so that they're not, you know, dying in gruesome accidents. But one of the things that you see with seatbelt laws and things like that are -- I think it's called the Peltzman effect where people drive a little bit more -- it changes their incentives and changes how safe they feel. It changes how they behave.
SHERWOODThey drive more aggressively when they're wearing a seatbelt?
SARVISRight. So it's not really clear what influence the nanny state is having on us. I'm going to wear my seatbelt regardless of what the law says.
NNAMDICan you put on your headphones, please? Because Monica in Takoma Park, Md. has a question in relation to a statement you made earlier. Monica, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.
MONICAYes. When you were just asked whether you owned a gun, you didn't want to answer. But then you also quoted the Constitution, saying that -- or implying that it's a right that we have and you have a right to your privacy. But I feel that if you feel so strongly about being able to own a gun, you should feel kind of proud and not ashamed to say, yes, I own a gun. So it's a comment that I want...
NNAMDIHe seems to feel equally strongly about his right to privacy, but go ahead.
SARVISI'll also say that if you put a badge on yourself that you own a gun, you can also induce people to come to your house to break in to steal a gun. And the last thing that you want is more illegal guns on the street.
NNAMDITo which you say what, Monica?
MONICAI'm not sure that people are going to track you down to try to steal your gun. I just feel that if you have one, you should just say you have one. And I feel...
SHERWOODDo you have one, Monica?
MONICAI do not.
SARVISAnother thing I would say is that, you know, when people don't know who has and who has not -- who does not have a gun, that creates a lot of uncertainty, and it makes it much less likely that you're going to get accosted on the street or someone's going to break into your home when they don't know who does and does not have guns.
SHERWOODLet me ask you...
NNAMDIMonica, thank you for your call.
SHERWOODLet me ask an overarching question about the politics of running and the prospect of winning. Many people have run independent campaigns in Virginia, other places. Almost -- I tried to think of anybody who's won an independent campaign statewide. It's just not doable in many respects. And you're often not included in the kind of the mainstream campaign debates and things like that.
SHERWOODYou have far less money than the other candidates, your reach and voter identification and getting the people out to vote. The prospects of your winning are -- if you're a betting person -- are quite long, the odds of your winning. What motivates you to run, knowing you probably -- under the logistics of everything -- probably will lose? What -- is there some additional goal besides winning?
SARVISWell, I think anytime you have somebody who's willing to go out and talk to people all across the state about freedom in the rule of law, getting corporatism out of government and all of these things, people really perk up their ears. People are elated to hear they have...
SHERWOODOh, I'm sorry, getting corporate -- so you would ban corporate contributions to...
SARVISNo, no, no. I'm not saying corporate contributions. I'm saying...
SHERWOODNo, that's corporate corporate.
SARVISNo. I'm saying the special treatment that corporations and industries get in our tax and regulatory policy. When you talk about these things, people are absolutely elated. They don't have to agree with me on every issue, but they're very happy to see someone stand up on principle, not playing the partisan games.
SHERWOODHow would you -- it's very hard for even a popular governor like McDonnell before his issues. I mean, several governors tried to get a major transportation plan through the General Assembly, 140 members, and they finally got it through. Everybody's kind of happy now. But those are a lot of personal relationships and working together. And independent has no allegiance for the Democrats or the Republicans. How would you get Speaker Howell to do something or Dick Saslaw, who you ran against, to pay any attention to you?
SARVISWell, they'll pay attention if I win. I mean, think about the changes in their incentives when a Libertarian wins against their candidates. It means that people rejected everything that their party was talking about in the election, and they know that, in 2015, every single one of them, if they don't take a turn towards freedom in the rule of law, every single one of them is going to have a well-funded Libertarian challenger. So I'm not trying to -- I'm going to -- the day after the election, if I win, you know, that's when I start to -- you know, that's day one on the job.
SHERWOODAnd if you don't win, what then -- which is the back half of my question. You have the long odds to win. I think you acknowledge you have long odds to win. But what happens -- what do you do next? Do...
SARVISWell, I can't speculate about what I'm going to do in that case. I'm just focusing on this -- I'm putting 100 percent into this race. And, you know, the voters really appreciate that.
NNAMDIAccording to Geoffrey Skelley of the University of Virginia, Sabato's crystal ball, the last time an independent came very close to winning the governorship was in 1973 when the Democrat-turned-independent Henry Howell lost to Democrat-turned-Republican Mills Godwin by 1.5 percent. A certain Tom Sherwood was probably covering Virginia politics then.
SHERWOODYes. Mr. Howell had a substantial reputation and career in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
NNAMDIOne of the first issues listed on your website, Robert Sarvis, is your support for marriage equality. Your site actually features the symbol people see on so many Facebook pages and Twitter feeds supporting same-sex marriage in Virginia. Virginia's actually a state with a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, which only passed a few years ago. What gives you reason to believe most people in the Commonwealth agree with you now that this should be changed?
SARVISWell, there's been a lot of changes in Virginia society and in Virginia polls, showing that the support for same-sex marriage has totally flipped and so that there is now a majority in many polls. You know, that's sufficient enough to say, let's have a vote. But I'm also talking about, you know, the principle of the matter, that if we're going to have government in the business of giving legal privileges based on personal relationships, we should make that equally accessible to same-sex couples.
SARVISAnd, you know, I go around the state, and I talk about -- it doesn't matter, liberal or conservative audiences, I talk about both gay rights and gun rights. And, you know, I meet people who don't even know that 50 years ago, interracial marriages were illegal in Virginia. So when you're ignorant of history, you're condemned to repeat it. So, you know, I think I'm in a unique position to actually talk about this issue.
NNAMDIBecause 50 years ago, you and wife couldn't get married in Virginia.
SARVISThat's correct. And my mom and dad couldn't have been married either because they're also of different races, although I'll say that it's quite likely that the laws weren't equally applied to white-Asian versus white-black relationships.
SHERWOODI always like to ask political candidates this question. How do you earn your living? How do you make money? I haven't looked at your financial disclosure reports. I assume Virginia has one worth looking at. But how do you make money?
SARVISWell, right now...
SHERWOODAre you a middle class person, a lower income person, a high income person? People who don't know you might want to just have some fuel. I mean, we know what Terry McAuliffe has done. We know what Ken Cuccinelli has done. But who are you in terms of how you earn -- care for your family?
SARVISRight. Well, right now, I'm focusing 100 percent on the campaign, so I'm not working.
SARVISBut previously I've had a few careers as a lawyer, a software developer, and studying economics, doing research.
SHERWOODWhat was your most recent last job before you devoted yourself full-time to the campaign?
SARVISWell, the last two years, I was a graduate student. And as part of that, I had a job at the Mercatus Center, which is a -- I was doing research for them as part of the graduate program.
NNAMDIOn to the telephones now. Here is Marla in Arlington, Va. Marla, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.
MARLAYes. Good morning. Thank you for taking my call. My question for the gubernatorial candidate is, you know, I'm African-American. I'm well-educated. I have a great job here in Virginia. My concern is about the Libertarian Party and the need for us to just have state's right and no federal oversight for many things, including things like the Department of Education.
MARLAIf there was no federal oversight, I mean, (word?) would still exist. So my concern is that, how do you protect people who are in the minority population if there's no federal oversight to make sure that what's right is done? And I'll take my answer off the air.
NNAMDIYou only have about a minute left.
SARVISOkay. Sure. I'm going to say we do need federal oversight over protection of individual rights. The Fourteenth Amendment is a very Libertarian, classical liberal amendment, and it says that states cannot deny equal protection of the laws, can't deny due process. So I'm a very strong supporter of every level of government having a duty to protect individual rights.
NNAMDIAnd Ben in Silver Spring, go ahead, please.
BENHi, Kojo. Thank you for taking my call. I was just curious as to what exactly the guest's intentions are for gun laws concerning people with mental health issues.
NNAMDIAnd you only have about 20 seconds left.
SARVISWell, I think that, you know, gun rights are important thing. They're constitutional rights, and I think that if we're going to have better -- if we're going to worry about mental health issues and gun rights, we should make sure that we're having court determinations of loss of rights.
NNAMDIRobert Sarvis is the Libertarian candidate for governor of Virginia. Thank you for joining us. Good luck to you.
SARVISThank you very much for having me.
NNAMDITom Sherwood is our resident analyst. He's an NBC 4 reporter and a columnist for the Current Newspapers. Happy trails to you.
SHERWOODMandela statue on Saturday and H Street Festival. What better way to spend the day.
NNAMDIAnd next week, when we're coming to you, I've heard rumors that we'll be in another location. Thank you all for listening.
SHERWOODI'm disclosed.
NNAMDII'm Kojo Nnamdi.
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham discusses the ACLU lawsuit against MPD officers for their actions during Inauguration Day protests. And Democratic candidate for Maryland Governor Alec Ross is in studio.
Creative industries like film and television are represent different viewpoints and upbringings. Now, children's literature is getting into the game.
Ten teenage girls from Washington, D.C. came together to pen a novel exploring what the killing of an unarmed black youth means for every character involved. What do young voices add to the ongoing local and national conversation surrounding police violence against people of color?
Andrew Gifford, the heir-apparent to Gifford's Ice Cream and Candy, paints a complicated portrait of his parents, who not only bankrupted his family's beloved local company, but abused him throughout childhood.


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text: LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Drinks Americas (OTN: DKAM) a leading U.S. broker for authentic Mexican craft beer proves to be right on trend with the roll out of Day of the Dead™ Craft Beer. Just six months ago DKAM decided to focus resources on the growing category of specialty craft beer and within that short period of time they are now available in over 20 U.S. chain retailers (such as Cost Plus World Market, Walgreens, Sprouts, Total Wines) represented by over 40 distributors and available in over 32 states. This positive response is a true indicator that Drinks Americas has the right brand at the right time and momentum is building. The Company is demonstrating full support to this strategic focus by retaining Beverage Industry marketing specialist Erin Heit. Ms. Heit has been instrumental in the successful roll out of beverage brands including Glaceau Vitaminwater, FUZE and Celsius. "As soon as I saw Drinks Americas brand portfolio of authentic Mexican craft beers, with eye catching packaging, brilliant marketing and proven sales I recognized them as the leader of this movement and wanted to be involved," said Erin Heit. According to the Brewers Association craft beer in the U.S. is growing at 14% and furthermore according to the Global Agricultural Information Network, June 2013, Mexican craft beer is growing at 60%. Drinks Americas mission is to identify and invest the majority of our brand-building resources on those with the greatest growth potential such as Day of the Dead™. About Drinks Americas Holdings (OTN: DKAM) Drinks Americas is the exclusive United States broker for leading premium authentic Mexican beers currently present in over 32 states and is on target to be the leading broker for this growing category in each of the markets in which it operates. All the beers are brewed in Mexico's third largest brewery, Cerveceria Mexicana, which is proudly Mexican owned and uses state of the art filtration, fermentation and aging systems. Drinks Americas leading premium authentic Mexican beer brands includes specialty craft beer Day of the Dead™, Mexicali™, Rio Bravo™, Crazy Pig™ and Chili Devil™. Drinks Americas (DKAM) brands continues to forge strong connections with consumers through some of the largest retailers and restaurants in the country. Drinks Americas is a publicly traded company (OTN: DKAM) based in Los Angeles, CA. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this release, including the description of the company and its product offerings, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the historical volatility and low trading volume of our stock, the risk and uncertainties inherent in the early stages of growth companies, the company's need to raise substantial additional capital to proceed with its business, risks associated with competitors, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.


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compaction requirements?
Is there any OSHA-type standard for the specs on a compactor used to compact gravel under slabs, around/under footers and foundation walls? I was just wondering if a compactor that pounds out 4000 lbf would pass specs, or if one needs a larger machine, like 5000 lbf or so. I would be compacting gravel at a maximum of 8" lifts, and will have undisturbed glacial silt or undisturbed fractured shist as a base. A 4000 lbf machine, with a minimum of four passes, has been recommended to me by a manufacturer; just double checking. This is for one or two houses, so speed is not critical; I don't get paid either way. Thanks. john
Ayuh,... If you reduce the lifts to about 1/2 or less than stated,.. You'll make inspection No problem...
You won't get compaction to 8", but 3" or 4" will work...
sprinkle water on each lift will help to tighten the compaction.
why such big lifts? are you floating footings? you want something tight order pugmill will come wet and set like concrete. it is basically crush an run gravel wet down which you can do onsite to bypass the extra weight on the haul charge
As noted, OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, they have nothing to do with specifying standards for compaction of gravel. Compaction of soil is typically specified in terms of Proctor density, which can be measured using a variety of techniques, including nuclear density gage, and sand cone, to mention two common methods. The spec typically refers to a percent of Proctor density, i.e. 90 percent or 95 percent is common.
It is uncommon to see a specification that names a specific model or type of compaction device to be used. Normally, the spec states the required Proctor density, and certain soil parameters (i.e. less than 5% passes the #200 sieve). The contractor is then permitted to use whatever type of machine they choose to achieve the required result. In your case, I doubt anyone is going to certify a specific machine, they may have a specific result in mind.
Thanks for the input. (1) Why such big lifts? Other than being faster than a 4" lift, I dunno; that is what the engineer said was acceptable, and that is what I hear often. I have only done a few houses, so am just trying to figure out what the hey so I am henceforth doing it for-sure-right, instead of likely-right. This will be a long house. If need be, I'll scale back the lift height. (2) Oh, yeah. OSHA is for safety. Duh. I knew that.... (3) I was hoping there were guidelines like "if you want to meet such-and-such specs, typically a 4000 lbf machine is necessary". I guess I was wishing for too much. Thanks again. john
One more detail. You said that the soil would either be undisturbed glacial silt (I think you meant glacial till) or undistrubed fractured schist. In either case, I don't follow why you feel you need 8 inch lifts. Typically with a very strong material like dense glacial till or fractured schist, the engineer would spec a 4 inch thickness of structural fill or crushed stone. Unless there is something truly odd about the soil, you would not need to go even 8 inches thick.
A 4 inch thick layer of structural fill is simply a pad to support the concrete, and it allows for drainage. It can likely be adequately compacted using almost any small machine, typically a plate whacker is used, or a hand held vibratory roller. Especially since this is residential, not commercial. You should check with the designer, you may be overkilling this project.
more answers
Thanks for the questions/info. I did not go into great detail before, so here is a bit more info. (1) GLACIER SILT [1]
The pulverulent material, produced by glacial erosion, that is washed out beneath a glacier and deposited at lower levels by glacial streams. We've got the stuff all over the place here. Maybe "till" is another name for it??? (2) Under the slab, I think we'll be packing approx 6". That, I am not too concerned w/. (3) Around the foundation walls, which will be 50" to the top of the 8" high footer, is where one concern for compacting will be. The trenches around the foundation wall will be big enough to work in comfortably, and may be a tad over-sized because I may be digging them w/ my skid steer instead of renting a hoe. I'll have to get info on rental price, etc. Either way, there is going to be some serious back-filling and compacting to do. The house will be 96' long x 44' wide, with an additional "foundation wall" down the center in both directions, if that makes sense. (4) The engineer has spec'd a 12" deep by 20"-24" wide compacted fill under the footers, too, to give more bearing area under the footer. The short of the long is, I will be compacting for a long butt time, and therefore want the lifts as high as possible. I hope that clarifies things a bit. If anyone has any other suggestions, now's the time. Thanks. john
make sure you trenchs are safe to work in, step back your removed material
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I don't have anything useful to contribute to this thread but for those of use that have no idea what you're talking about, what does this mean?
"compacting gravel at a maximum of 8" lifts"
You are not going to save any time by compacting in large lifts, i.e. lifts over 4 inches thick. The reason is that as the lifts get thicker, the total number of passes required to achieve the required density is going to increase rapidly. At some point, depending on the energy delivery of your compacter, you will not be able to deliver enough energy to compact the bottom of the lift to required Proctor density, and you will theoretically need to hammer away at the lift for essentially an unlimited time to achieve the required density.
In the commercial world I practiced in for years, the typical maximum lift I ever saw compacted was 4 inches of structural fill, and that was with a large vibratory roller. The experienced contractor knew that with a 4 inch lift, they could get the required compaction with a minimum number of passes, typically two each direction. If they kicked the lifts to say 6 or 8 inches, they would need say 4 passes in each direction, but there was a real risk they would not meet the compaction requirement, and they would then have to recompact. Time is money, so I never saw anyone take the chance. If you are needing more than two passes each direction, you are either using improper technique, your lifts are too thick, the soil is at the wrong moisture content, or you need a larger machine.
In the case of residential work, there may not be any test performed of the compaction, in which case the engineer may simply specify a maximum lift thickness (typically 4 inches), a minimum energy for the machine, and a minimum number of passes each direction. In the commercial world, the density is almost always measured, so it is up to the contractor to select means and methods to achieve the needed result.
Great points!
Dan: I see the logic to what you are saying. The one manufacturer I contacted said 4 passes would be necessary w/ an 8" lift, (w/ his 4000 lbf machine) but it now makes more sense to keep the lifts to 4" and go over them 2, or maybe 3, times. I did not think about the graph of lift height vs pound-feet of the vibrator being non-linear. The light bulb just turned on. Thanks. BTW: On the glacial silt vs till, we/I may be using the wrong term, or I may not hear the right word when people speak it. I have significant hearing loss in certain frequencies and it screws up some words big-time. QUESTION: Have you ever heard of over-compaction? I heard my dad talking about that at a house we were working on years ago, but I never asked if he was just horsing around; he is an engineer, but he horses around a lot, too.
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Richards named to Bethlehem High honor roll
The following Spencer County students have been named to the honor roll for the first semester of the 2010-11 academic year at Bethlehem High School in Bardstown, Kentucky.
"A-B" Honor Roll: Grade 9 – Katherine J. Richards of Spencer County.
Locals named to Center College dean's list
The name "Salt River Tom" is familiar to many Spencer County residents, but in case you don't know who he was, here's a primer.
Have you noticed a sticky substance on the floor beneath your ficus or philodendron? Are there little scabs on the under side of the leaves of your orchid? Maybe you have noticed that your plants just look a little lack luster. Well, we can blame some plant puniness on being a tropical houseplant indoors in Kentuckiana during the winter.
Soon you'll be receiving seed catalogs for the 2011 vegetable-growing season. While listening to the cold wind blow outside, what a comfort it is to think about spring and summer and planning your garden.
The Spencer County Sheriff's Department welcomed deputy Jonathan Bentley recently to its staff. Bentley, pictured above in middle, is sworn in by Judge David Hayse of Fayette County.
Mitchell Keeling, pictured above, enjoys helping others in times of need. According to neighbors, every time it snows in Spencer County, Keeling gets out his tractor and scrapes several of the driveways near his home on Dale Lane.
The Spencer Magnet welcomes Taylorsville resident Michael Waits as our new graphic designer and production assistant – bringing with him many years of fruitful experience in the field of advertising and graphic design.
Michael joins the Magnet staff after having worked for nearly 10 years as an artist at Hillsdale Furniture, LLC., located in Louisville, KY.
This past week the expression "out in the cold" has really meant something.
With temperatures in the single digits and snow covering the ground, I don't think I want to be left out in the cold. Between the wind whipping into every little crease in my clothes, the snow blowing in my face, or the slippery ice under my feet, it can be downright uncomfortable.
Copyright © 2017
The Spencer Magnet is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Spencer County, KY and the surrounding area.


text: Hi I just bought a ssd drive and I have 2 partitions. 1 is for work and one is for personal. I did a fresh install for my personal partition. However for work I want to make a clone(it would be a huge pain to setup everything again) of it on my ssd drive. Original Drive 1 Tb seagate hard drive and has my 100gb work partition with windows 7 on it. I want to now take that partition and put it on a partition of the ssd drive. I tried to use Acronis Disk Director to make a copy of it and I tried DriveImage XML to do a clone of it and I get the same result both times. The cloning finishes and I was unable to acess my work windows 7. I used "EasyBCD 2.1.2" to hookup my computer so it can handle dual boot(my fresh windows 7 and my work windows 7). I loaded into my work windows 7 partition and it comes to the login screen and everything is all good till I try to log in. I get a screen that goes "personalizing settings". After like 5 minutes it goes to another screen with a dialog box in the top left corner. "setting up personalized settings for: web platform customizations". After 45mins it is still on this screen. I don't know why this is happening. Edit I should mention that I can log into my work partition under safe mode. It does not run into that problem but it comes up with a message saying the "profile is broken....."


text: In the street, the simpler the better. In the majority of cases, we will only have a few seconds to react, so we have to be efficient and our techniques simple and flexible. That is the beauty of Krav Maga Commando. One only needs to know one technique that can be utilized universally and that will allow us to react and adapt ourselves to every kind of attack.


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BIG3 Draws Strong Crowd For Debut Event MLB Pace Of Play Slow Due To No Action Riddick Shoots Down Chiefs Front-Office Report NHL, NHLPA Funding Studies To Expand D-I Hockey Cities Struggle To Put Together Bids For MLS NASL Expected To Add San Diego Expansion Team BIG3 Basketball Officially Begins Play Kraft Says Future Of Broadcasts Will Be In OTT Leonsis, Delle Donne Discuss WNBA Issues IndyCar Looking At International Venues For Races
Upcoming Conferences and Events
SBD/July 12, 2011/Leagues and Governing Bodies
NFL Lockout Watch, Day 123: Talks Resume With Rookie Wage Scale An Issue
Published July 12, 2011
TAKING THE FIFTH: ESPN.com's John Clayton cited sources on both sides as saying that the "debate in the rookie pool talks is over how to structure a fifth-year option for first-round draft picks." Under current proposals, "all first rounders would get four-year deals, plus an option year." That option "could be executed by the team after the third or fourth year of the contract." However, owners "want a fixed amount for the fifth year option." Owners also "talked about an escalator clause based on performance for the fifth year in addition to the fixed amount." Players want agents to "negotiate that fifth year when they do the contract," but owners do not (ESPN.com, 7/11). Agent Joe Linta said, "There has to be a trade-off if the owners are pushing on (less) guaranteed money. Players need less onerous restrictions on the length of their contracts. The bottom line is that the owners cannot have it both ways" (USA TODAY, 7/12). But ESPN's Tedy Bruschi said veteran NFLers "are saying, 'Finally -- finally -- there's a rookie wage scale, because these rookies have been overpaid for a long period of time.'" Bruschi: "Now they'll be rewarded for having NFL careers" ("NFL Live," ESPN, 7/11).
CHECKING THE SCHEDULE: In Chicago, Biggs & McClure note the Aug. 7 Bears-Rams Pro Football HOF Game is "in jeopardy with so much ground that must be covered." NFL Senior VP/PR Greg Aiello said, "We have not identified a date by which we have to have an agreement to save the Hall of Fame Game. Time is admittedly running short, however." Biggs & McClure note if the owners are able to ratify the CBA by July 21, that "would seemingly make it difficult or even impossible for the Bears and Rams to report to camp July 22 -- as scheduled -- and have their first practices July 23." The early start for those two teams is designed to give them the "standard 15 days to practice before the first exhibition." There has been no indication whether the game "could be played with a shorter preparation period if only the first few days of camp are missed" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/12). ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert wrote if a CBA is ratified on July 21, "it would make sense to cancel" the HOF game. Seifert: "If the Hall of Fame game is the only on-field casualty of the lockout, it's a victory for everyone" (ESPN.com, 7/11). Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, Stephen Holder notes the NFL lockout needs to end by Aug. 1 for the Bears and Buccaneers to play in London this season, as scheduled, and the July 21 timeline "would beat that deadline" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 7/12).
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN: Pro Football HOFer Gale Sayers said that the NFL and NFLPA "could have done more to help" former union President John Mackey, who passed away last week. Sayers said, "You know, John Mackey died at 60-something (69). (The NFL) could have helped him more, I felt. But they didn't, and the players (NFLPA) could have helped more, and it didn't happen" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/12).


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Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Languages Education
The information on this page applies to future students. Current students should refer to their faculty handbooks for course information.
Developed specifically for Indigenous Australian participants, this degree is designed to improve your knowledge of Indigenous Australian languages and enhance your employability in the field. Only available to applicants who have qualified for the award of the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Languages Education.
The program does not lead to accreditation as a teacher or a professional teaching qualification, however, the coursework involved in the graduate certificate, graduate diploma and master's degree provides both professional development for teachers and training for others to assist teachers or work in community education in Indigenous Australian languages. You do not need to be fluent in an Indigenous Australian language to enter the program.
Course outline
Study plan
Further course information
Graduate opportunities
Graduates may fulfill a variety of roles in Indigenous languages education contexts and languages revitalisation generally.
How to apply
Domestic students
How to apply
Not applicable
International students
How to apply
Not applicable


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Collected poems (edition 2005)
by Lynette Roberts (Author), Patrick McGuinness (Editor)
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Collected Poems by Lynette Roberts
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The work of an original haunting poet comes to life again, after fifty years. Lynette Roberts was born in Buenos Aires, a Welsh writer whose best work stands alongisde that of her near-contemporaries: David Jones, R.S. Thomas and Dylan Thomas, and yet an outsider in Wales. She is a war poet: her two published collections are about a woman's life in wartime. But she is also a love poet and a poet of the hearth. A late-modernist, she moves between the mythic and the domestic voices. Her work was praised by, among others, T.S. Eliot, Wyndham Lewis and Robert Graves. Experimental and chall.… (more)
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text:
Sept. 17, 2007
Blazer fans,
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y I'll take nine copies of this past Saturday, please. What a great day for college football, especially if you are a Blazer. The weather was absolutely amazing. We had a great crowd at Blazer Village for all the pre-game festivities. UAB finally got to enjoy playing in front of the home fans, and the crowd of roughly 22,000 is a wonderful starting point for our attendance at home this year. To cap off a fine football Saturday, the Green and Gold ended an eight-game losing streak and picked up win number one here in 2007. It was also win number one for Neil Callaway. Oh, by the way, it was also the Blazers first shutout in almost eight years. The 22-0 victory over Alcorn State provided any number of reasons to be happy.
It was nice to see the team take that next step...to go from improving to winning. It was even more enjoyable to see the smiles on the faces...players and coaches, alike. The win also came at a great time. With the only open date of the regular season coming this Saturday, a loss to the Braves would have meant a LONG two weeks for everyone.
We got to see some new faces in the line-up on Saturday, and we also got to see some familiar faces in old places. I think everyone now knows why the coaches were so excited about Brandon Thornton. The transfer from Mississippi State saw his first action of the year, as a starter, no less, in the UAB backfield, and the Birmingham native wasted little time in providing a spark for the running game. Wide receiver Mario Wright also introduced himself to the Blazer fans. The freshman is a big target and has big-play potential. He, too, got off to a quick start. Mario caught a pass from Sam Hunt on UAB's first snap, good for a 10-yard gain...Thornton then followed with a 12-yard run...not a bad start for those two gentlemen in their first action for the Green and Gold.
The most commonly-asked question through pre-season drills and the first two weeks was, "When will we see Joe Webb at quarterback?" The answer came Saturday night, late in the first quarter. Joe's numbers at quarterback weren't necessarily overwhelming, but it was good to see him under center, and it also gives the rest of UAB's opponents something to worry about.
What a night for Swayze Waters! His perfect game (5-5 field goals, 1-1 extra points) netted him 16 points and helped earn him Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He's now 9-for-10 in field goals this year, and he's perfect from 50-plus, including his career-best 52-yarder against Alcorn State. Not only did he make every kick, I don't think any were even close to the uprights. The ball seemed to explode off his foot, and each kick looked about as "textbook" as a player or coach could want. Having solid special teams is one thing...having a true weapon is quite another.
So, plenty to be excited about...no major injuries, lots of playing time for lots of different guys, a shutout, etc. Was it perfect? No. Too many penalties...too many missed opportunities (we all like Swayze, but I'll take 5-5 on extra points and 1-1 on field goals). Congrats to coach Callaway on his first win as a head coach. We're very lucky to have him leading this program. Congrats to the coaching staff and the players. I hope you celebrated well and wisely on Saturday. But now it's time to go back to work. The start of the conference slate comes in less than two weeks with a tough trip to Tulsa. It has been fun to watch this team grow and improve in three short weeks. I for one can't wait to see how much progress will be made before the first-ever meeting with the Golden Hurricane.
I hope you'll join us this, and every Thursday, for "Blazers All-Access." We broadcast live from Full Moon BBQ in Hoover from 6-7 PM. Coach Callaway will be there, and we take your calls, comments and questions at 866-883-0405. You can also email your comments and questions to us at email@example.com.
Have a great off week, and GO BLAZERS!!!


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And just like that... it's over.
Eva Longoria and her "Ready for Love" beau, Ernesto Arguello, have split, according to People.
"Eva is hard at work producing in Los Angeles, and Ernesto's work is based out of Honduras and Panama, which made their schedules difficult to coordinate," a source told the mag of why the couple parted ways.
"They remain very good friends and adore each other through it all," the source added.
Eva, 38, and Ernesto, 34, had been dating for four months
PHOTOS: Stars Who Split In 2013
The former "Desperate Housewives" actress initially announced she and the Miami-based entrepreneur were together on Twitter in July, Tweeting a link to a story reporting that their relationship had become romantic, adding, ""Happy to share NOW that it's true! Couldn't be happier..."
Ernesto replied, writing, "Me too baby, I LOVE YOU," at the time.
Copyright 2013 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Jarrett Stidham needed just five months to become a prized quarterback recruit last year.
The Stephenville High senior finished his sophomore year without a scholarship offer. But credit a strong set of spring practices and summer camps for helping him earn six offers despite not having started a varsity game at the position.
The Tennessee Volunteers projected such a bright future for him that they offered when he attended a camp. They had never spoken to him until two days earlier.
"It was a little odd, but I was really blessed to be in that position," said Stidham, who committed to Texas Tech in March. "I felt strong in what I could do. It ended up working out."
Consider that an understatement.
For more on this story and other Texas Tech recruiting stories, click here: http://texastech.247sports.com/


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T. Boone Pickens Awarded $146M By Jury In Oil Well Dispute A jury has awarded oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens $146 million over a dispute related to ownership and revenues from more than 160 oil wells in two West Texas counties.
CEO Spotlight: T Boone Pickens, Legendary Oil Man, On His 88th BirthdayKRLD's David Johnson is interviewing CEO's from all around the world to talk about their companies
Pickens: "We'll Get 67 Votes" To Override Keystone VetoThe U.S. Senate will likely vote next week on the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, setting up a potential showdown between Republicans and President Barack Obama.
Indictment Returned In Death Of T. Boone Pickens' GrandsonA suspended TCU student has been indicted on one count of felony murder in the death of T. Boone Pickens' grandson in January.
Grandson Of T. Boone Pickens Died From Heroin OverdoseA Tarrant County medical examiner has determined that the 21-year-old grandson of T. Boone Pickens died from an accidental heroin overdose in January.
Arrest In Connection To Death Of Pickens IVA friend of the dead grandson of T. Boone Pickens has been arrested for tampering with evidence in connection to his January 29 death.
Grandson Of Oil Tycoon T. Boone Pickens DiesThe grandson of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, Thomas Boone Pickens IV, died at a Fort Worth hospital on Tuesday.
Oil Tycoon T. Boone Pickens To Divorce 4th WifeOil tycoon T. Boone Pickens and his fourth wife, Madeleine, are filing for divorce.
OSU Loses Bid To Regain $33M From FundraiserA judge in Dallas has denied Oklahoma State's bid to get back $33 million spent on premiums as part of a fundraising scheme .
The Billionaire Workout: Pickens & Turner Get MovingSelf-made captains of industry are a lot like you and me. They lead incredibly busy lives, but still find time to get moving and squeeze in a workout.
OSU's Pickens & OU's Switzer Share Texas HateOklahoma State booster T. Boone Pickens and former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer found something they can agree on: disdain for Texas.
Pickens Says Big 12's 'Got A Problem' If Mizzou SplitsMissouri has been rumored to possibly follow Texas A&M to the SEC. In San Antonio on Tuesday, Pickens said "we got a real problem'' if Missouri doesn't stay in the Big 12.


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ADAM mixed geek chic glasses with a paired down traditional American finish for their fall 2011 showing at New York fashion week, in a show that felt somewhat lacking in it's winter options. Blame that on the fire which recently burnt down the workshop in which Adam Lippes' heavier knit pieces are crafted.
You can see all of ADAM's full autumn (fall) / winter 2011 / 2012 collection by clicking on the thumbnails below.


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WOOSTER, Ohio -- Today, there are more than 110 news stories in The Daily Record's annual Progress e
Current subscribers have full access to all online news content as part of their subscription. If you are a current subscriber, please log in with your website account information for full access. If you are a current subscriber, but have not yet registered for access to the website, please call our Circulation Department at (330) 287-1615


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Apparel: What are the key factors which make Brazilian textile and apparel exports unique?
Skaf: Brazil has a long-established industry clothing over 170 million home consumers. It has some of the most technologically advanced companies in the world, assimilates the entire supply chain and incorporates some very strong brand imaging.
The industry caters to all sectors of the domestic market from mass production of basic products to high added value quality niche markets, and it can do the same for the export market. It can offer high-end designer, brand and private label goods to basic unlabelled products, depending on what the market requires.
Apparel: Why are textile and apparel companies investing so much in their industry?
Skaf: Although there are no government grants of incentives to help companies invest, the incentive comes from the companies' own belief in the future of their country and their industry. They believe in the potential of its people, its good and reasonably low-cost work force (RS 600-700 per month with 100 percent on costs), and they see and understand the technological improvements, both in terms of quality and competitiveness, which come from investment.
They understand the advantages the industry has: Its strategic geographical location, its fertile land, its good industrial infrastructure, with strong technical training and education. There are over 50 colleges and universities offering training to the industry, ranging from technological and design degrees, to apprentice style training, SENAI being a prime example. Internally the industry operates the entire supply chain and incorporates the full gamut of skills and strengths required: design, creativity and innovation, quality, technical.
Apparel: What are the other advantages for the industry?
Skaf: The industry is already the country's largest industrial employer and as the clothing sector is a high labor intensive and growing industry, it has the ability to help address the country's main priority, that of reducing poverty and hunger of much of the population. By providing additional employment opportunities, it is likely to be given priority status within the new government.
From a buyer's point of view, the industry has a European, rather than South American, mentality. It produces medium- to high-end quality, offering superior design, particularly in intimate apparel, beachwear and ladies' wear, whilst children's wear is growing in its excellence.
Apparel: What are the disadvantages for the industry?
Skaf: The main disadvantages facing the industry are the high interest rates, which for industrial investment currently equates to around 15 percent. Tax reforms are also very necessary, and here we are talking about all the taxes which affect international competitiveness, from labor taxes to import/export taxes. ...Most manufacturers expect these taxes to be addressed reasonably quickly [by the new government installed in January].
However, one should remember that the disadvantages to the industry can be solved, whereas the advantages are intrinsic and will serve the industry for many years to come.
Apparel: Who are the main exporters?
Skaf: Although many of the designers and top brands have begun to export, 90 percent of the exports come from 10 percent of the manufacturers, and these tend to be the largest companies. These include children's wear manufacturer Marisol, jeans and shirts producer ONIX, Coteminas for T- shirts, Highstil for polos, Dudalina for formal men's shirts and Staroup for jeans.


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"Located along Jalan Zainal Abidin, the cemetery was not easily visible if you are travelling along the road. Park in front of the cemetery. According to the caretaker, relatives came from oversea to visit the tombs annually." photos and source [January 2010]
|Last Updated on Saturday, 13 April 2013 21:20


text: Around 11:00 pm on May 15th, Police were called to a home on Fetrow Lane, New Cumberland for a domestic disturbance. Police discovered that during an argument, 35-yr old Tara Hocker came at her husband with a knife and cut his hand. He declined medical treatment. Tara was charged with one count each of Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault, and Harassment.


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Sliwa Kicked Off WABC
Degenerate Liar Curtis Sliwa has been kicked off flagship New York City radio station 77 WABC AM and will be replaced by talker John Batchelor effective Monday, November 30th.
Sliwa has been broadcasting on-and-off the conservative New York City newstalk radio station for 18 years, according to The NY Daily News.
"WABC and I were not able to agree on an extension of my contract," Sliwa told The News. He would not comment further on why he got the boot from the station. WABC Radio PD Laurie Cantillo had a different perspective on the issue, telling reporters that Sliwa "expressed a desire to host between 6am-7pm and we don't have any openings at this time."
The red-bereted jackass will continue his weekday nightly syndicated show from WABC studios for now. Cantillo confirms that Sliwa will broadcast from the studios for the next two weeks.
The outlook of Sliwa's syndicated show looks dim, as Batchelor, who already has a weekend program, simply cannot broadcast seven-days-a-week. Syndication company Citadel is desperate for cash and will syndicate Batchelor's show against Sliwa, who is a numbskull compared to Batchelor on global events.
Rumor has it that Sliwa will be replacing current morning show host Bill Bennett at local WNYM The Apple (AM 970).
"Nothing is signed," Sliwa said.
If that doesn't work out, Sliwa will continue his "Curtis Cast" on UBATV.com, where he is tight with the management.
This is not the first time Sliwa has been fired from the New York conservative talk giant. He was fired from the station back in 1992 after being mysteriously shot and left for dead on the streets of downtown Manhattan. Political connections landed him a spot on then-New-York-City-owned WNYC AM, much to the chagrin of its employees and listeners. Sliwa then returned to WABC AM several years later and paired with leftist lawyer Ron Kuby in 2000 for a very successful morning show, only to be bumped from the line up for a resurrected Don Imus in 2007.
Sliwa, who was heard filling for conservative Sean Hannity today, was asked about the shake-up by a caller.
"I've had better days," Sliwa responded with a sigh.
HT: Felix from NJ