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Articles by Meredith Somers

Voters cast their ballot at a polling place during a primary election in Frederick, Md., Tuesday, April 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Maryland voters to get shot at reversing redistricting

Maryland voters are getting the chance in November to get rid of the new congressional district map, marking the first time in 50 years that a referendum on redistricting has made it to the state ballot.

July 11, 2012
Courtesy of msisoccer.d4sportsclub.com

Judge tells Montgomery County to release land data

A Montgomery County judge on Tuesday upheld a public information request from a coalition of well-funded citizen groups who had been stonewalled in their efforts to uncover details about a county project to transform a 20-acre farm in an affluent neighborhood of Potomac into soccer fields.

July 10, 2012
** FILE ** Prince George's County Council Vice Chairman Eric C. Olson

P.G. Council moves toward Whole Foods development

The Prince George's County District Council on Monday voted in favor of taking another step toward a mixed-use development in Riverdale Park that includes a Whole Foods grocery store.

July 9, 2012
Nia Bailey (left), 8, of Washington, and Amari Swint, 8, of Philadelphia, throw water balloons while in an inflatable pool July 7, 2012, during a block party northwest Washington, D.C., during record heat with temperatures in the triple digits. (Associated Press)

Record heat waves goodbye to area

The excruciating heat that smothered the mid-Atlantic under triple-digit temperatures came to an end Sunday, leaving in its wake buckled roadways, kinked train tracks, withered yards and a newfound sense of what it means to be hot.

July 8, 2012
Ethiopian Ambassador to the U.S. Girma Birru (center) chats with then-Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Vice Chairman Leonard Manning in March at the embassy. In his MWAA role, Mr. Manning helped facilitate opening the U.S. market to Ethiopian roses. (Jessica Carpenter/The Washington Times)

African roses bloom on Dulles’ runways

Acres of flowers carpeting the ground in bold hues might seem more at home in a Monet painting or the land of Oz, but it's a sight that's become a familiar part of the Ethiopian landscape.

July 8, 2012

Metro Green Line reopened with likely delays

High temperatures caused a "heat kink" along a stretch of Metrorail track, officials said, closing a portion of Green Line service throughout the weekend and likely impacting the Monday morning rush hour.

July 8, 2012
A crane toppled in the Weinberger family's yard in Bethesda when trying to remove a fallen tree from the roof of their home. Photo courtesy Alan Weinberger.

Crane topples in Bethesda family’s yard

The week had been difficult enough for the Weinberger family after a rare derecho storm knocked out power to their Bethesda home for four nights and an enormous oak tree had been toppled by the wind into their roof.

July 8, 2012
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has not publicly ruled out the possibility of a July 9 special session. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Maryland special session on gambling unlikely

The chances of Maryland lawmakers spending next week in a special session shrank more on Thursday, as Gov. Martin O'Malley continued to focus his attention on the weather and fellow legislators remained as much in the dark about plans as some of their constituents did in their homes.

July 5, 2012
The Wiehle Avenue station being built between the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Access Road will bring Metrorail service to Reston in Fairfax County. Whether the Silver Line expands into Loudoun County is up to the Board of Supervisors, which votes Tuesday on funding. (The Washington Times)

Loudoun votes yes on Dulles rail

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided by a 5-4 margin to remain committed to the Dulles rail project, a $6 billion plan that promises a boost for economic development through the benefits of mass transit.

July 3, 2012
Trees and power lines litter roadways on Sunday in Falls Church, Va. Thousand of homes are still without power. (Raymond Thompson/The Washington Times)

Washington-area outages ‘almost unprecedented’

Outages numbered in the hundreds of thousands for a second day, as officials warned residents across Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia that power might not be restored until late in the week, and crews worked in temperatures nearing triple digits to make repairs from a devastating storm that claimed more than a dozen lives.

July 1, 2012
Utility workers secure power lines as their team repairs electrical wires downed by fallen trees in Springfield, Va. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Power may be out for a week for some customers

Outages numbered in the hundreds of thousands for a second day, as officials warned residents across Maryland, the District and Virginia that power might not be restored until late in the week and crews worked in temperatures nearing triple digits to make repairs from a devastating storm that claimed more than a dozen lives.

July 1, 2012
Declan Faris, 10, of Alexandria finds a great way to beat the heat while frolicking in the fountain at the Georgetown Waterfront Park on Thursday, June 28, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Weather from West turns up the heat

A warm front that scorched the middle of the country has made its way to the D.C. area, bringing with it blistering heat, sticky humidity and the strong chance of record-breaking temperatures this weekend.

June 28, 2012
A mannequin is positioned with its head over the tube of a firework to illustrate what not to do after lighting a firework. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission held a safety demonstration on Tuesday on the grounds of the Washington Monument to illustrate the perils. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Making July Fourth an injury-free blast

Sitting at his kitchen table, a window curtain obscuring the view outside, the man tinkered with a homemade firework in preparation of the July Fourth holiday. With a bright flash and deafening crack, the room was flattened and the man — actually a plastic mannequin — was blown to pieces, his torso scorched and limbs blown yards away.

June 26, 2012