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Articles by Meredith Somers

District Department of Transportation Program Manager Ali Shakeri works on phase one of the New York Avenue Bridge reconstruction, which was begun in April 2011 and is expected to be completed in late Septermber. Officials hope to finish the entire $40 million project by 2013. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

New York Avenue Bridge-building a breeze

When officials announced last spring that the New York Avenue Bridge would undergo two years of major reconstruction, people on both sides of the orange barrels braced for traffic disaster.

June 4, 2012
Snigdha Nandipati, 14, (right) of San Diego, Calif., gets help holding up the trophy from her brother Sujan (left) as she wins the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 31, 2012. (Rod Lamkey Jr/The Washington Times)

San Diego 14-year-old wins national spelling bee

Her final word was an educated term for an ambush, but 14-year-old Snigdha Nandipati handedly dodged any tricks and traps on Thursday, becoming the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion, and fifth Indian-American in a row to nab the title.

June 1, 2012
Jae Canetti, 10, of Fairfax, Va., reacts after misspelling his word and being eliminated from the semifinals of the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 31, 2012. (Rod Lamkey Jr/The Washington Times)

9 super spellers ready for national bee final round

The ring of a brass bell is the signal of defeat in the competitive spelling bee arena, but the whoop from 14-year-old Lena Greenberg on Thursday as she successfully spelled “cholecystitis” was unmistakably the sound of triumph.

May 31, 2012
Jae Canetti, 10, of Fairfax, Va., celebrates after spelling his word correctly during the semifinals of the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., Thursday, May 31, 2012. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

17 spellers eliminated in first rounds

The semifinal of the 85th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is proving to be a tough one, as 17 spellers have been eliminated after only one-and-a-half rounds.

May 31, 2012
A crowd watches as a member of the Army Golden Knights lands after parachuting out of a plane at the Joint Service Open House & Air Show on Sunday at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. This year marked the 55th anniversary of the show that includes both vintage and present-day aircraft. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Maryland air show just as thrilling for crew

Mark Hatfield's job is far from typical. Sure, he's got co-workers, a uniform, and even an office with a view. But unlike other jobs that promise higher-level opportunities, the 30-year-old Annandale native's career puts him near the ceiling of an airplane cabin during a zero-gravity maneuver.

May 20, 2012
David Caruth, director of institutional research at the University of the District of Columbia, has written a book about overcoming poverty, dyslexia and the damage from a lightning strike that stole his ability to walk, read and write. "It doesn't matter how big the challenges are, there are ways to work through them," he says. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Book of Caruth all about faith, triumph

Sitting in his spacious office at the University of the District of Columbia, it's hard to imagine David Caruth, 52 and the father of two, as anyone other than a confident, well-dressed and well-spoken administrator. But on Aug. 18, 1977, he was a dead man.

May 17, 2012
Customs and Border Protection Officer Rebecca Rhinehart asks a passenger about something in his suitcase at Washington Dulles International Airport. Customs officers search for illegal drugs, plants, animal products and food items. (The Washington Times)

Customs not playing hide-and-seek with carry-on contraband

It's dinnertime at Washington Dulles International Airport, and Officer Steve Whittaker has found himself surrounded by a feast at the international-arrivals checkpoint — a pungent meal he has no plans to enjoy.

May 17, 2012

Court plays tape of Marine’s killing

The last hour of Philip Bushong's life is captured in black and white images by a store's surveillance camera, from his warm embrace of friends to falling face-first to the pavement with a hole in his heart.

May 16, 2012
**FILE** Chuck Brown arrives at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 13, 2011. Brown, who styled a unique brand of funk music as a singer, guitarist and songwriter known as the "godfather of go-go," died May 16, 2012, after suffering from pneumonia. He was 75. (Associated Press)

D.C. mourns Chuck Brown

Chuck Brown, the "Godfather of Go-Go" and a native D.C. son, died Wednesday at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. He was 75.

May 16, 2012
More than 100 people rallied outside the State House in to support emergency legislation that would muzzle the far-reaching opinion on pit bulls and pit bull mixes. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Pit bull opinion triggers protests

The Court of Appeals of Maryland's opinion last month declaring pit bulls and pit bull mixes "inherently dangerous" has canine advocates and some state legislators furious.

May 15, 2012