Coming Up on News in Depth: Maestro Christoph Eschenbach

On this Sunday's edition of "News in Depth," WRGW's Jared Pliner sits down with Christoph Eschenbach, the recently inaugurated music director of the National Symphony Orchestra and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, for an exclusive interview.

Maestro Eschenbach discusses his vision for the 2010-2011 season, his mentorship of some of the world's greatest artists -- powerhouse soprano Renee Fleming, among them -- and starting anew in Washington, D.C.

Join us for that, and all of the week's top stories on "News in Depth," with Jared Pliner and Ryan Waye, this SUNDAY from 12 to 1 p.m. on GWRADIO.COM!

CAMPUS EXCLUSIVE: The ‘Era of Eschenbach’ Brings New Vision to the National Symphony

Metro buses display his cryptic likeness. A passionate countenance directing symphonic bliss. The face – new to Washington, but globally renowned – is that of German conductor Christoph Eschenbach, who officially began his tenure with the National Symphony Orchestra on Saturday to an appreciative capacity audience.

“It was music on the lighter side, but of the very, very first class,” Eschenbach said of the opening night program, in a recent interview with WRGW News. “We all felt wonderful.”

For the premiere, the maestro and his newly acquired flock shared the concert hall stage with two powerhouse soloists. On the heels of Johann Strauss II’s energetic overture to the operetta Die Fledermaus, American soprano Renee Fleming sang Richard Strauss’ ethereal Four Last Songs – a frequent repertoire – and Chinese pianist Lang Lang played Franz Liszt’s robust Piano Concerto No. 1.

Coming up on News in Depth...

On this Sunday's "News in Depth," communications director Michael Garber of the GW College Democrats and communications director Rob Noel of the GW College Republicans face off on the week's top headlines: the passage of health care, the state of U.S.-Israeli relations, McCain and Palin back together again, and much more!

You don't want to miss this edition of "News in Depth," with WRGW's Jared Pliner and Jennifer Neuner...Sunday from 12 to 1 p.m., LIVE from Washington, D.C.

Same-Sex Marriage Licenses to be Issued Tomorrow

For the first time in its history, the District of Columbia will issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples beginning Wednesday morning.

The D.C. Superior Court is bracing for a massive influx of requests at its marriage bureau, located within the Moultrie Courthouse on Indiana Avenue. 

"We're anticipating a lot of excited residents from the District and suburbs coming down to the court to apply, and we want to make it as smooth an experience as possible," Superior Court Chief Judge Lee Satterfield told the Washington Post Tuesday.

Couples are instructed to report to the marriage office in Room 4485 with completed applications, which can be downloaded from the court's website, along with $35 for processing and $10 for an official license. The application fee is waived for couples legally registered in the District as "domestic partners."

Because the process takes no less than three business days to complete, the first wave of licensed couples will be eligible for marriage on March 9. 

Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" Graces the Kennedy Center

London Symphony Orchestra principal conductor Valery Gergiev and the famed Mariinsky Orchestra and Opera premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday evening with its rendition of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin."

Based on the Russian classic novel by Alexander Pushkin, the opera follows the urbane, worldly gentleman Eugene Onegin, who comes to regret his coarse rejection of the love-struck country girl Tatyana and his careless incitement of a lethal duel with his best friend Lensky. 

The one-night performance featured the baritone Alexey Markov as Onegin, the soprano Irina Mataeva as Tatyana, the tenor Sergey Semishkur as Lensky and the mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk as Olga. 

The Washington Post's Anne Midgette praised the evening and the raw emotion that seemed to permeate the opera house. 

"[The performance] was sustained by vivid, almost crazy energy emanating from Gergiev and the orchestra," Midgette wrote Monday. 'Onegin' is easy to make pretty; here it came across as visceral as heart's blood." 

The novel - one of the most revered pieces in Russian literature - has been adapted for the stage, opera, ballet, and film and translated into five languages. 

Tomorrow on News in Depth...

Coming up on "News in Depth," EVP candidates Logan Dobson and Rob Maxim face off on the issues, heading into the much anticipated runoff election.

Also, W. Hunter Patterson, editor-in-chief of the "GW Patriot," drops in with guest commentary and analysis.

WRGW News' Jared Pliner and Dan Keylin co-anchor from Washington, D.C.

You don't want to miss this edition of "News in Depth," from 12 to 1 p.m. on gwradio.com and campus cable channel 22!

EXCLUSIVE: WRGW - SA Debate Audio

Click here to listen to a selection of audio from the 2010 WRGW News - SA Presidential & EVP Debate!

Coming up on News in Depth...

We recap Friday's 2010 WRGW News - Student Association Debate! 

Tabisa Walwema, former SA vice president of public affairs, joins WRGW News' Jared Pliner and guest co-anchor Alexa Vogel with in-depth analysis of the candidates' platforms and performances. 

Then, Kelly Zentgraf joins Pliner and Vogel by phone with a deeply personal and resonant perspective on the upcoming National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. 

And finally, an update on the 21st Winter Olympic Games LIVE from Vancouver!

You don't want to miss this edition of News in Depth, from 12 to 1 p.m., on GWRadio.com and campus cable channel 22!

Come to the 1st Annual WRGW News - SA Debate!

THIS FRIDAY, February 19th from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the Marvin Center Amphitheater (3rd floor). Doors open at 6:45 p.m.

The evening will be moderated by WRGW News Director Jared Pliner and Assistant News Directors Dan Keylin and Alex Laska.

Submit candidate questions via the e-form located on this page!

You can also listen to the debate LIVE via www.gwradio.com/listenlive!

Tomorrow on News in Depth...

Coming up on "News in Depth," Student Association Sen. Dylan Pyne (CCAS) and Kimberly Wollner, SA insider and former chairwoman of the Socially Responsible Initiatives Commission, will join WRGW News' Jared Pliner and Alex Laska to talk about the emerging field of presidential and executive vice presidential candidates this election season.

Then, Lisa Delpy Neirotti, associate professor of tourism and sports management, will call in from Vancouver, British Columbia with an exhilarating firsthand perspective of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games!

All that and more on this Sunday's "News in Depth," from 12 to 12:40 p.m., on GW Radio!

D.C. Court of Appeals Clears Way for "Square 54"

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed a zoning commission order today, giving the green light for further development of Square 54, according to University officials.

The order stemmed from an appeal by the Foggy Bottom Association, challenging two separate orders by the D.C. Zoning Commission approving GW's 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan and Square 54 project. 

"It is gratifying to us and our partner, Boston Properties, to receive the Court's decision and have the matter so firmly decided," said GW President Steven Knapp in an official press release. "We look forward to sharing the amenities of this wonderful project with our neighbors in Foggy Bottom and beyond." 

Last September, the Court of Appeals affirmed the commission's Campus Plan decision. The latest order affirms the Square 54 decision.

Square 54 will include office space, residential apartments, extensive retail space, a full-service grocery store, and an underground parking garage. The project is expected to be completed by early 2011. 

BREAKING: UNIVERSITY CLOSED TOMORROW

For the second day in a row, GW will officially cease operations and cancel all academic classes, according to University officials.

The United States government will also shut down tomorrow, in anticipation of a second storm system that is projected to dump an additional 10 to 20 inches of snow. 

Tomorrow on News in Depth...

On the next edition of "News in Depth," WRGW News' Jared Pliner and guest co-anchor Jennifer Neuner will cover the renewed push to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

This week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, voiced their support for the president's call to end the practice.


Our exclusive guest this Sunday: Vocal repeal supporter and 30-year Navy veteran Captain Joan E. Darrah, who lived a "secret life" as a high-ranking gay woman in Naval intelligence.

Please join us as she shares her story. You don't want to miss this edition of News in Depth...Sunday from 12 to 1 p.m. on GW Radio!

METRO Ceases Above-Ground Service

ADVISORY: METRO has suspended all above-ground rail and bus service for the duration of Saturday, February 6, according the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

>Metrorail WILL operate in the UNDERGROUND portions of the system until closure at 11 p.m.
>Metrobus WILL NOT operate for the entirety of Saturday 2/6.

>MetroAccess has completed all customer trips for the day and WILL NOT operate for the remainder of Saturday 2/6.

Stay with WRGW News for the very latest.

Weather Update: Cancellations/Closings

This bulletin from University officials...

All academic classes from 3 p.m. onward are cancelled TODAY (2/5/10).

All SATURDAY (2/6/10) academic classes are CANCELLED.

All University administrative offices will close at 4 p.m. TODAY (2/5/10).


Please stay with WRGW News for the very latest...

NIH Awards GW Medical Center $15 Million

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have allocated $15 million in grants to the GW Medical Center, aimed at renovating roughly 25,000 square feet of the main building, the University announced today.

The NIH grant will be used to provide critical infrastructure to support research for the development of new vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for poverty-stricken areas in the United States. 

"The NIH funds for this initiative will transform biomedical research and enable us to expand critical areas of much-needed clinical care and policy work," said Dr. John F. Williams, provost and vice president for Health Affairs at the Medical Center.

The NIH funds are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 

Beloved Groundhog Predicts Protracted Winter

Six more frigid weeks of winter are in store, according to revered groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, who emerged from his tree stump early this morning only to spot his pudgy shadow. 

Groundhog Day festivities began as early as 3 a.m., with a crowd convening at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. A fireworks display followed at 6:30 a.m. 

The 124-year-old tradition was merged with the wonders of new media this year. Online viewers logged on to VisitPA.com - Pennsylvania's official tourism website - for a live webcast of the morning's events leading up to the critical moment. Facebook and Twitter were also laden with groundhog-related content and realtime updates. 

Interestingly, German folklore originally spoke of a badger or hedgehog as a trusted meteorological predictor. Pennsylvania had other ideas, instituting the groundhog tradition back in 1887. 

Meanwhile, the animal rights advocacy group PETA is calling for Phil's immediate retirement, demanding that he be replaced by a robotic groundhog, instead. 

Coming Up on News in Depth: CDs/CRs Face Off on State of the Union

Communications directors Michael Garber of the College Democrats and Rob Noel of the College Republicans will join WRGW News' Jared Pliner and guest-anchor Alex Laska THIS SUNDAY on News in Depth from 12 to 12:40 p.m.

Garber and Noel will respond to President Obama's State of the Union message, the very latest happenings on Capitol Hill, and the general direction of the nation.

You don't want to miss this edition of News in Depth...live from Washington D.C.!

Former GW Student Charged with Federal Crimes

Four men, including a 2006 GW alumnus, have been arrested for attempting to unlawfully gain entry to Senator Mary Landrieu's (D-LA) New Orleans offices, posing as telephone repairmen, according to a copy of an FBI affidavit unsealed today.

Among those arrested was 24-year-old Stan Dai of Naperville, Illinois, a GW political science major who, according to the GW Alumni Directory, was a member of NROTC and the College Republicans. WRGW has also learned that Dai was assistant editor of the GW Patriot (who, incidentally, penned a piece in 2004 cleverly titled "The Penis Monologues").

Also part of the botched operation was James O'Keefe, the young conservative activist who secretly videotaped an ACORN office posing as a pimp in August of 2008. O'Keefe's footage was seminal in ultimately compelling Congress to revoke ACORN's federal funding.

According to the affidavit, two of the men - Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan - entered Landrieu's offices wearing fluorescent vests, denim pants, blue work shirts, tool belts and hard hats. They then gained access to an electrical closet and attempted to manipulate the phone lines. All four were later apprehended by U.S. Marshals after failing to show proper identification.

The group is charged with entering federal property under false pretenses. They could each face up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, if convicted.

According to reports by Gawker.com, Dai was also head of GW's Conservative Student Union and was quoted in a 2004 article supporting a group of pro-life activists who disrupted a John Kerry campaign rally.

He was the recipient of a scholarship from the conservative Phillips Foundation and is an assistant director at Trinity Washington University's Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence.

WRGW's Simon Hernandez-Arthur contributed to this report. 

DEVELOPING: METRO Workers Struck in Fatal Accident

Two Metro workers were struck and killed by heavy track equipment near the Rockville station early Tuesday morning, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced today.

The Metro employees, both males, were working along a stretch of track in the direction of Shady Grove shortly before 2 a.m. when they were struck and killed by a prime mover (a diesel-powered vehicle used to transport heavy materials).

The deceased will remain unnamed until the families are notified.

Travelers can expect delays along Red Line routes while the investigation continues. Red Line trains will operate between Glenmont and Twinbrook stations. Metro will provide free shuttle service to transport passengers between Shady Grove, Rockville and Twinbrook stations.