Ben Ali of Ben's Chili Bowl has died

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Ben Ali, who founded the U-Street landmark Ben's Chili Bowl, passed away last night at the age of 82.

"He was a true hero of the people and a great example of someone who actually epitomized the American dream," read a statement on the restaurant's website. "He and his loving wife Virginia created a landmark institution in D.C., tantalizing generations of residents and visitors with their spicy chili dogs and half smokes, but more importantly touching people of all walks of life with their exemplary dedication to the D.C. community."

Since 1958 the restaurant has served everyone from students, to celebrities, politicians, tourists, and D.C. residents. You may remember last year when President Barack Obama stopped in to order a half-smoke. Martin Luther King Jr. spent time there, Bill Cosby is a regular, and take a look up at the wall's and you'll see that everyone who is anyone has visited Ben's.

Having studied at Howard University, Ali knew the area and its people well, serving them breakfast, lunch, and dinner for more than 51 years. His business survived race riots and the gentrification that forced other businesses from the area, and while he had retired awhile go with his wife Virginia, he was still a regular at the business that he transformed into a landmark.

Ben's will continue to be run by his sons Kamal and Nizam.

Obama Welcomes Local Students to White House Stargazing

President Barack Obama spoke to 150 Washington D.C. area middle school students on the importance of scientific discovery and space exploration at the White House Wednesday evening. The president invited the schoolchildren to a night of stargazing on the South Lawn, as part of a broader federal push to promote math and science education.

The president, joined by Fist Lady Michelle Obama and Director John Holdren of the Office of Science and Technology, addressed the crowd before turning his eyes to the constellation Lyra, via the assistance of a large, black telescope stationed next to the podium.

Among the dignitaries in the crowd were Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, space shuttle astronaut Sally Ride – the first American woman in space – and space shuttle astronaut Mae Jemison -- the first African American woman in space.

Malia and Sasha Obama also joined the crowd on the South Lawn for the evening's festivities. 

The stargazing event was held in commemoration of the 400^th anniversary of Galileo’s first astronomical observations with a telescope in 1609.

Like the United States, more than 135 countries will host events this year to promote scientific discovery and space exploration.  

In his brief remarks, the president encouraged the students to work hard in school and, in turn, promised to provide the critical resources necessary to prepare youth for careers in the scientific field.

“I want to be a president that makes sure you have the tools and the teachers you need,” he said.

The president, who awarded national science medals to several top researchers and innovators at a White House ceremony Wednesday, asked the young crowd:  “Which one of you are going to come back here to claim your prize?”

The president ended by stressing the importance of innovation and calling for a constant pushing of the bounds of scientific understanding.

“We need your restless curiosity…don’t let anybody tell you there isn’t more to discover,” he said.

WRGW News' Jared Pliner, reporting from the White House 

Legendary Saxophonist Clarence "The Big Man" Clemons On WRGW

Clarence "The Big Man" Clemons, the saxaphone player most known for being a member of the legendary E-Street Band, joined Pat Baranowski and Jesse Regis for an interview about the latest tour and his new book Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales, which will be released October 21st.

The candid discussion touched a number of subjects related to the tour including how Clarence feels about playing full albums.

Currently, the E-Street band is playing full albums at select shows. Born to Run, Born in the U.S.A., and Darkness on the Edge of Town have all been featured. Greetings from Asbury Park is the album that Clarence said he would most enjoy playing in its entirety, and Clarence said he would enjoy the chance to play the album in New Jersey.

The Wild the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle?, "He might do that," Clarence said referring to Springsteen's thinking.

What about playing the 20-song 83 minute 47 second The River? "That'd be a long show but it would be a great one," he said.

During shows there is a segment where signs with song requests are collected from the audience.

"That's one of the joys in my life, to pick a song that we've never played before and we just do them. That's the confidence you have in a band that's been together for over 38 years," he said. "Years ago we would never, ever do that. We would rehearse something it until it was down to every breath."

Clarence said that it would take a lot of people holding signs saying "You're a Friend of Mine," for him to play the 80's hit that had him collaborating with Jackson Browne, but the Big Man didn't rule out the possibility of it showing up on Thursday or Friday night at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands saying that he'd hold up the sign with the suggestion himself if he could.

The band is playing a new song on this leg of the current tour. "Wrecking Ball," is the first song played at the Giant Stadium shows in acknowledgment of the venues closing at the end of the football season. The final concerts will be the current Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band shows.

"It just blew my mind, we learned it in sound check," he said.

Whose going to open the new Giants Stadium? "I don't know. We closed this one so I hope we can get the invite to do it."

Asked if he had any other projects coming up Clarence said he plans on taking the honeymoon he hasn't taken yet, fishing, and working with his band Temple of Soul to finish an album.

Go pre-order his book "Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales," released October 21st, 2009.

Mt. Vernon Square District Project Kicks Off

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The D.C. Office of Planning and District Department of Transportation kicked off the Mount Vernon Square District Project at the D.C. Historical Society on Wednesday. The project’s main objective is to transform Mount Vernon Square and the immediate area in to a more attractive and functional space for residents and tourists.

“The plan has great synergy and presents amazing recreational opportunities,” said Emily Yates, the neighborhood planning coordinator for Ward 2.

On Wednesday evening, at the former Carnegie Library – now home to the D.C. Historical Society – about 85 local residents, business owners and media examined preliminary drawings, viewed a slideshow presentation and asked design questions of several project consultants. Some seized the opportunity to provide suggestions and feedback on how to best address and accommodate the practical needs of the community.

The project, initiated in May and currently in its “information gathering and assessment phase,” plans to add satellite “bowtie” parks at four symmetrical locations surrounding Mount Vernon Square. The parks would run along Massachusetts and New York Avenues – approaching the former Carnegie Library – and would contain artistic sculptures, perennial flowerbeds, increased tree cover and large seating areas.

Snapshot: Secretaries Clinton and Gates Speak at Lisner

[caption id="attachment_2861" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="L to R: GWU Board of Trustees Chairman Russell Ramsey, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, SMPA Director Frank Sesno, GW President Steven Knapp"][/caption]

Click the image above to go directly to our Flickr photostream of CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaking at Lisner Auditorium!

WRGW Hosts Student Showcase

WRGW hosted a student performance showcase in University Yard on Sunday to kick off Octoberfest, a month-long event at the radio station that features various interviews and in-studio performances.

The event, hosted by Sports Director Greg Shapiro, included many different student performers, including pianist and singer Shelby Hartman, who kicked off the event with a sultry cover of Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why,” guitarists Eshawn Rawlley (who did an acoustic cover of Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody") and Imran Mahmud (who teamed up with Rawlley to do an acoustic cover of "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” by the Postal Service), Max Feinblatt, Alyssa Hart, Jeremy Jacobson, and Jose Ginarte with his band, Plumsucker. Shapiro also performed, and invited the other performers back onstage for a “jam session” as a finale.

The showcase drew a small but enthusiastic crowd that fluctuated from 20 to 50 throughout the afternoon; many students passing through the Yard during the event paused on their walk to check out the performances. Coffee and donuts were served to attendants, and guests were given an opportunity to sign up for an email listserv to learn more about WRGW and Octoberfest.

Southern Flooding Prompts New Alternative Break Trip; 50 Students to Travel

GW's Office of Community Service has added an additional trip to its growing alternative breaks program in response to the flooding in the Southern U.S. that has left at least nine dead.

50 GW students will travel from January 2 - 10, 2010 to Atlanta, Georgia to assist in disaster relief efforts that have displaced thousands of people, and according to the American Red Cross has severely damaged or destroyed some 2,851 homes.

Interested students can sign up Wednesday October 14th beginning at 7am in Kogan Plaza. The line is expected to form much earlier. Spots will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. A spot on a wait list will be offered to those who are not among the first 50 students to arrive.

The cost of the trip is $300 per person and includes transportation, meals, accommodations, and program fees. Participants will work as a group to fundraise the remaining costs.

The Atlanta effort is in addition to week-long alternative break trips to Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Nashville, Tennessee, Galveston, Texas, Miami, Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana, the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah Oklahoma, Pipestem, West Virginia, and Greensburg, Kansas. Participants for these trips have already been chosen. Atlanta remains the only open trip.

For more information contact Shannon Donahue with the Office of Community Service at shannond@gwu.edu or 202.994.4304

GW's Own Department of Mysteries

There is a room at GW that few people know exists. And the people that do know  don't actually know much about it. Walk through the front doors of Gelman Library, and to your left sits GW's own Department of Mysteries - the David S. Brown Memorabilia Room.

Cheesy Harry Potter reference aside, the Memorabilia Room is a hidden treasure at GW - despite the creepiness that is the George Washington Mascot head from 1980, lying prominently in the room's main display case. The Memorabilia Room was established in May 1998 by the Special Collections Department as a way to commemorate the events that have occurred and the achievements accrued by students at the University throughout its history.

Notable items include a football and cleats from 1950, when we actually had a football team, as well as an original letter from the late Kennedy famiy patriarch and Massachussetts Senator Ted Kennedy, written to express the family's appreciation for the dedication of the Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis residence hall. Jackie O transfered into GW before her junior year.

Its original title isn't well-known, but the room was renamed in 2003 for the late Business School Professor David S. Brown after a donation by his widow. His commencement robes are among the extremely miscellaneous artifacts to be found in the Memorabilia Room.

The Memorabilia Room has evidently been forgotten not only by the students who pass its clear glass walls without a glance, but also by its curators. A placard lies two shelves below its original placement, facing the back of the display case. The room is supposed to be unlocked during the library's regular Reference Desk hours, but often is not.

 If you want further motivation to visit and experience this memorial among everything that GW has to offer, the display of a tuition bill from the spring semester of 1825 totaling just $84.90 will subtly remind you that you're paying a pretty penny for the David S. Brown Memorabilia Room's existence.

Area College Dems Rally for Healthcare Reform at White House

College democrats from GW, Georgetown and Catholic Universities rallied in front of the White House this afternoon in support of President Obama's health care proposals.

WRGW spoke with Fitz Lufkin, President of the DC Federation of College Democrats of America and Vice President of Georgetown University's College Democrats. Check it out in the feature below.

College Democrats Rally at White House for Healthcare Reform

DC Sports Round-Up: The Week of September 26

In breaking Olympic news, it was announced earlier today that the 2016 summer Olympic Games will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro. This will mark the first time the Olympics have ever been held in South America.

In Baseball, the Washington Nationals have gone on a late season hot streak but it won’t be enough to save the team from having the worst record in the MLB.  Starting on Monday, the Nationals are on a 4 game winning streak after sweeping the Mets in a three game home series. The Nats beat the Braves last night in Atlanta, final score was 2-1. Only three games remain in the season for Washington, and all of them will be away in Atlanta. Washington’s overall record for the season is now 56 and 103.

In Hockey, the Capitals won their season opener last night in Boston against the Bruins. The final score was 4 to 1. Defending league MVP Alexander Ovechkin scored twice and Caps’ center Brooks Laich had a pair of power play goals. Boston’s lone goal was scored on a breakaway by center Patrice Bergeron. Capitals goalie Jose Theodore got the win after stopping 19 of 20 shots for the night. Defenseman John Ernskine earned his first fighting penalty of the season when he dropped the gloves to square off with Bruins’ forward Shawn Thorton. The Capitals have their first home game tomorrow night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The puck drops at 7 p.m.

Finally, in football, the Washington Redskins lost against the Detroit Lions last Sunday, 14 to 19. The game ended a 19 game losing streak for Detroit, which became the first team to lose every game of the season last year. The last victory for the Lions was on December 23, 2007. Jason Campbell completed 27 passed for 340 yards and two touchdowns, but the Lions’ defense shut down the Redskins’ rushing game, holding Washington to just 65 yards on the ground. The Redskins’ next game is this Sunday at 1 p.m. when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

-Joe Lewis