City State: Morning Roundup

THE D.C. COUNCIL IS EXPECTED TODAY TO DECIDE WHETHER TO SANCTION COUNCIL MEMBER HARRY THOMAS JR., says council Chairman Kwame R. Brown. A lawsuit filed Monday by the D.C. attorney general says Mr. Thomas siphoned off more than $300,000 in funds earmarked by the council for youth sports programs and $80,000 in private donations to pay for personal travel and an Audi sport utility vehicle, reports Tom Howell Jr. of The Washington Times.

ALSO TODAY, THE BUS DRIVER WHO CRASHED ON I-95 in Virginia killing four people and injuring others is set to appear in court, according to The Associated Press. Kin Yiu Cheung, 37, from Flushing, N.Y., is charged with four felony counts of involuntary manslaughter in last Tuesday’s fatal crash. Those killed were four adult females from New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Police say Cheung was fatigued when the Sky Express bus bound for New York swerved off the highway, hit an embankment and overturned north of Richmond with 58 people aboard. He originally was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving, but was arrested on new charges last week, according to The Associated Press.

CHERITA WHITING, a campaign consultant for D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray in his 2010 race, was hired by the mayor and given a raise after she had lied about a felony conviction on a job application to work for Council member Phil Mendelson. Mr. Gray last week gave a D.C. Council oversight committee the related documents after months of refusals to disclose verifiable information, reports Jeffrey Anderson of The Washington Times.

ORGANIZERS OF A PETITION TO REPEAL MARYLAND’S DREAM ACT notched an important victory Tuesday when they received an official go-ahead to continue their signature drive through the end of June, according to The Washington Times. The state Board of Elections confirmed validating more than 21,000 signatures on the petition to block the law allowing in-state tuition for some illegal immigrants. Petitioners were required to turn in at least 18,579 valid signatures from registered voters by May 31 to continue working toward a final goal of 55,736 signatures by June 30. If the petitioners satisfy both requirements, the Dream Act would be suspended and decided by a November 2012 statewide vote. The act would allow in-state tuition rates for many college-aged illegal immigrants who come from tax-paying families. It is scheduled to go into effect on July 1.

JEFF FREDERICK, ousted leader of the Republican Party of Virginia and a former Prince William County delegate, said Tuesday that he has filed paperwork to run for state Senate. Frederick, who served three terms in the House until January 2010, is running for the seat held by Democratic Sen Linda “Toddy” Puller that which includes sections of Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford counties. Frederick, who formed a political action committee and created a Web site, is likely to face to Tito Muñoz — better known as “Tito the Builder” — in the August GOP primary, The Washington Post reports.

 

PRESIDENT OBAMA will visit Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria today to talk about the importance of training U.S. workers to better compete for global manufacturing jobs. Obama will discuss how a vibrant manufacturing sector not only will strengthen the U.S. economy and put Americans back to work, but also is critical to the nation’s success as it competes in the global economy, according to the Associated Press.