Meredith Somers
Articles by Meredith Somers
Md. teen charged as adult in death of baby sister
The Montgomery County teenager charged with killing his baby sister over the weekend also was watching his 3-year-old brother alone in their bug-infested apartment, prosecutors said Monday during a bond review. Published February 11, 2013
Neighbors mourn the killing of kind, quiet woman
Neighbors of a 71-year-old Capitol Heights woman on Sunday were coming to terms with her sudden death, as Prince George's County investigators continued to search for a person who killed the handicapped senior in her apartment. Published February 10, 2013
Teen charged as adult in killing of 7-month-old sibling
A White Oak teenager has been charged with first degree murder in the death of his 7-month-old sister, Montgomery County police said. Published February 10, 2013
Panelists at Indian museum forum team up against Redskins name
Hundreds of people gathered Thursday at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian for a discussion of sports teams' use of racially insensitive imagery that, as such discussions often do, turned into an ongoing complaint against a certain Washington football team's continued use of a certain Indian-inspired nickname. Published February 8, 2013
Train collides with car in P.G. County
A 25-year-old man was in critical condition after the car he was driving was hit by a train. Published February 6, 2013
Plea is first under D.C. terrorism act of ‘02
The man who shot an unarmed security guard at the Family Research Council in the District pleaded guilty Wednesday and admitted to investigators that he planned to kill employees at the conservative organization and smother their faces with chicken sandwiches. Published February 6, 2013
USO builds ‘a safe environment’
The country's largest USO center — 20,000 square feet, painted, polished and primed for active-duty soldiers and their families — is set to open Tuesday at Fort Belvoir. Published February 4, 2013
New car exhibits a mirror of trends in culture
What ever happened to the cars of tomorrow? Many years and many miles ago, cavernous exhibit halls would be packed with thousands of gawking spectators jostling around the newest machine from Henry Ford, or sneaking a glimpse at the stunning female models who were on display as much as the cars. Published February 3, 2013
Now ‘I’m me again’: Veteran overjoyed after double-arm transplant
A young soldier who four years ago lost his arms and legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq, on Tuesday showed off his two new arms at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the result of the first successful bilateral arm transplant at the Baltimore medical center. Published January 29, 2013
Cable guy crackdown among bills on ‘Not Top 5’ list
Last year, the Maryland General Assembly passed laws on gambling, gay marriage and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. Up next: cable companies, cart thieves and crab sandwiches. Published January 27, 2013
Snow predicted for D.C. area Friday
The first significant snowfall for the D.C. area complicated the morning commute Thursday, but weather officials said another system moving in to the mid-Atlantic on Friday could wreak havoc during the end of the work week. Published January 24, 2013
Deep freeze to keep folks bundled up, chilling out
The D.C. area is looking at the prospect of five consecutive days with high temperatures below freezing for the first time since 1996, even as the morning temperature of 15 degrees Wednesday was the lowest recorded since 2009. Published January 23, 2013
Would-be dealers see Md. casino job as jackpot
William Godwin practices his chip handling under the watchful eyes of his children. Shannon Dadds gets card tips from her son. When Claudia Harbourt has downtime during her nursing shift, she hones her blackjack skills with her patients. Published January 23, 2013
Packed with people, energy, optimism fills D.C.
The crowds weren't as big as they were four years ago, but hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic spectators flocked to Washington for Monday's inauguration, where they braved chilly temperatures and heavy security to witness the ceremonial start of President Obama's second term. Published January 21, 2013
Volunteer spirit: For Day of Service, the first family joins thousands of others
Thousands of D.C.-area residents grabbed shovels, paint brushes and shipping boxes as part of the National Day of Service on Saturday to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in advance of Monday's national holiday for King and inaugural celebration. Published January 19, 2013
Inauguration Day has a chilly history
President Obama's second inauguration likely will play out against better weather than his first one did, escaping some of the historically bad D.C. conditions that have plagued past presidential swearings-in. Published January 17, 2013
Iconic Capitol Hill bar returns with a whole new look
The Hawk 'n' Dove, a Capitol Hill mainstay where congressmen and clerks, lawyers and foremen, college students and pensioners rubbed elbows over beers and burgers, reopened Thursday as a sleek, sophisticated version of its former self after a 15-month renovation that came with a change in ownership. Published January 17, 2013
D.C. area expected to dodge snowstorm
National Weather Service officials said Thursday that the D.C. area is likely going to dodge a storm that forecasters suggested might deliver the first substantial snowfall of the season and snarl evening commutes. Published January 17, 2013
Protesters to share Obama’s big day
Abortion, drone strikes, guns, military spending, unemployment — demonstrators highlighting these issues and more are expected for President Obama's inaugural parade, though perhaps the most visible of the planned protests will be made by D.C. government officials outside city hall. Published January 16, 2013
A flu that just won’t go away
A New York youth sports club is discouraging high fives for fear of spreading germs. Catholic churches in Rhode Island and Texas are telling congregants celebrating Mass not to shake hands or drink wine from a shared chalice. A Northern Virginia hospital system is advising visitors that they might be screened for flulike symptoms. Published January 15, 2013