T H E E X A M I N ER24 SU N DAY, NOV E M BER 8 , 2009
THE HOT LIST
COMMENTARY
10brightest
ideas of
the week
Smart people are
everywhere and so
are people who have
common sense. That's
why we're looking high
and low every week
to bring readers the
brightest ideas of the
week just past. Got a
suggestion? Send it to:
threads@
washingtonexaminer.
com.
Bright light of the week
Police Sgt. Kimberly
Munley
Munley had been directing
traffic at Fort Hood when Army
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan began
his killing spree. Answer-
ing the 911 call three minutes
after it was placed, she ran to
the scene. After finding Hasan,
she shot him four times at
close range, receiving a bullet
wound herself in the process.
Munley's shots disabled Hasan
and helped bring his rampage
to an end.
Warning shot
1|Voters send
message to the
President, Dems
The details: Voters in four East-
ern states turned Democrats out
of office and elected Republicans
at various levels of government.
The Virginia and New Jersey gov-
ernors races received the most
notice, with Republicans sweep-
ing. Democrats won a special
congressional race in New York,
but lost surprising key races in
New York suburbs.
Road not taken
2|CBO rates GOP
health proposal
The details: The Congressio-
nal Budget Office reports that
Republicans' health care reform
alternative bill would increase
access to insurance and cost noth-
ing to the government on net. CBO
says that the plan would reduce
budget deficits by $68 billion over
10 years and decrease insurance
premiums in the employer-based,
individual and small-group mar-
kets.
New cure
3|Scientists stop
brain-wasting
disease
The details: French scientists
reported a major breakthrough in
treating the brain-degenerative
disease adrenoleukodystrophy.
The treatment, which involves the
use of adult stem cells and gene
therapy, stopped the progression
of the deadly disease in two 7-year-
old boys who began receiving it
two years ago.
Bajo el camion!
(Under the bus!)
4|U.S. apparently
dumps ousted
Honduran leader
The details: Despite
signing a U.S.-bro-
kered deal with
his opposition to
return him to power,
ousted Honduran
President Manuel
Zelaya now
appears unlikely to regain office.
Zelaya, ousted in June for trying to
extend his reign, became alarmed
when the State Department
promised to honor the Honduran
Congress' vote on whether or not
to return him to power.
Lemons to lemonade
5|Firm donates
vaccines
The details: Embarrassed by
the revelation that its employ-
ees were going to be among the
lucky few to receive doses of the
swine flu vaccine, the Wall Street
firm Morgan Stanley instead
donated its 1,000 doses to local
hospitals. The vaccine has been
in short supply nationwide, and
major investment firms, including
Goldman Sachs, had somehow
received it in advance of public
institutions.
Tax break
6|Good news
for struggling
homeowners
The details: The Prince George's
County Council voted to reduce to
zero the current 5 percent cap on
the statewide Homestead Property
Tax Credit, which protects hom-
eowners from sudden increases
in property tax assessments. The
new cap, which is tied to the Con-
sumer Price Index, will save Prince
George's homeowners an average
of $115.
Mayor's wings clipped
7|D.C. Council
reasserts itself
The details: Angered that Mayor
Adrian Fenty bypassed their
authority to approve $86 million
in controversial construction con-
tracts involving his cronies, D.C.
Council members voted 10-3 to halt
all financial transactions
between the Parks and
Recreation Department
and the independent D.C.
Housing Authority. The
council is also demanding
written notification of any parks
expenditure in excess of $75,000.
FBI steps in
8|Child care center
contracts frozen
The details: The FBI is looking
at the books of Centro Familia,
a Wheaton child care center
co-founded by Montgomery
County Council member Nancy
Navarro, D-District 4. In Feb-
ruary, the county's inspector
general reported that the center
could not account for $900,000 in
public funds it received in 2007
and 2008. A total of $448,100 in
county contracts for 2010 have
been put on hold.
Speaking up
9|Frederick sheriff
voices worries
about gangs
The details: Frederick County
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins blamed
Montgomery County's sanctuary
policies for two violent armed rob-
beries in his jurisdiction, allegedly
by members of the Latin King
street gang who live in Montgom-
ery. A regional gang task force
recently reported that crackdowns
on illegal immigrants in Northern
Virginia are driving gang members
to Maryland and D.C.
Shampooed
10|Librarian sued
for workers'
compensation
The details: Montgomery County
is suing to recover $5,500 that the
Maryland Workers' Compensation
Commission awarded to county
librarian Ginger Wilson, who fell
trying to retrieve a bottle of sham-
poo from her car at the Twinbrook
Library. County attorneys pointed
out that Wilson was injured on her
way to a lunch-break hairdresser's
appointment, and her mishap had
nothing to do with her job.
4
1 AP PHOTO/STEVE HELBER
Virginia's Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell.
AP PHOTO/HENNY RAY ABRAMS
New Jersey's Republican Gov.-elect Chris Christie.
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