C4
S
KLMNO
SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010
FHA planner named in HOT lanes suit Arlington questions
MD.
pollution’s impact on minorities and the poor
by Derek Kravitz 66 Arlington County has added a
new name to its controversial civ- il rights lawsuit against Virginia’s high-occupancy toll lanes project: that of a federal government em- ployee in charge of highway plan- ning, an unusual move critics say is designed to stall the $2 billion road widening. Attorneys for the Board of Su-
PHOTOS BY EVY MAGES FOR THE WASHINGTON POST Roni Mazumdar, left, Romeo D’Costa and Kanwar Breet were among the actors who turned out to audition for the film. Filmmakers bring Bollywood to D.C. bollywood from C1
Malik, a Chantilly resident in her 30s, adding that her mother, a doctor, insisted she follow a pro- fessional path first. “I got one degree, and I’m about to do another one,” she said, adding, “as long as the role is okay, she’s not going to say any- thing.” Katohora assured her the film involves no nudity. But the climate is changing,
the filmmakers said. “Decades ago, if a girl goes in a Bollywood film, they look at her in a bad way,” said Mathur, who wore a white and gold kurta paja- ma and was with his wife, Sadh- na, and his daughter, Priya, 17, who also plans to audition. “Today, parents encourage their kids to dance . . . and go on reality TV,” Katohora said. The filmmakers advertised the auditions on Facebook and Craigslist as well as in local Indi- an newspapers. The respondents ranged from experienced actors toting headshots and DVDs of their work to local teenagers who had performed in student plays. Half of them had traveled from New York, but the filmmakers say they hope to give a chance to local South Asian actors. “Everything happens in New
York,” said Katohora. “Even peo- ple living in remote Indian villag- es, they know what the Brooklyn Bridge looks like, they know what Times Square looks like.” So will the film show what
Washington looks like? Mathur looked at Katohora and smiled nervously. “It takes
pervisors this month added Ed- ward S. Sundra, planning and en- vironmental program manager for the Federal Highway Adminis- tration in Richmond, to its year- old federal lawsuit, which accuses Virginia and federal transporta- tion officials of failing to consider air pollution’s potential impact on the health of low-income and mi- nority residents clustered near the highways in areas such as Shirlington. The construction of the four toll lanes — from the Springfield interchange to just past the Dul- les Toll Road, already Virginia’s most ambitious and expensive highway project — would mean more vehicles on off-ramps and in residential neighborhoods, creat- ing added congestion, Arlington officials say. In court documents, the county
says Sundra was “integrally in- volved and executed final deci- sions” for the HOT lanes project while he worked as a senior envi- ronmental specialist for the agen- cy.
“Due to his pivotal role in the controversy of this case and his deliberate failure to consider the disparate impacts on minority populations of his decisions, Mr. Sundra is a necessary addition,” court documents state. Sundra, 45, did not return a
message left at his office Friday seeking comment, and the FHA declined to discuss the case. The civil rights section of the suit claims Virginia failed to prop- erly balance the added conven- ience afforded to the white, most- ly suburban drivers in Spotsylva- nia and Stafford counties — who would have “unimpeded access” to the toll roads — with the needs of the more racially and socioeco- nomically diverse drivers who en- dure congestion in Arlington.
Natalia Suman reads from a script during auditions for “9 Eleven” at the Hampton Inn in College Park.
place globally,” Katohora said, adding that as the film unfolds, “the viewer will know” its loca- tion.
When pressed, they would re-
veal only that most of the scenes will be indoors and that the set- ting is somewhere in India, though flashbacks may include scenes of Washington and New York. Nor do they want people to
O’Malley attacks Ehrlich over road aid promises
o’malley from C1
ects, including road resurfacing and snow removal. Several rounds of cuts have left counties with a small fraction of the fund- ing they once received, putting them on a “starvation diet,” said Michael Sanderson, executive di- rector of the county group. O’Malley said that once the economy and state budget out- look improve, restoring the state aid will be a priority.
“I wish I could tell you when those dollars will be there to al- low us to do that,” O’Malley said. “I can’t.”
At another point in the speech,
O’Malley stressed the need to be “honest with one another about the challenges and choices we face.” He noted that the state faces a projected $1.5 billion budget
shortfall in its next fiscal year, even though tax revenue has picked up in recent months. Some of O’Malley’s most point- ed jabs at Ehrlich were left unde- livered. An advance copy of his speech distributed by aides criticized an unnamed governor for promis- ing lower taxes while raising property taxes and pushing for passage of a surcharge on sewer and septic bills that “charged the same rate to millionaires as it did to working families and senior citizens on fixed incomes.” The undelivered portion of the speech also criticized Ehrlich for allowing public university tui- tion to rise by 40 percent during his tenure and diverting funds from a land-preservation pro- gram to help balance the state budget.
wagnerj@washpost.com
know what their film is about, other than that it is “a thriller with an undertone of terrorism,” according to Katohora. And despite the title, it’s not about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Wash- ington. It’s about a different true- life terrorist attack, although they wouldn’t say which one. Though it is a thriller, to be a true Bollywood film, doesn’t it
need a dance sequence? “We have dance, yes,” said Mathur, adding that they may draw from local In- dian dance companies. “But where that is going to be in the film, we can’t reveal.”
bahrampourt@washpost.com
The filmmakers are holding more auditions Sunday and next weekend and can be reached at
manan.katohora@jmd-creations.com.
HOT lanes VIRGINIA 495 Springfield 95 0 MILES 95 1 3
MONTGOMERY CO.
LOUD. CO. VA.
P.W. CO.
Detail
FAIRFAX CO.
MD. D.C.
P.G. CO.
THE WASHINGTON POST
Critics say Arlington is unfairly, and personally, targeting state of- ficials. Former Virginia transpor- tation secretary Pierce R. Homer is named in the suit despite re- quests from the state’s current transportation chief, Sean T. Con- naughton, to transfer the suit to his office. “It just seems incredibly mean- spirited,” said Robert Chase, president of the Northern Vir- ginia Transportation Alliance, an advocacy group that opposes the lawsuit. “These people have fami- lies, and they have to pay for their legal fees out of their own pock- ets. I mean, what’s the point?” Arlington County Board Chair-
man Jay Fisette (D) said the coun- ty is not trying to halt the HOT lanes project but rather properly analyze the potential environ- mental impact on the surround- ing communities. “We’ve been willing since Day One, when the suit was filed, to negotiate,” Fisette said. “In the last month or so, we’ve seen some outreach, particularly from Rich- mond, and we’re engaged in that process now.” The HOT lanes will be free for carpools carrying at least three people and for buses, motorcycles and emergency vehicles; big trucks can’t use them. Other driv- ers wanting to use the lanes will pay tolls based on the level of con- gestion and the distance they travel. The lanes are being built by a public-private partnership of Fluor-Transurban and are set to open by 2013.
kravitzd@washpost.com
D.C. settles one fraud suit over kiosks in churches
nies.
Company agrees to stop collecting payments from five congregations
by Hamil R. Harris JAMIE C. HORTON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) said that slashing local road funding was “one of the more painful cuts we had to make in recent times.”
The District has reached a set- tlement with one of five firms ac- cused of defrauding about 30 Washington area churches out of nearly $1 million through a com- puter equipment deal that affect- ed houses of worship in at least 20 states. D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles announced Friday that Balboa Capital, a California- based firm, agreed to stop collect- ing about $10,000 in payments from five District churches that were ensnared in a deal that obli- gated them to pay for faulty equipment. The five ministries that settled with Balboa are the House of Help/City of Hope in Southeast; Miles Memorial CME Church and Rock Creek Baptist Church in Northwest; and Lane Memorial Colored Methodist Episcopal Church and the Way of the Cross Church of Christ in Northeast. “The settlement is a start, but we will continue to go after these companies,” Nickles said. The District filed suit in April last year alleging that the five companies defrauded at least 30 African American congregations, primarily in the District and Maryland, out of tens of thou- sands of dollars by claiming to of- fer them free computer kiosks to enhance their outreach. Instead of getting high-tech
Does this page look familiar? TheWashington Post is printed using recycled fiber. NF407 4x2
electronic bulletin boards, church leaders got bills that racked up when the equipment did not work and promised ad- vertising failed to materialize. In one case, leaders at the Mount Horeb Baptist Church in North- east, which has not reached a set- tlement, lost more than $62,000. Nickles joined attorneys gener- al from other states, including Michigan and California, who filed lawsuits against the compa-
Nickles said Balboa agreed to
the settlement without admission of liability. A company spokes- man was said to be unavailable to comment Friday. The District had accused Bal- boa, along with four other firms and two individuals, of partici- pating in the scheme to defraud the churches. “They went after African Amer- ican churches who really need the funds to help the poor and the needy, and we are not going to put up with this,” Nickles said. Also named in the suit were
United Leasing Associates of America of Brookfield, Wis.; Chesapeake Industrial Leasing of Baltimore; Urban Interfaith Net- work of Oxon Hill; D.C.-based Television Broadcasting Online (TBO); Willie Perkins of the Dis- trict; and Michael J. Morris of Waldorf. The District has been unable to reach a settlement with the other companies. On Aug. 19, the District filed a motion for default in D.C. Superi- or Court against United Leasing. The city has also filed motions for partial summary judgments against TBO and Urban Interfaith Network as well as against Morris and Perkins. In a countermove, Chesapeake Industrial Leasing has filed motion for summary judgment. The Rev. Nathaniel Thomas of
Forestville New Redeemer Bap- tist Church, a church that also lost thousands, said the battle is far from over. “This is a partial victory for jus- tice and fairness,” said Thomas, co-chairman of a coalition of churches fighting the companies. “There are still a number of D.C. and Maryland churches who have not settled with Chesapeake, and that was the main company in- volved.” City attorneys say the money
that the firms got from the churches amounts to about $10,000. It’s not everything that was lost, Nickles said, but “it is a step in the right direction.”
harrish@washpost.com
395
ALEXANDRIA 95
495 495 267
Tysons Corner
FAIRFAX CO.
ARL. CO.
29 66 50 D.C.
A
E L T WAY
C
P
B
I A
T
L
o P
t
m o
a
c
R
.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160